Try these simple cauliflower bites for an easy vegan snack or meal! Coated in a tasty batter and tossed in barbecue sauce, this vegan cauliflower recipe is bursting with flavor.
It’s baked rather than fried which offers a lower-fat option; however, they are just as tasty when fried. Try dipping them in my vegan sour cream or Caesar salad dressing!
Skill: Intermediate | Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 4
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Baked Vegan Cauliflower Recipe
Cauliflower has become a popular option to use in cooking and baking. It’s amazing how cauliflower can be used to make recipes including pizza crust, grilled cheese, fried rice, gnocchi, and cauliflower steaks. Some of these recipes can be a little complicated; if you’re looking for a tasty and easy cauliflower recipe, these cauliflower bites are for you.
I’m not posting a cauliflower steak recipe as cauliflower tends to crumble apart quite easily. Making barbecue bites like this recipe is a fail-safe option instead!
Barbecue cauliflower bites can be fried, which will be just as tasty, but unless you own a deep fryer then this is likely a more difficult approach. If you bake the cauliflower bites you won’t need to worry about working with hot oil or monitoring the temperature. In addition, baking is a healthier cooking method than frying.
Is Low-Carb Healthier?
Cauliflower has become a trendy low-carb option in many recipes. While substituting cauliflower for higher-carb foods can be a great way to get your veggies in, if you already consume enough vegetables then feel free to enjoy the full-carb option of different recipes!
Carbohydrates are an important nutrient and the body’s main source of energy. Carbs often get a bad reputation since many low-nutrient baked goods are high in carbohydrates. The type of carbs rather than the amount often dictates the amount of nutrients we get from a food item. Instead of focusing on low-carb, try focusing on nutrient-dense carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables which are dense in vitamins and minerals.
Now that you’ve learned more about cooking with cauliflower, go ahead and whip up these tasty and easy cauliflower bites!
Barbecue cauliflower bites are a simple way to add some veggies to your diet and are great for sharing with friends. Jam-packed with flavor, you’ll want to keep this vegan cauliflower recipe!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you make it, please rate and comment below so others benefit from your experience.
More Tasty Vegan Appetizer Recipes
Baked Barbecue Cauliflower Bites (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower (about 8 C florets)
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 1 ¼ C soy milk (or any plant milk)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon seasoning salt (I prefer Old Bay)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- black pepper (to taste)
- 1 C barbecue sauce (store-bought or homemade)
- ¼ C vegan margarine (or vegan butter)
Instructions
- Prepare a batch of homemade vegan barbecue sauce or use store-bought sauce. Once the sauce is done, melt in the ¼ C of vegan butter and add hot sauce to taste.
- Cut the cauliflower into bite sized pieces.
- Preheat the oven to 375 °F.
- Mix the 1 C whole wheat flour with the spices (1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon seasoning salt, ¼ teaspoon salt, black pepper to taste).
- Stir in 1 ¼ C plant-based milk. The batter should be fairly thick but not chunky.
- Toss the cauliflower pieces into the batter and mix until the cauliflower is evenly coated.
- Place the cauliflower onto parchment lined baking trays (or use a silicone baking mat).
- Bake for 10 minutes, then flip the cauliflower over and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Take the cauliflower out of the oven and brush a layer of barbecue sauce over each piece. Place back into the oven for 10 minutes. Take the cauliflower bites out, flip them over, brush barbecue sauce on the other side, and put back into the oven for a final 8 minutes.
- Take the cauliflower bites out of the oven and serve with a creamy dip! You can try vegan sour cream or Caesar salad dressing.
kelsey shropshire
This recipe was absolutely amazing!! My boyfriend (who is not vegan) and I were fighting for the last one. So good.
Nicole Stevens
I'm so happy you liked them!