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.
Excellent recipe. Use a bbq sauce you like and you can’t go wrong. Parchment paper burned in my oven, so I’d skip it and just soak the pans after.
Thanks so much E. We’re so happy that you enjoyed it!
I am almost 2 months late…but I made these for the Super Bowl and they were a hit! They were super crispy and saucy. Everything you hope a good cauli wing will be. Highly recommend!
Haha better late than never! We’re so happy that you enjoyed it, thank you.
Hi. I don’t use vegan milk but I’m thinking that regular milk, at least lactose-free milk would work fine yes? This look great! Thanks.
Hi Deb,
Yes that should work! Hope you enjoy!
These bbq cauliflower wings are the BOMB. They are so easy to make and tasty! Cauliflower wings are made quite often in our home & I was glad that I stumbled across this recipe. Definitely will be making it again ☺️👍🏾
We’re so happy that you stumbled across this recipe and we were able to help.
Hi Jess
Love your food! It’s there a way to use frozen cauliflower for this? I often buy frozen to cut down on food waste bc I don’t always have time and energy to cook. Ty!
Thanks so much for reading Coco we totally understand. You can thaw completely by leaving on the counter, blotting dry or put it in the oven for 5-8 mins at 275 degrees to remove excess liquid. After that you can just follow the rest of the recipe. I hope this helps!
Hello Jessica, these bbq wings are yummy! Thank you for the recipe. I was wondering if you ever froze left overs and how they were once thawed and reheated.
Hi Eldonna! We’re so happy that you found these yummy. We recommend that you freeze pre sauced if you have to. Pop it in the air fryer or oven to re heat, then you can add the sauce. I hope this helps.
Can you use frozen cauliflower? Like get the steamables bag, steam them, cool them down, then coat, toss, and bake/airfry/deep fry?
Hi Jai! Thanks so much for your comment. You can definitely use frozen I would recommend spacing them out on a baking sheet putting them in the oven and drying them out a little first pat them dry with a paper towel of dish rag. After that you can treat it like raw cauliflower then. I hope this helps.
Hello! This was my very first try and cauliflower wings and I think I may have goofed. The cauliflower was nice and crunchy before saucing them but after I removed them from the oven, they were almost gummy. Any idea what I could’ve done wrong? I didn’t have a brush for the sauce so maybe I over sauced it..
Hey Andrea! It sounds like you might’ve put the sauce on it while the sauce was still hot. It’s a bit hard to help when I’m not sure what could’ve gone wrong in since I’m not with you in the kitchen but that would be my guess! I hope it helps, you get to re-try and enjoy!!
Great! Look so impressive! Must try this recipe.
Thank you so much Malissa! We’re so happy that you like it!
A long time ago I made cauliflower wings (a recipe from another source) and they didn’t go well. I’m so happy I found this recipe because these were extremely easy and SO good. They actually taste like a boneless bbq chicken. I look forward to making these again.
Oh wow we’re so happy that you found our recipe easy and tasty Nek! Thanks so much for the review.