Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower with Creamy Garlic Dip

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe with Creamy Garlic Dip

Buffalo cauliflower has amassed a ravenous following for good reason. The vegetable is the proverbial blank canvas ready to take on big, bold flavors like tangy, punchy Buffalo sauce. While raw cauliflower is somewhat rubbery, cooked cauliflower becomes rich and tender, with a satisfying heft. Crisp-fried florets offer the crunch of classic wings–and hold up to a dunk in creamy garlic dip. Serve ‘em hot for the perfect game day snack, appetizer, or low key dinner.

Crispy Buffalo Cauliflower with Creamy Garlic Dip

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Servings

4-6

Prep Time

10 minutes

We love to fry the florets in a cast iron skillet, but you can also prepare them in your Air Fryer. Buffalo sauce summons the classic flavor profile, but feel free to swap in your favorite hot sauce, sriracha, or gochujang paste. If you love heat, add a pinch of cayenne to the dry mix.

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Ingredients

1 bag Bake Tasty Crispy Chicken coating mix
1 ½ cups buttermilk
1 egg
2 tablespoons Buffalo (or hot) sauce
1 large head cauliflower, cored and cut into florets
Vegetable oil, for frying

For the Creamy Garlic Dip

½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup sour cream or full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon Holy Garlic
1 scallion, thinly sliced
Hot sauce (such as Cholula) to taste

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Directions

Pour the coating mix in a wide, shallow bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and Buffalo Sauce in a separate shallow bowl.
Place several cauliflower florets in the buttermilk mixture (leave enough room to easily coat all of them in the liquid). Using your hand, lift the florets up and out of the liquid, allowing excess to drain, and then place them in the dry coating. Shake the bowl to flip and coat the cauliflower. Use your dry hand to place them back in the wet mixture, and then give them a second roll in the dry mixture to coat. Set the coated florets on a baking sheet and repeat with remaining cauliflower.

Skillet Fry

Heat 2 ½ inches of oil in a deep cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is at 350°F, fry the cauliflower, in batches to prevent overcrowding, until they’re golden and crisp. Transfer to a cooling rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet, place sheet in warm oven, and then repeat with remaining cauliflower.

Air Fry

Air Fry the cauliflower at 400°F; coat the cooking surface and florets with spray oil before Air Frying in a single layer for 8 minutes. Carefully flip the pieces and spritz again with oil before Air Frying for another 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet, place sheet in warm oven, and then repeat with remaining cauliflower.

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