These Crispy Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites are the perfect appetizer! With no oil and only a handful of ingredients, they’re easy and guilt-free.
Making these Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower bites could not be easier! You will forget they are vegetarian because the coating, sauce, and dip is the perfect combo! They come together in no time, without having to dredge in flour (hello, easy!), and cook in less than 15 minutes! Healthy and majorly delicious much like Air Fryer Green Bean Fries, Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli, or Air Fryer Avocado Fries.
You do need an Air Fryer (see below for recommendations) for this recipe, but you could also bake them. See below for directions on that.
These vegetarian buffalo cauliflower bites are so delicious and easy, they will be your new go-to snack or appetizer. You don’t miss the meat AT ALL, and they are perfect for vegetarians or non-vegetarians alike! Everyone will be begging you for this recipe!
How to make Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites:
**scroll all the way down for full ingredient list and step by step printable directions**
- Prep the cauliflower by trimming off of the head, and into bite sized pieces. Do not make them too small or they will fall apart. Rinse and dry, set aside in large bowl.
- Make the buffalo sauce: Melt 8 TBS butter and combine with 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot (not buffalo wing sauce). Whisk to combine and set aside. If it thickens too much, microwave for 30 seconds and whisk again. Set aside.
- In the large bowl with the trimmed cauliflower, pour the buffalo sauce over the top. Toss gently to completely coat cauliflower; set aside.
- Using a zip lock bag, add 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 cup regular bread crumbs, and seasonings (see below for exact amounts). Shake to combine. Add about half of the coated cauliflower to the bag and toss/shake to coat the cauliflower. Using tongs, remove from the bag and place into the air fryer in a single layer. Repeat for the rest of the cauliflower.
- Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in 2 batches – do not overcrowd the bites!
- Cook at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove tray and gently flip or shake. Place tray back into unit and cook at 400 degrees for 5 more minutes. Remove and set aside, cook second batch if needed.
- Serve immediately with The Best Ever Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, Chipotle Ranch Dip, or Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
How to BAKE Buffalo Cauliflower Bites:
- Use the same directions in terms of prepping and coating the cauliflower. Set the oven to 400 degrees F. Place bites on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes, then flip over. Cook 5-7 more minutes or until crispy. To crisp coating further, turn oven to broil on HIGH and broil for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Serve hot!
What type of Air Fryer should I use?
There are many Air Fryers to choose from, but I love my OMORC Air Fryer XL, 5.8QT Air fryer! Here are some great options:
- Air Fryer XL Touchscreen by Cozyna (5.7QT) is a large air fryer that looks to cook evenly!
- OMORC Air Fryer XL, 5.8QT Air fryer Oven Oilless Cooker with Hot Air Circulation Tech for Fast Healthier Food
- Tidylife Air Fryer XL, 1700W 5.8 QT 8-in-1 Digital Touch Screen Oilless Air Fryer
- GoWISE USA 5.8-Quarts 8-in-1 Electric Air Fryer – this one includes a recipe book with over 50 recipes!!
Best dips for Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites:
I love a great sauce or dip with my bites, and these are ALL great options as the coolness of the dip balances out the spice of the cauliflower bites:
If you like nutritious side dishes, you have to see these other recipes from Domestic Superhero:
- Air Fryer Crispy Parmesan Brussels Sprouts are going to be your new go-to side dish. Only a handful of ingredients and only 132 calories per serving!
- Air Fryer Avocado Fries are creamy and crunchy without any oily mess! With only a handful of ingredients, these are the perfect healthy snack or appetizer!
- Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli is an incredibly easy, quick, and delicious side dish. This lower calorie air fryer option will become a staple side dish!
- Asian Glazed Brussels Sprouts – perfect dinner companion! Roasted with a delicious spicy sweet glaze that everyone will love!
- Instant Pot Garlic Hummus Recipe only has a handful of ingredients; Save money and know exactly what’s in your food with this recipe !
- Air Fryer Roasted Asparagus has only 2 ingredients and takes a fraction of the typical time, this will be your favorite way to cook asparagus!
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- 1 head fresh cauliflower, florets trimmed, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 cup Franks Red Hot Sauce (NOT buffalo wing sauce)
- 8 TBS butter, melted
- 1/2 cup panko (japanese) bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup regular bread crumbs
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- dressing to dip
-
Make the buffalo sauce: Add melted butter and Franks Red Hot Sauce to a small bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside. If it thickens too much, microwave for 30 seconds and whisk again. Set aside.
-
In the large bowl, add the cauliflower and pour the buffalo sauce over the top. Toss gently to completely coat cauliflower; set aside.
-
Using a zip lock bag, panko bread crumbs, regular bread crumbs, and all seasonings; Shake to combine. Add about half of the coated cauliflower to the bag and toss/shake to coat the cauliflower. Using tongs, remove from the bag and place into the air fryer in a single layer. Repeat for the rest of the cauliflower. **Depending on the size of your air fryer, you may need to cook in 2 batches - do not overcrowd the bites!**
-
Cook at 400 degrees for 7 minutes. Remove tray and gently flip cauliflower or shake. Place tray back into unit and cook at 400 degrees for 5 more minutes. Remove and set aside. Cook second batch if needed.
-
Serve immediately with The Best Ever Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, Chipotle Ranch Dip, or Creamy Jalapeno Ranch Dressing.
How to BAKE Buffalo Cauliflower Bites:
* Use the same directions in terms of prepping and coating the cauliflower. Set the oven to 400 degrees F. Place bites on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cook for 15 minutes, then flip over. Cook 5-7 more minutes or until crispy. To crisp coating further, turn oven to broil on HIGH and broil for 1-2 minutes or until browned. Serve hot!
Anna says
This cauliflower is crazy delicious! Perfect appetizer for a party!
Allyson says
Yes it really is so tasty! Happy you loved it!!!!
Taylor says
Seriously so yummy! One of my favorite air fryer recipes!
Suzy says
I am obsessed with these! They are so easy to make and taste SO GOOD!
Dorothy Reinhold says
Anohter win for the air fryer! I love recipes that give me healthier options like this!
wilhelmina says
This is so good it even had my die-hard meat lovers begging for more!
Allyson says
YES! You don’t even miss the meat!!!
Krissy Allori says
Yes! We are having people over for the game this weekend. I’ll be adding this to the menu.
Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says
This couldn’t look any more perfect!
Chrissie Baker says
Yes, Yes, and yes! I am so into that recipe and the air fryer. Can’t wait to make this.
Sara Welch says
Another great recipe for my air fryer! These will be perfect to serve during the next football game! Yum!
Alyssa says
Delicious!! They came out great!
Alysa says
Why can’t you use buffalo sauce. The butter is SO much fat. For somebody watching their weight. Will franks Buffalo make it taste odd?
Allyson says
You can use buffalo sauce if you prefer to do that. I haven’t tested it that way, but I can’t image it would be a problem.
Libbi says
Did you ever try making them with Franks Buffalo sauce? If so, did they still taste good?
Allyson says
yes good!
Chris says
i’ve noticed that usually the bottled “buffalo” sauces has more ingredients like sugar, margarine, thickeners, etc as opposed to plain old Franks which is just cayenne, salt, vinegar and garlic. to each their own, but i prefer to start with as few “other” ingredients as possible. i used less butter than the 8 tbsp this recipe called for and it was still good.
Allyson says
You are right! The less butter you use the more spicy it will be for anyone else who is wondering!
Lesa says
Couldn’t find Frank’s due to Covid19… used Cholula instead was delicious!!!!
Allyson says
Oh wow!!! Sounds delicious!!!!
Brittany Person says
I only have regular bread crumbs due to COVID-19 will that be fine?
Allyson says
Yes, it might just not be quite as crispy but should still be yummy! Stay safe!
Kim says
Great recipe ! I made a couple changes to make this dish just a bit healthier. Instead of butter, I used I can’t believe its not butter spray. (About 2 tbps). I only used 1/2 a cup of panko and skipped the bread crumbs all together.
It turned out really great !
Melanie says
Loved these! So delicious I ate a whole plate to myself. I have some (coated but uncooked) that I have put in the freezer for another day. Interested to see how they go cooking from.frozen straight to the air fryer 🙂
Allyson says
That is great! Let me know how they turn out when you cook those frozen ones!
Cyndee Lou says
This is a really good recipe. I tried a different recipe a couple of weeks ago and they didn’t turn out nearly as well. I didn’t have panko bread crumbs so I substituted seasoned regular bread crumbs and flour. The cooking time was perfect. We ate them with homemade blue cheese dressing. They were a big hit.
Kim says
These were delicious! However, mine were only crispy for about a min or two after removing from the air fryer. Any suggestions on how to keep them crispy? I followed the directions exactly. They were starting to char so should I try a lower temp for longer? I’m still a newbie to the air fryer.
Thanks!!
Kelly Ward says
Great recipe! Some of my cauliflower was still hard when it came out. I didn’t want to leave in longer as they were started to chat. Did I do something wrong?!
Allyson says
Maybe the cauliflower pieces were bigger…otherwise they should cook pretty evenly!
David Coleman says
This recipe claims to be no oil, yet calls for butter….FYI, butter is oil.
Rebeca says
Sooo good and easy! Made them a few times already. Can you freeze them and re heat?
Allyson says
I haven’t tried freezing them, but offhand I probably wouldn’t recommend it. Cauliflower is already rich with water and it will likely get soggy when you reheat it from frozen. I am happy you like the recipe as much as we do!