Cauliflower wings are a great vegan/veggie alternative to chicken wings. They have a crispy coating with herbs and spices and are endlessly moreish. The roasted cauliflower gets a dense, soft and, dare I say, ‘meaty’ texture.
Hoarding tinned tomatoes
Are your cupboards stocked heavily enough to survive a zombie apocalypse for six months? Do you have a dozen tins of chopped tomatoes nestled next to countless half-bags of dried pasta? I’m ashamed to say that my cupboards are unnecessarily heaving.
There’s the food waste that we see daily: the flaccid carrots that hit the compost bin, the furry yogurt lost at the back of the fridge, the stale bread in the bread bin… But what about the food in the cupboards? It’s not just fresh produce where we can reduce food waste.
So, I’ve done a pantry spring clean and I'm making a commitment to stop buying non-perishables and run my cupboards down until they’re bare. Will you join me?
Using up the pantry
Let’s be creative with those forgotten bags of pulses; let’s challenge ourselves to get through every tin in the cupboard before buying more. We can pull out those dry goods and use them up before they go past their use by dates. This might require a bit of kitchen creativity by the end, but that’s part of the fun.
Soups and stews are a great way to use up random cupboard lurkers, or you could make hot grain salads. A helpful way to use food up is to plan meals ahead of time, based around a few mystery ingredients from the pantry.
Uses for cauliflower greens
When you buy a cauliflower to make these cauliflower wings, you'll find it wrapped in beautiful greens. Some supermarkets cut a bit of it off, but usually there's some left intact. Ideally, you'll use organic cauliflowers if you're going to eat the greens - but I always figure that if you eat the parts normally thrown away, then organic produce isn't more expensive than standard.
So, don’t bin those cauliflower greens; they’re nutritious and tasty. Here are some ways you can use them up:
- Chop them up and sautee them with garlic, onions, a tin of tomatoes, a tin of chickpeas and some herbs – a great way to use up those pantry items.
- Cook cauliflower greens into your favourite curry (like my cauliflower leaf and sweet potato curry).
- Roughly cut the greens up and use them in a stew, or whiz them into a soup.
Cauliflower Wings with Herb and Garlic Dip
Use up those old jars of dried spices in a quick side dish like these cauliflower ‘wings’. If you don’t have the ones that I’ve suggested, then dig to the back of your cupboard and see which long-forgotten herbs and spices you can add to the mixture instead. While you’re there, rotate the oldest spices to the front so they can be used up.
These veggie alternatives to chicken wings have a crispy coating with herbs and spices and are endlessly moreish.
The roasted cauliflower gets a dense, soft and, dare I say, ‘meaty’ texture. The shape is perfect for dipping into the cool, creamy and herby dip. You can make them ahead of time, then pop them back into a hot oven for a few minutes to warm them through and get them crispy again.
Get the recipe
If you make this, or any other recipe from my site, please tag it with #veggiedesserts on Instagram or other social media. I LOVE seeing your recreations of my recipes.
Also, pop down to the comment and let me know how you got on with the recipe. It’s always great to hear from my readers. Your support allows me write this UK food blog and bring you vegetable cake recipes as well as vegan desserts, plus savoury vegetarian and vegan recipes and breakfasts and drinks.
My cookbook, Veggie Desserts and Cakes, is now available on Amazon (UK, Canada, USA, Australia and more)
Vegan Baked Cauliflower Wings with Herb Garlic Dip
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 120 ml non-dairy milk
- 120 ml water
- 150 g plain flour (all purpose)
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper
For the garlic and herb dip
- 100 g vegan soft cream cheese
- 75 g dairy-free yogurt
- clove of garlic minced
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
- large squeeze of lemon juice
- ¼ tsp pepper
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C/425F and line 2 x baking trays with baking parchment.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and set aside.
- Mix all remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Dip each floret into the mix and coat well. Shake off the excess and place onto a baking tray. Repeat, taking care not to overcrowd the cauliflower on the baking tray and don’t pour any excess batter over the ‘wings’.
- Bake for 15 minutes, then turn each floret and bake for a further 5-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
- Meanwhile, make the herb dip, by mixing all ingredients together until smooth.
Nutrition Information
Pin for later!
susan
I hated cauliflower but with such recipe ,seems to be delicious,i tried and mmmmmmmm delicious
i will post a snapshot next time
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
The cauliflower wings look so yummy! I'm trying to use up the food in my pantry at the moment too as I hate food waste.
Lynne Harper
This sounds and looks delicious, I love things like this, I will definitely be making this at the weekend, yum
Ickle Pickle
I am virtually vegetarian and just love the look of these! What a great idea. Kaz
Laura
Oh wow this recipe is right up my street - I Loe veggies but have yet to do roasted cauliflower at home so going to give this a go this weekend.
Laura x
Kirsty
This sounds like a great alternative for veggies x
Michelle @ Greedy Gourmet
I'm very guilty of having a fuller than full pantry, so yes, I'll join you! Love the look of this cauliflower recipe.
Healthy & Psyched
Oooh delicious. Baked cauliflower is my new favourite thing. I have only tried with coconut oil and spices so I will have to give this method using flour a go.
Kavey Favelle
I saw cauliflower used as a veggie alternative to chicken wings once, wish I could remember where, and thought it sounded weird but they were so good they were better than the actual chicken wings. HAVE TO try your recipe, it looks even better!
Jo Allison
I love the colour on your cauliflower wings! It's been only recently I had my first cauliflower roast and really loved but I can imagine gorgeous crispy coating could bring it to another level. 🙂
Ana De- Jesus
I am not vegan but I am vegetarian so I love the sound of the baked cauliflower wings. Especially with that dip x
Anosa
Me and cauliflower don't get along and though this looks really delicious and really yummy I still need some meat or fish or eggs in the mix to enjoy.
Ren Behan
Oooh delicious and these would make a great veggie snack for entertaining friends...ideas, ideas!
Jenny
I love cauliflower, this is a great recipe for me!
Mel
Mmm these look absolutely delicious! I'll definitely have to give these a try!