These Carolina BBQ Cauliflower Wings Bring Big Southern Flavor

Cauliflower wings have had their moment in recent times, offering up vegetarians (and vegans, depending on the sauce) a game day-worthy chicken wing alternative that still boasts that crispy-tender crunch and essential barbecue flavor. Recipe developer Julianne De Witt takes things a step further with her baked Carolina-style BBQ cauliflower wings recipe, one that not only features those veggie-based wings in all their glory, but one that also incorporates a tangy kick thanks to a homemade Carolina-style sauce.

For those unfamiliar with Carolina-style barbecue sauce, also often called Carolina Gold sauce, it's a unique take on classic barbecue sauce with one key ingredient addition: yellow mustard. The mustard goes a long way in balancing out an otherwise sweet-leaning sauce, adding just the right tangy, sharp kick to keep things interesting. De Witt describes the homemade sauce in this recipe as "a bold Carolina mustard BBQ finish that's bright, tangy, and a little sweet." It pairs oh-so well with the cauliflower wings, which bake up to tender perfection on the inside while retaining a crispy crust on the outside with the help of a panko coating. "Serve these cauliflower wings at football parties or at happy hour with your favorite cocktails," De Witt recommends, noting that they really don't need any additional dipping sauces, as that Carolina-style barbecue sauce really is delicious enough to stand on its own.

A highlight of this recipe is the Carolina-style barbecue sauce itself, which consists of yellow mustard, honey, apple cider vinegar, ketchup, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Then, moving onto the wings themselves, you'll of course need a large cauliflower head broken into florets. For the wing breading, you'll need both panko breadcrumbs and fine breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. For the wing batter, you'll need flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and black pepper. Finally, keep a bottle of cooking spray handy to spritz the wings before they go into the oven.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Prepare the sauce by mixing the mustard, honey, vinegar, ketchup, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

Add the panko, breadcrumbs, salt, garlic powder, and smoked paprika to a bowl.

In a separate bowl, add the flour, cornstarch, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, pepper and stir.

Whisk 1 ¼ cups water into the flour mixture until smooth, adding just enough to create a batter slightly thinner than pancake batter.

Working in batches, dip the florets into the batter, shake to remove any excess, then dip them into the breadcrumbs.

Transfer the breaded florets onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.

Spritz the florets lightly with cooking spray and bake them for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through, until they're golden brown and the cauliflower is tender.

Toss the cauliflower in the sauce and serve.

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The first step to making successful cauliflower wings starts with the head of cauliflower itself: Be sure that you cut the florets as uniformly as possible. Same-sized florets will not only result in a more enjoyable snacking experience once the wings are baked, but it will help ensure that each wing bakes evenly and in the same amount of time.

Next, De Witt has some tips for both the wing breading and the batter. "Use a combination of panko and fine breadcrumbs," she advises. "Panko for the light and airy crunch and breadcrumbs to fill in the gaps and so that the panko adheres well." Meanwhile, for the batter, you'll want the consistency to be somewhere between crepe batter and pancake batter — a little thicker than the former, but slightly thinner than the latter. "It should adhere well and evenly to the florets," De Witt explains. "Shake off any excess batter so that the coating doesn't become thick and heavy."

When it comes time to bake the wings, be sure that you're setting the oven to exactly 425 F. This is a high temperature sweet-spot that will ensure the cauliflower gets nice and tender while the coating on the outside crisps up. To encourage even browning, flip the cauliflower wings halfway through baking.

Carolina-style barbecue sauce is so delicious because it manages to capture several flavor notes at once, including sweet, tangy, sharp, and vinegary ones. One distinct flavor note that it is missing, however, is heat, though you could easily crank up the spice level if you like your wings on the spicier side. De Witt recommends adding half a minced Fresno chile to the sauce, which will add a moderate heat with hints of smokiness. From there, you can taste the sauce and consider adding more minced chile if desired. Another easy way to add depth of umami flavor to the sauce without making it spicy is by mixing in about 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

While this recipe calls for tossing the cauliflower wings in the sauce before serving, De Witt notes that you could easily serve the sauce on the side, which will help the wings retain their crispiness. Speaking of crispiness, you can ensure that the wings are about as crispy as they can get (without deep-frying, that is) by cooking them in an air fryer instead of baking (this will likely make the process a bit speedier, too). When it comes time to serve, these wings are best as an appetizer served with fixings like ranch or celery and carrot sticks, but De Witt notes that they'd be just as good in taco format or served over a salad.

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