Description
You are going to love these baked cauliflower bites that are a healthy and light game day snack that is easy and delicious! Vegetarian wings that everyone will go crazy for.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cauliflower bites
- 1 medium head of cauliflower – cored and cut into florets or use 25-30 store-bought cauliflower florets
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup breadcrumbs – panko, or gluten free work
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour – you can use gluten free
- Kosher salt
- Ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil – or olive oil cooking spray
For the sauce
- 4 tablespoons maple syrup – or honey
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar- or coconut sugar
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce – or tamari
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste – or minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon ginger paste – or minced ginger
- 1 teaspoon red chili paste – or minced chili peppers
For serving
- Chopped chives
- Sesame seeds
Instructions
Coat and bake the cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a wire rack on top of it and spray with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, crack and lightly beat the eggs and season them with a little salt and black pepper.
- In a separate medium-size bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, flour, salt, and pepper.
- Set up a dredging station with the cauliflower florets, eggs, and breadcrumb mixture. Dip each piece of cauliflower fully in the eggs, then in the breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess and place each coated piece of cauliflower onto the baking sheet. Continue until you have coated all of the cauliflower pieces.
- Spray the cauliflower well with olive oil cooking spray or drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake in the center rack of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until nice and golden brown.
Make the sauce
- While the cauliflower is baking, you can make the crazy good sauce: Add all sauce ingredients to a small pot and whisk well while bringing it to a boil. Reduce to simmer and whisk some more for 2 minutes. Then remove it from the heat and allow it to thicken a little while it cools slightly.
Make the cauliflower wings
- Once the cauliflower is done baking, add it to a large bowl, drizzle the sauce all over it and shake the bowl a little to make sure all of the wings are covered in the sauce. Make sure to do this while they are still hot.
- Pour the cauliflower wings onto a platter or large plate, pour the remaining sauce from the bottom of the bowl all over the top. Garnish with diced chives and toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
- Choose a medium-size cauliflower that is even in size. This will ensure the florets are all relatively the same size and will yield a good amount of wings.
- To easily cut the cauliflower: Remove as many leaves as possible, flip the cauliflower onto its head, run a sharp kitchen knife around the center of the core and pull it out. Some florets will naturally just fall off and you can easily pull or cut up the rest. So super easy. You can also buy pre-cut cauliflower florets at most grocery stores. You want about 25-30 florets.
- Air fryer instructions: cook the coated cauliflower at 370 degrees F for about 12 minutes. Then toss in the sauce and enjoy!
- Serving: These are best if eaten right away, nice and warm since they will lose their crispiness if they sit for too long or are reheated.
- Storing and reheating: you can store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Easily reheat them in the oven at 400 degrees F until crispy and warmed through. They will not be as crispy as when you first make them but they will still be delicious.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
