Crispy Cauliflower Bites with Creamy Buffalo Sauce

by Angela Gallardo in Recipes, Sides & Snacks

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I figured if I was going to join the tedious AF crispy cauliflower bites camp, I should make it worth your while.

So we’ve got a really easy batter, full of a smoky cheesy flavor (nutritional yeast FTW).  And grain-free breading that is as simple as pulsing your choice of a pre-prepared food — more on what I recommend below.

20-minute prep, or less if you can recruit a sous chef to help you with coating the florets.  And 20-minute bake time, during which you can whip up this phenomenal dairy-free creamy buffalo sauce!

Perfect for your game-day festivities.  Or maybe just a random Tuesday when you feel like getting fancy with some crispy cauli-bites for dinner!

Get a printable PDF of the recipe

Crispy Cauliflower Bites

Yields: 4-6 servings (as an appetizer)

• 1 c. nut/seed milk of choice*
• 6 tbsp. arrowroot or tapioca starch
• 3 tbsp. + 1 tsp. coconut flour
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 24 oz. cauliflower florets, cut to 2″ pieces (about 2 medium heads)
• ~2 cups breadcrumbs of choice (see below)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450F.  Have two lined sheet pans ready.
2. Whisk together the milk, arrowroot starch, coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika nutritional yeast, sea salt, and black pepper in a large bowl.
3. Add the cauliflower florets and stir until well coated (as shown above).  This may take a bit of stirring to get the batter into all the crevices.
4. Pulse your breadcrumbs of choice in a large food processor until fine and crumbly.  Dump into a separate large bowl.
5. Working in batches, move about 5 florets to the bowl of breadcrumbs.  Spoon breading on top of them and toss around in the bowl gently to coat all sides.
6. Move the coated florets to the sheet pan.  Leave about a 1/2″ inch space around each one so they can breathe and crisp up well when cooking.
7. Bake both sheets together for 20 minutes (rotating them halfway through), or individually for 15 minutes each.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Best enjoyed just after baking.

Notes:

• I recommend lower fat nut and seed milks here, like almond milk.  If using coconut milk, use canned low fat.
• Choosing a breading: great grain-free options include chicharrones, Simple Mills Crackers, or Siete Tortilla Chips. Simple Mills and Siete are higher-starch options I’ve used before that yield a very crispy result.  Chicharron are what I use more commonly and while they don’t get *as* crispy, they still work really well and are a great low-carb option.
• You’ll need at least 4 oz. of whichever you choose, and just over 2 cups once crumbled.  If you grind extra, keep them in the freezer for future breading needs!

Get a printable PDF of the recipe

Creamy Buffalo Sauce

Yields: 2 cups

• 1 fresh, pastured egg
• 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 3 tbsp. hot sauce (I used classic Frank’s Red Hot)
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 scallion, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 c. refined avocado oil

Directions:

1. Add the egg, lemon juice, hot sauce, garlic clove, scallion, sea salt, and black pepper to a blender.  Blend until smooth.
2. With the blender running on low speed, drizzle the avocado oil through the hole in the top of the lid.  Once all the oil has been added, move the speed to medium for 5 seconds.
3. Store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.