Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

Last Sunday, while I was grocery shopping for the week, I had written down on...

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

Last Sunday, while I was grocery shopping for the week, I had written down on my notepad: “something for the playoffs.”

If you don’t watch sports or care, then I’ll tell you: we’re in the midst of the NFL playoffs. Actually, none of my teams are in the playoffs this year, and I’ve grown generally apathetic towards football.

However, my fiance loves sports (as most of ’em do) and I wanted to get something playoffs-themed for a Sunday night dinner.

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

As I was pushing the cart by the meat and poultry section, my eyes immediately went to the chicken wings and I thought, “oh perfect!”

HOW BORING AM I?!

Chicken wings – pretty predictable. I added them to my cart and when I got home, I put the wings right in the freezer and…. never made them.

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

Instead, let me tell you what happened: I went to prepare the buffalo sauce (a Paleo, gluten-free, vegan deliciousness) and preheat the oven. I opened the fridge and searched for the wings and realized that – yup, I had put them in the freezer.

But you know what I did have? Cauliflower…. which, yea, looks and tastes nothing like chicken wings, but let’s be honest – it’s not the wing that makes the meal, it’s the sauce.

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

Also, cauliflower keeps being predicted as “the next big thing” in the food world (actually, SHAPE magazine nicknamed a nutrition trend article as ‘cauliflower is the new kale’), so I figured I’d put this versatile veggie to creative use.

The buffalo cream sauce is just… well, make it and you’ll be able to finish that sentence. It’s otherworldly! The cauliflower softens in the oven and soaks up the spicy flavors in the sauce.

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

They’re great for game day OR if you want to take it a step further and turn it into a game day-themed meal (or just an ordinary night’s meal), serve it over sweet potato noodles – it’s a sinfully delicious combination and is healthy as heck!

What do you like to eat while watching sports or vegging out?

Nutritional Information & Recipe

Inspiralized

Vegan Buffalo Cauliflower with Sweet Potato Noodles

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower chopped into florets (about 8 cups)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • olive oil cooking spray
  • 3 tablespoons coconut oil
  • ¼ cup raw cashews soaked in water for at least 2 hours
  • vegetable broth if needed
  • 2 large sweet potatoes peeled, Blade C, noodles trimmed
  • 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish
  • For the buffalo pasta sauce:
  • 3-4 tablespoons hot sauce I use Tessemae’s
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange the cauliflower on a baking sheet, season with salt, pepper and coat lightly with cooking spray. Roast for 20-25 minutes or until beginning to brown.
  • On another baking sheet, lay out the sweet potatoes and coat lightly with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 17-20 minutes or until cooked through, but still al dente (taste test.)
  • While the cauliflower and sweet potato roasts, puree the cashews in a high-speed blender or food processor until creamy. Set aside.
  • In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the coconut oil to the cashew cream along with the other ingredients for the buffalo sauce and puree again until creamy. If needed, add in vegetable broth until reached a sauce-like consistency (not runny, but not too thick.) Cover and set aside, to keep warm.
  • In a large mixing bowl, toss together the cauliflower florets with half of the buffalo sauce mixture, keeping the remaining sauce in the pot. Spread the cauliflower back out on the baking sheet and cook for 5 more minutes or until sauce begins to bubble.
  • Plate the sweet potato noodles and top with cauliflower florets. Stir the buffalo sauce and then drizzle over plates. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
with love, Ali

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Recipe Rating




comments

  • Wow that sounds amazing! I've made buffalo cauliflower wings before, but adding them to sweet potato noodles?? Perfect :)
  • Do you roast the sweet potatoes before you spiral? Or spiral then roast noodles? Thanks!
      • My spirilizer doesn't have different blades just think and thick and the potatoes are way too hard. Is there a different spirilizer? I bought the one at BB & Beyond
  • I can't wait to make this, sounds amazing! For the sauce, do you make it on the stove, or in the blender? (Slightly confused about melting the coconut oil, then pureeing, then covering and keeping warm.) Thanks Ali!
    • You melt the coconut oil and then add to a blender to puree alongside the other ingredients! Sorry for the confusion!
  • Seriously YUM! And like you said, it's the sauce! Love the vessel you chose! Can't wait to try it!!!
  • Buffalo wings aren't a 'thing' in Australia but this recipe sounds too good to not try. We don't have hot sauce either- any suggestions for substitutions?
    • Not even Tabasco? Anything like that will work.
  • does sound amazing. have to try this one sooner than later. got the sweet potatoes, just need to pick up the cauliflower, which is so yummy roasted it is the only way I eat it ever since I tried it!!
  • This was so yummy. I also sprinkled on some cashews along with the parsley. Thank you!
  • Made this tonight without the sweet potato noodles. 1/2 Buffalo cauliflower and 1/2 lemon butter/mustard. Family loved it! Have to get some cashews for the sauce. Thank you, Ali. And Happy New Year.
  • My spiralizer is suppose to arrive today! Can't wait to try this recipe! I'm allergic to cashews though, what would be a good substitute? Thank you!
  • I need to try this but we have nut allergies in my family! Any suggestions for substitutions?
      • I made it with puréed cauliflower and it was amazing! Thanks for the tip!
  • Hi there! I tried this recipe last night, and my noodles came out so soggy. What is your tip for crisping them up? I tried a white potato too and it also came out soggy in the oven. I heat the oven to 400, the only thing I can think is that maybe the noodles are not spread out enough. The sauce was great for this, although next time I will add more hot sauce! Thanks for all your inspiration, I tell everyone at my weight watchers meeting about your site.
  • This was delicious -- even if my version didn't turn out nearly as pretty as yours. :) For the sauce, I used olive oil instead of coconut oil (I was out), and used Frank's hot sauce. I also ended up adding a few tablespoons of water to thin it out a bit. I was worried the sauce would be too spicy, but it was perfect! Next time, I would even double the sauce since I was desperately scraping the blender to get every last drop out. Thanks for such a wonderful recipe! Can't wait to try more.
  • Can confirm that this is absolutely amazing. The confirmed carnivore currently sitting on my right ate it all and asked for seconds before I'd got halfway through my own portion. Being British, I had no idea what Buffalo Sauce is, and I didn't have cashew nuts so I substituted with ground almonds. I used Encona hot pepper sauce and tabasco. I will definitely be making this again. I served it with roasted aubergine with a miso topping.
  • Going to make this tonight but I'm allergic to nuts! And substitutions for cashews? Thanks!
  • . I have tried time and time again to make spiralized sweet potato fries or just roasting them in the oven , but they always burn :( Is parchment paper definitely the way to go? I always follow the recipe and use the same amount of oil, but I never have parchment paper on hand so I use aluminum foil. I do spray it, but the sweet potatoes ALWAYS burn on the outer ring and the ones in the middle are just mushy. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Halp?
    • Yes parchment paper is definitely the way to go, bakes them just perfectly
    • Do you have an oven thermometer? Maybe your oven is getting hotter than it says it is, in which case it would either need to be re-calibrated or you just compensate. For instance, if you dial is set at 325 but your oven thermometer says the oven is heating up to 350 then you know to set your oven 25 degrees cooler than your desired temperature in the future. Just a thought.
  • I made this for dinner while watching the game. THIS IS AMAZING, will work into a regular rotation!
  • I'm addicted to this recipe... lost 5 pounds in the process too.
  • Incredible! I used homemade coconut milk as a substitute for the vegetable broth in the sauce and it turned out very well. Thanks for this amazing recipe!
  • This was one of my favourite spiralized recipes, and I've made many of the recipes from your site. Thanks for posting so many awesome ideas. I can't wait for your cookbook to arrive :)
  • For those allegic to nutes, would Tahini Paste (sesame Seed Paste) work instead of Cashews, or possible Pine nuts as they are actually seeds?
  • Anyone have suggestions for what to sub in for hot sauce if you want a non-spicy cashew sauce? Maybe bbq or lemon garlic? Not sure what might go well with this dish specifically, but the fam is anti-spicy so buffalo could be tough to get past them. I also LOVE inspiralized recipes (and Ali!). I have made the zucchini tuna noodle casserole so many times now, I lost count. Thanks so much for all these wonderful ideas, looking forward to making this for the Superbowl!
    • Sara - you can just use less of the hot sauce here, to make it milder! You can try using tomato paste with a little bit of soy sauce instead, also!
      • Great idea, thanks Ali!
  • Hi Ali, I love this but i want to make it as an app for superbowl sunday....so I not going to do the Noodles. Do you have suggestions on a sauce I can serve on the side of the buffalo cauliflower or does it not need it?
    • Use the sauce from the pasta as a dip for the cauliflower!
      • ohhhhhhh thank you!!!!! I was going to coat it in the cauliflower...so we will just leave it on the side after it is roasted! got it!!!!! Thank you so much
  • I like the idea...the sweet potato noodles, the buffalo flavor and the cauliflower. I'm bothered by the high saturated fat content (even though it's fat from nuts & coconut oil). Any recommended substitutions to get the fat content down?
  • I just got my spiralizer as a Christmas present..and I love it! This recipe is awesome, as is every other recipe I've tried. Thank you, Ali for all your hard work and your entertaining website. I love getting your email every day.
  • I recently bought a spiralizer after someone pointed me to your blog, and while trying to get my husband interested in it, had him pick a recipe for our dinner tonight. He chose this one, and I was a little skeptical because I don't really like spicy stuff very much, and never really ate buffalo wings back before I went vegetarian—but it was incredible! The sweet noodles were the perfect accompaniment to the tangy sauce. We did double the sauce; I think my cauliflower was larger than yours, so it needed more, but we have plenty of leftovers. Thanks so much, your blog is great!
  • If I have only roasted cashews this won't really work will it? And do you drain the water from them? Have never used cashews in this manner before.
    • Update---made with soaked roasted cashews and worked out just fine. I did add a bit of cashew butter to it as well, but still was AMAZING. Will be making this weekly.
  • This recipe is awesome. I just about gave up all carbs back in January. The weight was piling on and my entire way of cooking changed. Now that I am thinner and healthier, sweet potatoes and yams are back and this was a wonderful start to some new recipes. Spiralizing is fun, easy and tasty.
  • My sauce turned out pretty thick... any suggestions? Should I add more lemon juice, or just some water?
  • This was delicious!! I made it tonight and it was a huge hit! I only had a tiny cauliflower so I added a 1/2 cup of shredded chicken breast per serving. I coated the chicken breast in the buffalo sauce and added it to the pan with the cauliflower to heat up for 5 minutes. I can't wait for leftovers tomorrow night!! Thanks for the excellent recipe!
  • I made this tonight and it was very good. I had to considerably thin the sauce, and 4 tablespoons of hot sauce would have been 9 alarm, so I reduced to 1 tablespoon. I have a real struggle with sweet potato noodles coming out consistently cooked. There are some crisp ones, some cooked like noodles, and some just limp as ever. Is there a secret I'm missing? The flavor was great though! I will definitely make it again, but I'll make more sauce next time. Maybe my head of cauliflower was too large, but on the upside, I have leftovers! :) Thanks Ali!