BBQ Cauliflower Wings (Only 9 Ingredients)
BBQ Cauliflower Wings made with just 9 ingredients are the perfect cauliflower wings for Game Day Snacks and Appetizers, and any occasion! They’re crispy, crunchy and coated in a saucy bbq sauce with just a few ingredients. 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 the perfect texture on the inside.
They’re the kind of cauliflower wings perfect for game night (football anyone?), an incredible appetizer, a side dish or even a fun dinner!
If you’re new around here (or maybe just haven’t explored my older content) you have to check out the rest of my cauliflower content too! I have 10 ways to transform cauliflower, but also all my favourite cauliflowers. Lemon Pepper Cauliflower Wings, Sticky Sesame Cauliflower Wings, General Tso Cauliflower Wings…!! Just to name a few.
Notes on the Ingredients:
These ingredients couldn’t be easier. Your standard dredging dip, which you can follow the process via the step by step photos below or the video in this post!
Cauliflower: If you’re using a large cauliflower head instead of medium, definitely double it! It’s hard for me to guess the size of yours, so size up your ingredients accordingly! 🙂
BBQ Sauce: the highlight of this dish! You can use your favourite sauce (makes it so easy to prep!) or you can make my strawberry bbq sauce. I promise you’ll love it! Either way, these things will taste phenomenal.
Flour, breadcrumbs: these work perfectly any version of these ingredients! Regular or gluten free flour or breadcrumbs – the choice is up to you.
Vegan milk: For the vegan milk, any kind will work. If you want the best battering result, might 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!
How to Make BBQ Cauliflower Wings (Step by Step):
Using a knife, remove florets from the cauliflower (aka cut off the leaves and don’t use the stems). Chop the cauliflower into smaller pieces to resemble the size of the wings.
In a bowl, whisk the flour, vegan milk and 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 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.
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. 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!
Expert Tips & FAQ:
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!
BTW, and it’s a big by the way, I completely hacked my own recipe! 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!)!
If you have a very thick bbq sauce that can spread, definitely thin it out a bit with some water.
If you can’t have it, you can skip the cornstarch. But it does make the cauliflower extra crispy and crunchy by drawing out any excess liquid!
I highly recommend using a (affiliate link) silicone baking sheet for this. Nothing sticks to it, and it’s so easy to clean! This is the (affiliate link) one I use.
Related Recipes:
- Lemon Pepper Cauliflower Wings
- Mango Habanero Cauliflower Wings
- Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Bang Bang Cauliflower Wings
- Roasted Strawberry BBQ Sauce
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)
- 3/4 cup flour, (all-purpose gluten free flour or regular all purpose flour)
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup unsweetened vegan milk, any kind works
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs seasoned with salt & pepper, gluten-free breadcrumbs works too
- 1 1/2 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.
I follow Jessica on Instagram and when she posted a photo of her bbq cauliflower wings, I knew I had to try this recipe! I love that the ingredients are simple and the instructions are very easy to follow. It didn’t take long to put everything together and wait for it to bake in the oven. The bbq cauliflower wings came out delicious and perfectly crispy, I mean who knew cauliflower could taste this good?! Love love love this recipe and highly recommend it! I had it with a side of fries – so good!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Jewelle! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
I was actually mind-blown eating this!!!! The texture was amazing and it tastes SO GOOD. My bf who is non-vegan loved it!! I can’t wait to make this again. This is the first recipe I tested out from this blog and now I’m super excited to try other recipes. THANK YOU so much Jessica!!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Nicole! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
Theses were delicious! Even when I ate meat, I didn’t like chicken wings, but these are wonderful. Served with fries and Greek salad, they made a great easy Sunday night dinner for me. I love how the crunch is still there after coating them with barbecue sauce. Thanks for a great recipe!
We’re so happy that you enjoyed this recipe Vivian! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
I have been making buffalo cauli wings for over 2 years now, but this is definitely the first recipe to give me the actual crisp I desired!!
I truly think corn starch was the secret ingredient ! Love it!
We’re so happy that this recipe delivered Deesha! Thank you so much for reading and leaving such a nice comment!
Okay these are amazing! They’re Crispy, zippy and surprisingly filling. My roommate and I were craving wings and this was exactly what we needed. 100% making again because they’re incredible.
Yay for you and your roommate! Thanks so much Ellen.
Wow this was amazing ! I’m working on meat alternatives that aren’t soy . This did the job for me and my wife ! I truly love that it was crispy will definitely make again !
Aww yay!! I’m so happy to hear that!! Yay for crispy!!
I made these for hubs and me to celebrate NYE. Despite taking some shortcuts (a bag of frozen cauliflower, thawed, and store bought sauce) they were delicious! Super crispy, and somehow meaty in texture! I did need a little more panko to coat everything thoroughly. Maybe a cup and a half.
Easy to follow and delicious recipe! When they’re in the oven they even smell like actual BBQ wings. Made it twice in one week because my family couldn’t get enough of it! I love that it can be an appetizer, snack, or even put in a wrap to make a vegan BBQ burrito. Highly recommend it!!
I’ve tried a few different recipes for cauliflower wings, but this one is by far my favorite! Between the breadcrumb coating and the cornstarch in the batter, these were the crispiest wings I’ve ever made. All other recipes seem to get soggy once you add the sauce, but not these! This will definitely be my go-to recipe from now on! Now I just need to try all of Jessica’s other flavors!
It was pretty easy to make and delicious! I liked how the bbq sauce got kinda sticky after baking it on!
Thanks so much Gillian. We’re so happy that you like it.