Vegan Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Name: Vegan Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2 Large Heads Cauliflower; 2/3 Cup Cashews (can sub 1/3 Cup nut butter); 1/4 Cup Vegan BBQ Sauce; 1-4 Tablespoons Sriracha (adjust spice to taste); 2-3 Tablespoons Vegan Yogurt (adjust spice to taste); 1 Tablespoon White Vinegar; 1 Teaspoon Liquid Aminos; 1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard; 1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder; Salt (to taste)

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Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower makes a tasty appetizer for game day or any day! This buffalo cauliflower is completely vegan & plant-based, gluten-free, and oil-free. Make it in your air fryer or in your oven!

A platter of vegan air fryer buffalo cauliflower served with vegan ranch.

Cauliflower is one of my all-time favorite vegetables. (Behind carrots, of course.)

Cover it in some buffalo sauce and crisp it up in the air fryer, and WOW what a delicious dish.

The cauliflower itself doesn't have a ton of flavor, so you just get a bunch of buffalo sauce goodness. It's crispy and creamy and spicy and so tasty!

This recipe is perfect to make and serve as an appetizer for game day (if you're into that). Or, ya know, just because you love cauliflower. If you have an air fryer, you'll get extra delicious and crispy bites. But if not, you can still make this dish.

Let's make it!

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Why I love this Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
How Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
FAQ & Expert Tips
Serving Suggestions
Recipe Prayer
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Why I love this Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Dietary needs - vegan buffalo cauliflower is plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, oil-free, and sugar-free
Made in the Air Fryer or the Oven - this buffalo cauliflower is super tasty when made in the air fryer! No air fryer? No problem. I've included oven instructions too (and it takes just as good!)
Healthy appetizer - I mean, it's cauliflower! And the homemade buffalo sauce is made from whole food ingredients you can feel good about eating
Great for non-vegans - everyone loves buffalo sauce! And while this cauliflower doesn't taste like chicken, I promise even non-vegans will love the incredible flavor

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower with celery dipped in ranch

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Cauliflower: this recipe is meant for larger heads of cauliflower. If you can only get your hands on some smaller ones, use a third head.
Cashews: cashews create thickness and fat (which = flavor) for the sauce. We'll blend them into a sauce. If you don't have raw cashews or don't have a blender/food processor you can sub ⅓ cup of a neutral-tasting nut butter
Sriracha: these buffalo cauliflower wings are spicy! (Which is why they are best paired with ranch dip.) For less spice, reduce the amount of sriracha. Or for no spice, omit the sriracha altogether.
Vegan BBQ Sauce: most barbecue sauces are naturally vegan. If you can, try to find one that doesn't have any added sugar.
Vegan Yogurt: Most grocery stores have a vegetarian section near the refrigerated dairy products. You should find vegan yogurt in that vegetarian section or on some shelves near the dairy products. Like with the BBQ sauce, look for an unsweetened yogurt with few or no added preservatives.
White Vinegar: any light vinegar will do - apple cider vinegar is a good sub
Liquid Aminos: you can also use tamari, which is gluten-free, or soy sauce, which is not gluten-free
Dijon Mustard
Garlic Powder
Salt

Vegan Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Ingredients

How Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Step 1. Preheat the air fryer to 400°F

Step 2. Soak the cashews in boiling water. If you are using the nut butter substitution, skip this step. See instructions below for how to make this recipe without a blender.

Step 3. Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Step 4. Drain the cashews, then add them to a blender or food processor along with the sriracha, BBQ sauce, yogurt, vinegar, liquid aminos, mustard, garlic powder, and salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.

If the sauce is too spicy, add more yogurt until you reach your desired spice level. You can also plan to serve the dish with a non-spicy dipping sauce like ranch to help reduce the spiciness.

Step 5. Transfer the buffalo sauce to the bowl with the cauliflower and toss to coat.

Step 6. Place in the basket of your air fryer and cook for 12-14 minutes. Depending on the exact model of your air fryer, the time may vary. Keep an eye on the cauliflower to avoid burning.

Step 7. Serve with your favorite dip (like vegan ranch) and enjoy!

FAQ & Expert Tips

How long to cook Buffalo Cauliflower in your Air Fryer

In this recipe you'll cook your buffalo cauliflower for 12-14 minutes in the air fryer.

Depending on the exact model of your air fryer, the time may vary. It's a good idea to check the cauliflower halfway through, check for burning, and give it a toss to ensure even cooking. Keep an eye on the cauliflower throughout the cook time to avoid burning.

For your reference, I used my Nuwave Brio 14 Quart Air Fryer. I know that this air fryer cooks food on the top slightly faster than the food on the bottom, so I gave the cauliflower a stir halfway through cooking. It came out perfectly after about 12 minutes.

How to cook this Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower in your Oven

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. You could also use parchment paper, but I prefer aluminum foil for a recipe like this, to avoid lots of cleanup.

When you cook without oil, things tend to stick a little more than they otherwise would. Aluminum foil is our best defense! And the cauliflower comes right off of the foil 🙂

Steps 2-5 are the same as above:

Step 2. Soak the cashews in boiling water. If you are using the nut butter substitution, skip this step. See instructions below for how to make this recipe without a blender.
Step 3. Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
Step 4. Drain the cashews, then add them to a blender or food processor along with the sriracha, BBQ sauce, yogurt, vinegar, liquid aminos, mustard, garlic powder, and salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
If the sauce is too spicy, add more yogurt until you reach your desired spice level. You can also plan to serve the dish with a non-spicy dipping sauce like ranch to help reduce the spiciness.
Step 5. Transfer the buffalo sauce to the bowl with the cauliflower and toss to coat.

Oven cook time differs slightly from the air fryer:
Step 6. Place the cauliflower on the lined baking sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes.
Step 7. Serve with your favorite dip (like vegan ranch) and enjoy!

How do I make this buffalo cauliflower without a blender?

No blender? No problem!

I used cashews in this recipe to add some creaminess and flavor, but there's a simple swap you can make if you don't have a blender or food processor.

Instead of using whole cashews, use a nut butter instead. You can use cashew butter, almond butter, or another neutral-tasting nut butter. (Avoid peanut butter unless you want a strong peanut taste.)

When you get to step 4 of blending the sauce, simply place all the sauce ingredients, including the nut butter, in a medium bowl and mix by hand. For a super smooth sauce, use a whisk. But a fork or spoon would be fine too. Just make sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed.

Serving Suggestions

You simply must serve this Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower with my Easy Plant-Based Ranch Dip! It's just a few simple ingredients and you can make it in 5 minutes.

For a party, pair this buffalo cauliflower with other tasty appetizers like vegan crostini, vegan queso and spicy guacamole.

Or, choose from my selection (read: billions) of hummus recipes for a variety of fun dipping sauces:

Recipe Prayer

Thank you God for this delicious and healthy dish. Help us to honor You with our bodies. Amen.

Vegan Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower dipped in ranch

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