These Spicy Baked Cauliflower Bites are easy, crusted with breadcrumbs, spicy sauce and addictive. Serve with celery ranch sauce below or other vegan ranch. vegan soy-free.
Baked Cauliflower is always in season. Crusted with just salt and pepper, some spices, or battered and crisped up with breadcrumbs. These super spicy breaded cauliflower bites will be on fire at your superbowl party. literally on fire in your mouth too!
Hot sauce + black pepper + cayenne. All the heat you need! Taste the batter before using. If you don’t need a jug of cold water after tasting, you are good to go. Add more flour + water if too spicy.
Serve with a cooling dip like the celery ranch on this post.
Use gluten-free breadcrumbs or crushed cornflakes for the crunchy coating to make gluten-free.
2 more days to Game day! Go Seahawks!
More super bowl apps from the blog
Sriracha Mango Cauliflower bites, Thai Layered Dip, Buffalo Chickpea Pizza and many more here!.
You can also make Spicy Potato wedges with it. Use sliced russet potatoes instead of cauliflower.
Hot!
Spicy Baked Cauliflower Bites with Celery Ranch
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 2 to 3 Tbsp (2 to 3 tbsp) hot sauce
- 1 Tbsp evoo
- 1/2 to 3/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 to 1 tsp cayenne/ red chili powder
- 1.5 tsp garlic powder
- 1.5 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 to 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 3/4 tsp (0.75 tsp) salt
- 3 Tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch
- 1/3 cup (41.67 g) flour
- 1/2 cup (113 ml) coconut milk canned, preferably full fat
- 1/4 cup (62.5 ml) water
- 3.5 to 4 cups (1160 to 1300 g) cauliflower florets
Breadcrumb coating:
- 3/4 cup (81 g) bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cayenne
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) onion powder
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) paprika
- 1/4 tsp (0.25 tsp) salt
Celery Ranch Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (118.29 g) ground cashew
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup (125 to 200 ml) almond milk
- 2 tbsp flour or 1 Tbsp arrowroot starch
- 2/3 tsp (0.67 tsp) salt
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast can be omitted
- a very generous dash of black pepper
- 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic powder or 2 roasted garlic cloves
- 1 to 2 tsp ranch seasoning Or use equal amounts of dried parsley, dill, thyme, garlic powder and onion powder.
- 1 to 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 to 1 tsp (1/2 to 1 tsp) celery seeds (omit to make plain ranch, add some fresh dill for plain ranch)
Instructions
Make the Cauliflower bites:
- In a bowl, mix everything except cauliflower for the batter. if the batter is too thin, add more flour or starch.
- In another shallow bowl, mix everything under breadcrumb coating.
- Dip cauliflower in the batter, then coat in breadcrumbs and place on parchment lined sheet.(use gloves or a fork. the batter is spicy)
- Drizzle any remaining batter on the cauliflower. Spray oil.
- Bake at pre-heated 425 degrees F / 220ºc for 25 minutes or until a toothpick goes through the cauliflower easily. Serve warm with dip.
Make the Celery Ranch dip:
- Blend everything except celery seeds. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Add celery seeds and blend for a few seconds. Chill and serve.
Brian
Do you have any substitute for the cashew nuts in the ranch dressing if someone is allergic?
Vegan Richa Support
Some people have suggested using tofu, however I have not actually tried this substitution.
KS
Hi! about the celery ranch dip- if you add starch or flour wouldn’t the milk need to be boiled? else would be eating raw flour…..? Thanks!
Richa
People eat raw cookie dough. You can toast both before using
Lu
A resounding success- we had it with guacamole💖
Terri
Awesome!
Vegan Richa Support
Thanks Terri!
Andrea
Hi Richa…I LOVE your recipes. I have joined a vegan group, and am enjoying more and more vegan food. Everything I have made from your books and online have been wonderful! I have a question about this Spicy Baked Cauliflower recipe though… when you say “hot sauce” what do you mean. There are a lots of hot sauces out there, and some are super HOT. Sriracha? The Asian one? or another kind. Sometimes I tone down the heat a little, but most of the time I go for it! Thanks so much for your books and this website.
Richa
its franks hot sauce or you can use any hot sauce that is mainly cayenne and vinegar like tabasco or other. Sriracha has garlic and is thicker.
Andrea
Thanks so much…I tried it yesterday with Sriracha and used a little less…they were fantastic. They even warmed up well in the microwave later in the day…still crispy…great recipe!
Richa
awesome!
Deanna
Hi! These look great, and I have a guest who is vegan coming to my son’s graduation. I’m thinking they might be too spicy for some of the guests. Is there something I might use instead of the hot sauce for liquid that would be tasty but not as spicy? Thanks for help! Was thinking to serve them as an appetizer and use toothpicks to eat them. Will that work with how they come out?
Richa
You can use 1 tbsp vinegar and the rest hot sauce. Also dont use the remaining batter on the breaded cauliflower(step 4). Just bake and serve with the batter sauce mix on the side. The cauliflower will be more crunchy and people can dip as much as they like.
Kara Western
Delicious! I’ve made these twice now and they are so so good. I made them for a party and everyone loved them, carnivore and vegan alike! Thanks so much for your amazing recipes, Richa!!
Richa
thats awesome!
susana
Hi Richa
can you clarify how I would grind the cashews for the ranch sauce please? As well, do the cashews need to be soaked before hand?
thank you for your help!
Richa
no they are dry. You put them in a blender 1 tbsp of starch and blend until they become a fine meal and use.
Susana
Thank you kindly Richa,
very much appreciate you responding back!
Susana
Zlata
Is it OK that the Ranch sauce is not cooked – ie using the flour ???
THANKS – would love to know this!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE your ecipes Richa’XXXX
Richa
yes, it is ok. people eat raw cookie dough with all flour uncooked. you can omit the flour and add a tbsp more cashews.
Vasudha
I made this for my co-op of 56 people along with your Turmeric Lemon Rice and the recipe for BBQ Tofu that you shared. This dish packed a little too much heat for my housemates, but the batter was extremely tasty otherwise. Pairing the cauliflower bites with ranch eased some of the kick. The BBQ tofu and lemon rice were consumed within minutes.
Everyone in the house loves your recipes, and I’ll be using them weekly! It’s my agenda to gradually convince everyone that the grass is greener on the vegan side 😉
Love and thanks from Berkeley <3
Richa
Thats awesome! Yes these can get hot for some. Adjust the cayenne and black pepper and paprika. Paprika can be mild to hot.
Gina
So good! I could barely wait until they cooled off!
Malene
5 stars!!
Malene
Thank you for this recipe. They were the most amazing bites I have had for a long time. We had friends for dinner and everyone loved these and the dip. None of us could really comprehend how good they were. Brough smiles and joy! Have a lovely day Richa!
Ann Mahon
Eager to try the cauliflower bites …..can find all spices but what is Evoo.?Also what type of shop would stock it in U K ?
U
Richa
extra virgin olive oil. You can use any other oil.
Fausto
I made this today and it came out amazing!! ???? Thank you so much!
Richa
Awesome . thanks!
Michelle
I would like to make these this weekend. They look great! Did you use panko breadcrumbs?
Richa
yes panko.
Kayla
These are in the oven, I can’t wait!
Richa
yay!
Jessica Redmond
Hi. I made these yesterday and wow, just wow! These are incredibly delicious. Can’t wait to try more. I plan on buying your book very soon!! Thanks for being so creative and inspiring people like me to cook more!
Richa
yay! so glad you loved them!
Digiridee
Very tasty. I was craving something junky and these hit the spot. Made half with cauliflower and the other half with zucchini. Delish. I was only making them for me so I baked half and froze the other breaded but uncooked half. My plan for “fast food” on another night.
Kristina
Hi! I just made these, and they turned out well. They were a little salty for my taste (I think because of salty hot sauce+ adding salt) and needed extra bake time to crisp up but totally delish. 😀 Thanks for another recipe!
Kelly L
Do you think this would be ok if I used frozen cauliflower and let it thaw out first?
Thank you.
Kelly
Richa
sure. check earlier during baking if its done.
Charity
We had these tonight for dinner, and everyone thought they were amazing! My younger son (who declared beforehand that he didn’t like cauliflower) gave them 5 stars, deciding that he likes cauliflower after all… as long as he gets to eat it prepared like this. My husband called them “something truly special,” thanking me for a great dinner, and my teenage son went back for seconds. We didn’t have coconut milk on hand, so I substituted soy milk, and I used tofu instead of cashews in the ranch. So good! Thanks for another fantastic recipe.
Wendy Tran
Charity, my niece is alleryto cashew nuts, what kind of tofu did you use to substitute for the cashew nuts? Thanks
Ness
All I can say is that we made these last Bites night and they were amazing – the marinade batter was so tasty – we made sure ours was just a little spicy – but overall the flavour combination with the cauliflower is perfect – we poured the extra batter over the cauliflower pieces and it went all crunchy in the oven – like a crisp – and you could taste the coconut milk. The vegan ranch dressing – so good – I live in Croatia where they love to eat that horrible shop bought mayonnaise from a jar – they put it on everything and I cannot eat it – you could use this ranch dressing on your sandwich as a mayonnaise substitute it is that good!! I cant wait to read your new cookbook!!
Shirley
Looks great, and we loved the mango ones. If you need gluten-free, would you substitute chickpea powder or something like ground almonds? Any advice is appreciated.
Richa
chickpea flour + a little starch would work. or rice flour + starch.
Carolyn
What kind of breadcrumbs did you use? Panko? I just want to make sure they come out as crispy as yours look. I’ve tried this a couple times, using other recipes, but they came out soggy. These look great!
The Vegan 8
These cauliflower bites look amazing Richa! I don’t normally like cauliflower but I imagine them dipped in all of this sauce would be incredible! YUM. The spicy potato wedges look insane too…just beautiful.
Eileen
These crispy cauliflower bites sound so delicious! I definitely need more tasty vegetable bites with creamy dip in my life. 🙂
Caitlin
you’re right, lady, roasted cauliflower is always in season. this looks freakin amazing.
Shannon
Richa, you are KILLING me with these. That crust on the cauliflower looks amaaaaazing. This will officially be the second year in a row that I make multiple of your recipes on game day. I might even make 2+ kinds of cauli wings. It’s pretty much a tradition at this point!
Ann
when you say coconut milk do you mean the kind in the can, or carton?
Richa
canned. full fat is better.
June Burns
OMG staaaahp now I have to make this too! Now I can’t decide, those spicy mango wings, or the baked ones?? Anyway, these look great 🙂
Richa
make them all 😉