If you love wings, you'll love my Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings, doused in a seasoned wet batter and coated in panko bread crumbs before being air fried to crisp perfection. Then pour over your favorite wing sauce and enjoy.
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Full Recipe Ingredients/Instructions are available in the
recipe card at the bottom of the post.
You can find important tips/tricks in the
blog post.
I am always looking at new and interesting ways of getting more veggies into my family's diets. These air fryer cauliflower wings with buffalo sauce have become a real hit and make a regular appearance on the dinner table.
Air fryer cauliflower wings with panko bread crumbs are easy to make, taking only 10 minutes to prepare. You can coat them in sauce, or serve the sauce in a bowl alongside. It's all down to personal taste and how crispy you like your wings - it's a split in my house.
Ingredients
You can find these simple ingredients in your local grocery store:
- Head of cauliflower - look for a fresh head that doesn't have any brown spots.
- Wet Batter - All-purpose flour, garlic powder, kosher salt, onion powder, paprika, ground black pepper, and almond milk.
- Panko bread crumbs - these give the wings an extra crunch! This is quite important if you want to keep these wings crispy and serve them with dipping sauce on the side.
- Wing sauce - feel free to any wing sauce you like. My favorite happens to be my spicy buffalo sauce.
How to make Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix all-purpose flour, garlic powder, kosher salt, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in almond milk, until you get a loose but slightly thick batter.
Place panko breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
Place the cauliflower florets in the wet batter, coating all sides and shaking off any excess. Then place the florets into the panko breadcrumbs, ensuring all sides are coated.
Place the breaded florets into the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer. You will not be able to fit all the florets at this time; you will need to cook these in batches.
Air fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-17 minutes, until golden, flipping halfway through. Repeat steps 4-6 with the with the remaining florets.
Remove florets and serve as is, or toss in your favorite wing sauce.
Expert Tips
These tips will help you make the best air fryer cauliflower wings you've ever tried.
- For the best results, always pre-heat your air fryer so that it's good and hot to start.
- Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets, that way, they will all cook at the same time.
- Take time to knock off any excess batter when coating the cauliflower, otherwise, it can become soggy.
- For super crispy cauliflower wings, ensure you take the time to coat the florets in the panko breadcrumbs completely.
- Don't overcrowd your air fryer basket; you want to cook the florets in a single layer so that it fries rather than steams. So, work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
- To ensure an even cook, turn the florets over mid-way through.
- The cauliflower wings will be crispy when removed from the air fryer. Once tossed in sauce, they will lose their crispiness. If you prefer crispy wings, use the sauce as a dipping sauce rather than tossing them.
Flavor variations
- You can add other flavors to the batter; try ground chili, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, dried oregano, or parsley
- Finely shredded hard cheese like Parmesan or pecorino can be added to the panko bread crumbs to add just a hint of cheesy flavor.
- These easy cauliflower wings also work with BBQ sauce, chili sauce, sweet chili sauce, teriyaki sauce, or your favorite hot sauce.
How to serve Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
This recipe serves 4 as an appetizer with your favorite wing sauce or dip. Try my Easy Queso Dip, or my BBQ Black-Eyed Pea Dip which would be a treat with these tasty bites.
If you enjoy cauliflower as much as I do, try my 3 Flavor Cauliflower Wings that are baked in the oven.
How to store
To refrigerate: If storing leftover cauliflower wings, I recommend storing them without the wing sauce poured over, as they will become soggy once stored.
Instead, place the fried cauliflower wings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can reheat it in a small bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments until it's warm all the way through, or pop them back into the air fryer to crisp them back up again.
Make ahead: You can prepare the cauliflower and the batter ahead of time, then store them separately in the refrigerator until you are ready to start cooking. I do not recommend coating the cauliflower in the batter and panko bread crumb mixture before this, as the panko will become soggy if left to sit.
FAQs
Cooking times may vary depending on air fryer brand, the size of the cauliflower florets, and how many florets are placed in the basket.
The trick is to get the air fryer nice and hot. I cook the cauliflower at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Then work in batches to cook the cauliflower in a single layer. This ensures that the cauliflower becomes crispy. Do not be tempted to load up the air fryer basket or you will steam the cauliflower, and it will become mushy.
Cauliflower wings can become soggy if you coat them it too much batter or pour over too much sauce once they are cooked. If you prefer super crispy cauliflower wings, don't pour over the sauce. Serve the sauce in a separate dipping bowl.
Cauliflower is a very healthy vegetable packed full of antioxidants and fiber. Although covered in batter and bread crumbs, this is still a healthier option than regular chicken wings, which are higher in fat.
If you have tried this Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower broken into florets - about 4-5 cups
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup almond milk
- 2 cups panko bread crumbs
- 2 cups of your favorite wing sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix all-purpose flour, garlic powder, kosher salt, onion powder, paprika, and black pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in milk, until you get a loose but slightly thick batter.
- Place panko breadcrumbs in a separate dish.
- Place the cauliflower florets in the wet batter, coating all sides and shaking off any excess. Then place the florets into the panko breadcrumbs, making sure all sides are coated.
- Place the breaded florets into the preheated air fryer basket in a single layer. You will not be able to fit all the florets at this time; you will need to cook these in batches.
- Air fry at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 15-17 minutes, until golden, flipping halfway through. Repeat steps 4-6 with the with the remaining florets.
- Remove florets and serve as is, or toss in your favorite wing sauce.
Notes
- The cauliflower wings will be crispy when removed from the air fryer. Once tossed in sauce, they will lose their crispiness. If you prefer crispy wings, use the sauce as a dipping sauce rather than tossing them.
- Don't overcrowd your air fryer basket; you want to cook the florets in a single layer so that it fries rather than steams. So, work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer basket.
