Sweet, spicy, and crispy, Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites are a healthy alternative to traditional Nashville hot chicken and wings with none of the guilt! This recipe is easy to make and insanely delicious! They are a savory and healthy bite-sized snack, appetizer, or side.
NASHVILLE HOT CAULIFLOWER BITES
These cauliflower bites have what I like to call sneaky heat. It’s not hot when you first taste them. However, it sneaks up on you seconds later and builds. That’s not a bad thing. Simply beware and don’t add more red pepper and/or hot sauce until you sat with it a hot minute. 😅 get it?
These Nashville Hot Cauliflower Bites are great served with tzatziki, blue cheese dressing, ranch dressing, or any cool, creamy sauce or dressing. Currently, I’m obsessed with tzatziki. Therefore, I have included that recipe for you.
What is Nashville Hot Sauce?
Nashville Hot Sauce is a regional hot sauce developed by Prince’s restaurant in Nashville, TN. It’s made with cayenne pepper, spices, and brown sugar. Originally, Nashville Hot Chicken referred to chicken that was fried with cayenne pepper in both the batter and the sauce that covered it after it was fried. The chicken was served on slices of white bread with dill pickles.
For this recipe, I kept the components of the original Nashville Hot Chicken but replaced the chicken with cauliflower. As well, I baked it instead of frying it for an overall healthier dish. It’s just as lip-smackin’ good as the original!
How to choose a good head of cauliflower
- Cauliflower should be firm and tightly closed.
- White cauliflower should be pale with no soft or mushy parts and no dark spots.
- The head of cauliflower will feel heavy for its size.
- Ideally, the cauliflower heads will have a few green leaves attached.
- Overall, the cauliflower head should look fresh and vibrant.
Can I use frozen cauliflower?
I don’t recommend using frozen cauliflower. It’s mushy and just doesn’t result in a good final product.
Ingredients you’ll need for Nashville Hot Sauce
Batter
- Seasonings. Salt, garlic powder, paprika, black pepper
- Hot sauce. Optional, if you want it spicier.
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking powder
- Corn starch
Sauce
- Olive oil
- Hot sauce. Like Tabasco, Texas Pete, Frank’s, or Louisana Hot Sauce
- Rice vinegar
- Agave. I use this Agave. You can also use maple syrup or honey.
- Black pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
I covered the cauliflower florets with batter and baked them for 20 minutes. Next, I pulled them out and tossed them in the Nashville Hot Sauce, put them back in the oven, and baked them another 5 minutes. Make note, the batter gets crispy. However, the Nashville Hot Sauce will not get crispy because of the liquid in it. If you want crispy cauliflower, I recommend serving this hot sauce as a dipping sauce and not coating the cauliflower with it.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING THE BEST NASHVILLE HOT CAULIFLOWER
- Cut your cauliflower in uniform sizes so that they cook at the same time.
- Pat the cauliflower dry after washing or allow enough time to air dry. The batter will adhere much better to dry cauliflower.
- I highly recommend covering your sheet tray with foil or parchment paper for easier clean-up.
- Pierce the cauliflower with a fork to test for doneness. If they pierce easily, the cauliflower is cooked, if not allow it to cook another 5 minutes.
You’ll enjoy these healthy cauliflower recipes too!
- Scalloped Mascarpone Cauliflower
- Panko Baked Cauliflower Bites
- Baked Breaded Cauliflower Bites with Sriracha Peanut Butter Sauce
- Cheesy Cauliflower Gratin
- Cheddar Bacon Cauliflower Casserole
NASHVILLE HOT CAULIFLOWER BITES
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Save To Your Recipe BoxIngredients
- ½ head cauliflower cut into florets (about 4 cups)
For the Batter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour or almond flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 3 tablespoons corn starch
- ⅓ cup milk almond or soy milk for vegan
- optional, add 1/ teaspoon hot sauce if you want it spicier
Nashville style hot chicken sauce
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce
- 1 and ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon agave honey or maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Tzatziki
- 5 ounces Greek yogurt plain, unflavored
- ½ large cucumber cut into bite size pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1 medium lemon zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon dry dill
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Cut the cauliflower into florets. Line a sheet pan or baking dish with parchment paper. Make sure the pan is large enough that the cauliflower is spread in a single layer and not touching. Use two pan if necessary.
For the Batter
- Whisk the salt, garlic, paprika, pepper, flour, baking powder, and cornstarch together.
- Add the milk and whisk until combined.
- Drop the cauliflower into the batter and stir to coat all the cauliflower.
- Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes.
Nashville style hot chicken sauce
- THERE ARE TWO OPTIONS FOR THE HOT SAUCE. Remove the cauliflower from the oven and toss in the Nashville hot sauce. Return to the oven for 5 minutes OR If you want the cauliflower to stay super crispy, leave them in the oven for another 5 minutes then serve the Nashville Hot Sauce as a dipping sauce and don't pour it over the cauliflower bites.
Tzatziki
- You can make the Tzatziki sauce 2 to 3 hours in advance and refrigerate it.
- Squeeze most of the juice out of the cucumber before mixing it with the remaining ingredients.
- Combine all ingredients for the Tzatziki sauce into a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Transfer sauce into a bowl, cover, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Nutrition
Melissa says
Oh, I love Nashville Hot Chicken so I know I’ll love these cauliflower bites, too! I’ll definitely be making these soon!
Paula says
You’ll love it then. I’m obsessed with this recipe. 😅