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Crunchy Baked Hot Honey Cauliflower. I turned a favorite chicken dinner that’s loved by all into an even better vegetarian appetizer/dinner! Cornflake-crusted cauliflower baked up on a sheet pan until crispy and delicious. Each cauliflower “wing” is tossed in my sweet honey sauce with the perfect combination of spices and sea salt. Then serve these little delicacies with a homemade creamy sauce. Together they make a delicious appetizer to serve up to family and friends.
I wasn’t going to make this recipe. Wait, let me rephrase. I was always going to make this recipe, but I wasn’t thinking I would share this recipe. It felt, at the time, a little too soon after the very popular crunchy hot honey chicken recipe that I shared just over a month ago.
These “wings” are basically the same, but swap the chicken for cauliflower.
So it wasn’t rocket science to think this recipe up. But then I made the recipe and the entire family just couldn’t get over how delicious the cauliflower was. My mom said it was stupid not to share this, especially with the Super Bowl coming up on Sunday. And when my mom disagrees with my decisions, I almost always end up doing what she says.
Moms always know, have trust in that.
So here we are, the Monday before Super Bowl Sunday, and I have the best game-day appetizer. Really, the best.
Why are cauliflower “wings” better than chicken? It’s simple, the cauliflower soaks up all the sauce…like all of the sauce.
The chicken just has sauce as a coating…of course, still delicious. But the cauliflower acts differently when paired up with my creamy wing sauce. Oh so yummy!
Start with the coating. Cornflakes are the star, they give the chicken that perfect crunch. I’ve tested other cereals, but everyone in the family agrees cornflakes have the best taste and crunch. Even over Panko.
I use Nature’s Path, Organic Corn Flakes Cereal, which is naturally gluten-free and non-GMO. I order it online, but if you’re looking for something in-store, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are both good options.
You can also just use a box of basic cornflakes too.
Crunch the cornflakes up in a food processor with paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder. Then add the parmesan cheese, this is secret #2, especially when talking about using cauliflower versus chicken. The cheese adds a salty flavor that melts over the cauliflower and helps coat and flavor each floret.
Next, dredge the florets through eggs beaten together with hot sauce. Nothing fancy, just bake, flip, and bake again.
Totally no fuss.
While the wings are baking, warm the honey on the stove with hot sauce, cayenne, and chipotle chili powder. The chili powder adds a very subtle smokiness to the sweet, spicy, and salty sauce.
Use as little or as much of the sauce as you’d like. But personally, I end up drizzling every last drop of sauce over the cauliflower because it’s SO DELICIOUS.
Oh, and the wing sauce!! Do not skip this. It adds so much to the recipe. The spicy, saucy “wings” need a creamy sauce to cut the heat. I make my sauce with yogurt, then a squeeze of lemon juice, Worcestershire, chives, and then either crumbled blue cheese or parmesan. Well, I always, always use blue cheese, it’s just kind of a non-negotiable for us.
So yummmy with the spicy sauce!
And then serve!! Lots of sauce on the side for dipping. The perfect game day appetizer, but equally great when served over rice to make a meal.
Either way, each “wing” is delish.
Looking for more game day recipes? Here are a few to try:
Sheet Pan Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Spinach and Artichoke Stuffed Soft Pretzels
Fried Buffalo Goat Cheese Balls
Baked Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Cilantro Lime Ranch
Buffalo Cauliflower with Spicy Tahini Ranch
Crispy Jalapeño Cream Cheese Buffalo Chicken Taquitos
Lastly, if you make these Crunchy Baked Hot Honey Cauliflower, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
This was the most amazing, delicious recipe I’ve ever tasted. Everyone was raving about it. Never tasted anything this good! It was gone in two minutes. Thanks so much.
Hey Lorraine,
Happy Sunday!!🍀 I am thrilled to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it and sharing your comment! xT
Sounds amazing. Looking forward to trying it, but wondering if you have a suggestion for a slightly less spicy honey sauce. I’m a wimp, and don’t like things with too much heat. Thanks for any ideas!
Hey Linda,
I would just reduce all of the heat here:) Should be great! Let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Really liked this one. Tasted great and the coating was actually crunchy!
Hey Caitlin,
I appreciate you making this recipe and I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xx
This was really good! I really liked the hot honey, didn’t make the creamy sauce because of time but will make again and try the creamy sauce.
Hey Kat,
I appreciate you making this recipe and I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend! xx
These were insanely good and so easy to make! That crumb is sensational! Im deginately going to make again on repeat! X
Hey Lucy,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx
Can this be made without the spice as our kids are non-spicy kids. But wondered if I take out the hot ingredients – would it even taste good?
Hey Janice,
Here is only recipe that they might enjoy:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/baked-sesame-orange-cauliflower/
I hope this helps, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I found that if you let the dry dredge (cornflakes, etc.) become soft and moist, they will not stick to the egg batter. Just for future recipe triers!
Thanks for sharing Chande!!
How long will the creamy wing sauce keep in the fridge?
Hey Leanne,
I would say it’s good in the fridge for a few days! Let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This was awesome!!
I made this for super bowl and they were a crowd favorite!
The hot honey sauce coated the cauliflower so beautifully that we didn’t even really need the dipping sauce but it was a delicious addition.
Thank you for sharing another fantastic recipe!
Hey Lori,
Wonderful!!😊 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it was delish! xT
Big hit at our Super Bowl party! I just followed the recipe as listed and people couldn’t believe they were from the oven and not the air fryer!
If anyone needs a time save, I did end up using Mike’s Hot Honey because I ran out of time (I’m sure Tieghan’s is better).
Dipping sauce was delish! I used parmesan, not blue cheese.
Hey Natalie,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was a hit! xT
Super delish! I used the air fryer and kept the temp, and cook time the same. After breading, I placed the cauliflower florets on a piece of air fryer-safe parchment and popped them into the freezer for 15 minutes. This way the breading keeps in place and they still cook up great. I drizzled them with a little oil after I placed them on top of the parchment in the air fryer basket. Perfection! Crispy and crunchy. The dipping sauce was super yummy too.
Hey Margo,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
Yum!
Turned out perfect. I used 1.5 heads of cauliflower florets. And 1/4 tsp of cayenne in the hot honey….
Sprayed with the (Chosen -Costco) avocado oil.
Everyone loved it!
Hey Juli,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
These were amazing! I had no problems with it. A definite keeper.
Hey Angie,
Happy Valentine’s Day! 💌 I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was tasty! xT
The breading didn’t stick to the cauliflower very well at all. It wasn’t crunchy, and didn’t crisp up well in the oven. Transferred to the air fryer and even that didn’t help. Also using Parmesan in the dip ruined it. Sorry, this one just didn’t work.
Hey Kelley,
So sorry to hear that you had some issues with this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xT
Made this for the Super Bowl! Absolutely delicious.
A few suggestions:
I used only 4cups of corn flakes and even that was way too much. I would suggest cutting it down to 2 cups but in turn you’d have to reduce the amount of spices.
The hot and honey sauce was delicious! Careful which hot sauce you choose and how much cayenne you add. It was delicious but spicyyyy.
Correction: I used 4cups cornflake crumbs (from the box) which is likely where my mistake was
Hey Elyssa,
Happy Monday!! 💘 Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx