Fry

Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

by:
May 17, 2016
4
8 Ratings
Vegan Cauliflower Buffalo Wings
Photo by Hetal Vasavada
  • Serves 2-3 people
Author Notes

About a month ago I had my very first faux buffalo wing in Rochester, NY at Owl House Restaurant . Honestly, it’s probably the best faux wings I’ve ever had in my life! It was spicy, sweet, sour, crunchy, meaty with a garlic-y broccoli slaw that was the die for. Ugh…so good. Ever since my trip there I’ve been on a mission to recreate their wings. After 2-3 failed attempts, I have finally got it! Mixing chickpea flour and rice flour will give you a perfect crispy yet meaty “wing”. The rice flour helps the “wings” stay crunchy, while the chickpea flour makes it heavy and substantial. In addition. steaming the cauliflower until it’s just tender will help the florets grab on to the heavy batter without falling apart. Of course, I used Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce, since that’s what Owl House uses. —Milk and Cardamom

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 small cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour
  • 3 tablespoons rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2/3 cup buffalo wing hot sauce
  • 1-2 scallions, sliced
Directions
  1. Cut cauliflower into large "wing-size" florets
  2. Steam cauliflower for 8 minutes or until a fork can pierce it easily. Set aside to cool
  3. In a small bowl, mix together chickpea flour, rice flour, red chili powder, salt, and 3/4 cup of water. You want a batter a little looser than pancake batter. Add a tbsp of more of water if needed.
  4. Heat a pot of oil to 370 F. You need enough oil to submerge the entire cauliflower into the oil. Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter and shake off excess. Drop into the oil and fry for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
  5. Place the fried "wings" onto a paper towel to soak up excess oil.
  6. Add all the "wings" to a large bowl and toss with buffalo wing sauce. Garnish with scallions and serve right away. Enjoy!
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  • Lisa Newport
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3 Reviews

JPG
JPG July 26, 2020
As a native of Rochester, NY, I have strong opinions about wings, and since going vegetarian 20-odd years ago, have missed them. These really strike the right notes. The chickpea and rice flours combine to give a nice, crispy texture. Always the question with wings is what to do with the sauce--should they be fried and tossed, or should the sauce be baked in? I favor the baked in variety (which are really hard to find). To get this with your recipe, I simply fry, toss, and bake for about 15 minutes to dry the sauce out a bit. Thanks very much this.
 
Lisa N.
Lisa N. December 21, 2016
I tried this last night. After deep frying the batter is crunchy / crisp but once I put the wing sauce on it was no longer. Maybe I messed it up? I have had a version at my local Alamo Drafthouse that was still crunchy while covered in wing sauce. Sooo good. I am trying to replicate that.
 
tiikii
tiikii August 12, 2019
I love the ones from the Alamo Drafthouse, and I have been searching for the recipe as well. I am thinking maybe after covering them with the sauce we can put them in the one or broiler to get them crispy again. I will have to try!