Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

You'll want to make buffalo cauliflower over and over again with this easy, gluten-free recipe using almond flour and milk as a breading and hot sauce to coat. We use an air fryer to make this salad come together quickly! 

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

Let me preface this post by saying that if you don’t have an air fryer, you can use the oven method, but it will take longer. You can find that recipe here.

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

To make buffalo cauliflower in the oven:

  • Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
  • Coat the cauliflower in the prepared dredge
  • Bake cauliflower for 25 minutes
  • Remove cauliflower from the oven, toss with hot sauce
  • Bake cauliflower for an additional 25 minutes

To make buffalo cauliflower in the air fryer:

  • Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees
  • Coat the cauliflower in the prepared dredge
  • Cook the cauliflower in the air fryer for 10 minutes
  • Shake the basket of the air fryer and bake an additional 5 minutes

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

Now that we know how to make buffalo cauliflower, you’ll love using it in many different ways – in a quinoa bowl, on a pizza, as a burger bun, or here, in a crunchy, nutritious and filling salad.

I have really been getting into dressings. I used to make mine all from scratch, but frankly, as a mom of two now, I don’t always have the time to premake my dressings and if I’m getting a craving for a salad, it’s nice to have bottled dressings on hand.

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

You can use a bottled Ranch here or a Caesar, both will work well. The rest of the salad toppings are up to you, but I went pretty traditional here with celery, tomatoes, carrots, and avocado.

I hope you make this buffalo cauliflower – I’d love to see how you make it, use #inspiralized!

Gluten Free Buffalo Cauliflower Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 1

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Frank's red hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil or butter
  • Florets from 1 medium head of cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup almond flour
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 celery ribs
  • 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes you can do this while you wait for the cauliflower to cook
  • 1 ripe large avocado
  • 2 romaine hearts chopped
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • to drizzle: ½ cup Ranch dressing

Instructions

  • Preheat an air fryer to 400 degrees.
  • Place two large bowls next to each other on your workspace. In one bowl, whisk together the hot sauce and coconut oil. In the other bowl, whisk together almond milk, water, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower to the bowl. Dredge the cauliflower florets through the mixture and coat them well, patting the mixture into the crevices of the cauliflower. Using tongs (or your hands), transfer the dredged cauliflower into the hot sauce bowl and toss well to coat.
  • Add the cauliflower in an even layer in the basket of the air fryer. Set for 10 minutes and half way through, flip the cauliflower and let cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  • While cauliflower cooks, prepare the rest of the recipe. Pour the hot sauce into a large bowl and set aside. Dice the celery, halve the cherry tomatoes, and peel, pit, and slice the avocado. Set everything aside.
  • After you’re done prepping the salad ingredients, prepare the salads. Divide the romaine lettuce into bowls and drizzle each with 1 tablespoon of Ranch dressing. Divide the toppings onto the bowls (the celery, tomatoes, avocado, carrots) and once the cauliflower is done cooking, add that to the salad bowls. Drizzle with another tablespoon of Ranch dressing. Serve.
You'll want to make buffalo cauliflower over and over again with this easy, gluten-free recipe using almond flour and milk as a breading and hot sauce to coat. We use an air fryer to make this salad come together quickly! 

with love, Ali

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  • LOVED this recipe! I’m always looking for ways to slowly cut out the majority of meat from my diet, and this was so good!! Can’t wait to make it again!
    • So happy you tried this one! It's a definite keeper.