Easy BBQ Cauliflower Wings with Vegan Ranch Dipping Sauce

Who doesn’t love a good wing recipe? These BBQ cauliflower wings offer a vegan, healthy spin on a classic game-day food. But you don’t have to be vegan to love this recipe. They are coated with the most delicious maple sriracha sauce guaranteed to please everyone.

Most store-bought dressings or sauces contain unhealthy ingredients and preservatives. And even if you do find healthy ones, they can be a bit expensive.

So, I wanted to create a sriracha sauce recipe that contains healthy ingredients and has items you may already have in your pantry.

The sriracha sauce ingredients are simple: sriracha, ketchup, maple syrup (not pancake syrup), blackstrap molasses, and some herbs and spices. And it adds just the right amount of kick to this BBQ cauliflower wing recipe.

Recipe Qualities

• Garlicky
• Hot
• Spicy
• Zesty

Ingredients Used 

• Cauliflower
• Garlic
• Blackstrap molasses

 

The Health Benefits of This BBQ Cauliflower Recipe

1. Heart Healthy

Sulforaphane is a sulfur-rich compound found in cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower. In its inactive form, sulforaphane is called glucoraphanin. Glucoraphanin contains enzymes called myrosinase enzymes, and those enzymes are activated when the plant is damaged.

So, to activate sulforaphane, you must cut, chop, or chew your vegetables. Compared to raw cruciferous vegetables, cooked cruciferous vegetables contain up to 10 times the amount of sulforaphane. [1]

Studies have shown that eating foods rich in sulforaphane may increase glutathione and thioredoxin antioxidant systems, which may lessen the risk of developing heart disease. [2, 3]

Other studies have shown that sulforaphane may act as an anti-inflammatory agent by opening up the artery pathways, which lowers the chances of developing heart disease. [4, 5, 6]

2. Contains inflammation-fighting properties

Fun fact: You know how when you crush garlic you immediately smell that potent garlicky smell? That’s called allicin.

Allicin is an enzyme that is released when garlic is crushed and acts as a defense mechanism. It has been linked to reducing system-wide inflammation, which can help prevent certain diseases, including heart disease. [7]

Allicin also supports immune health. Consuming garlic may mitigate the intensity and duration of common colds and the flu by enhancing the function of your immune cells. [8, 9]

Another thing about garlic is that it helps to regulate your cholesterol. It does this by lowering LDL (low-density lipoprotein), or “bad” cholesterol, and regulating HDL (high-density lipoprotein), or “good” cholesterol, which is especially beneficial for those who have type 2 diabetes. [10]

3. May help relieve PMS symptoms

Blackstrap molasses is a byproduct of cane sugar. This dark viscous liquid emerges during the third boiling process. In the beginning, sugar cane is mashed to create a juice. Then it’s boiled and becomes cane syrup, then boiled again to become molasses, and then again to become blackstrap molasses.

The blackstrap molasses featured in this BBQ cauliflower recipe is abundant in nutrients and contains essential vitamins and minerals such as selenium, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6, and iron.

According to the CDC, or Centers for Disease Control, women need more iron than men. This is because women lose iron during their menstrual cycles. Low iron levels lead to a plethora of health issues including, but not limited to, poor mood, fatigue, mild feelings of depression or anxiety, poor sleep quality, and severity of PMS symptoms.

Studies have also shown that combining magnesium with vitamin B6 (as well as vitamin D and calcium) may help reduce PMS symptoms. [11, 12, 13]

 

BBQ Cauliflower Wings Recipe

This BBQ cauliflower recipe is a real crowd-pleaser. Pair it with my Vegan Ranch Dipping Sauce below and you’ve got a perfect addition to game night snack list. All you need is a baking sheet, a large bowl, and a blender!

 

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients

BBQ Cauliflower:

1 teaspoon sriracha

½ cup ketchup

¼ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

½-1 teaspoon sea salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 large head cauliflower, chopped into florets

 

Vegan Ranch Dipping Sauce:

1 cup vegan mayo

1 avocado

¼ cup chopped dill

¼ cup chopped parsley

1 teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, mix together all the BBQ cauliflower ingredients, except the cauliflower florets.

4. Add in the cauliflower florets, using your hands to toss and combine.

5. Put the florets onto the parchment-lined sheet and bake for 35 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, put all the sauce ingredients in a high-speed blender, and blend on high until combined.

7. Equally disperse the BBQ cauliflower onto plates and add a bowl of dipping sauce on the side. Serve immediately.