CAJUN GARLIC CAULIFLOWER WINGS
Looking for something different than the typical buffalo cauliflower wings this Super Bowl? We have you covered. We took cauliflower bites, crusted them in Zapp’s chips and drizzled them in spicy garlic butter. It’s as good as it sounds and looks. So, go ahead and keep scrolling for the recipe.
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The recipe
Let’s get started! Prep the cauliflower by rinsing it and breaking it down into individual florets. Set them aside. I ended up with about 15- 20 florets from one head of cauliflower.
Let’s start with the dry mix. Add two bags of Zapp’s chips to a food processor or high-speed blender. Blend until the chips look like damp sand. Pour crumbs into a large bowl and mix with half a cup of panko, a tablespoon of garlic powder, a tablespoon of onion powder, a half tablespoon of smoked paprika, a half tablespoon of cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of ground thyme, a teaspoon of dried oregano, half a teaspoon of black pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Once all the ingredients are well mixed, set to the side and begin working on the wet mix. In a small bowl, mix a cup of pea milk and two tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Now, we're ready to start pulling the wings together.
Dip the florets in the wet mix and then into the dry mix. Press the dry mix into the floret to make sure the coating sticks. Place coated floret on a parchment-lined baking sheet or basket for an air-fryer. Once the sheet or basket is full, place the florets in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400° F. Be sure not to place the florets too close together. Carefully flip the cauliflower wings halfway through. I was able to cook all 20 florets in two batches with my Ninja Foodi.
While the florets are air frying, mix the spicy garlic butter sauce. In a small bowl, add half a cup of butter and three tablespoons of minced garlic. Place in the microwave to melt. Once melted, add ½ teaspoon of creole seasoning and two tablespoons of Louisiana hot sauce. Mix well.
Once the cauliflower wings are ready to serve, drizzle the spice garlic butter over top the wings and garnish with green onions.
COOKING TIPS
Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are creating this recipe:
Coat one floret at a time: While the potato chip coating is amazing, it can be hard to work with once it’s too wet. My recommendation is to add wet florets into the dry mix one at a time as to not dampen the dry mix before all the florets have been coated. It takes a little extra time but it will be worth it for the crispy coating the Zapp’s chips provide.
No additional oil needed: Usually when I air fry something, I spray the ingredients down with cooking oil. Luckily, this is not the case for this recipe! The oil from chip coating is enough to get the wings crisp to perfection in the air fryer.
Don’t skimp on the sauce: My favorite part of this recipe is the spicy garlic butter sauce! It provides the little extra kick and savory touch that makes these wings amazing. So, don’t be shy when you are drizzling on the sauce at the end.
This is the third recipe in our three-part Super Bowl snack recipe series. Check out the Loaded Vegan Queso and Game Day Sliders recipes posted earlier this week. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram, @plantbasedslay, where are sharing short videos on how we made all the recipes..
We are also highlighting a few older (but delicious) recipes to help fill out your Game Day menu. Join the Planted Tribe to stay up to date on all the Game Day recipe posts going out this week.
NOTE: This post includes affiliate links. When you purchase an item using a link, we make a small commission that helps us run this site at no additional cost to you.
Cajun Garlic Cauliflower Wings
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, broken into florets
- 2 bags of Zapp’s chip, ground into crumbs
- 1 C. panko breadcrumbs
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- ½ tbsp smoked paprika
- ½ tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp ground thyme
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp Louisiana Hot Sauce
- 1 C. Pea Milk
- ½ C. vegan butter
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp creole seasoning
- 2 tbsp Louisiana hot sauce
Instructions
- Prep the cauliflower by rinsing it and breaking it down into individual florets. I ended up with about 15- 20 bites from one head of cauliflower. Set them aside.
- Add two bags of Zapp’s chips to a food processor or high-speed blender. Pour crumbs into a large bowl and mix with half a cup of panko breadcrumbs, a tablespoon of garlic powder, a tablespoon of onion powder, a half tablespoon of smoked paprika, a half tablespoon of cayenne pepper, a teaspoon of ground thyme, a teaspoon of dried oregano, half a teaspoon of black pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix a cup of pea milk and two tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Dip the florets in the wet mix and then into the dry mix. Press the dry mix into the floret and place coated floret on a parchment-lined baking sheet or basket for an air-fryer.
- Place the florets in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400° F. Carefully flip the cauliflower wings halfway through.
- In a small bowl, add half a cup of butter and three tablespoons of minced garlic. Place in the microwave to melt. Once melted, add ½ teaspoon of creole seasoning and two tablespoons of Louisiana hot sauce. Mix well.
- Once the cauliflower wings are ready to serve, drizzle the spice garlic butter over top the wings and garnish with green onions.
