Crazy Good Buffalo Broccoli Wings!

These baked buffalo broccoli wings are a delicious vegan appetiser with a kick! They are tender on the inside, crispy on the outside, and perfectly spicy. So tasty and simple to make!

BUFFALO BROCCOLI WINGS BABY! 

There are so many variations of cauliflower wings on the internet these days. So, I decided to switch things up and use broccoli! And OMG, was this the best idea ever or what?! Broccoli florets are battered in a delicious gluten free breadcrumb mixture then dipped in buffalo sauce and baked until perfectly crispy. They’re crunchy, spicy, and pair so well with a cool and creamy ranch dressing, that’s my favourite way to enjoy them. 

Plus, these spicy broccoli wings make for a pretty kickass gameday snack or epic side dish. They only have a few simple ingredients and take less than an hour to make. Even my chicken wing loving boyfriend couldn’t stop eating them. 

Ingredients you’ll need

Broccoli is coated in a yummy cheesy batter, rolled in gluten free breadcrumbs and dipped in buffalo sauce, and then baked until crispy.

• Broccoli: you'll need two heads of broccoli for this recipe. Or you can buy a large bag of some already in floret form.
• Oat flour: you’ll need 1 cup to make the batter. Use certified gluten free if needed, otherwise sub brown rice flour, plain flour or chickpea flour.
• Seasonings: nutritional yeast, paprika, garlic powder and salt.
• Non-dairy milk: Use any non-dairy milk you have on hand. Or if you consume dairy, you can go with that too.
• Breadcrumbs: I usually blend gluten free brown rice crackers in my food processor into a breadcrumb consistency. But any type of breadcrumbs or crushed tortilla chips will work.
• Buffalo Sauce: Use your favourite hot sauce for this recipe. I used franks buffalo sauce, but go with what you like and can find!
• Tomato sauce: Just a little to help balance out the spiciness! I used a reduced sugar one.

How to make crispy broccoli wings!

Follow these step-by-step instructions for crunchy buffalo broccoli! (Note – The full printable recipe is at the bottom of this post)

Oven: preheat your oven to 220ºC/ 425ºF and line a large baking sheet with baking paper.

Chop broccoli: cut the broccoli into florets, making sure they are all similar in size. This is important so they all cook evenly.

Prepare the batter: Next, prepare the batter. In a medium/large bowl, whisk together the flour, milk and seasonings, making sure there are no clumps.

Coat broccoli: Toss the broccoli in the batter mixture (you can add them all at once or dip individually), using a spatula or spoon to coat them all.

Crust: transfer the coated broccoli to a bowl of breadcrumbs to completely coat, then place them onto the baking sheet one at a time, with space in between.

Bake: once all of your broccoli wings are fully coated, it’s time to bake! Bake at 220ºC/ 425ºF ºF for 25 minutes or until crisp.

Buffalo sauce: While the broccoli is baking, pour the buffalo sauce into a medium sized shallow bowl. Add the ketchup and water to dilute or extra buffalo sauce if you want them spicy!

Coat broccoli: Dip the broccoli pieces into the buffalo sauce and return to the baking sheet. 

Bake again for another 8-12 minutes to crisp up.

Garnish with fresh chives or green onions and serve with ranch dressing.

What do you serve with buffalo broccoli?

I love serving my healthy buffalo bites in the same way you would serve wings; with celery, carrot and ranch dressing. Tomato ketchup also pairs wonderfully too! 

Top tips

• Cut the broccoli florets into even sized pieces. Larger sized pieces will result in more tender and slightly less crispy exterior.
• I used store-bought Buffalo wings sauce but you can also mix hot sauce with some tahini.
• Use any type of tomato sauce- ketchup, tomato sauce or even tomato paste.
• Feel free to omit the nutritional yeast. While it does add extra flavour, they will taste delicious without.
• Add, change, or replace the spices you’d like.
• To make them less spicy, use ½ cup buffalo sauce and 1 cup water to keep dilute the spice! 

How to store leftovers

These broccoli wings are best enjoyed right away so that they retain their crunchiness! Keep this in mind when deciding how far in advance to make these.

Refrigerator: Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to  3– 4 days in a sealed container.

Reheat: place on baking paper and heat them in an oven at 200C/ 400F. Bake until just heated through. Note; if you heat buffalo broccoli wings in a microwave it will make them really soft and soggy. However, they still taste yum!

Broccoli Nutrition Benefits

This green cruciferous vegetable is a terrific source of:

• Micronutrients, including vitamin A, C, K, folate, potassium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium. Broccoli is one of the best sources of Vitamin C out there with one cup providing 135% of your daily vitamin C needs!
• Dietary fibre – one cup provides 2.3 grams of fibre, which is about 9% of your daily fibre needs. Fibre is known to help with digestion, control blood sugar levels, heart health, and weight management.
• Beneficial plant compounds like sulforaphane and carotenoids (an antioxidant).

More healthy sides

Teriyaki Cauliflower Wings

Orange Sesame Glazed Cauliflower Wings

Baked Sweet Potato Zucchini Tots (Paleo + Vegan)

Sweet Potato Quinoa Bites (Gluten-free + Vegan)

If you try this buffalo broccoli wings recipe or have a question, please let me know! Leave a comment and rate it below. I love to hear what you think, or any changes you make.

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