Who said buffalo sauce is just for wings? This buffalo cauliflower salad is loaded with cauliflower, crispy chickpeas and topped with a creamy vegan ranch dressing made from cashews.
I am a total spice lover. I add hot sauce to most of my meals and am always a fan of buffalo chicken.When I came up with my cauliflower buffalo wings and creamy cashew ranch dressing I made to go with them, I knew I had to create a buffalo cauliflower salad. The romaine, celery and red onion add a nice crunch to compliment the spicy cauliflower and the vegan cashew ranch is so rich and creamy you’ll want to put it on everything!
Trust me, you might want to double the recipe!
The Best Buffalo Sauce
Confessions of a food blogger: I usually buy store-bought buffalo sauce. There are a lot of really great brands out there so I often just purchase some to save some time. I love Steve’s Paleogoods Paleo Chef Wing Sauce, which is gluten-free and refined sugar free and definitely my first choice if you can find it. Tesssemae’s Hot Buffalo Sauce is another brand I would recommend.
If you’re feeling ambitious and want to try a homemade version, this one is vegan and looks great. If you’re in a pinch, Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce also works and is still vegan.
Roasted Buffalo Cauliflower
I decided to keep the cauliflower super simple and a littler lighter with no almond flour coating and adding chickpeas for some plant-based protein.
cauliflower florets
chickpeas
avocado oil, salt and pepper
buffalo wing sauce
Mix the cauliflower and chickpeas with oil, salt and pepper and then pour the mixture onto a baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, pour the buffalo sauce over the mixture and toss to coat. Roast for another 10-15 minutes or until the chickpeas are crispy and the cauliflower is roasted to your liking.
Creamy Cashew Ranch Dressing
If you’ve never made homemade ranch dressing, now is the time to start. It’s creamy and delicious and also happens to be vegan!
raw cashews
spices: dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper
You’ll want to soak your cashews in water for 3-4 hours or overnight. If you forget, you can do a quick soak method by pouring boiling water over the cashews and letting soak for an hour. This softens the nuts and makes blending a breeze! To make the dressing, add the soaked and drained cashews into a high powered blender or food processor(affiliate link) along with 1/2 cup water and the spices. Blend until smooth.
Calling All Salad Fans! Here Are More Vegan Salads to Try:
If you make this buffalo cauliflower salad, please be sure to leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how it turns out. Your feedback is so helpful for the EBF team and other EBF readers.
Who said buffalo sauce is just for wings? This buffalo cauliflower salad is loaded with cauliflower, crispy chickpeas and topped with a creamy vegan ranch dressing made from cashews.
Ingredients
3–4 cups cauliflower florets
1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry
2 teaspoons avocado oil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
4 cups fresh romaine, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
1/4 cup red onion, sliced
Creamy Vegan Ranch Dressing:
1/2 cup raw cashews (soaked 3–4 hours or overnight)
1/2 cup fresh water
2 teaspoons dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
pinch of black pepper
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Add cauliflower, chickpeas, oil, pepper and salt to large bowl and toss to coat.
Pour mixture on to a baking sheet or stone. Roast for 20 minutes. Remove baking sheet from the oven, pour sauce over the mixture and toss to coat. Roast for another 10-15 minutes or until chickpeas are crispy and cauliflower is roasted to your liking. Remove from oven.
While cauliflower is roasting, make your dressing. Add soaked and drained cashews into a high powered blender or food processor(affiliate link) with 1/2 cup water, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Blend until smooth.
Prep salads by grabbing two bowls. Adding 2 cups of chopped romaine, 1/4 cup celery and 1/8 cup of onion to each bowl. Top with roasted buffalo cauliflower and chickpeas. Drizzle on dressing and enjoy!
Notes
* For the wing sauce, I used Steve’s Paleogoods Paleo Chef Wing Sauce, which is gluten-free and refined sugar free and definitely my first choice if you can find it. Tesssemae’s Hot Buffalo Sauce is another brand I would recommend. If you want to try a homemade version, this one is vegan and looks great. If you’re in a pinch, Frank’s Red Hot Wing Sauce also works and is still vegan.
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Buffalo salads are one of my favorites! Let’s be honest…buffalo anything!!
Love the idea of Salad Sunday! And that story! Your salads never disappoint 😉
Yay!! Thank you, Amanda. I’m glad you’re in!