Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wings

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Bowl of our easy Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wings recipe

Friends! Welcome to our latest snacking obsession: Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wings!

Inspired by our Cashew-Crusted Cauliflower “Steak,” these 10-ingredient, grain-free wings have a perfectly seasoned cashew and arrowroot crispy exterior, plus a sweet and spicy glaze so a dipping sauce isn’t necessary. Swoon!

Cauliflower, cashews, eggs, honey, hot sauce, and other ingredients for making our Crispy Breaded Cauliflower recipe

How to Make Cauliflower Wings

We find making cauliflower wings works best as a four-step process:

  1. Egg wash – eggs are gently beaten with a fork to create an egg wash that is perfect for helping the batter stick to the cauliflower. If egg-free or vegan, you can try subbing non-dairy milk as used in this method.
  2. Batter – we used a cashew-arrowroot-salt-spice mix. You want the texture to be a semi-fine meal so that it sticks easily to the cauliflower.
  3. Bake – we like to bake at a high temp (425 F/218 C) for ~20 minutes to get the cauliflower wings nice and crispy. Placing on a cooling rack over a baking sheet helps the cauliflower crisp up without getting too brown on the bottom (though both methods work!).
  4. Glaze – once the cauliflower is baked, it is stirred into a warm glaze. Doing this after baking allows the cauliflower to stay crispy but also soak up delicious flavor!
Cauliflower florets in a bowl of raw egg to help the cashew batter stick

These wings will make you want to devour a whole head of cauliflower in no time (sneaky vegetable hack), which isn’t such a bad thing, considering cauliflower is loaded with vitamins C, K, B5, B6, folate, choline, fiber, and SO much more!

Cauliflower florets in cashew breading mixture
Gluten-Free Breaded Cauliflower Wings on a cooling rack atop a parchment-lined baking sheet

These would make the perfect vegetarian snack, especially for Game Day!

They would also be delicious as a side or appetizer with just about any main, including our Easy Marinated Grilled Chicken or Smoky BBQ Black Bean Burger.

Stirring a pot of honey glaze for our Crispy Breaded Cauliflower recipe

We hope you LOVE these cauliflower wings! They’re:

Crispy
Flavorful
Sweet & spicy
Simple
& SO delicious!

Holding the sides of a bowl of Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wings topped with a sweet and spicy glaze

More Cauliflower Recipes

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Picking up a Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wing from a plate

Crispy Breaded Cauliflower Wings

Crispy breaded cauliflower wings with a sweet 'n' spicy glaze! 10 ingredients, simple methods, BIG flavor! The perfect plant-based snack or side!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Spoon resting on a plate of Crispy Breaded Cauliflower made with a cashew-based breading
4.77 from 69 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 4 (Servings)
Course Appetizer, Side, Snack
Cuisine American, Grain-Free, Vegetarian
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3-4 Days, Best when fresh

Ingredients

CAULIFLOWER

  • 1 small-medium head cauliflower (cut into even, bite-size florets)
  • 1 healthy pinch each sea salt and black pepper

EGGS

  • 2 large eggs, beaten (organic pasture-raised when possible // see notes for vegan option)

COATING

  • 1 ½ cups raw cashews (or sub other nut, such as almonds or almond flour, though we haven’t tested these ourselves)
  • 1 ¼ tsp sea salt (plus more to season cauliflower before coating)
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (increase for more spice)
  • 3/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 2 Tbsp arrowroot starch, cornstarch, or potato starch (or try subbing brown or white rice flour, though we haven’t tried these ourselves)
  • 1 spritz avocado oil (optional // from a spray bottle // otherwise omit)

SWEET ’N’ SPICY GLAZE

  • 2 Tbsp honey (if vegan, sub maple syrup)
  • 3 Tbsp hot sauce or buffalo sauce (we like Yellow Bird Habanero for this recipe)
  • 1 pinch red pepper flake (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C) and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. If you have a cooling rack that is oven safe, you can place that over the parchment paper; it will help the cauliflower crisp up even more. However, we tested it with and without and both work. The primary difference is when not using a cooling rack, the cauliflower undersides can get a little more brown. But the easy workaround is cooking the cauliflower in the upper third of the oven to prevent the bottoms from burning.
  • Add cauliflower florets to a large mixing bowl and season with a bit of salt and pepper (pepper optional). Toss to combine and set aside. (Reserve large mixing bowl for use later.)
  • Crack eggs into a shallow bowl and whisk until combined. Set aside.
  • Next, prepare cashew coating by adding cashews, salt, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and arrowroot starch (or cornstarch or potato starch) to a food processor. Mix until a semi-fine meal is achieved. A little texture is okay (see photo), but you want it pretty fine so it coats the cauliflower. Transfer coating to a shallow dish (shallow enough to dip the cauliflower in) and set aside.
  • Dip a few cauliflower florets at a time in the eggs, ensuring all sides are well coated. Then shake off excess. Transfer the cauliflower to the cashew coating and toss until thoroughly coated, using a spoon or your hands to add more coating to any bare spots.
  • Transfer cauliflower to your prepared baking sheet (with or without a cooling rack). Finally, drizzle or spritz with a little avocado oil to help them crisp up (optional).
  • Bake for ~20 minutes or until the cauliflower appears golden brown.
  • In the meantime, prepare glaze. To a large saucepan, add honey and hot sauce and a pinch of red pepper flake (optional). Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it bubbles and appears combined. Set aside.
  • Transfer cooked cauliflower to the large mixing bowl from earlier and top with the glaze. Gently toss to combine, then serve immediately.
  • Best when fresh. Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. Reheat in a 350 degree F (176 C) oven until hot for best results. Not freezer friendly.

Video

Notes

*For a vegan coating, replace the eggs with a mixture of 1 cup unsweetened plain dairy-free milk (we like cashew milk) and 1 Tbsp lemon juice.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 servings Calories: 389 Carbohydrates: 34.1 g Protein: 13.8 g Fat: 24.3 g Saturated Fat: 4.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 4.22 g Monounsaturated Fat: 12.65 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 93.25 mg Sodium: 861 mg Potassium: 616 mg Fiber: 3.5 g Sugar: 13.5 g Vitamin A: 649 IU Vitamin C: 44.35 mg Calcium: 53.3 mg Iron: 4 mg

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  1. Kate McGregor says

    I made this tonight and it was outstanding! We served it in tacos with black beans and all the fixings. So, so good. I can’t wait to make it again. I did add a tablespoon of butter to the sauce because, butter. Thank you for a recipe I will definitely make a zillion times!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Dorothy, we haven’t tested a nut-free version, but possibly sunflower seeds + pepitas? The flavor will be different, but it might still be tasty! Let us know if you try it!

  2. Emily Marushko says

    I would recommend sprinkling the coating over the egg-dipped cauliflower, rather than drenching the cauliflower into the coating. Halfway through, the coating got too wet and clumpy to stick to the cauliflower. But the first half worked out great!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Bummer, sorry that happened, Emily! We find with sprinkling it doesn’t stick as well. Another idea would be to start with just half the mixture and then add more as needed.

  3. Wendy says

    This was awful! It tasted like cashew peanut butter cauliflower. I couldn’t eat it. Who wants nutty flavored cauliflower? Yuck

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Wendy. Did you add peanuts? We’re afraid those wouldn’t be a good fit for this recipe.

  4. Nikola says

    I have admired your saucepan with the wood handle a few times.
    Wondering what brand it is?
    Looking forward to trying the crispy cauliflower !!

  5. Megan says

    This continues to be a go-to in our house. So easy. Have been doing the firm tofu cubed version in the air fryer and they are delish. Buffalo tofu tots.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you are enjoying it, Megan! Thanks so much for the lovely review. xo

  6. Rachael Zeng says

    This recipe was so delicious!! I’ve made it twice now and could have easily eaten the whole batch in one go! I’m a vegetarian, but even my meat eating husband and children loved this one as a side instead of meat! My husband likened it to crispy chicken drumsticks 😊 the second time I made it I didn’t do the glaze, but made a miso tahini dressing as a dip, was just as yum 😊 Thank you for this awesome recipe 😋

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Sounds delicious! We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed them, Rachael! Thanks so much for sharing! xo

  7. candice says

    Absolutely delicious! My kids requested this almost daily this past week. I didn’t have enough almond flour the second time and subbed1/2 cup of GF flour and I used almond milk instead of the egg and it turned out great.
    Thank you for your wonderful and easy recipe. Will be making it over and over again i’m sure.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, yay! We’re so glad you and your kids enjoy the recipe, Candice. Thank you for sharing! xo

  8. Andy says

    I made these vegan style and kicked it up a notch. Instead of egg I used oat milk and instead of honey I used maple syrup.
    I used siete habanero hot sauce and garnished with mint, dill, harissa, and dates. I’m seriously addicted to these. So good!

  9. Courtney says

    Long time fan, first time commenter. I combined some instructions from this recipe and the Spicy Korean-Style Cauliflower Wings recipe (https://minimalistbaker.com/spicy-korean-style-cauliflower-wings/) — because I don’t have an air fryer and really wanted to up the crispy-ness! Started by baking the cauliflower at 450 for 10 min, then did the coating, and put ’em back in at ~20 min at 500. They came out perfectly golden and the coating had a great crunch to it.

    I subbed almond flour for the cashews and they turned out great, no mixer/food processor required. :) The coating process took longer than I expected, but I think I had a big cauliflower.

    This glaze was so yummy! Almost opted for regular buffalo sauce, but it takes like 2 min, so don’t skip!!

  10. Amanda says

    I think they taste better the next day (kinda like chili or veggie soup) also w blue cheese dressing (my hot sauce was extra hot)

  11. Janineinsd says

    I hate cauliflower and I liked this recipe. I used the egg wash directions. I made some in the oven and some in the airfryer. My boyfriend and I agreed hands down the air fryer was better. I ended up putting the baked ones in the airfryer for a few minutes. Baked also worked, if you want it crispy go for airfryer. . Thank you for a great recipe! it’s a bit messy but delicious.

  12. Kelly says

    I have made this twice. There is some heat if you follow this to a tee. Pretty yummy! They reheat the next day, easily in a sauté pan with a lid, low heat; they’re almost better too! Unfortunately, I screwed up the second time I made them by washing the cauliflower first. The egg wash became watery and the nut coating would not stick. Lesson learned.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thank you for sharing your experience, Kelly! Sorry to hear it didn’t turn out right the second time around!

  13. Kiki says

    This was really good. I think the only change that I would make is to pre-cook the cauliflower. The coating wasn’t crispy, per se, but it was firm. I think it’s because of the amount of steam collected in the oven from the cauliflower. I did spray with avocado oil and I’m convinced it firmed up the crust.

    Didn’t have a hot sauce, but did make a glaze with Sweet Baby Ray’s, honey, and sriracha. We’re meat eaters and we loved it.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for sharing, Kiki! We’d love to hear if you have success with pre-cooking the cauliflower.

  14. Tamara says

    Deeeeeeelish!! Used brown rice flour in place of the arrowroot powder, and didn’t have smoked paprika, so used the unsmoked. Still super yummy. Popped the leftovers (there were some!) in the air fryer to heat up the next day. Still super good. Mine weren’t terribly crispy, but I didn’t care (Maybe I needed to cook them longer?). This is a really good recipe. Yum!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for sharing, Tamara! They won’t be super crispy, but should have crispy edges. Baking in an air fryer or convection oven should help though!

    • Mj says

      These are so good! We used just egg as a substitute and cut some of the cashews with gluten free panko. We used a classic sauce with vegan butter. You are the best and I am always using your site. Being a vegan has never been easier!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Mj. We are so glad you enjoyed them! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  15. Crito says

    I’m bummed. This site was such a beacon for vegan recipes and now to see the grossly inhumane and cholesterol booming eggs in a recipe….just sad. But I get it. I’m not in that overly aggressive hater club. To each their own. Personally just disappointed. But you make some killer recipes so all the best to ya!

    • Sam says

      After scrolling through to see others feedback about this recipe (shoutout to the MB community for their generally insightful feedback!), this was terribly disappointing to come across… Chill. Personally I feel this is the weirdest compliment / insult I’ve ever read on here. To even post something like this screams you are in fact in the “Hater” club. Totally unnecessary to post this type of feedback.

  16. Jane says

    Finally, a crispy buffalo cauliflower recipe that actually works! This is SO GOOD, spicy but sweet with a great texture. Like others, I also accidentally made my coating into partial cashew butter so I stirred it all up in a bowl with egg-coated cauliflower before baking rather than coat individual pieces, and refrigerated for an hour. Turned out amazing.

    • Marie says

      This is a winner!!! I used frozen cauliflower (thawed) and it came out great. I also didn’t use oil and they were still nice and crispy (only baked a little longer). Thanks for all you amazing recipes!

  17. Poppy says

    Absolutely love this recipe and use it as a tape and alternate the type of hot sauce it’s tossed in – my fave so far is Korean gochujang sauce. Such a quick recipe that wows everyone!

  18. Megan says

    tried and true, still making these on regular rotation!

    Now we’re making a double batch of coating and putting 1/2 in the fridge for the next round of wings a few days later. Seemed to stick better after the coating spent some time in the fridge too…

  19. michaluna says

    Another great recipe but a little bit of a Pinterest FAIL for me! I don’t read too good and didn’t realize I was supposed to add the starch (I used cornstarch because) until after I had already processed the cashews. Also, I don’t have a “real” food processor either, and I was trying to get them to grind finer in my Cuisinart minichopper. So I kept pressing the “grind” button…… Short story long, I nearly ended up with cashew butter. OOPSY! I was determined to make it work so I forged ahead, pressing a thick glob of paste-like coating onto each floret. Messy work, and it didn’t coat the whole piece at all. But the taste and texture of the finished result was fantastic and the whole family loved these!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi, it does sound like the cashews got processed too long. Pulsing into more of a meal should help for next time!

      • Linda says

        Thank you! We will try these again — especially for game day snacks! So fun. That’s good to know we’re looking for more of a “mealy” texture! For some reason we thought it was supposed to look like “dust,” but that was never going to happen with my minichopper.

  20. Michaluna says

    This looks amazing as do all your recipes and I can’t wait to try this! I don’t have arrowroot starch and not sure where to buy. Would it be possible to swap regular all-purpose flour? Or is starch better?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Michaluna, starch is better here, but flour should work. Corn starch would be another option.

  21. Jana says

    This was so good! I used coconut sriracha (sweet and spicy) as my hot sauce and it was perfect. I used two bowls as well for the coating and worked out really well.

  22. Kelly says

    These definitely score high on flavor. The glaze is what really makes them wing-like, and I like that you can use your own favorite hot sauce (I used a friend’s homemade habanero). The texture is just okay…I wished they were a little crunchier Maybe I needed to cook them longer? Perhaps the cauliflower just gives off too much juice when cooking. I can see how having an oil spritzer might have helped…I do not have one so I drizzled on a scant amount of olive oil but this lead to uneven browning. I flipped them about half way through the cook. **I would highly recommend splitting the dry crumb mixture in half.** When you get low, switch to other half of the fresh dry coating. My crumbs got so eggy and wet that my last handful of florets wound up naked because the egg-logged crumbs wouldn’t stick. I’m not sure I’d make these again…maybe? Good flavor; okay texture; nice and healthy!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks for the honest feedback and for sharing your tips, Kelly! If you have a convection setting on your oven, that will also help get them more crispy. Otherwise, yes, try baking longer.

  23. Brittany Maykish says

    I subbed regular flour and they turned out really good. Make sure if you use regular flour to put enough spray oil on – if not it stays a powdery flour.

  24. Stephanie says

    This recipe is GREAT as written.

    For whatever silly reason, I underestimated how spicy the recipe would be so I here I was – adding extra hot sauce (Yellow Bird Hab, as suggested) and WOW was I in for a surprise. It was still amazing, just on the border of “Oh my, can I handle another bite” as I repeatedly shoved them in my mouth while my eyes watered. So glad I used the suggested hot sauce. It has natural ingredients and is amazing. Recipe is great as is – don’t know why I tried to alter it. Next time I will just let perfection be perfection.

    I could imagine those who struggle with this recipe may be trying to add more cornstarch/seasoning to ensure crispiness/flavor. Your flavor predominantly comes from the sauce added at the end and the cornstarch allocation is enough so stick to the proportions listed in the recipe and you’ll nail it.

  25. Jennifer says

    I wonder if the JustEgg product would be a good sub for the actual egg. I only have frozen cauliflower on hand or I’d try it now. 😉

  26. Lena says

    Soooo disappointed in these. I used eggs and followed the recipe to a T but baked them extra long and it was impossible to get them crispy as advertised. They absolutely need to be fried. I could feel/taste cornstarch between my teeth.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Lena, so sorry to hear that was your experience! Other readers have had success with these, so we’re wondering if it’s possible your oven runs colder?

  27. Anna says

    This is really good! Wings without the grease and guilt. I highly recommend Daiya Blue “Cheese” Dressing FTW. I used oat milk, cornstarch, and smoked salt. I also forgot to put lemon juice in the oat milk but I don’t think it needed it. I came upon a discovery due to my carelessness. I either had too large of a cauliflower or I failed to shake enough milk off my cauliflower. The last few pieces were not well coated because I had too much liquid in the breading. So as not to waste, I tasted the breading mixture that was pretty dough-like and decided to pat it out like crust on my baking sheet. It was delicious! Reminds me of cheese straws. I think I’ll make this again and add some nutritional yeast to the excess breading and have “cheese” straws. Thank you for all your amazing recipes! Thanks to you I’m truly enjoying a mostly plant-based diet!

  28. Amanda says

    These were so easy to make and delicious! I used almonds instead of cashews and it worked just fine, although you can taste a hint of almond, which is fine by me!

  29. Sandra says

    This was delicious!! First time making cauliflower wings and this is now my go-to recipe. Thank you so much for sharing!!

      • Annie says

        First time ever we had cauliflower as a mains. Damn it was good. I did not have any starch in the pantry but added corn nachos to the food processor instead. It covered the cauli fine and was really tasty. So much so that I popped the remaining coating in the pan. This recipe was brilliant (even given my creative inspiration) and we will definitely have it again.

  30. Megan says

    could you prep these ahead of time up until step 6 before you put them in the oven, put them in the fridge and and then pop them in the over when it’s time to serve?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We haven’t tried it that way, but maybe? We’d say they would probably be fine same day, but might take on moisture and not crisp up if it’s longer than that. Let us know if you try it!

  31. Megan says

    this has been out of our rotation for a bit, but we brought them back tonight and they are still amazing! In the past I’ve had trouble getting the breading to stick and was thinking it must be the vegan substitution for egg, but then I stumbled upon this nugget in the directions:

    *you want it pretty fine so it coats the cauliflower*

    So I cuisinarted the heck out of the coating to a much finer meal and…voila! coated perfectly. Thanks again for this recipe!

  32. Connie says

    Brought them to bbq with my neighbors and they were gone in 5 min. Everyone asked for recipe! Also appreciate how simple they are to make.

  33. Rose says

    I’m usually not a fan of wings, but my boyfriend is. I made these for him, but they were so tasty, I probably ended up eating most of them. LOVE this recipe.

  34. Rachael says

    These tasted delicious! Mine turned out less like wings though, and more like “chicken” nuggets. I used almond flour instead of cashews as others had suggested, and I dredged the cauliflower in equal parts cornstarch and almond milk. It turned out great! We tried half with a bbq glaze and actually preferred the flavor of the non-glazed (again, very reminiscent of chicken nuggets). Even though it wasn’t as crispy as I had envisioned, this recipe is definitely a keeper.

  35. Jodi says

    Sooooo good! Tried it with egg, and replaced arrowroot starch with equal amount panko crumbs (all we had). Also added tumeric and nutritional yeast to the spices. Yum!

    I had a lot of batter/egg leftover, so I also breaded broccoli and extra firm tofu. SO GOOD. Would highlyyyyy recommend the extra firm tofu, cut into little rectangles!

    I also had success with separating the dry coating into 2 bowls to help decrease clumping. Had no issues 😊

  36. Caroline says

    Im hoping to make this asap but having trouble getting access to arrowroot starch. There are replacements listed above but would it be just as good to use regular flour if we don’t mind there being gluten? Thanks!!

  37. Kathryn C says

    This tasted so great! The flavor and spice filled my mouth. Texture was unique and satisfying.
    I did run into difficulty however as I was dredging. After about half the cauliflower, the coating became too moist and it no longer coated at all.
    All in all, I would absolutely make this again and just adjust the dredging process in some way.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Kathryn! You could maybe try dividing the coating in two bowls? Hope that helps!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Lisa, it doesn’t work as well as eggs, but other readers have reported it works OK. Let us know if you try it!

  38. Spencer says

    I made these today, and OMG they are amazing. These are seriously my new favorite food. The whole recipe was very easy to make, especially the delicious sauce. I ended up making a double batch of the sauce to put on top because it tasted so good! (I used Franks for the hot/buffalo sauce part since that’s what I had on hand)

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Spencer! Thanks so much for the lovely review!

  39. Tamar says

    This looks amazing! I’ll try this out as soon as I can. One question – can I sub the sauce for a sugar-free version? 13.5g of sugar per serving is pretty high!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We think so! But we haven’t tried it. The sugar content is primarily from the honey, not the hot sauce. Let us know how it goes!

  40. Liz says

    AMAZING! I’ve made these multiple times but have always used ground almonds instead of cashews (to avoid getting out the food processor) and they are just perfect. I’ve also tried this using courgettes when I didn’t have cauliflower and it turned out great too!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for sharing, Liz. We are so glad you enjoy it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  41. Summer Johnston says

    AH-Mazing!! I used AlmondFlour instead of cashews everytime I’ve made this and it turns out fantastic. Even my husband who hates cauliflower couldn’t stop eating them. They’re a weekly regular recipe in this house now.

  42. Kate K. says

    This recipe was amazing. It was my first time trying a cashew crust instead of bread crumbs and now I am hooked! Tossed mine in some store-bought buffalo sauce for simplicity and my husband and I ate the whole head of cauliflower in one sitting!

    Note- I don’t know if it is because I dredged mine too much but I cooked mine 30 minutes to get crispy.

  43. Callie V says

    This worked really well for me! I didn’t use avocado oil and I didn’t add salt To the coating since I was using salted roasted cashews.

    One tip: if you have a bread silpat (the kind that has holes in it) use that on top of the cooling rack (or I bet it’d get crispier even sitting on the baking sheet itself).

    I used another recipe for gobi manchurian sauce. I’d love a MB recreation of that too. Thanks for a yummy recipe Dana!

    Here’s the bread silpat.

  44. Sara says

    Great recipe!

    I modified it by replacing cashews with ground almonds (1 cup) and the remaining half a cup with a mixture of hemp seeds and nutritional yeast. Also replaced cayenne with cumin. I would next time use less salt (about half a teaspoon).

    Overall would definitely make again!

  45. Kat says

    Yum! This recipe turned out so so well :)

    I forgot to spray the bites with oil before baking, but they still turned out. I think they would be a bit crunchier with a bit of oil, so I will try not to skip that step next time.

    Definitely a keeper

  46. Aine Smith-Jackson says

    5 out of 5 stars! This was so easy to modify. I had only a handful of cashews so I substituted bread crumbs, almond meal, and walnuts. I use maple syrup for the glaze. I ate the whole head of cauliflower myself.
    The only suggestion I have is to bake them at a slightly higher heat and flip them over during baking so they crisp up. Yum!

  47. Randi says

    I’ve made this recipe with the milk/lemon substitute. Another time I made it with with plain cashew yogurt+some water. Both turned out great.

    If your oven has a convection setting, I suggest using it for the last few minutes of cooking to really get things golden and crusty.

    Delicious success!

  48. Nirupama says

    Could I possibly make these with the spicy gochujang sauce as a glaze instead: basically your recipe for korean style cauliflower wings? how do you suggest i fuse the two recipes?
    thanks for all that you do!

    • Nirupama says

      Just an update: I did combine the two – made the crispy cauliflower and then made the gochujang sauce and tossed everything sauce. worked like an absolute charm and so delicious!! Thanks so much for all the lovely recipes! gonna try the plantain-black bean enchiladas next!

  49. Gabi says

    Excellent! I modified the recipe with what I had on hand: in place of paprika and sea salt, I instead used just a smoked sea salt in the breading, for flour I used one tablespoon of tapioca starch. I added a lot of red pepper flakes. I also tried it with broccoli florets and that was just as amazing as the cauliflower! They really don’t hold up after they cool down though, I definitely recommend enjoying them immediately.

  50. Megan P. says

    Third time making this and it did not disappoint!

    Tried the vegan milk/lemon this time – worked better than flax egg, not as good as real egg, but good enough to satisfy the vegan and non vegan in the house!

    Sprayed the cooling rack with olive oil before putting the cauli on this time and it was super helpful in keeping the breading from sticking! Also sprayed with olive oil on the cauli “wings” before cooking and that seemed to help w/ crispiness.

    I did not reserve the breading during the coating process this time, and that was a mistake, it does get clumpy and makes it hard for the last of the cauliflowers to get breaded. Next time I’ll go back to using it in phases.

    Used a 2:1 mix of cashew to almonds for the breading and it was great, will do that again.

    Thanks!

      • Tahlia Shafar says

        Agree! Doing the breading in batches is key. I followed the recipe and similarly had issues with the second half of the cauliflower being coated well. So delicious that i’ll make again next week with that trick included!

  51. Megan says

    I made these using Just eggs and the breading stuck very well! It got clumpy with the last few but honestly even those turned out well. I’ve had cauliflower wings before that I’ve really enjoyed but these just didn’t do it for me. I didn’t use avocado oil, not sure it would make a huge difference, but they looked amazing. I made half with the hot sauce per the recipe and the other half with a spicy bbq sauce sub. Both sauces tasted pretty good. I appreciate the breading made from cashews, it’s a interesting idea! but I think a gluten free flour breading would be my preferred.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Megan, we think without the avocado oil, they would have trouble getting as crispy. We wonder if that was part of the issue?

  52. Layne says

    I had tried a restaurant’s cauliflower buffalo wings dish once before and thought I’d be ruined on it forever (it was NOT good!). But this recipe is perfection!! We were surprised how much we enjoyed it and with minimal frying or unhealthy ingredients. DELICIOUS!

  53. lily baker says

    I got to watch my kids (2 out of 3 anyhow) snarf down cauliflower!!!!! These were fun for the kids to make (my kids are older – middle school and HS aged, but they hate to cook usually) and really easy.

    My subs because of what we have on hand:

    -Flax milk for the egg.
    -GF Panko and garlic salt. I had to Cuisinart the breading because the Panko was too large, but it worked beautifully.

    Our sauce ended up super spicy, so some of us opted for a ranch/sauce mix and it was delectable!

  54. Megan says

    Have made these twice now with small variations for a vegetarian vs. vegan. Both were delicious!

    – Noticed that the egg dip version worked better than using a flax egg dip to get the crust to adhere to the cauliflower. with the flax egg I had to keep watering it down. Haven’t tried the milk/lemon yet.
    – the drizzle makes a positive difference in crispiness of the finished “wings” – the egg may have something to do with that too.
    – while I’m not a big sauce person (usually sauce on the side) tossing or drizzling at the end both worked well and were tasty. love the honey/buffalo combo!
    -both times the cauliflower stuck to the cooling rack, which made some of the coating peel away. boo!
    Next time I will give the cooling rack a little spray or brush of oil to see if that helps. Because there will most definitely be a next time for these. I also may try a sub for the cashews cause they are so darned expen$ive!

  55. Liana Roy says

    Fairly easy recipe to throw together. And for those non-cauliflower believers, prepare to become converted! Delish!!

  56. Laura says

    Pretty disappointed with this recipe. I made the vegan version, and I don’t think this recipe works well with the vegan substitutions suggested above. The breading adhered well to the first 10 or so florets, and then it started to get clumpy and wouldn’t stay on. I tried adding some panko and more starch to the dry mixture, and some flax to the wet mixture, and it helped some, but not a lot. Then when the florets came out of the oven, they were browning but not crispy. When I tossed them in the sauce, all the coating came off the florets. I wish I had read the reviews before making this— I see that others who tried the vegan version also dealt with the same issues. If you’re vegan, try another recipe!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Sorry about that, Laura! Did you make any other modifications? Admittedly the egg is a bit more clingy than the vegan buttermilk or flax would be.

  57. Elisabeth says

    Instead of just plant milk with lemon I used two flax eggs, the breading stuck extremely well. First cauliflower wings that ever worked for me x

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Mary, we wouldn’t expect that to cause an issue! Did you use the cooling rack technique? Do you know if your oven temp is accurate?

    • Jocelyn says

      I just made this with frozen cauliflower and it was delicious! I defrosted the cauliflower on the counter a few hours before, and the florets were still a touch frozen when they went in the oven, which may have helped. I also cooked them a bit longer than 20 minutes. We had extra coating which we threw into fried rice. Loved this recipe so much!

  58. Helen D says

    So, so good. Like another reader, I made with almond flour to skip the food processing step and it worked perfectly. We ate ours with aioli for dipping after drizzling with the honey sauce rather than tossing to keep things a little crispier. Will definitely make again!

  59. Tammy says

    I love these. I’ve made them a few times and this last time I ran out of cashews so I had to substitute with some GF breadcrumbs to make up the amount but it worked out.

  60. Véro says

    We had these over leftover waffles from this weekend, with a drizzle of maple syrup (kind of like chicken and waffle), and a green salad on the side. It was soooooooo good!

  61. B says

    Once Again,
    A true WINNER!!! SO GOOD!!! You are a Wizardess!!! True magic here! These are better than any wings I’ve ever had in the past. Just remember…the hotter the hot sauce…the hotter the “wings”. I made them less hot for my 91 year old father by adding extra honey to the glaze.
    Thank you again for adding zest , pleasure, color and conversation to our meals over the past 20 years!
    xo

  62. Justine says

    Hi – I really love this recipe but I just read the nutritional information… is itreally for one serving or am I reading this incorrectly? So there are over 90 grams of fat in this recipe? Just want to confirm…

    Thank you!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Justine, the nutrition info is correct. We see it as more of an indulgent recipe and better alternative to fried! The fat is coming primarily from the cashews.

      • Justine says

        Thanks for the response! Yes, it’s delicious and addicting! Perfect for anyone on a Keto diet (which I am!) – that is, without the sauce. I actually love it undressed.

        Will share!

  63. Meredith says

    First of all this is absolutely delicious and too easy to NOT make.

    Ok so I tried making this the vegan way, with oat milk and lemon juice as my starter. Unfortunately the cashew mixture didn’t really stick to it, and after baking and gently mixing with the sauce, the last of the coating came off. :( So as an experiment, the next time I make it, I’m going to dip the cauliflower into the sauce, then into the cashews. I’m hoping the slight stickiness from the maple syrup will help the cashews adhere better, and then I don’t have to mix a darn thing when they’re done baking. And even if it doesn’t work, I will continue to make this and just scrape up those yummy crunchy bits with a fork at the end. :) Love this, Dana!!

    • Alicia Riley says

      Same issue for me….the vegan version doesn’t really allow the batter to stick. Instead it just made the batter clumpy which was near impossible to stick. I think it’s a great idea to toss in the sauce and the the batter. I’ll try again!!

      • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

        Hi Alicia, Another reader mentioned using flax eggs in the dairy-free milk and said it stuck really well. So that’s another option you could try for next time, if desired?

        • Meredith says

          I’m piggy-backing but I LOVE the flax idea!! I did end up reversing the process and doing the hot sauce/maple syrup first then the cashews and it worked great!! I made a little extra sauce for after it baked. I also threw the cashew mixture into a large bag and just shook the cauliflower around rather than dipping. Still a staple recipe for my belly. :)

  64. Alexandra says

    Hi there!
    Are you doing another round of food photography classes? I remember when you offered that but wasn’t able to do it the first time around. Very much interested :)

  65. Carrie says

    Brilliant idea to use cashews in the coating for crunch. And, they make it a heartier recipe overall. First time I made it I didn’t dry the cauliflower enough and left the coating a bit chunky, so I lost quite a bit in the pan. Still delicious though! Remedied the second time by making it a bit finer. This recipe is a keeper!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Carrie. We are so glad you enjoy it! Next time, would you mind leaving a rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! Xo

  66. Elisa says

    Made this yesterday and now I’m going to again tonight haha..I did the vegan subs but instead of lemon I did apple cider vinegar and it worked fine! I do have a question though…halfway through the mixture got clumpy and it was hard to stick to the cauliflower. I was thinking of just throwing it back in the processor with a bit of chickpea flour or something of the sort so it’s dry again, will this work? Hope I’m making sense!! Anyway, love the recipes Dana!!! After all these years you’re still my favorite blog/person. ?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Aw, thanks Elisa! That might work? Or for next time, you could try putting the breading in two separate bowls to minimize the exposure of the whole mixture to the liquid. Hope that helps!

  67. Saskia says

    Made this, tasted amazing! It’s a bit of work to coat the califlower one piece at the time, but definetely worth it! Thank you for the great recipe!

  68. Barbara says

    This was absolutely, finger-licking delicious! I find raw cashews to be very expensive, so I used almond flour and they were still amazing. A bonus when using almond flour is that you can skip the food processing step. I’d give this more than 5 stars if I could!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      I’d recommend raw, but if you try yours let us know how it goes! You could always do a test batch as not to waste ingredients.

  69. Cal says

    This looks amazing. I’ve never gone wrong making any of your recipes; thank you for what you do! One question on this one… trying to cut down on calories and fat currently, and wondering whether you think this would work to switch out the cashews with something like crushed corn flakes?

  70. Eden says

    Great recipe! I subbed ground roasted sesame seeds for cashews and brown rice flour for arrowroot out of convenience, and the result was great! I baked most of it as directed, and pan fried the remainder that wouldn’t fit on the pan with some firm tofu.
    I used the glaze on the pan fried version, and had a hemp ranch dip for the oven baked cauli. I would definitely make this again, and will try it with other veggies too.

  71. Mindy says

    I made these last night, and they were delicious. My kids loved them, and they aren’t huge cauliflower fans. I used cornstarch instead of the arrowroot, because it’s what I had on hand. I also used salted cashews and added less salt to the coating. Using a cooling rack, really helped the bottom of these crisp up! This recipe will be in heavy rotation at my house.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Wonderful! Thanks for sharing, Mindy! Next time would you mind adding a rating to your review? It’s super helpful to us and other readers! xo

  72. Natalie says

    Great flavors! I made these vegan using dairy milk/lemon as suggested. Tasted great. I found that I had way too much of the cashew mixture (even for a bigger head of cauliflower) and not enough glaze (I made a second batch of glaze). If making again, I would use half the cashews and make twice as much glaze.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hmm, I don’t think so. But you could prepare the dry coating in advance and freeze that so it’s always on hand for quick access.

  73. Kim says

    Saw these on IG in the morning and went out to buy a head of cauliflower in the afternoon. These are delicious! The hubs and I couldn’t stop eating them so we finished the whole thing and called it dinner. Addictive, delicious, and easy to make!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerDana @ Minimalist Baker says

      Ideally yes, because already roasted cashews may burn in the oven when baking. Let us know if you try it!