Healthy Vegan Chicken Wings (Crispy & Tender)

plate of crispy baked cauliflower buffalo wings next to some carrot and zucchini sticks as well as vegan ranch dip
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These easy and healthy vegan buffalo cauliflower wings are the perfect meatless appetizer! A true hit at any picnic or party, they are kid-friendly & crowd-pleasing finger food. Try these crispy and tender bites with dips of your choice!

Who thought flavorful could be so flavorful and fun? Our delicious vegan chicken wings are a true hit with kids and the perfect meatless appetizer.

Even if you’ve never been keen on cauliflower, we are positive that our vegan chicken wings can completely change your relationship with this cruciferous vegetable!

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Slathered in homemade buffalo sauce and coated with crispy crumbled cornflakes, these cauliflower bites are perfect for picky eaters and to serve during Game Day.

The secret is to double coat them with lots of delicious spices and textures! Nobody will miss the real chicken wings.

Be sure to try our scrumptious kidney bean burgers, Mexican 7-layer dip and roasted black beans for more hearty plant-based treats.

Contents show
  • Why you’ll love them
  • Ingredients needed
  • How to make vegan chicken wings
  • Storage & serving suggestions
  • Tips & adjustments
  • More delicious vegan sides
  • Healthy Vegan Chicken Wings (Crispy & Tender)

hand holding a baked cauliflower wing that's been dipped in some green vegan ranchhand holding a baked cauliflower wing that's been dipped in some green vegan ranch

Why you’ll love them

  • Crowd-pleasing meatless appetizer
  • Low in fat & protein-packed
  • Soft and tender inside, crispy on the outside
  • Amazing party food & kid-friendly
  • Easy to make
  • Perfect for game day, garden parties, potlucks and barbecues

Everyone can eat up on these healthy vegan chicken wings without checking for serving sizes! They are just so delicious and good for you.

wooden cutting board on a white surface and two hands cutting cauliflower in florets with a knifewooden cutting board on a white surface and two hands cutting cauliflower in florets with a knife
white bowl with spicy batter with which cauliflower bites are being coated with a wooden spoonwhite bowl with spicy batter with which cauliflower bites are being coated with a wooden spoon

Ingredients needed

  • Cauliflower – this humble veggie can turn beautifully tender when baked
  • Chickpea Flour – the gluten-free & high-protein base for our flavorful batter
  • Plant-Based Milk – to make the batter nice and creamy; use your favorite.
  • Spices – garlic, cumin, paprika and salt are needed for the batter
  • Cornflakes – for the optional, yet highly recommended, crispy coating!
  • Buffalo Sauce – we’ll provide you with a healthy and easy homemade recipe, but you can use any store-bought variety you like.

In terms of kitchen equipment, you’ll need a baking sheet, parchment paper, two bowls, measuring equipment, blender, knife and cutting board.

cauliflower florets with batter being coated with cornflakes crumbles in a small bowlcauliflower florets with batter being coated with cornflakes crumbles in a small bowl
uncooked vegan cauliflower buffalo wings on a baking dish with parchment paperuncooked vegan cauliflower buffalo wings on a baking dish with parchment paper

How to make vegan chicken wings

Prepare your ingredients

Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets. Follow our recipe for homemade buffalo sauce (it’s a 5-minute blender recipe) or get any vegan store-bought hot sauce or buffalo sauce.

Preheat your oven to 450°F / 230°C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Make the batter

Add all dry ingredients for the batter to a medium-sized bowl. Mix to combine, then add soy milk. Whisk until there are no lumps left.

Coat the cauliflower

Dip the cauliflower pieces into the batter one by one. Make sure they are coated evenly and shake off any excess batter!

Next station is a shallow bowl with crumbled cornflakes: coat the battered cauliflower bites evenly, then line them next to each other on a prepared baking sheet without touching each other.

Bake & double coat

Once the battered cauliflower wings have been baked for 20 minutes, drown them in buffalo sauce and mix with a spoon.

Place them back into the oven for 10 more minutes and let them cool slightly before enjoying!

white speckled bowl with baked cauliflower bites that are being drizzled with homemade vegan buffalo saucewhite speckled bowl with baked cauliflower bites that are being drizzled with homemade vegan buffalo sauce
crispy baked vegan cauliflower buffalo wings on a white baking sheetcrispy baked vegan cauliflower buffalo wings on a white baking sheet

Storage & serving suggestions

These vegan chicken wings taste best fresh out of the oven and a few hours later. But you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days!

Reheat them in the oven or a toaster oven to re-crisp them at your convenience.

These buffalo bites are best served with ranch dressing, celery and carrots. We also like them in vegan tacos, in wraps or as a pizza topping!

Serve them alongside vegan coleslaw, potato salad or pasta salad during a picnic.

Tasty dips for vegan wings

  • Vegan honey mustard
  • Garlic yogurt sauce
  • Cashew sour cream
  • Blue cheese
  • Aioli

woman in apron holding a white plate with buffalo cauliflower while dipping one of the florets into a vegan ranchwoman in apron holding a white plate with buffalo cauliflower while dipping one of the florets into a vegan ranch

Tips & adjustments

Don’t cut the cauliflower into very small florets or they will burn! Try to make them about the same size as traditional chicken wings.

You can also make the wings spicier by adding more chili powder!

Be sure to use parchment paper because the batter will stick to anything you place the wings on.

Suggested swaps

Here are some easy swaps you can make to create the perfect vegan chicken wings that suit your needs.

  • Chickpea flour: use all-purpose flour or swap for almond flour to reduce carbs
  • Soy milk: any unflavored plant-based milk or even water works
  • Cornflakes: use breadcrumbs or omit for a quicker, lower calorie version

vegan cauliflower buffalo bite cut open and a hand showing the texture on the insidevegan cauliflower buffalo bite cut open and a hand showing the texture on the inside

More delicious vegan sides

If you liked this recipe, try the following plant-based goodness next!

  • Vegetable Croquettes
  • Oil-Free Sweet Potato Fries
  • Vegan Grilled Cheese
  • Baked Tortilla Chips
  • Roasted Chickpeas

Did you make our vegan wings and like them? Let us know in the comments, leave a rating and be sure to Pin the recipe here.

two hands holding a white plate with crispy baked vegan chicken wings next to carrot and zucchini sticks as well as green vegan ranch diptwo hands holding a white plate with crispy baked vegan chicken wings next to carrot and zucchini sticks as well as green vegan ranch dip

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Healthy Vegan Chicken Wings (Crispy & Tender)

 

by Alena Schowalter
Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes minutes
Total Time 50 minutes minutes
These easy and healthy vegan buffalo cauliflower wings are the perfect meatless appetizer! A true hit at any picnic or party, they are kid-friendly & crowd-pleasing finger food. Try these crispy and tender bites with dips of your choice!
Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 recipe Buffalo Sauce
  • 3 cups unsweetened cornflakes 90 g

Batter

  • 1 cup chickpea flour 90 g
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp sweet paprika
  • 1 cup soy milk 240 ml, unflavored

To serve

  • Carrot celery and zucchini sticks
  • Vegan ranch dip

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Instructions

  • Add all dry ingredients for the batter into a medium-sized bowl and mix to combine.
  • Add the soy milk and whisk until smooth. The batter should be thick and not drip – adjust soy milk and flour if needed.
  • Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230°C. Cut or break the cauliflower into bite-size florets and crumble the corn flakes finely into a bowl so they resemble bread crumbs.
  • Dip the cauliflower pieces in the batter so that they’re evenly covered (shake off any excess batter), then coat them with the corn flakes crumbs and lay them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (this is important so they don’t stick). Make sure to leave a little bit of space between the cauliflower pieces.
  • Put the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 20 minutes.
  • When this time has elapsed, take the cauliflower florets out of the oven and scrape them off into a large bowl.
  • Pour buffalo sauce over the baked cauliflower, coat the florets with the sauce and mix them with a spoon. Put them back on the parchment paper and arrange in a single layer.
  • Bake for another 10 minutes until the cauliflower wings are crisp and browned.
  • Once the buffalo cauliflower wings have been baked, let them cool slightly and serve warm with some vegan ranch dip as well as some celery, zucchini and carrot sticks.

Notes

  • Make sure to shake off any excess batter or they won’t crisp up!
  • Adding the cornflake coating isn’t 100% necessary but is highly recommended.
  • This recipe also works with BBQ sauce or hot sauce instead of buffalo sauce.
Course: Sides
Cuisine: American
Show Nutrition Label Hide Nutrition Label
Nutrition Facts
Healthy Vegan Chicken Wings (Crispy & Tender)
Amount per Serving
Calories
249
% Daily Value*
Fat
3
g
5
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
3
g
Sodium
1321
mg
57
%
Carbohydrates
49
g
16
%
Fiber
8
g
33
%
Sugar
13
g
14
%
Protein
10
g
20
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated automatically, their accuracy is not guaranteed.

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