BBQ Cauliflower Bites

This recipe originally appeared on Real Housemoms, where I am a contributor.

BBQ Cauliflower Bites are a healthy alternative to many of the calorie packed appetizers and side dishes we love and crave.

Just like Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, they are simple to make and can be adjusted to fit your cravings- salty, sweet or even spicy!

Let’s be honest for a hot second. Cauliflower on its own isn’t that great. In fact, it kinda tastes like cardboard.

Maybe even worse since it is basically devoid of flavor. But for something like BBQ Cauliflower Bites, this isn’t a bad thing. It means they are a blank canvas waiting to be painted with your delicious sauce!

BBQ Cauliflower Bites are a healthy alternative to many of the calorie ridden appetizers and side dishes we love and crave. Just like Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, they are simple to make and can be adjusted to fit your cravings.

I don’t know about you guys, but every once and while I get a serious craving for chicken fingers. It depends on my mood.

Sometimes I want sweet honey mustard, other times a sweat inducing buffalo and sometimes a tangy BBQ. But since having my daughter (she is now 10 months old) I need to make healthier food choices.

BBQ Cauliflower Bites give me a similar texture with a little crispy crunch on the outside and all of the flavor of the sauce without a fraction of the calories. I know that sounds crazy. Cauliflower will never be chicken, but if you close your eyes, you can kinda get the sensation. Work with me here!

One of my favorite parts of BBQ Cauliflower Bites is being able to customize the BBQ sauce. Looking for sweet? No problem! Use a brown sugar or molasses based sauce.

Need some zest in your life? Try a vinegar based sauce. Looking for a few sweat beads, great! Use a spicy and sweet sauce. And if you want to hide your fruit in the this, give my Cran-Blueberry Sauce a whirl!

BBQ Cauliflower Bites are also a winning recipe for potlucks and parties. Serve them with Blue Cheese, Ranch dressing, light ranch or even chipotle ranch for a totally winning platter!

When you are making this recipe, two heads might seem like a lot, but I guarantee you that after you scale them down to just florets, it really doesn’t make that much. You might even opt for 4 heads if making for a crowd larger than four.

I also make Cauliflower Bites as a side dish… because if you are aiming to hide vegetables, pairing them with a sauce it the best way to do it.

They are a fabulous accompaniment for burgers (in lieu of fries), steaks, grilled chicken or even a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. They are also a great and flavorful addition to any salad to substitute croutons.

If you love this, check out my other recipes that use cauliflower!

• Lemon Parmesan Cauliflower
• Herb Roasted Whole Cauliflower
• Mashed Cauliflower
• Mexican Cauliflower Rice
• Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower

Cauliflower Fried Rice

If you've ever wondered how to make Cauliflower Fried Rice, look no further! This cauliflower fried rice recipe is the perfect way to cut down on carbs!

See The Recipe!

Tools for making BBQ Cauliflower Bites:

Wood cutting board – wood won’t dull your knives like plastic and if treated properly, has natural antimicrobial properties.

Rimmed Baking Sheet– another kitchen staple! You’ll use this for prep work, roasting and much more. I have 7 at my house.

Parchment Paper – easy clean up!

BBQ Cauliflower Bites

5 from 11 votes

BBQ Cauliflower Bites make a healthy and quick appetizer or side. Make them zesty, tangy or even sweet!

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4

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Equipment

• Rimmed Baking Sheet
• Parchment Paper
• Box Grater

Ingredients

• 2 heads cauliflower , florets only cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon Italian parsley , chopped for garnish
• Ranch or Blue Cheese , for dipping, optional

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. 
• In a large mixing bowl, toss cauliflower with BBQ sauce. Try to coat evenly, but pay special attention to the florets and getting sauce into the little cracks and crevices. Shake off any excess. Too much sauce will prevent them from being crispy. 
• Arrange in a single layer on the rimmed baking sheet. Make sure not to crowd the pan. In order to get crispy pieces, you want to make sure that heat circulates around each piece.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the florets start to get brown and crispy.
• Evenly sprinkle ground pepper, fine sea salt and parsley over cooked cauliflower bites.
• Serve with a side of ranch or blue cheese dressing for a little extra wow factor!
• If you’ve tried this recipe, make sure to come back and let us know how it was! 

Nutrition

Calories: 137 kcal, Carbohydrates: 32 g, Protein: 1 g, Sodium: 1041 mg, Potassium: 325 mg, Fiber: 1 g, Sugar: 24 g, Vitamin A: 245 IU, Vitamin C: 27.6 mg, Calcium: 35 mg, Iron: 0.7 mg

Author: Chef Jessica Anne

Calories: 137

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cauliflower bites

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