Nashville-Style Hot Cauliflower Bites
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
Batter
- 1/3 cup non-dairy milk such as almond or soy milk
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup flour (all-purpose or use rice flour for gluten-free)
- 3 tbsp starch (use cornstarch, arrowroot or potato starch)
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp oil
Nashville hot sauce
- 1 tbsp oil or melted vegan butter
- 1/2 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 garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning (or use sage + onion powder)
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 tbsp water
Preparation
Chop the cauliflower and set aside. Line a baking dish with parchment. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees 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.
Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes (35 minutes if serving the bites with hot sauce on the side). In the meantime, make the Nashville hot sauce mixture in a large bowl.
Remove the dish from the oven and cool for 5 minutes. Add the baked cauliflower to the sauce bowl and gently toss to coat.
Drop back into the baking dish and bake for 15 minutes or longer at 400 degrees F. Serve with cooling dips such as vegan ranch and some pickles.
Tips
You can sprinkle 2-3 tablespoons breadcrumbs on the florets in the dish for extra crispiness.
