Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Dill Ranch
Crisp air fryer buffalo cauliflower in a chickpea-flour batter, tossed in tangy hot sauce and served with a cool coconut yogurt dill ranch and celery sticks.
- Prep
- 12 min
- Cook
- 14 min
- Serves
- 4
Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Dill Ranch is a vegan snack recipe made with cauliflower, chickpea flour, cornstarch. It takes 26 minutes of hands-on time, serves 4, and each serving has 159 calories, 5 g of protein and 4 g of fiber.
A thin chickpea-flour and cornstarch batter sets into a crisp shell in the air fryer, so the florets stay crunchy after the sauce goes on. They cook twice: first to set the coating and soften the centers, then briefly after tossing in buffalo sauce so the sauce clings and sticks instead of running off. A quick ranch made from unsweetened coconut yogurt, fresh dill and lemon cools things down.
Ingredients
Cauliflower
- 4 cups428 gcauliflower, cut into 1½-inch florets (about 1 small head)
- ½ cup46 gchickpea flour
- 2 tbsp16 gcornstarch
- 1 tsp2.3 gsmoked paprika
- ½ tsp3 gfine salt
- ¼ tsp0.6 gblack pepper
- ½ cup119 gcold water
- 1 tsp4.7 gneutral oil, for the basket
Buffalo sauce
- ⅓ cup79 gcayenne pepper hot sauce, such as Frank's RedHot
- 1 tbsp14 golive oil
- 1 tsp6.7 gmaple syrup
Dill ranch
- ¾ cup170 gplain unsweetened coconut yogurt
- 2 tbsp1.8 gfresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tsp10 glemon juice
- 1 clove3 ggarlic, finely grated
- 1 15 ggreen onion, very finely sliced
- 1 pinch0.4 gsalt
- 1 pinch0.1 gblack pepper
To serve
- 3 120 gcelery stalks, cut into sticks (optional)
Kit: air fryer (5–6 quart), large mixing bowl, small bowls, whisk
Tips
- Keep florets about the same size, around 1½ inches, so they all finish together. Halve the big ones through the stem.
- Don't pile the florets up in the basket. Crowded florets steam, and the coating turns soft.
- Coconut yogurts vary in tang. Taste the ranch and add a few more drops of lemon juice if it tastes flat.
Swap ideas
- All-purpose flour instead of chickpea flour
- Gives a milder, lighter coating, but the bites are no longer gluten-free.
- Sriracha mixed half-and-half with hot sauce
- Makes the sauce thicker, sweeter and garlicky with more heat.
- Unsweetened soy yogurt instead of coconut yogurt
- Makes a tangier, less rich ranch with no coconut flavor.
- Chives instead of green onion in the ranch
- Gives a softer onion flavor that's closer to classic ranch.
The numbers
Nutrition per serving
159kcal per serving
Everything else · 4 servings per recipe
- Saturated fat
- 2 g 10%
- Sugars
- 4.8 g
- Sodium
- 1134 mg 49%
- Potassium
- 456 mg 10%
- Calcium
- 144 mg 11%
- Iron
- 1.4 mg 8%
- Vitamin C
- 54 mg 60%
- Vitamin B12
- 0.5 µg 21%
% Daily Value on a 2,000 calorie diet. Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient; optional ingredients are excluded. Estimates vary with brands and portions.
Sources: Cauliflower, raw, Chickpea flour (besan), Cornstarch, Spices, paprika, Salt, table, Spices, pepper, black, Beverages, water, tap, drinking, Oil, canola, Frank's RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Hot Sauce, Nutrition Facts label (serving size 1 tsp / 5 mL): 0 calories, 0g fat, 0g carbohydrate, 0g protein, 190mg sodium, Oil, olive, salad or cooking, Syrups, maple, So Delicious Dairy Free Unsweetened Plain Coconutmilk Yogurt (manufacturer label; serving 3/4 cup = 170 g, converted to per 100 g), Dill weed, fresh, Lemon juice, raw, Garlic, raw, Onions, spring or scallions (includes tops and bulb), raw
Method
Heat the air fryer to 400°F for about 3 minutes. Rinse the cauliflower florets and pat them very dry with a clean towel, because leftover water keeps the batter from crisping.
Make the dill ranch: stir the coconut yogurt, dill, lemon juice, grated garlic, green onion, salt and pepper together in a small bowl. Chill while you cook the cauliflower.
In a large bowl, whisk the chickpea flour, cornstarch, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, then whisk in the cold water to make a smooth batter about as thick as pancake batter. Add the florets and toss until each one is thinly coated, letting the extra drip back into the bowl.
Brush the air fryer basket with the neutral oil and spread the florets in a single layer with a little space between them. If they don't fit, cook in two batches. Air fry for 9–10 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through, until the coating is dry, set and turning golden at the edges.
While the cauliflower cooks, whisk the hot sauce, olive oil and maple syrup together in a clean large bowl.
Tip the hot cauliflower into the sauce and toss gently to coat. Put it back in the basket and air fry for 3–4 minutes more, until the sauce looks tacky and clings and a knife slides easily into the thickest floret.
Serve right away with the dill ranch for dipping and celery sticks on the side.
Storage: The bites are best right after cooking. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 375°F for 3–4 minutes to crisp them again. The dill ranch keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Questions
- How much protein is in air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites with dill ranch?
- Each of the 4 servings has 5 g of protein, 4 g of fiber and 159 calories, calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for every ingredient.
- Is air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites with dill ranch vegan?
- Yes. It contains no dairy, eggs, honey or other animal products.
- How long does air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites with dill ranch take to make?
- 12 minutes of prep and 14 minutes of cooking, so 26 minutes of hands-on time.
- Can you make air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites with dill ranch ahead?
- The bites are best right after cooking. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2 days, then reheat in the air fryer at 375°F for 3–4 minutes to crisp them again. The dill ranch keeps in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- What can I substitute in air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites with dill ranch?
- All-purpose flour instead of chickpea flour — gives a milder, lighter coating, but the bites are no longer gluten-free.. Sriracha mixed half-and-half with hot sauce — makes the sauce thicker, sweeter and garlicky with more heat.. Unsweetened soy yogurt instead of coconut yogurt — makes a tangier, less rich ranch with no coconut flavor.. Chives instead of green onion in the ranch — gives a softer onion flavor that's closer to classic ranch..
- Does air fryer buffalo cauliflower bites with dill ranch contain gluten or nuts?
- None of the ingredients are a source of gluten, tree nuts or peanuts. That is a statement about the ingredient list, not a guarantee about the brands you buy — always read the labels if you're cooking for an allergy.
Nutrition is calculated from USDA data for every ingredient — how we work it out.
Published September 24, 2026 ·American
