Tempura spicy cauliflower recipe in the oven is a great side dish or snack with Franks hot buffalo sauce we can't get enough of. Once you fall in love with this one you can even make air fryer cauliflower wings now too!

Here is a great baked cauliflower recipe and our favorite zucchini recipe below too! Using a few spices and jazzing up an otherwise boring vegetable on the table is much more appealing we think. This and our slow cooker cheesy cauliflower bake helped create a love of veggies in our kids! (affiliate links present)

Buffalo Cauliflower in the Oven

We like to have a vegetable side dish for dinner each night but traditional steamed veggies get a bit boring. It looks good right??!! This twist on buffalo wings turned into these bites that are actually good. Make it as spicy or toned down as you desire.

With a little tweaking and adjusting of our own to suit our tastes this recipe has become a new favorite. It is easy to toss it all together and throw it into the oven so everything is ready at the same time and dinner can be served!

Ingredients

Head of cauliflower cut into bite size florets
All purpose flour milk and cold water with seasonings will create your tempura batter like coating to this
Hot sauce like Franks
Ranch dressing is nice to coat the outside to be creamy and tame some heat

Because it is made at home you can adjust the heat to your liking. We mean you could use a different sauce entirely if you wanted more of a sweet taste, or keep plain and dip in Ranch when done.

How do you cook raw cauliflower?

Baked cauliflower is so easy whether you leave it whole or cut it up and bake it with a light batter with buffalo sauce we explain here. We wouldn't boil it because you lose all the nutrients.

Is roasted cauliflower healthy?

Most definitely, especially if you drizzle it with a bit of olive oil with salt and pepper. Our seasoned flour dredge adds some calories, but makes it a crunchy flavorful snack.

On a sheet pan is quite easy. You can leave it plain of course tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper but with a little spicy like this you'll add a lot of flavor. You can steam it like our cheesy Instant Pot cauliflowermake air fryer cauliflower is another good option if you have that machine at home.

Is it better to eat cauliflower raw or cooked?

Raw maintains the most amount of nutrients, followed by baked or air fried, and boiling would be at the bottom of the list of great ideas. You can add others on to the baking sheet with it too if you want a variety like brussel sprouts and cauliflower baked together.

How to Bake Spicy Cauliflower in the Oven

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non stick cooking spray.
Cut cauliflower florets into medium size bite-sized pieces. The smaller they are the faster you'll get them to fork tender so if you are in a bit of a hurry you could speed it up that way.
In a medium bowl add milk, water, flour and spices. Mix until the batter is thick. Dip each cauliflower piece into the batter and place on baking sheet.
Place in oven for 25 minutes.
While you're waiting prepare the sauce mixture.
You can mix the ranch and hot sauce in a bowl, set aside. Feel free to add red pepper flakes for a real kick of heat.
When done, remove from pan and toss the pieces into the hot sauce mixture to coat thoroughly.
If you aren't going to eat immediately, leave separate, serve and pour a bit of the ranch mixture on top of everybody's serving.

It's something you can throw together quite quickly (our kind of side dish) and is FULL of flavor which helps kids enjoy vegetables.

Can you batter frozen cauliflower?

It doesn't work well, no. If that is all you have we would suggest making air fryer frozen cauliflower instead and tossing with the hot sauce/ranch combination that has the spices mixed in there. You will get the same flavors without the breading.

Adjust the heat to your liking, maybe try milder at first and work your way up from there. We are not a huge spice kinda' gal but over time we've increased the heat a bit and enjoy it.

You can skip the sauce at the end entirely too if you wanted to, and eat right out of the oven. You'd still get that fried crispy feeling to it but we would add more seasonings if you were going without a sauce. Dip in other things too that aren't as hot. Like dip in ranch dressing, squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top with sea salt and enjoy that way….

Tempura Cauliflower in Oven

Now you could skip the breading entirely if you wanted lower calories. In that case you would toss with extra virgin olive oil and bake the same as directed below until tender. Turn the cauliflower florets after 15 minutes or so. When done toss with the sauce of your choice.

Both are great but definitely a different texture and feel to them. If you are looking for a healthier keto friendly dish then we would go with the non battered type. We like the other best so it kinda' tastes like deep fried in a sense but it is baked so no submerging in oil or lots of fat or calories involved.

How to serve tempura cauliflower in the oven

There are 2 ways to make this. With or without the sauce at the end. We like it with but it is best eaten fresh because once you put the buffalo ranch on top it will get soggy. BEST way to serve it is on the plate with a bit of sauce on top, or sauce on the side so you can dip it! Both ways are good and easy to make. It may get your kids to love cauliflower too!

Other easy vegetable side dish recipes you'll love

It's a great vegetable side dish or snack even and quite healthy with a few ingredients. Do you have another type of roasted cauliflower recipe? We'd love to hear because we're always out to create something new to try at our dinner table as well as share too.

Instant Pot cauliflower mash is always fun

If you love this easy baked cauliflower recipe you will love our tempura zucchini chips too, our kids favorite!

Close-up of buffalo baked cauliflower, labeled as Cauliflower with Buffalo Wings crossed out.

Spicy Cauliflower Recipe

By Tempura spicy cauliflower recipe that is a great side dish or healthy snack with a kick of buffalo hot sauce. good vegetable side dish. Prep: 10 minutes minsCook: 50 minutes minsTotal: 35 minutes minsServings: 6 Save Recipe Saved! Pin Recipe Comment Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into med. size florets
1/2 c water
1 c flour
1/2 c milk
1.5 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 c hot sauce
1/4-1/2 c ranch dressing, 1/2 will make it mild, 1/4 medium heat

Instructions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spray baking sheet with non stick cooking spray. Chop cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
In a medium bowl add milk, water, flour and spices. Mix until the batter is thick.
Dip each cauliflower piece into the batter and place on baking sheet. Place in oven for 25 minutes.
While you're waiting prepare the sauce mixture. You can mix the ranch and hot sauce in a bowl, set aside.
When done, remove from pan. You can enjoy them as is right now, crispy as ever. OR toss the pieces into the hot sauce mixture to coat thoroughly. If you aren't going to eat immediately, leave separate, serve and pour a bit of the ranch mixture on top of everybody's serving.