Wing Wednesday can now be for all the plant-based eaters out there. These baked maple garlic cauliflower wings will knock your socks off. These vegan wings are gluten free, perfectly sweet and deliciously seasoned. The texture is crispy and hearty. And the bonus, only cauliflower was harmed in the process!
how to make cauliflower wings
Making these maple garlic cauliflower wings is straight forward. It is important not to cut the cauliflower too small or leave the florets too large. Once the cauliflower is washed and chopped, the batter is prepared. The batter should evenly coat each floret but taping the excess batter on the side of a bowl is ideal as you don’t want your cauliflower overloaded in the batter. Bake the cauliflower in the oven for 15 minutes and during this process, the maple garlic sauce is prepared.
Add all the ingredients for the sauce to a saucepan and whisk together. The arrowroot powder will sometimes clump if you don’t whisk the mixture well. Turn up the heat to let the sauce come to a slight boil, whisking while it is boiling. Take it off the heat after a few seconds as it will continue to thicken. You don’t want to leave the pan on the heat for too long once it has started to boil or the sauce will be gooey.
At this point, the cauliflower should be done baking in the oven. Cover each piece of cauliflower with the maple garlic sauce (using a glazing brush). There should be some sauce leftover. Place the cauliflower back in the oven for a few more minutes. When the cauliflower is done baking use the leftover sauce and put a top coat of the sauce on the wings.
This vegan wings recipe isn’t hard to make. It just requires a bit of patience while the cauliflower is in the oven. These cauliflower bites are delicious when topped with extra sauce, green onions and sesame seeds. It’s an easy and one of the tastiest cauliflower appetizers to make.
More vegan cauliflower recipes coming your way—–try this Crispy Tofu Bowl or this Vegan Mashed Cauliflower
here are a few reasons why I love these maple garlic vegan wings, so listen up!
- I’m going to quote the Picky Husband himself as he said these maple garlic cauliflower wings “blew him away”. He even went on to say they were one of the best things I’ve ever made. Now, I’m not sure if the fact that he had just worked a 13 hour day (doing manual labour) and was famished played a factor, but either way, these vegan wings got his approval!
- There are a ton of vegan cauliflower recipes out there. That’s because cauliflower is so versatile. It can carry the same texture of chicken at times. So for people transitioning over to a vegetarian diet, it is a good substitute to have in dishes. Feeding your non-vegan friends this cauliflower appetizer is also a good way to show them that vegan food isn’t just handfuls of kale, it can be quite delicious and flavourful.
- If you aren’t vegan, you can use honey instead of maple syrup. It works well in the recipe. Just sub the same amount of honey for maple syrup. Obviously the flavour from the honey will differ from the maple on the cauliflower.
- I used a silicone baking sheet to bake this vegan wings recipe. I’ve been loving my silicone baking sheet. I used to use a ton of parchment paper (which I still use at times) but using the silicon baking sheet has definitely lowered my usage and they work like a charm. This is the one I use.
So besides these vegan wings being Picky Husband Approved, they are naturally sweetened, crispy on the outside, and have the texture of the old fashioned kind of wing. I think it’s safe to say we are winning at life here. ♥
maple garlic cauliflower wings
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 medium cauliflower
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 3/4 cup brown rice flour
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
Maple Garlic Sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
- 1/2 cup maple syrup (or honey- if not vegan)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp sriracha
- 3 tsp arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Wash and cut the cauliflower into medium pieces (you don’t want too large of pieces).
- Combine all batter ingredients in one bowl and mix. Individually dip each floret of cauliflower into the batter and tap it on the side to remove excess batter. Place on a lined baking sheet. Continue to cover all the cauliflower by dipping it in the batter bowl, tapping it on the side and placing it on the baking sheet.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes- or until browned. Option to flip cauliflower halfway through.
- In a saucepan, add all the sauce ingredients to the pot and whisk thoroughly. Bring to a slight boil, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Remove the cauliflower from the oven after the allotted time. Brush the cauliflower with the maple garlic sauce using a pastry/ glazing brush. A spoon would probably work too but not sure if it would evenly cover the cauliflower. You should have some of the maple garlic sauce leftovers, set this aside for the end. Be careful not to drown the cauliflower in the sauce as then it won’t get crispy.
- Place back in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven. Let the cauliflower cool. Then before serving, brush the cauliflower with the leftover maple/honey garlic sauce. Option to top with sesame seeds and green onion. Best enjoyed out of the oven.
Notes
- Batter recipe inspired by hot for food.
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