BBQ Cauliflower Wings
BBQ cauliflower wings are made with just 9 ingredients and they’re the perfect vegan wings for game day snacks and any occasion. They’re crispy, crunchy, and coated in sticky-sweet BBQ sauce. Learn how to make these in HALF the time!
Cauliflower Queen is back again with another cauliflower recipe! Let me tell you, these BBQ cauliflower wings are LIT! They’re saucy, crispy, crunchy on the outside and perfectly tender on the inside. You’ll love them for game night, party appetizers, or even for a weeknight dinner as a side dish or vegan main.
Why You’ll Love These BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- A party favourite. Whether it’s a game day get-together or just an impromptu gathering of friends, these BBQ cauliflower wings are guaranteed to be a hit!
- Irresistible BBQ flavour. Sweet, smoky, and a little bit spicy, there’s something about BBQ sauce that makes it impossible to resist.
- Baked, not fried. Cauliflower wings are popping up at restaurants everywhere lately and I love that—but they’re almost always deep-fried! These BBQ cauliflower wings keep it light and healthy with an easy baking method.
Notes on Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the ingredient quantities and recipe instructions.
- Cauliflower – I used a medium cauliflower; if you use a larger one, you may want to double the rest of the ingredients in the recipe.
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Vegan milk – Any kind will work, but I suggest a thicker one like soy milk or cashew milk.
- Seasonings – If you have a favourite combo of BBQ seasonings, feel free to add them in!
- Breadcrumbs – For a crispy exterior. You can swap in gluten-free panko (and gluten-free flour) if needed.
- BBQ Sauce – The highlight of this dish! You can use your favourite sauce (makes it so easy to prep!) or you can make my Roasted Strawberry Barbecue Sauce.
How to Make BBQ Cauliflower Wings
- Prep the cauliflower. Using a knife, remove florets from the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into smaller pieces to resemble the size of the wings.
- Make the batter. In a bowl, whisk the flour, vegan milk, sea salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder in a bowl to make the batter. If the batter is too thick, feel free to thin it out with some more milk or vice versa.
- Batter the cauliflower. In a separate bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Line it up beside the batter bowl and the cauliflower (for a dredging station). Toss the cauliflower in the batter mixture (you can add them all at once), using a spatula or spoon to coat them all.
- Coat with panko. Transfer the cauliflower wings to the breadcrumbs (you can do this in two or three batches) to coat completely.
- Bake. Place onto the baking sheet, giving each wing enough space. Repeat until all of the wings are coated. Bake for 22 minutes. Remove from oven.
- Add the sauce. Toss the wings in the sauce (I like to use a spatula to move them around to get properly coated) then using tongs or a spoon, remove and place back on the baking sheet OR brush the BBQ sauce onto each wing. Bake for another 5 minutes for the sauce to soak into the wings.
- Serve. Remove from the oven and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately.
Tips for Success
- Cut the right size. When you’re cutting the cauliflower off of the stem, don’t make them too small. Think: hand held wing-like pieces! You can even leave a bit of stem on at the end to hold on to!
- Streamline the process. You don’t have to dip each cauliflower wing in individually (like I used to in the past). Like in the video, you can just toss them all at once. It saves SO much time and energy (and you get to eat them faster)!
- Make sure the sauce is the right consistency. If you have a very thick BBQ sauce, thin it out a bit with some water.
- Leave out the cornstarch if you have to. If you can’t have it or don’t want to use it, you can skip the cornstarch. But it does make the cauliflower extra crispy and crunchy by drawing out any excess liquid.
- Use a silicone baking mat. I highly recommend using a silicone baking sheet for this. Nothing sticks to it, and it’s so easy to clean!
How to Store Leftovers
Keep leftover BBQ cauliflower wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or a 400ºF oven until warmed through.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
You can freeze BBQ cauliflower wings, although they won’t be quite as crispy when reheated. If this doesn’t bother you, store them in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months. For even reheating, I recommend thawing them in the refrigerator first.
Enjoy friends! If you make this BBQ Cauliflower Wings, please snap a photo and tag #jessicainthekitchen on Instagram! We’d also love if you would leave a comment below, and give the recipe a rating! Thanks so much!
BBQ Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, (if using a large head, you may need to double the batter and sauce quantities)
- ¾ cup flour, (all-purpose gluten free flour or regular all purpose flour)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- ¾ cup unsweetened vegan milk, any kind works
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs seasoned with salt & pepper, gluten-free breadcrumbs works too
- 1 ½ cups bbq sauce, (barbecue sauce) storebought or try my homemade recipe
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F/230° C.
- Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with a silicone baking sheet or greased foil.
- Using a knife, remove florets from the cauliflower (aka cut off the leaves and don't use the most of the stems. You can leave a little piece on at the ends to hold on to). Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces to resemble the size of the wings.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, vegan milk, sea salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder in a bowl to make the batter. If the batter is too thick, feel free to thin it out with some more milk and vice versa. In a separate bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Line it up beside the batter bowl.
- Toss the cauliflower in the batter mixture (you can add them all at once), using a spatula or spoon to coat them all. Transfer them to the breadcrumbs (you can do this in two or three batches) to coat completely, then place onto the baking sheet, giving each wing enough space. Repeat until all of the wings are coated.
- Bake for 22 minutes. Please ensure your oven is completely preheated and hot.
- While baking, prepare the ingredients for the sauce by heating & whisking together. If you’re using store-bought bbq sauce, you may want to sightly thin it out with some water. Heat it up in a pot on the stove, or a large bowl in your microwave until warm. Allow it to cool before putting it on the wings.
- Remove from oven. Toss the wings in the sauce (I like to use a spatula to move them around to get properly coated) then using tongs or a spoon, remove and place back on the baking sheet OR brush the bbq sauce onto each wings. Bake for another 5 minutes for the sauce to soak into the wings.
- Remove from oven and, and garnish with scallions! Eat immediately – enjoy!
Notes
Disclaimer: Although jessicainthekitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, kindly note that these are only estimates. Nutritional information may be affected based on the product type, the brand that was purchased, and in other unforeseeable ways. Jessicainthekitchen.com will not be held liable for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information. If you need to follow a specific caloric regimen, please consult your doctor first.
This recipe was 5 star crisp and wonderful until I sparingly put on the bbq sauce, rebaked for 5 mins at 450 as suggested and came out soggy? Where’d I go wrong?
Hi Patty!
When you put on the bbq sauce, was it hot? That would affect the crispiness! The sauce needs to be cool. Hope this helps!
My GOD these are delicious! My husband and I have made these a few times already and it’s def a recipe I’m adding into our normal rotation. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks so much Jessie! We’re happy that you and your husband enjoyed it.
Hi. Can I make these in the bbq grill?
Hi Keren,
Unfortunately I don’t think it would work out crispness wise!
I don’t have an oven. Can I deep fry them in batter first and then fry on a pan with bbq sauce?
Hi Yumiko! Yes you can. We hope you enjoy.
OMGOSH! This recipe was hit! My husband absolutely does not like cauliflower. Baby, he devoured these!!! This recipe was easy and delicious!
We’re so happy to read this Whitney. Thank you so much for this review.
Super easy recipe to follow with minimum ingredients. I definitely recommend letting your sauce cool (learned the hard way) but it still turned out really good.
Thanks so much Joia! We’re happy you enjoyed it.
These are delicious. They are one of my favorite recipes. I’m trying to figure out what a serving size is so that I can enter it in my calorie counter. I see it indicates 51 kcal s but in how many pieces is that?
Hi Lisa,
That’s per piece IF you have 30 pieces. If you have more it comes down to less (the bbq sauce makes up majority of the calories – you could use a low cal one to see a significant drop in calories. 1 ½ cups is about 788 calories). I hope this helps!