Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are the gluten-free and Vegetarian appetizer you never knew you needed! Each delicious cauliflower floret is battered in a simple almond flour breading before going into an air fryer (or oven) until golden brown and crispy. The bites are then finished with a toss in bold buffalo sauce making them the absolute BEST naturally low carb, Paleo and Whole30 compliant party snack! Serve them alongside your favorite ranch dressing and dig in (forks optional)!
Jump to:
- Ingredients for the Best Dang Paleo & Whole30 Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Ever
- How to Make a Quick Whole30 Compliant Buffalo Sauce
- Breading Cauliflower in Almond Flour for Grain-Free Buffalo Cauliflower
- Cooking Buffalo Cauliflower in an Air Fryer
- Cooking Buffalo Cauliflower in the Oven
- We Can't Forget the Buffalo Sauce & Ranch Dressing!
- 📖 Recipe
Recreating restaurant menu staples with gluten-free, dairy-free and Whole30 compliant ingredients is the name of my game. It brings me an immense amount of joy, so naturally cauliflower is my favorite vegetable to play with. Is there anything this versatile cruciferous veggie can't do?!
Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of these DELICIOUS Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, I need you to know something. If a head of cauliflower can become pizza, rice, tortillas, gnocchi and boneless chicken wings (of sorts), you can be anything you want to be. Got it? Good! Now let's make these bad boys.
Ingredients for the Best Dang Paleo & Whole30 Buffalo Cauliflower Bites Ever
So what makes these things so dang good?! The wholesome and healthy ingredients (duh).
You're obviously going to need a head of cauliflower. One large head of cauliflower goes a long way, so I only used half for this recipe, which was enough for four snack size portions. If you're feeding a larger crowd, you'll probably want to double the recipe. You'll also need:
- ½ cup Almond Flour
- 2 tablespoons Tapioca Starch
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning OR 1 ½ teaspoons Paprika, 1 teaspoon Salt & ½ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tablespoons Dairy-Free Milk (Almond, Coconut or Flax)
- Cooking Spray
- ¼ cup Buffalo Sauce (Store-bought or Homemade)
- Ranch Dressing (Optional)
How to Make a Quick Whole30 Compliant Buffalo Sauce
No buffalo sauce on hand? No worries. You can make it yourself in roughly 30 seconds by simply whisking together 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce with 2 tablespoons of ghee. If you're down with full blown dairy, you can use butter in place of ghee. My favorite hot sauce for making buffalo sauce is Frank's Red Hot. I put that sh*t on everything.
Breading Cauliflower in Almond Flour for Grain-Free Buffalo Cauliflower
Whether you're making these in an air fryer or the oven, you'll need to start by breading the cauliflower. Here's how it's done:
To prep the cauliflower, be sure to give it a good scrub and then pat it completely dry with a paper towel. Next, chop the cauliflower into 2" piece florets. It's totally cool if the florets aren't all the same size. Just try to aim for roughly 2 inches.
For the breading, you'll need two shallow bowls. In one bowl, stir together the almond flour, tapioca starch and seasonings. In the second bowl, whisk together the eggs and dairy-free milk.
Now for the fun (and kind of messy) part. It's time to bread the cauliflower! To do so, simply dip each floret into the egg and milk mixture (shaking off any excess) followed by dredging the wet florets through the almond flour mixture until evenly coated. Fun, right? I thought so too.
Cooking Buffalo Cauliflower in an Air Fryer
In order to get the almond flour breading nice and crispy, be sure to preheat your air fryer to 400°. Once the air fryer is warm and toasty, give the fryer basket a good spray with cooking spray. Next, carefully place each breaded floret into the fryer basket in a single-layer and spray them with cooking spray.
Air fry the cauliflower for 10 minutes (shaking the basket halfway through). The breading should be golden brown and crisp and the cauliflower should be fork-tender.
Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to work in batches. Please do not try to cram them all in your air fryer. They will inevitably stick together and become a catastrophic mess.
Cooking Buffalo Cauliflower in the Oven
Preheat your oven to 400° and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Carefully place breaded cauliflower in a single-layer onto the baking sheet. Spray the cauliflower with a generous amount of cooking spray.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove from oven and gently flip each floret to the opposite side. Place back in the oven and continue to bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes (or until the breading is crisp and the cauliflower is fork-tender).
We Can't Forget the Buffalo Sauce & Ranch Dressing!
Last but certainly not least, transfer the freshly air fried or oven-baked crispy cauliflower to a large bowl and gently toss with buffalo sauce until evenly coated! I love dunking anything buffalo flavored in ranch dressing (Tessemae's & New Primal have AMAZING Whole30 compliant ranch dressings on the market), but you can also make your own. One day I'll give my Tahini Ranch Dressing the blog post it deserves, but in the meantime you can find it here: Crispy Orange Harissa Chicken Wings with Tahini Ranch Dressing.
That's all there is to it! Will you be making this AMAZING guilt-free appetizer for your next game day gathering? Awesome, but why wait?! There's no special occasion necessary. Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are just that dang good! Served alongside your favorite creamy ranch dressing, celery and carrot sticks, this recipe is aimed to please!
If you give this recipe a go, I’d LOVE to hear all about it! Don’t be shy! Leave a rating below and tag me on social media @paleoishkrista with #paleoishkristaeats!
PIN NOW! MAKE LATER!
Craving more healthy Game Day grub? Say no more.
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📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients
- ½ large head cauliflower
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning OR 1½ teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 2 tablespoons dairy-free milk almond, coconut or flax
- cooking spray
- ¼ cup buffalo sauce store-bought or homemade (see notes)
- ranch dressing (optional) store-bought or homemade (see notes)
Instructions
- Preheat air fryer (or oven) to 400°. While the air fryer (or oven) preheats, prep the cauliflower. Wash and dry cauliflower. Pat dry with a paper towel. Chop into 2" piece florets.
- In a medium bowl, combine almond flour, tapioca starch and Old Bay Seasoning (see notes for Old Bay substitution). In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and dairy-free milk.
- To bread the cauliflower, dip the florets in the egg wash to coat (shaking off any excess). Next, press wet florets into almond flour mixture to coat evenly. Set each breaded floret aside on a clean plate.
Air Fryer Instructions
- Once preheated, spray air fryer basket with cooking spray. Working in batches if necessary, place breaded cauliflower in a single-layer in basket and spray with cooking spray until visibly saturated. Air fry for 10 minutes (shaking the basket halfway through) or until the breading is crisp and the cauliflower is fork-tender.
- In a large bowl, gently toss crispy cauliflower with buffalo sauce until evenly coated. Serve alongside your favorite ranch dressing and ENJOY! 🙂
Oven Instructions
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray. Place breaded cauliflower in a single-layer on baking sheet. Spray cauliflower with cooking spray until visibly saturated. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, remove from oven and gently flip each floret and then bake for an additional 12 to 15 minutes (or until the breading is crisp and the cauliflower is fork-tender).
- In a large bowl, gently toss crispy cauliflower with buffalo sauce until evenly coated. Serve alongside your favorite ranch dressing and ENJOY! 🙂
Notes
- Old Bay Seasoning can be substituted for 1 ½ teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
- To make a quick buffalo sauce, simply whisk together 2 tablespoons melted ghee (or butter, if not Whole30) and 2 tablespoons of your favorite hot sauce.
- Tessemae's & New Primal make some amazing Whole30 compliant ranch dressings, but you can also make your own. Check out my recipe for Tahini Ranch Dressing here, Crispy Orange Harissa Chicken Wings with Tahini Ranch Dressing.
- Buffalo Cauliflower is best served immediately.
Nutrition
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