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    Home » Appetizer Recipes

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites

    Published: Mar 12, 2019 by Richa 63 Comments

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites. These Nashville Style Hot Cauliflower wings are flavorful, hot and Delicious! Serve with vegan ranch or other dips. Add to wraps or bowls. Vegan Nutfree Soyfree Recipe. Glutenfree option  Jump to Recipe

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites. These Nashville Style Hot Cauliflower wings are flavorful, hot and Delicious! Serve with vegan ranch or other dips. Add to wraps or bowls. #Vegan #Nutfree #Soyfree #Recipe #Glutenfreeoption #veganricha #nashvillecauliflower #veganhotcauliflower

    Weekend fare some days for events, potlucks these days is some gardein strips with various hot sauces. One of those times, I made this nashville style peppery hot sauce that hubbs loved. I mean gone in 10 seconds kind of loved. So I decided to use it with some crispy Cauliflower!

    Cauliflower florets get tossed in a simple batter. No dipping each floret one by one! Just dump into the bowl and toss to coat, then spread the florets in baking dish and bake. Then toss in the sauce and bake again. The Nashville sauce is HOT! It doesn’t feel that hot when you start eating the cauliflower, but just wait for 5 mins. Boom! You can adjust the overall sauce to be less hot, add more tang(vinegar), some more oil, garlic and sweet paprika instead. Serve with cooling dips such as vegan ranch. You can also add these bites to tacos, wraps or bowls! 

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites. These Nashville Style Hot Cauliflower wings are flavorful, hot and Delicious! Serve with vegan ranch or other dips. Add to wraps or bowls. #Vegan #Nutfree #Soyfree #Recipe #veganricha #hotcauliflowerwings Glutenfree option

    More Cauliflower Recipes

    • Taco Spice roasted Cauliflower
    • Spicy Pepper Cauliflower Bites
    • Mango Sriracha Cauliflower
    • Aloo Gobi – Baked
    • Cauliflower Fried Rice
    • Cauliflower Red pepper Soup
    • No Bake Cauliflower Gratin

    Step by Step Photos

    Ingredients for our Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings Batter in a white bowl for our Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings

    Chop the Cauliflower, make the batter. Toss well for a minute to coat. 

    Cauliflower tossed in batter for our Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings

    Spread the florets on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 mins. 


    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings in a white baking dish Nashville Hot chikin sauce for our Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings

    Make the Nashville hot chickin sauce. Add in the baked cauliflower and toss gently to coat. 

    Our Baked Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings mixed with Nashville hot sauce in a white bowl

    Spread on baking dish and bake again. Serve with pickles and cooling dips

    Our Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings with hot sauce on white baking dish

    Adjust the heat, omit the oil 

    • You can reduce the heat of the sauce by reducing the cayenne, black pepper and hot sauce. Add more sweet paprika instead, add more tang(vinegar), some more oil or aquafaba for volume.
    • You can reduce or omit the oil in the sauce by using aquafaba instead. Omit the oil from the batter. If possible, use a light spray for extra crispyness. 

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites. These Nashville Style Hot Cauliflower wings are flavorful, hot and Delicious! Serve with vegan ranch or other dips. Add to wraps or bowls. Vegan Nutfree Soyfree Recipe. Glutenfree option

    How to make Crispy Hot Cauliflower Wings

    • Cauliflower loses a lot of moisture as it sits after cooking, so bake these close to serving time.
    • Bake the bites till the batter coating is nicely crisp.
    • When you add a sauce on the coating, you lose some crispyness. So for super crisp wings, sprinkle some breadcrumbs on the battered cauliflower then bake, and then serve the baked florets with the hot nashville style sauce as dip on the side.
    • You can use the above method to serve with various hot sauces such as buffalo sauce, firecracker (see everyday kitchen book), or some sriracha bbq. 
    • I like making baked cauliflower in a thick ceramic or stoneware baking dish for even cooking. Baking trays work too, but tend to cook the bottoms and edges of the bites faster. 

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings in a white bowl with vegan ranch

    Recipe Card

    Print Recipe
    4.95 from 20 votes

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings

    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites. These Nashville Style Hot Cauliflower wings are flavorful, hot and Delicious! Serve with vegan ranch or other dips. Add to wraps or bowls. Vegan Nutfree Soyfree Recipe. Glutenfree option
    Prep Time5 minutes mins
    Cook Time35 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Course: Appetizer
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: hot cauliflower wings, nashville cauliflower bites, nashville style hot cauliflower, vegan nashville hot chicken
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 144kcal
    Author: Vegan Richa

    Ingredients

    • 1 medium head of cauliflower chopped into florets

    Batter:

    • 1/3 cup (78.67 ml) non dairy milk such as almond or soy milk
    • 1 tsp hot sauce
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) onion powder
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) salt
    • 1/4 cup (31.25 g) flour (all purpose, or use rice flour for gluten-free)
    • 3 tbsp starch (I use cornstarch, arrowroot or potato starch works too)
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) baking powder
    • 1 tsp oil

    Nashville style hot chicken sauce:

    • 1 tbsp oil or melted vegan butter
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) cayenne , use 1/4 tsp for less heat
    • 1 tsp black pepper , use 1//2 tsp for less heat
    • 1 tsp sugar or maple syrup
    • 1 tsp sweet paprika , use more if omitting cayenne
    • 2 tbsp hot sauce
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) garlic powder
    • 1/2 tsp (0.5 tsp) poultry seasoning ( or use sage + onion powder)
    • 1 tbsp vinegar
    • 1 tbsp water

    Instructions

    • Chop the cauliflower and set aside. Line a baking dish with parchment. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F ( 220 C).
    • Make the batter by whisking all the ingredients under batter. The batter will start to thicken after half a minute, so work quickly.
    • Add cauliflower florets and toss well to coat. It will take a minute for the thick batter to coat the florets well. Some uncoated cauliflower edges are ok. Drop on parchment lined baking dish. Spray oil on top. (You can also sprinkle 2-3 tbsp breadcrumbs on the florets in the dish for extra crispyness).
    • Bake at 425 deg F for 25 mins (35 mins if serving the bites with hot sauce on the side) . In the meantime, make the nashville hot sauce mixture in large bowl. You can double this sauce easily for larger cauliflower. 
    • Remove the dish from the oven and cool for 5 mins. Add the baked cauliflower to the sauce bowl and gently toss to coat.
    • Drop back into the baking dish and bake for 15 mins or longer at 400 deg F.  Serve with cooling dips such as vegan ranch and some pickles.

    Notes

    Reduce the heat of the sauce by reducing the cayenne, black pepper and hot sauce. Add more sweet paprika instead, add more tang(vinegar), some more oil or aquafaba for volume.
    Omit Oil: Reduce or omit oil in the sauce by using aquafaba instead. Omit the oil from the batter. If possible, use a light spray for crispyness. 
     
    Nutrition is for 1 of 4 serves, does not include dips.

    Nutrition

    Nutrition Facts
    Vegan Nashville Hot Cauliflower Wings
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 144 Calories from Fat 45
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 5g8%
    Sodium 544mg24%
    Potassium 513mg15%
    Carbohydrates 21g7%
    Fiber 3g13%
    Sugar 4g4%
    Protein 5g10%
    Vitamin A 340IU7%
    Vitamin C 75mg91%
    Calcium 84mg8%
    Iron 1.2mg7%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

     

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    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ If you Love the Recipe, Please consider rating it using stars in comments! It helps readers and helps more people find the recipe online! I love hearing from you all! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

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    1. Angela

      March 26, 2023 at 3:32 am

      4 stars
      Very good

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 27, 2023 at 6:39 pm

        yay!

        Reply
    2. Tracey

      January 26, 2023 at 5:57 am

      Hi! I happily discovered your recipe recently and am excited to try it. Wondering if the cauliflower can be baked an hour or so ahead of time and then baked with the hot sauce just before serving? Many thanks!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        January 26, 2023 at 1:04 pm

        I would not recommend baking ahead as the bites will get moist as they sit.

        Reply
    3. Em Ocanna

      November 05, 2022 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      I have yet to make this but it sounds fabulous.
      I do wonder, however, how you think the average vegan would be interested in having something called ‘chicken sauce’ on their menu. Can you just call it hot sauce?
      thanks

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 09, 2022 at 11:16 pm

        Thank you for the feedback! We find that using common names for ingredients is helpful to our readers.

        Reply
    4. Patty Bachman

      December 26, 2021 at 5:13 am

      5 stars
      This was outstanding. Consider doubling the recipe, because one head of cauliflower didn’t produce a lot of cauliflower bites. I made this in my air fryer, and it was crispy and delicious.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        December 28, 2021 at 11:27 am

        excellent!

        Reply
    5. Jan

      July 23, 2021 at 10:55 pm

      5 stars
      I’ve made this a couple of times now, I make it hotter each time, instead of using garlic & onion powder I’m dicing each & adding to the batter.
      This is a great finger food as well, hot or cold.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        July 26, 2021 at 2:39 pm

        wow! 🌶️🌶️

        Reply
    6. Alex

      July 11, 2021 at 12:24 pm

      5 stars
      Made these for a get together. They went so fast that I didn’t get a chance to try them. Made a double batch the next day and now I understand why — delicious!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        July 12, 2021 at 8:43 am

        Sometimes the cook eats last!

        Reply
    7. Krystal

      June 02, 2021 at 3:31 pm

      is it possible to make these in a glass baking dish? If so would you still line it with parchment paper?

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        June 04, 2021 at 11:56 am

        Yes – and yes – stick (or unstick,hahaha) with the parchment – otherwise you’d have to use a lot of oil

        Reply
    8. Deborah Diamenti

      March 01, 2021 at 12:19 pm

      Definitely 5 stars. I did adjust the heat the first time following the recommendations.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        March 03, 2021 at 11:38 am

        Awesome!! Do leave a rating too!

        Reply
    9. Ruby

      February 16, 2021 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      So easy and delicious! We had a pretty big cauliflower so doubled both the batter and the sauce.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        February 18, 2021 at 2:53 pm

        Awesome !

        Reply
    10. Kerric Tratt

      November 26, 2020 at 12:19 pm

      5 stars
      Made this in an air fryer and came out amazing. Only 10 to 12 min for the fresh battered state then 3 to 5 once covered in hot sauce.

      Reply
    11. Joe Baviola

      November 15, 2020 at 9:10 am

      Found this recipe and a bunch of others from your site here https://www.mealgarden.com/recipe/vegan-nashville-hot-cauliflower-wings/ – cool partnership!

      Reply
      • Richa

        November 15, 2020 at 11:56 am

        I don’t have a partnership with them. Thanks for letting me know. I’ll investigate

        Reply
    12. SJB

      November 11, 2020 at 11:45 am

      5 stars
      Made as above but doubled the sauce and batter as it wasn’t enough to coat my cauliflower. Was DELICIOUS. And so much easier to dump in batter instead of coating and dipping individually in breadcrumbs.

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        November 13, 2020 at 9:34 am

        Excellent !! thank you

        Reply
    13. Reyna

      October 13, 2020 at 3:26 pm

      I love this recipe so so much! Thank you!!

      Reply
      • Vegan Richa Support

        October 14, 2020 at 5:58 pm

        Hooray! thank you

        Reply
    14. Claire panella

      April 27, 2020 at 5:09 pm

      5 stars
      So good and easy

      Reply
    15. Mary V

      March 12, 2020 at 4:07 pm

      5 stars
      We could not believe how good these were! My children would never eat cauliflower but now they are asking when I can make this again. Thanks for all your terrific recipes!

      Reply
      • Mary V

        May 15, 2020 at 7:16 pm

        5 stars
        Hey Richa, I only had a small head of organic cauliflower this time, so I used half a block of extra firm tofu cut into sticks to use up the batter and fill out the pan. They were so good this way. We love this recipe!

        Reply
    16. Marcia M McVey

      January 23, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      5 stars
      This has been the most delicious appetizer for the post season football games! My non-vegan husband loved it! I love it, too, but then I am a vegan! I love all your recipes but this is great fun food! Thank you for always making such favorful recipes.

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 23, 2020 at 5:32 pm

        thanks

        Reply
    17. Graciela

      January 03, 2020 at 3:50 am

      Hello, I love all your recipes! I have a party tonight and I’d love to take this dish but I have to take them already baked. Any suggestions to avoid getting soggy?

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 03, 2020 at 10:53 am

        cauliflower gets soggy after a while if not fried. can you rebake them just before the party? then you can keep the baked caulifloer and sauce separate and hen just toss andbake right before serving

        Reply
    18. Chris P.

      January 01, 2020 at 11:58 am

      5 stars
      Delicious, starting the new year out on a spicy note!! Made exactly as the recipe indicated and wouldn’t change a thing. THANKS for the awesome recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Richa

        January 01, 2020 at 12:34 pm

        awesome!

        Reply
    19. Laila Elshazly

      September 19, 2019 at 8:26 am

      5 stars
      Love it😍. So yummy😋. I tried it today and it turned out perfect. Thanks for the lovely recipe 😘

      Reply
      • Richa

        September 19, 2019 at 11:06 am

        yay!

        Reply
    20. Senna

      September 17, 2019 at 5:20 pm

      5 stars
      I just made this for my teenage vegans and it was fantastic! I had to fight my daughter for the last few stalks….

      Reply
      • Richa

        September 17, 2019 at 5:49 pm

        yay!

        Reply
    21. Ks

      August 13, 2019 at 4:52 am

      Can I use brown rice flour instead? Will it change the texture?
      Also what other healthier substitutes can I use for corn starch

      Reply
      • Richa

        August 13, 2019 at 2:22 pm

        brown rice flour wlll have the same texture but a stronger flavor.
        You can use more rice flour, 2-3 tbsp more and add more if needed

        Reply
    22. JAB535

      July 27, 2019 at 1:56 pm

      5 stars
      Hey girlie, just wanted to say these are amazing. We are transitioning to more veggie foods and OMGoodness. Super yum. I didnt have baking powder so no rise and they didnt look like urs but who cares. YUMMY

      Reply
    23. Maneesha

      June 14, 2019 at 7:33 pm

      Will this recipe work with other vegetables, such as butternut squash or sweet potato?

      Reply
      • Richa

        June 14, 2019 at 8:17 pm

        yes. Bake time will be a bit different depending on size and veggie used. Check at 20 mins.

        Reply
    24. RK

      May 07, 2019 at 1:48 pm

      Can both these steps be combined? In other words- can I add the ingredients of the hot sauce to the rice flour batter, and bake the cauliflower bites just once?

      Reply
      • Richa

        May 07, 2019 at 2:29 pm

        you can, but it wont look the same. it will be a lighter colored coating. and might be much hotter

        Reply
        • Rk

          May 09, 2019 at 2:27 am

          OK, thanks
          I made them (baked twice like in your recipe) and they turned out great! I would like them a bit crispier though. Would adding a tbsp of cornstarch to the hot red sauce ?

          Reply
          • Richa

            May 09, 2019 at 10:04 am

            the sauce will thicken a lot with the cornstarch and make it harder to coat. What you can do is after coating in the sauce, toss in some breadcrumbs. They will stick to the sauce and crisp up nicely

            Reply
    25. Anne Sasko

      April 05, 2019 at 5:54 pm

      5 stars
      This is delicious! Everyone here declared it to be a do over! Thank you so much.

      Reply
      • Richa

        April 05, 2019 at 6:49 pm

        yay!!!

        Reply
    26. Lisa

      March 16, 2019 at 2:19 pm

      I’m not familiar with poultry seasoning and guessing it’s an American thing. Can you p,ease provide an alternative if possible?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 16, 2019 at 2:27 pm

        add some ground sage, onion powder and oregano.

        Reply
        • Lisa

          March 16, 2019 at 2:33 pm

          Thank you!

          Reply
    27. Danna

      March 13, 2019 at 9:34 pm

      I have a bag of frozen cauliflower that I would love to use. Is that ridiculous? I’m guessing fresh is best?

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 13, 2019 at 11:44 pm

        it should be ok. I’ve used frozen cauliflower for spiced roasted versions and it gets slightly more soft because of the moisture.

        Reply
      • Nancy Ryan

        May 01, 2021 at 6:38 am

        A friend bought these to a potluck and they were gobbled up ( even non vegan folks loved them). I will try using aquafaba. Can you recommend a kitchen utensil for spraying aquafaba ?

        Reply
        • Vegan Richa Support

          May 04, 2021 at 9:02 am

          yay! you could use a spray bottle or a pastry brush to ‘flick’ it

          Reply
    28. Cyd

      March 13, 2019 at 10:56 am

      5 stars
      Thank you so much!!

      Reply
    29. Cyd

      March 13, 2019 at 10:24 am

      5 stars
      Richa, LOVE your recipes and these were delicious! Wondering, for next time, would potato starch work in place of cornstarch or does that function differently?

      Thank you

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 13, 2019 at 10:46 am

        potato starch will work!

        Reply
    30. Julia

      March 13, 2019 at 10:02 am

      Hi there.. Do you have a recipe for bread in the bread machine made with chickpea flour? I tried just a straight substitute but the thing just sank in the middle!! I like the idea of the protein in the bread.
      Hope you can help.

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 13, 2019 at 10:51 am

        Yes it doesnt work. You’ll need to add some leavening that works before baking, such as whipped aquafaba or citric acid. Fold it in before baking, cover the pan lightly with parchment.
        Or you can steam the bread, see https://www.veganricha.com/2015/09/chickpea-flour-snack-cakes-khaman-dhokla-recipe.html

        Reply
    31. Stefanie

      March 13, 2019 at 2:45 am

      5 stars
      Sounds awesome and I plan to try it next weekend! Do you also have a nice recipe for at matching dip like the one in the photo? Thank you so much, also in general for the great work you do (making vegan food SO yummy!). Best, Stefanie

      Reply
      • Richa

        March 13, 2019 at 10:52 am

        Yes, see my celery ranch here, just omit the celery seeds for regular ranch https://www.veganricha.com/2015/01/spicy-baked-cauliflower-bites-celery-ranch-vegan-recipe.html

        Reply

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