Being a midwestern girl at heart, I will never not have a weakness for any and everything buffalo. Growing up in Ohio, buffalo wings are kind of a major food group (or so it seems to me), and they are without a doubt both me and my husband Brett’s favorite guilty pleasure indulgence.

I’ve been wanting to come up with a go-to recipe for a healthy take on fried chicken wings that would still hit the spot when we’re both craving comfort food forever, and I think I’ve finally nailed it. Today I’m super excited to share my recipe for Healthy Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings with you!

I’ve made these a lot lately and they are honestly SO. GOOD. They definitely don’t disappoint in the way that some healthy takes I’ve tried in the past tend to.

The major secret? Crushed up cornflakes. These really get the job done when it comes to mimicking that fried chicken wing crunch. I learned this very valuable lesson during quarantine when baking Half Baked Harvest’s Black Pepper Ranch Chicken Fingers (highly recommend btw).

Throw in a little flour, some grated parmesan, and a couple of spices and you’ve got a seriously delicious breading that tastes just like the real thing, even though it’s baked in the oven!

I used our cocktail muddler to crush up the cornflakes, which actually worked like a charm!

I truly can’t say enough great things about these makeshift buffalo wings. I’m not really a big fan of cauliflower in most cases, but it honestly tastes AMAZING in this recipe.

These are so easy and ready to go in a half hour! Here’s the recipe:

Healthy Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings

(serves 2-4, depending on how hungry you are…Brett and I ate all of these very easily lol)

Ingredients:

16 oz cauliflower florets (or about 1 large cauliflower head cut into florets)

1.5 cup cornflakes cereal

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (can omit if you want to make vegan)

1.5 T all purpose flour (or whole wheat flour if you prefer)

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 - 1 tsp cayenne pepper (depending on how spicy you want)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

3 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup buffalo sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot Wings)

3 T butter, melted

celery and blue cheese dressing for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a large bowl, crush up the cornflakes with a muddler or the bottom of a smaller bowl until the pieces are relatively fine and even. Add the parmesan cheese, flour, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt and black pepper, and mix well together to combine.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip each cauliflower floret into the beaten eggs and then dredge well in the cornflake mixture until covered on all sides. Gently arrange the florets on the baking sheet, making sure to leave at least an inch of space between each so they have plenty of room to bake evenly. Bake the cauliflower for 25 minutes, turning once at the halfway mark. Don’t forget this part!

3. Meanwhile, prepare the wing sauce. Melt the butter and combine with the hot sauce in a medium sized bowl.

4. Remove the cauliflower and use tongs to gently dip and coat each floret in the wing sauce, being careful not to remove the breading. Bake for an additional 5 minutes.

5. Serve with blue cheese and celery on the side!

Do you guys have any favorite comfort foods you’re trying to find a healthy take for? Drop them in the comments below!