Healthy Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe (Easy + Delicious)

Let me tell ya’ll about the healthy buffalo cauliflower dish I’ve been making non-stop. First of all, it’s delicious. Second of all, it’s freaking delicious. There’s not much more to say than that! 

This is one of the quickest, easiest, healthiest, and tastiest vegetable dishes you could ever make. You get a healthy vegetable that has a classic buffalo flavor.. can’t ask for much more! Not to mention, it’s perfectly crispy, gluten free, and vegan. You don’t have to, but I like to dip it in blue cheese dressing, as it makes it even more yummy. It makes for a perfect side dish or party appetizer!

I cook mine in the air fryer, but you can absolutely cook it in the oven. It turns out amazing either way! Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 head cauliflower
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4-6 tbsp buffalo sauce (I use Frank’s RedHot Original Sauce)
• 3 pinches pepper
• 2 pinches salt
• optional: blue cheese dressing (as dipping sauce)

If you make a whole head of cauliflower, it comes out to yield about 2-3 servings (although I will sometimes eat the entire dish in one sitting, it’s that good). It stores perfectly in the fridge for a few days (up to a week max). To reheat leftovers, you can use an air fryer, an oven, or a stove.

I do have a not-as-healthy, but still healthy enough, buffalo cauliflower dish that I love and make for others all the time. I’ll definitely make a blog post for it at some point! Leave me a comment on this post if you’d like that recipe to be posted soon! Both buffalo cauliflower dishes are so beyond delicious, but this one in this blog post is definitely the healthier version!

Instructions:

1. Prep And Cut The Cauliflower

Before you do anything, you gotta clean and cut the cauliflower. Everyone has their own way of washing produce, so you can do this however you like. When it comes to cauliflower, I break apart the head until I get small/medium sized florets. I do this with my hands, but you can also use a knife. Once I’m done with that, I place all the cauliflower florets into a bowl full of water. I let them sit for a minute or so, then I drain them in a colander. I repeat that process one more time (sit in bowl of water for one minute then drain). I throw them in a bowl of water one last (third) time and I add some ice cubes to the water. The ice cubes help to pull out any remaining dirt and gunk from the cauliflower. I let it sit with the ice cubes for about five minutes, then drain and rinse the cauliflower. If you don’t want to cut and clean a head of cauliflower, you can always buy a bag of pre-cut and pre-washed cauliflower!

2. Season The Cauliflower

Now it’s time for the good stuff! Place all of your cauliflower in a clean bowl. Throw in the olive oil, buffalo sauce, pepper, and salt and mix it all up until every floret is evenly coated.

3. Cook The Cauliflower

You can use an air fryer or an oven to cook the cauliflower, it really just depends on what you prefer. I tend to cook it in an air fryer, just because it’s so easy and cooks a little faster.

Air Fryer: Place all the cauliflower in the air fryer. Cook it for approx 20 minutes at 360°F. Every 5 or so minutes, pull the basket out and shake it around. Cook until the cauliflower is slightly browned or until it is at your desired level of crispiness.

Oven: Place and spread out all the cauliflower on an oiled sheet pan. Cook it in the oven for approximately 30 minutes at 400°F. Every 10 or so minutes, move the cauliflower around with a spatula. Cook until it reaches your desired level of crispiness.

4. Get A Dipping Sauce (Or Don’t) And Enjoy!

I love having my buffalo cauliflower with blue cheese dressing. I haven’t tried too many different kinds, but my favorite blue cheese dressing is the one from Trader Joe’s (what a surprise). For a less caloric and healthier blue cheese dressing option, I recently found Bolthouse Farms Chunky Blue Cheese Yogurt Dressing, and it’s honestly delicious and definitely satisfies the blue cheese dressing craving. I’m sure there are many other sauces that would be great with this cauliflower, but they’re not a necessity. The magic is in the cauliflower and you don’t need a sauce to prove it!

Here’s a printable recipe:

I hope you make and love this healthy buffalo cauliflower dish. If you make it once, I guarantee you’ll make it again, it’s SO good! Let me know your thoughts on it in the comments down below and also let me know if you’d like me to post my not-as-healthy version of buffalo cauliflower!

Thanks so much for viewing and trying out this recipe! For more healthy and delicious recipes, check out this page!