Crispy Baked Buffalo Cauliflower with Herby Ranch
So I have been working with Popcorners for over a year now and I LOVE their product. I was skeptical at first since I thought using a “popcorn” crumb as a coating wouldn’t get crispy but it actually really works. If you don’t have Popcorners you could try this recipe with panko breadcrumbs but it won’t be gluten free as with the Popcorners.
I chose to use the sea salt flavored Popcorners for this recipe because they have a nice neutral flavor but you could also use the cinema butter flavor.
The tricky part of this recipe is keeping the cauliflower bites crispy after you add the sauce because they will come out of the oven nice and crispy but with the moisture of the buffalo sauce they can lose a little bit of that crispiness right off the bat. I have included a few different options to achieve this based on whether you are making them ahead or eating them right away, or if you just want the easiest option.
Have fun!
- 1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp oil
- 2/3 cup water
- 3 cups popcorner crumbs (about 5-6 cups of whole chips) the sea salt flavor would work best here, but also the movie theatre butter flavor
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 3/4 cup buffalo sauce like Red Hot
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
- 1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3 (or more) T half and half or milk
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment.
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In a large bowl combine the cornstarch, rice flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper with a whisk. Whisk is the water and oil to make a thick batter. It should adhere to a piece of cauliflower when you dip it in, and form a thick coating not run off.
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Add the cauliflower florets to the batter and stir well to combine and make sure all the florets are covered well with the batter.
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Add the Popcorner crumbs to a separate medium sized bowl. Working just 3 or 4 at a time, drop the batter covered cauliflower into the crumbs using one hand, and then roll them around in the crumbs using your other hand until they are nice and coated. Place them on the parchment lines baking sheet (a large one, or 2 smaller ones) and continue with process until they're all coated. Space the florets evenly and don't crowd the sheet pan.
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Bake the cauliflower for 15 minutes in the middle of the oven. Remove and turn the pieces over, and bake again for 15 minutes on the other side. Meanwhile make your buffalo sauce and ranch.
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After 30 mins and the cauliflower has come out you can do a few different things *see recipes notes* (the main goal is to keep it as crispy as possible while still saucing it up). My favorite way (but most involved) would be to pour the sauce over everything on the sheet pan and toss it together to coat. Then stick the pan back in the oven for 10 minute increments, turning the pieces in between (for a total of 20 minutes longer) which will crisp up the coating again with the sauce on the outside. Make sure to keep an eye on them so they don't burn.
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Serve bites with ranch dipping sauce on the side or in a salad with carrots, celery, blue cheese and iceburg lettuce.
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Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When the butter has melted add the hot sauce and the Worcestershire sauce and stir to combine. Simmer it just for a second and then remove from the heat and set aside.
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To make ranch- Combine all the ranch ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Cover and set in the fridge until you're ready to use it.
Other ways to serve these bites to maintain their crunchy outside would be:
-Serve them with the sauce on the side (easiest)
-Put the bites on a serving tray and just drizzle with the buffalo sauce
-Coat the bites on the baking sheet right out of the oven and eat immediately. Like right away.
*If you are planning to take these to someone's house, or are making them ahead of time you can sauce them up at home, cool them, keep them in a covered container and then stick them on a baking sheet and broil them until they're crispy again.
