This air fryer buffalo cauliflower is SO addictive! If you love buffalo-anything, like me, you will be allll over this super simple recipe. ZB and I can easily polish off a whole head of cauliflower in one sitting. Don't judge, people; next thing you know, you'll be the ones licking buffalo ranch off of your fingers and wondering where all of the cauliflower went. Make this recipe your own by using your favorite hot sauce and ranch dressing! I used Hank Sauce, because I'm obsessed with it, and homemade ranch -- but you do you.
What's up with this air fryer thing you've heard so much about?
We keep ours right on our counter and it has replaced our toaster oven! If you search Google or Pinterest, air fryer recipes are ALL over the place these days. Though you can find recipes for everything from chicken wings to chocolate cake, I have to admit, the thing make most in the air fryer has to be veggies!
Have you ever roasted a big pan of veggies, but maybe the pan is a little crowded because you had two more carrots to fit on there, or maybe the oven wasn't quite hot enough, and they end up kind of steamed and wet instead of roasty and toasty? This kind of thing just doesn't happen in the air fryer! An air fryer is essentially a mini convection oven, so it circulates the air around the food getting it nice and crispy without having to use a ton of oil.
The upside? Perfectly browned and toasty and crispy roasted veggies (or whatever you're cooking). The downside? You can't fit a ton in there! So if your goal is to batch cook a ton of veggies all at once, stick with a super hot oven (just space your veggies out for goodness sake). But if your goal is to make a smaller amount of veggies and enjoy them for dinner that night -- go with the air fryer!
My coworkers chuckle every time I bring something "buffalo" for lunch; but if you're like me and you can't get enough, check out my other buffalo recipes!
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower
[Whole30 - Paleo - Gluten Free - Grain Free - Dairy Free]
Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1/4 cup your favorite hot sauce
1-2 Tbsp your favorite ranch dressing
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
Instructions:
Break or cut cauliflower into bite-sized florets.
TIP: Try to make them about the same size so they cook evenly. To get a head start on this, keep the cauliflower in the plastic and give it a couple of slams on the counter, stem side down. The florets should easily break apart and you can cut the ones that are too big.Add cauliflower florets to a large bowl and drizzle or spray lightly with olive oil. Toss to coat.
Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast (if you're using it). Toss to coat.
Add half of the seasoned cauliflower to your air fryer basket and cook at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.
TIP: You don't want the basket to be totally full as you need to have room to shake the basket and move the cauliflower around. You also want the air to be able to circulate in there. So you may need to do this in two batches.After 10 minutes, take the basket out and shake the cauliflower to move the pieces around. Put it back in the air fryer for 5 minutes, shake again, then cook for another 5 minutes or so.
Once the cauliflower is getting evenly browned and crispy, it's done!
Repeat with the remaining cauliflower if it didn't all fit the first time.
In a large bowl, combine some hot sauce and ranch dressing. Add the cauliflower while it's still hot and toss to coat.
Dig in!
PIN IT FOR LATER!
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower – Maria Makes: Crispy air fried cauliflower, spicy buffalo sauce, crispy ranch! You won't be able to stop eating these! #whole30 #paleo #grainfree #dairyfree