Buffalo Cauliflower Bowl

Buffalo cauliflower wings are nothing new, and buffalo cauliflower bowls aren’t new either – but I couldn’t help but feel like this bowl is something special, y’know? It’s also one of my favorite things I’ve made in a while, so maybe I’m just a basic girl with basic taste, which if that’s true….well, I welcome it.

But this buffalo cauliflower bowl isn’t like all the other buffalo cauliflower recipes you see out there (I promise!) It uses chickpea-coated cauliflower to amp up the protein, plus create a texture that is pretty amazing. The buffalo sauce is pretty traditional, with a hint of paprika thrown in, and I paired it with a farro salad – because my avocado cravings were strong.

All together it feels like a perfectly balanced, perfectly healthy meal that fits for a weeknight dinner or weekly meal prep. It’s easy to assemble, fun to make, and I honestly want to have it on repeat in my kitchen. Read on for more details on how to make every component of this bowl!

First, how do you make buffalo cauliflower?

Buffalo cauliflower took the world by storm about a decade ago (isn’t it crazy that that was A DECADE AGO?) and there are now so many iterations on how to make it. The most common way you see buffalo cauliflower made is first breaded, either in breadcrumbs or a batter coating, and then fried, air-fried, or baked. There are other iterations, where the cauliflower is first cooked and then tossed in a sauce or a breading, and endless versions after that. But I think this is the first one that coats the cauliflower in chickpeas. I could be wrong, but just let me have this claim to fame, ok??

The main thing you need to know when making buffalo cauliflower is that it’s all about the sauce. You need a hot, buttery sauce on your cauli, it’s the one thing you see in common with every single buffalo cauliflower recipe on the internet.

Ingredients you need for this buffalo cauliflower bowl

When I make recipes I always feel like I’m using so many ingredients in the moment, but when I list it out, it’s really not that bad. Here’s everything you need for this buffalo bowl:

• 3 cups cauliflower florets, about 1/2 of a small cauliflower head
• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas drained, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/4 cup salted butter
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce of choice, I prefer Frank’s red hot or sriracha
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 cup farro, uncooked
• 1 cup fresh dill, loosely packed
• 1 medium avocado
• 1 medium lemon, for zest and juice
• 1/2 cup yogurt or skyr
• 2 garlic cloves grated
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

How to prepare the chickpea-coated cauliflower

The chickpea-coated cauliflower is the trickiest part of this recipe (but it’s not mandatory! See the notes section in the recipe box below). The key is that the moisture from the chickpeas will help them cling to the raw cauliflower, making it so that the cauliflower feels almost “breaded” by the chickpeas, but no dredging, soaking or dipping is required.

To do this, roughly chop up the cauliflower florets. In a small food processor, add 1/2 of the cauliflower and 1/2 of the chickpeas. Pulse until the chickpeas are in small pieces and the cauliflower is in chunks. Spread this batch out on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining chickpeas and cauliflower and spread those out on a separate baking sheet. 

After that, they’ll be ready for two rounds of baking, the first without the sauce, the second, with!

How to prepare the farro salad for this buffalo cauliflower bowl

While the cauliflower is baking, it’s best to assemble the rest of the recipe. This will save you time and redundancy – plus everything will be ready at the same time!

To make the farro salad, cook the farro according to package instructions. Add it to a large bowl. Finely chop the dill and add 3/4 of it to the farro. Dice and add the avocado, and add the zest from the lemon. Toss to combine.

How to assemble this buffalo cauliflower bowl recipe

Next is the dressing and the assembly! The dressing is simple – just add the rest of the chopped dill, the juice from the lemon, the yogurt, garlic, and olive oil. Mix to create a dressing and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper as preferred.

When the cauliflower is out of the oven, toss everything into a bowl. I like to start with the farro salad, then add the buffalo cauliflower, and drizzle on a healthy amount of the dressing. It’s a messy bowl, but absolutely worth every bite.

Can I use this recipe for meal-prep?

Absolutely! And since this recipe makes four servings, this buffalo cauliflower bowl is almost ideal for meal-prep. Like all of my recipes, the best way to meal prep this is to store all the components separately in the fridge.

The cauliflower goes in one container, the farro in another and the dressing in a jar. I also like to omit the avocado and add it only when I’m ready to eat the bowl. You could also add lemon juice to the farro mixture to help prevent the avocado from browning, if you choose to store it in the farro bowl. 

The components will stay at their peak for about 3 days, but will last for up to 5 in the fridge. Unfortunately this doesn’t freeze well, so plan to use it within the week.

Looking for similar recipes?

Here are a few other vegetable-forward bowls that I am truly obsessed with from the blog!

And that’s everything for this buffalo cauliflower bowl!

If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3