Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
These Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are crunchy and delicious! Cauliflower florets are coated in buffalo hot sauce then tossed in panko bread crumbs before cooking, making them perfectly crunchy! A perfect party appetizer.
I love anything covered in buffalo sauce…wings, chicken, dips and cauliflower! Yep, cauliflower. These Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are a delicious and easy appetizer, and they’re *almost* as good as wings.
Air Fryers are so handy!
Last year I welcomed an air fryer into my kitchen, albeit a bit skeptical about them, but boy was I wrong. Air fryers are awesome. We use ours all the time for quick and healthy dinners. I love how fast they cook food and make foods like wings and chicken nuggets crispy without deep frying in oil. So good. So when I set out to make a batch of Buffalo Cauliflower Bites I just knew the air fryer would be perfect for the task. Instead of them being soggy and overcooked like they end up in the oven, these bites come out perfectly crunchy and loaded with flavour.
A delicious appetizer!
These Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are a delicious alternative to chicken wings! All the familiar flavours of buffalo wings, but in a healthy cauliflower bite. I’m willing to bet that even the so-called cauliflower haters will love them (I actually like this air fryer version better!). Serve these bites with a creamy dip like ranch or blue cheese dressing, extra sauce, and carrot and celery sticks. So good, and a perfect appetizer for parties and game day!
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Recipe Tips
- CAULIFLOWER: Use fresh cauliflower. Time saver tip: use pre-cut cauliflower.
- HOT SAUCE: I like to use Frank’s Red Hot for these…it has the best flavour.
- PANKO: Use panko crumbs to coat the cauliflower. The key to making these buffalo cauliflower bites crunchy is to coat them in panko bread crumbs before cooking.
- LET IT MARINATE: Let the cauliflower florets marinate in the buffalo sauce for about 15 minutes, making sure to stir them a couple of times.
- COOKING: Cook the cauliflower bites in 2 batches, don’t overload the air fryer or they will end up soggy (the amount depends on the size of your air fryer).
- FINISHING: If you want the bites to be extra saucy, you can drizzle the cooked bites in more buffalo sauce before serving.
- LEFTOVERS: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat them in the air fryer or microwave.
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More Easy Appetizers!
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
These Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are crunchy and delicious! Cauliflower florets are coated in buffalo hot sauce then tossed in panko bread crumbs before cooking, making them perfectly crunchy.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Marinating Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Air Fryer
Ingredients
Buffalo Cauliflower Bites:
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 1/2 cup buffalo sauce (I use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce)
- 1 tbsp melted butter
- 1 1/2 cups panko bread crumbs
- coarse salt
Sides + Dips:
- ranch dressing
- blue cheese dressing
- extra hot sauce
- carrot sticks
- celery sticks
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into large florets, then place them in a large bowl.
- In a separate small bowl mix the hot sauce and melted butter.
- Pour the hot sauce mixture over the cauliflower florets and mix well.
- Let the mixture marinate for about 15 minutes, stirring a couple of times.
- Place the panko bread crumbs in a shallow dish. Season with a little coarse salt.
- Dip the cauliflower into the panko crumbs, making sure to coat them well (roll them around).
- Place the coated cauliflower into the air fryer basket in a single layer, making sure not to lay them on top of each other. I like to cook this recipe in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd the cauliflower, they cook more evenly this way.
- Set your air fryer to 400 degrees F and cook for 12-15 minutes. You want the bites to be lightly golden brown.
- When the buffalo bites are done, you can drizzle them in more hot sauce.
- Serve with ranch dressing and carrot and celery sticks.
More Air Fryer Recipes to Try!
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I hope you enjoy this air fryer buffalo cauliflower recipe as much as we do! Have a delicious day!
These were delicious! I will definitely be making these again:)
I’m so happy you enjoyed them Rachael!
Is there another sauce that works well on these and still tastes good? For a couple people in my family not huge fans of spicy?
Thank you!
Hi! You could just toss the cauliflower in olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, or use a seasoning salt?