Panko Crusted Buffalo Cauliflower Wings | Extra Crispy!
Panko Crusted Buffalo Cauliflower uses panko crumbs to give this lighter recipe the crispy crunch of its deep-fried cousin.
Ingredients for Panko Crusted Buffalo Cauliflower
- Fresh Cauliflower: Fresh cauliflower stands up better to baking than frozen and still has a lot of crunch without getting soggy.
- Corn Starch: A corn starch slurry replaces the egg and milk for the breading making this recipe vegan friendly!
- Panko Bread Crumbs: These are the key ingredient! Panko bread crumbs are super crispy and keep our cauliflower wings extra crunchy.
- Hot sauce: Frank’s hot sauce is the classic. Frank’s is a cayenne pepper hot sauce, and if you order regular buffalo wings in a restaurant, there is a very good chance they are using Frank’s. But, feel free to experiment, if you have a favorite hot sauce, try it out and let me know how it goes in the comments below!
- Butter: Vegan butter works great here, so this recipe is 100% vegan friendly. If you aren’t vegan or don’t have vegan butter, dairy butter is great too.
- Seasonings: Kosher salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper powder. All these seasonings pack in the flavor. If you don’t want these hotter, you can omit the cayenne peppe powder.
How to make Panko Crusted Buffalo Cauliflower
- Do your prep ahead of time. Once you start dipping the cauliflower florets, you’ll want to move quickly.
- Cornstarch: In a large bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, the water, the vegetable oil, and the salt.
- Panko: In another bowl, stir together the panko bread crumbs, the kosher salt, and the freshly ground pepper.
- Bread the cauliflower: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cauliflower florets into the cornstarch mixture and stir to coat the cauliflower. One at a time, remove the cauliflower florets from the cornstarch mixture and shake off any excess. Roll the corn starch dredged cauliflower in the panko bread crumbs to coat lightly. Place the panko crusted cauliflower on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 375°F on the convection setting for 10 to 12 minutes until the panko crumbs are golden brown.
- Buffalo Sauce: While cauliflower is baking prepare the sauce. Heat the hot sauce covered in the microwave. Stir in the sliced butter, the cayenne pepper, the white vinegar, the garlic powder, and the onion powder.
- To serve: I prefer to serve the buffalo sauce on the side so I can dip the panko crusted cauliflower in the sauce to preserve the crispiness. Since these are baked and not fried, they will eventually get soggy if tossed in the sauce.
What is a convection oven?
A convection oven is an oven that circulates air around in the oven using a fan. The air circulation gets whatever you’re cooking extra crispy. Depending on what you are cooking, that may or may not be the desired goal. Many ovens today have a convection setting. An air fryer is actually just a tiny convection oven. If you don’t have a convection oven, you can just set your regular oven to 400°F for this recipe.
Need something to dip your cauliflower wings in? Try our Easy & Delicious Homemade Blue Cheese Dip Recipe!
Yield: 4 servings
Panko Crusted Buffalo Cauliflower
This buffalo cauliflower comes together quickly and easily using panko breadcrumbs for a crispy crunch. Use a standard wing hot sauce, or pick your favorite.
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
30 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 1/4 cup of corn starch
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 2/3 cup hot sauce (I like Frank’s)
- 1 stick butter (vegan or dairy), sliced into 1/2 tablespoon pats
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper powder (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven on the convection setting to 375°F
- Cornstarch: In a large bowl, whisk together 1/4 cup cornstarch, 1/2 cup water, 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
- Panko: In another bowl, stir together 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt, and 1/2 tablespoon freshly ground pepper.
- Bread the cauliflower
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the cauliflower florets into the cornstarch mixture and stir to coat the cauliflower.
One at a time, remove the cauliflower florets from the cornstarch mixture and shake off any excess.
Roll the corn starch dredged cauliflower in the panko bread crumbs to coat lightly.
Place the breaded cauliflower on the parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 375°F on the convection setting for 10 to 12 minutes until the panko crumbs are golden brown. - Buffalo Sauce
While cauliflower is baking prepare the sauce.
Heat 2/3 cup hot sauce covered in the microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Stir in 1 stick sliced butter, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 2 teaspoons white vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon onion powder. - To serve: Either drizzle the panko-crusted cauliflower with the buffalo sauce or serve the sauce on the side and dip to preserve maximum crispiness
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 444Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 18gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 71mgSodium: 2623mgCarbohydrates: 33gFiber: 5gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g
Nutrition information isn’t always accurate.
