Vegan Cauliflower Wings Recipe (plus a vegan ranch recipe!)

vegan cauliflower wings with peppers and vegan ranch

As much as I love the holiday season, I couldn’t be more thankful for it to be over. The stress alone is enough for me to forget what day of the week it is! Knowing I had very little time to photograph or write, I instead chose to focus entirely on spending time with family. That being said, I couldn’t wait to get back to cooking! To help ring in the new year, I chose a new take on a classic.. vegan cauliflower wings. (Also a vegan ranch recipe and a homemade pepper sauce recipe to complete the package!)

The crispiest vegan cauliflower wings ever!

wings

ranch_hero

 

I’ve struggled to produce superb results in the past, creating a doughy, goop mess covered in hot sauce. Not the best combination. A tip from this blog, claimed garbanzo bean flour helped create a crisp, “fried-like” texture. Sounded perfect! Hesitant to use 100% garbanzo flour, I used a whole wheat mixture for a more traditional coating. I was blown away by the results! The coating cooked into the perfect spicy crunch over perfectly baked cauliflower. Absolutely superb.

peppers_post

The perfect hot sauce to accompany perfect vegan cauliflower wings!

I usually use store-bought hot sauce for the wings, which is perfectly fine! Not having any on-hand, I decided to attempt making my own. After scavenging the entire state of Arizona for fresh cayenne pepper, I resorted to a blend of Red Fresno Peppers and a single Habanero.

vegan pepper sauce

This sauce definitely packs a punch. I can barely handle the strong heat, but the flavor is so good I can’t stop!
Feel free to de-seed the peppers to reduce heat as needed.

Lastly, no cauliflower wings recipe would be complete without a thick, creamy vegan ranch recipe to go along (and tame the heat!)

ranch

Perhaps the easiest recipe in the trio, this creamy, garlicky vegan ranch is easy as hell to prepare! I seriously tossed all of the ingredients into a blender and ran until smooth! Use less milk if you prefer a thicker “dip” texture, more for a runnier “dressing”.


Vegan Cauliflower Wings Recipe (plus a vegan ranch recipe!)

Crispy vegan Buffalo Cauliflower Wings, a Homemade Pepper Sauce, and a Homemade Vegan Ranch! What else could you ask for!?
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Author: Nick @ ServingRealness.com

Ingredients

For the cauliflower

  • 1 small-medium head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour or sub for whole wheat or even all-purpose
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 cup + 2-3 tablespoons unsweetened soy milk

For the pepper sauce

  • 1 habanero pepper
  • 4 red fresno peppers
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup white vinegar
  • 1/4 teaspoon paprika
  • Dash of cayenne
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon vegan butter melted (added just before coating wings)

For the Ranch

  • 1 cup vegan mayo
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • dash of pepper
  • 2 teaspoons fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh dill optional

Instructions

If making homemade hot sauce, start with that

  • Combine all ingredients in blender until smooth
  • Simmer on stovetop for 20-30 minutes
  • (Right before you add the sauce to the wings, you'll also be adding 1 tablespoon of vegan butter. It'll be mentioned below, just keep it in mind!)

For the cauliflower

  • Preheat oven to 450°
  • Chop cauliflower into small, bite-sized pieces and set aside
  • Mix all other dry ingredients in medium sized bowl
  • Slowly add soy milk until desired consistency is achieved. You want it tacky enough to stick, but runny enough to not glob together
  • Now coat each piece of cauliflower in batter, shake off any excess, and put one layer of "wings" greased baking dish
  • Bake for 15 minutes, turning halfway though
  • Next, pull the wings out of the oven, coat in the pepper sauce and butter mixture, flip again, and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes until nice and crispy
  • Remove from oven and let cool for several minutes before attempting to eat (a great time to start the ranch!)

For the ranch dressing

  • Blend all ingredients (save the dill) until smooth!
  • For a thicker dip start with less milk, for a runnier dressing use more.
  • Sprinkle on dill as a last-minute garnish

Notes

Cooking times are including the Homemade Pepper Sauce. Prep time is considerably shorter if you opt for store-bought like Franks.

9 Comments

  1. Tom Abell

    January 5, 2016 at 3:27 pm

    Great article!

    Reply
  2. Kathy

    January 9, 2016 at 8:37 am

    Was that crisp of the “wings” really achieved during the baking process? They seem as though they were deep fried

    Reply
    • Nick

      January 9, 2016 at 11:08 am

      It was completely from the baking! I was so surprised, normally it’s a goopy mess, but it crisped up so nicely this time 🙂

      Reply
      • Kathy

        January 9, 2016 at 5:07 pm

        Wow, amazing! I hope I get the same results. Thanks so much 🙂

        Reply
        • Nick

          January 9, 2016 at 5:37 pm

          Of course! Let me know how they turn out 🙂

          Reply
  3. Amanda

    January 9, 2016 at 8:42 pm

    For the ranch dip; are the onion and garlic listed supposed to be in powder form or the actual thing?

    Reply
    • Nick

      January 9, 2016 at 8:55 pm

      Powdered! Thank you for the question I will be sure to clarify 🙂

      Reply
  4. Laurie

    May 1, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    Can you use almond milk in substitute of soy milk? We make our own.

    Reply
    • Nick Abell

      May 2, 2021 at 1:42 pm

      You could always give it a try! I like using soy because of the extra protein content- I’ve found it helps ingredients bind together better. But plenty of people use exclusively almond milk and they never seem to have a problem.

      Reply

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