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Sometimes it’s the combinations that seem the least compatible that turn out to be the most wonderful: Beauty and the Beast; peanut butter and jelly; Buffalo sauce and cauliflower. Yes friends, these Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Avocado Dip are a culinary romance for the ages.

Baked Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Creamy Blue Cheese Avocado Dip

With its plain hue and mild-mannered flavor, cauliflower is a bit of a wallflower—the shy girl who sits in the back of your math class, silently acing her every exam. Buffalo sauce is more akin to the starting quarterback—universally popular, essential to any football game, and hot-hot-HOT.

Yet, the two—gentle cauliflower and spicy Buffalo—are a match made in high school romantic comedy heaven. Inspired by the flavor and process of making Buffalo chicken wings, I created this healthy vegetarian version using often overlooked cauliflower.

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Avocado Dip. Perfect football party appetizer

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Avocado Dip

About These Easy Cauliflower Buffalo Wings

Classic buffalo wings are deep fried, so to mimic that addictive effect, I tossed the cauliflower florets in a quick batter, then roasted them at a high temperature to ensure their exterior would be nice and crisp. Then, when the cauliflower bites were almost done roasting, I coated them in that orange elixir of fall and football: Frank’s Buffalo Sauce and a touch of melted butter.

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Creamy Blue Cheese Avocado Dip

After few additional minutes in the oven, the cauliflower emerged lightly crispy on the outside and soft and caramelized on the inside. Because cauliflower is so mild, it’s the ideal vehicle for bold flavors like buffalo sauce, and the light batter made the cauliflower bites feel indulgent, as any game day-appetizer should be.

To keep our cauliflower buffalo wing romance from getting too hot and heavy, I paired the buffalo cauliflower bites with a cool, creamy blue cheese avocado dip. A blend of Greek yogurt, rich avocado, and salty blue cheese, this dip is my healthier (and dare I say superior) spin on blue cheese dressing, a classic pairing with buffalo wings. I loved how much thicker the avocado dip is than simple blue cheese dressing, which allow me to easy scoop a satisfactory dollop with every cauliflower buffalo wing.

Blue Cheese Avocado Dip made with Greek yogurt. Perfect with Buffalo Wings!

The blue cheese avocado dip is also easily customizable to your preferred level of blue cheese. Crazy for the crumbly blue stuff like me? Stir it in with reckless abandon. Prefer a more subtle taste? Just add a little. (The recipe as written uses a middle-of-the-road amount, but feel free to add more or less as desired.)

Make Ahead + Storage Tips

  • To Make Ahead. The dip can be prepared 1 day in advance. Refrigerate in a bowl or airtight container with plastic wrap pressed over the top.
  • To Store. The cauliflower texture is best the day it is made, but the flavor will still be tasty leftover. Store cauliflower in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.

More Appetizer Recipes for Game Day

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Avocado Blue Cheese Dip

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings, a Love Story. Too soon to file for the movie rights?

Cauliflower Buffalo Wings with Blue Cheese Avocado Dip

5 from 3 votes
A healthy vegetarian spin on classic Buffalo wings, these Cauliflower Buffalo Wings are lightly battered, then baked for an easy, addictive appetizer.

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 40 minutes

Servings: 4 -6 servings

Ingredients
  

For the Cauliflower Buffalo Wings:

For the Blue Cheese Avocado Dip:

  • 1 medium ripe Hass avocado, pitted and diced
  • 1/2 cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2-4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese, to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, then coat with non-stick spray.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the white whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, and garlic powder. Pour in 1 cup of water, then stir until smooth. Add the cauliflower to the bowl, then toss to coat.
  • Spread the cauliflower in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, shaking off any excess batter. Spread the cauliflower out so that the florets do not touch. Bake until lightly browned, 18-20 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the Buffalo sauce and butter over medium low heat. Stir until the butter melts, then set aside.
  • Once the cauliflower has finished baking, remove it from the oven and pour the buffalo sauce over the top, using the entire saucepan. Toss to coat, using a spatula if the cauliflower is too hot so that you don’t burn your fingers. Return the cauliflower to the oven, then bake for 5 additional minutes, watching carefully so that the sauce does not brown too much on the outside. Serve hot with the Blue Cheese Avocado Dip.
  • For the Blue Cheese Avocado Dip: mash the avocados in a medium bowl with the Greek yogurt, garlic, lemon juice, and pepper. Add 2 tablespoons blue cheese and stir to incorporate, the taste, adding extra blue cheese as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

The Blue Cheese Avocado Dip may be prepared 1 day in advance. Refrigerate in a bowl or airtight container with plastic wrap pressed over the top.

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Erin Clarke

Hi, I'm Erin Clarke, and I'm fearlessly dedicated to making healthy food that's affordable, easy-to-make, and best of all DELISH. I'm the author and recipe developer here at wellplated.com and of The Well Plated Cookbook. I adore both sweets and veggies, and I am on a mission to save you time and dishes. WELCOME!

Learn more about Erin

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21 Comments

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  1. I have been seeing these buffalo “wings” appearing all over internet land, and have been wondering about making them. BUT, with football season under way, and with needing something to get me through the LONG games, I know I need to make these PRONTO. Pinned!

  2. i have made something very similar from Ginas blog and it totally works!!!!! i am craving for some of these wings with the dip. 

  3. These sound too good! I’ve been seeing so many bloggers post similar recipes but have yet to try them. Looks like I’ll need to soon!

  4. I say a big old YES to all of this, Erin. Buffalo-flavored anything is sure to be a favorite of mine, but especially so when it’s a healthier rendition of traditional game day eats!

  5. These look to-die-for! Love the combination of the buffalo and cauliflower! I can’t wait to try this recipe out!

  6. Awesome!! Made this for superbowl snacks together with homemade jalapeno poppers. BAM! Sooooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe! <3

    1. I’m so happy to hear you liked the recipe Elin! Thanks so much for taking time to leave your review. It’s much appreciated!!

  7. Hi Erin!! Love this recipe and so excited to make it. How many heads of cauliflower for one recipe? Thank you!

    1. Hi! It really depends on the size of the cauliflower head. I would say two medium or one large should be enough. I hope you love the recipe!

  8. So delicious! I made them twice in two days. On day two, I opted to add taco shells, lettuce, red cabbage, and use the dipping sauce to top them off. AMAZING5 stars

  9. sorry just saw this now will be making this soon with few subs perfect for my office snacks will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya

      1. Hi Erin! This looks delish and I can’t wait to try it! Can I sub almond flour for the whole wheat and white flour to make them keto? Thanks!

        1. Hi Shana! Since almond flour and regular flour have very different properties, I actually wouldn’t recommend swapping the two here. I know that’s not the answer you were hoping for, but I want to make sure these turn out perfectly for you!

  10. Interested in making this recipe but it has to be low fat and low a lot. Do you have the nutritional information to determine how much I need to substitute

    1. Hi Ann! Nutritional information is something I started adding to recipes in January 2016. Unfortunately, it’s a time-consuming process, so I’m unable to go back to all my past recipes to add it. The good news is that you can calculate the calories for free at MyFitnessPal (there are other similar sites too). I hope that can be a helpful resource for you!