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Featuring spicy homemade buffalo cauliflower, blue cheese, mozzarella, spring onions, and honey, this meatless take on buffalo chicken pizza is sure to be a hit with vegetarians and carnivores alike.
Buffalo Cauliflower?
Buffalo chicken pizza seems to be having a bit of a moment. Over the past few years I’ve noticed it popping up on restaurant menus, in the frozen pizza aisle at the grocery store, and on countless food blogs and recipe websites.
A buffalo chicken pizza generally features grilled or shredded chicken, accompanied by cheese, onions, and other toppings. (Popular choices include pizza sauce, scallions, or fresh herbs.) But the key component is the spicy buffalo sauce. It’s same hot sauce typically slathered on the chicken wings served at American bars, Super Bowl parties, and wing eating contests.
As a longtime vegetarian I’ve never tried buffalo chicken. However, I am a devoted fan of its meatless counterpart: buffalo cauliflower.
Why Use Cauliflower?
Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable, and one of my favorite cooking ingredients. I love using the florets in stews, soups, and Indian dishes like aloo gobi. It makes a great “healthy” subsitute. Some examples include cauilflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, and of course the cauliflower gnocchi from Trader Joe’s—one of many American foods I wish I could find in the UK!
Cauliflower also works nicely as a side dish, especially when mashed or steamed. It’s also delicious when oven-roasted with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.
What is Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza?
I first tasted a buffalo cauliflower pizza at OTTO, a popular local pizza chain in Portland, Maine, and have since enjoyed making my own.
In my buffalo cauliflower pizza recipe, the cruciferous vegetable stands in for shredded chicken. First I dredge the raw cauliflower florets in a batter made from flour, water, and spices. I then pop the battered florets in the oven to bake, brush them with a spicy hot sauce mixture, and bake again. Finally, I add them to a round of blue cheese-slathered homemade pizza dough, along with crumbled blue cheese, sliced mozzarella, caramelized onions, spring onions, fresh parsley, and a drizzle of honey.
It’s the ultimate “sweet and spicy” combination.
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza: Worth the Extra Effort!
I won’t lie, this buffalo cauliflower pizza recipe does require a heftier time commitment than your traditional pie. This is largely due to the time it takes to caramelize the onions (I find that “low and slow” yields the best results; with this method, it can take up to an hour for the onions to fully caramelize), as well as the time needed to prepare and bake the buffalo cauliflower.
This buffalo cauliflower pizza makes a great project for a lazy weekend afternoon. However, it is also easy to multitask and make efficient use of your time, or take a few shortcuts to speed the process along. See my notes below!
Notes on Timing
Start with the pizza dough. As soon as you’ve set the dough aside to rise, get straight to work preparing the caramelized onions. They will take 45-60 minutes to fully caramelize, but once they’re in the pan they require very little attention beyond a quick stir every couple of minutes to prevent the onions from sticking or burning.
While the onions caramelize, make the buffalo cauliflower. You’ll have downtime while it bakes; use these short breaks to prep the cheeses, the parsley, and the spring onions.
Once the buffalo cauliflower is about 10 minutes away from being fully baked, punch down your pizza dough. By the time the cauliflower emerges from the oven, your dough will be perfectly risen and ready to stretch into the pan.
Shortcuts and Make-Ahead Suggestions for This Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza Recipe
If you’re short on time, you can skip the homemade pizza dough and use a store-bought pizza crust (or dough purchased from your favorite local pizza shop!) instead.
The caramelized onions can be prepared up to two days in advance. If you make these ahead of time, simply store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
The cauliflower and assorted toppings (spring onions, parsley, cheeses) can be cleaned and chopped or grated up to 24 hours in advance. Store in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
Notes on Spice Levels
In this recipe, the sweetness from the caramelized onions and the honey provide a nice counterbalance to the heat from the buffalo cauliflower. It is not an overly hot or spicy dish.
For those who enjoy additional heat, I suggest topping the pizza with a sprinkling of chili flakes, using hot honey instead of regular honey, or serving with additional hot sauce on the side.
Blue Cheese Substitutions
I absolutely love blue cheese. (In fact, one of my favorite pastry school memories was the lecture with cheese expert Tom Badcock, where he had us sample a blue cheese he’d kept stored in his refrigerator for an entire year!) I also enjoy adding it to recipes, like these blue cheese, date, and rosemary dinner rolls and these blue cheese, leek, and walnut hand pies.
However, I know that blue cheese can be a divisive ingredient. (Much like olives and capers and anchovies, all of which I also love!) If you dislike blue cheese, you can use additional mozzarella, substitute another cheese of your choice, or omit the blue cheese altogether. And instead of blue cheese dressing, try topping the pizza dough with ranch dressing instead.
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza Tips and Tricks:
If making the buffalo cauliflower to enjoy on its own (which you can certainly do!) I’d bake it for 10-15 minutes longer, or until slightly crispier and a bit more brown. Keep in mind that in this pizza recipe, the cauliflower will be cooked for an additional 15 minutes at a high heat, so resist the urge to overbake before adding it to the pizza.
I prefer to enjoy this buffalo cauliflower pizza piping hot, straight from the oven. However, the leftovers are stilly pretty tasty. Wrap leftover pizza slices in foil and store in the refrigerator to enjoy the next day. Eat cold, or remove the foil and gently rewarm in the oven or microwave prior to digging in.
Other vegetarian recipes you might enjoy:
Pithivier with potatoes, mushrooms, and leeks
Grilled peach and goat cheese pizza
Rustic blue cheese and tomato tart
Baked veggie nuggets
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza
- Total Time: About 3 hours
- Yield: 1 14-inch round pizza 1x
Description
Homemade pizza dough topped with buffalo cauliflower, blue cheese, mozzarella, spring onions, and a drizzle of honey. The perfect combination of sweet and spicy!
Ingredients
Pizza dough:
125 grams flour (1 cup), plus more for dusting the countertop
90 milliliters lukewarm water (1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons)
7 grams instant yeast (1 tablespoon)
2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for coating the dough
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Caramelized onions:
2 medium onions, sliced into thin rings
1–2 tablespoons olive oil
Buffalo cauliflower:
85 milliliters hot sauce or buffalo sauce, such as Frank’s Red Hot (1/3 cup)
70 milliliters olive oil (1/3 cup)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
95 grams flour (3/4 cup)
160 milliliters water (3/4 cup)
1 large head cauliflower, stem and leaves removed, broken into florets (about 650 – 700 grams of florets)
To assemble:
85 milliliters ranch or blue cheese salad dressing (1/3 cup)
125 grams mozzarella cheese, sliced (one medium-sized ball)
115 grams blue cheese, such as Stilton, crumbled (1 cup)
40 grams parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup, divided)
To garnish:
2–3 spring onions, chopped
10 grams chopped fresh parsley (3/4 cup)
1–2 tablespoons honey, for drizzling
Instructions
Pizza dough:
In a large bowl, combine flour, water, yeast, olive oil, sugar, and salt.
Use a bench scraper to bring the ingredients together until a loose, shaggy dough has formed.
Turn dough out onto generously floured countertop.
With your hands, knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
Shape the dough into a ball. Place in an oiled mixing bowl, then coat the dough in additional oil.
Cover and allow to stand in a warm place until dough has doubled in size, about 1.5 hours. While dough rises, prepare the caramelized onions.
Caramelized onions:
Add olive oil to a large frying pan and warm over low heat, then the sliced onions.
Cook over low heat for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soft, fragrant, and deeply golden brown.
While onions caramelize, prepare the buffalo cauliflower.
Buffalo cauliflower:
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Preheat oven to 400° F / 205° C.
In a small bowl, whisk hot sauce, olive oil, and lemon juice. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, smoked paprika, chipotle chili flakes, black pepper, and kosher salt.
Add flour and whisk to combine, then add the water and whisk until no lumps or clumps of flour remain.
Add cauliflower florets and toss until completely coated in the flour-spice mixture.
Transfer coated florets to prepared tray.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Toss with a spatula, then bake for 10 minutes more.
With a pastry brush, brush cauliflower florets with the hot sauce mixture.
Return to the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Flip with a spatula, brush with additional sauce, then bake for 10 minutes more.
Pizza dough (continued):
While cauliflower finishes baking, punch pizza dough down and allow it to rise again, about 10 minutes.
To assemble:
Raise the oven temperature to 450° F / 230° C.
Stretch pizza dough into a round, about 12-14 inches / 30-35 centimeters in diameter. Transfer to a pizza pan and use your fingertips to stretch again, until dough reaches the edges of the pan.
Spread dough with the blue cheese dressing.
Top with the sliced mozzarella cheese.
Top with the caramelized onions.
Top with buffalo cauliflower pieces. (Depending on the size of your head of cauliflower, you might have a few florets left over for snacking!)
Top with the crumbled blue cheese.
Sprinkle with half of the grated parmesan.
Bake in preheated oven for approximately 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and crust is deeply golden brown.
Remove pizza from the oven. Garnish with chopped spring onions, chopped parsley, a drizzle of honey, and the remaining grated parmesan.
Serve immediately.
- Prep Time: 2.5 hours
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Savory
- Method: Stovetop + oven
- Cuisine: Dinner