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Plates of Sweet and Spicy Cauliflower Bites over Maple Pecan Waffles.
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5 from 1 vote

Sweet + Spicy Cauliflower Bites + Maple Pecan Waffles

This Sweet + Spicy Cauliflower Bites + Maple Pecan Waffles recipe is EVERYTHING! This dish is anything but short of flavor, the waffles are fluffy, thick, and airy and the cauliflower bites comes bursting with sweet + spicy flavors from the honey-hot sauce mixture. Super easy to make and completely dairy-free. The perfect breakfast, brunch, or Mother's Day meal for the entire family. Vegan option available.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Brunch
Keyword: baked, bites, breakfast, brunch, cauliflower, cinnamon, classic, dairy-free, easy, food, healthy, holidays, homemade, honey, indulge, maple, Mother's Day, pecans, plant-based, recipe, spicy, sweet, traditional, vegan, vegetarian, waffles
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 1462kcal
Author: Shanika

Ingredients

Cauliflower Bites:

  • 1 head of organic Cauliflower, chopped in large chunks
  • 2 cups bread crumbs (See Notes!)
  • ½ cup hot sauce (I use Frank's Original)
  • 2 cups organic honey (I use Wholesome Sweets; See Notes for Vegan option!)
  • 1 ¼ cups fresh water
  • ¾ cup organic all-purpose flour (I use Bob's Red Mill)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley

Maple Pecan Waffles:

  • 2 ½ cups organic all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup Toasted chopped pecans (See Post for Instructions!)
  • 1 ½ Tbsps baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 Tbsps vegetable oil (See Notes!)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 2 cups Almond milk (I use Califia Farms; You can use your fave plant-based milk!)
  • 1 ½ Tbsps apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup + more if desired! (I use Coombs Family Farms; See Notes!)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cauliflower Bites:

  • Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Then in a medium bowl, add water, flour, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, dried parsley, and garlic powder and whisk together until fully combined. Set aside.
  • In a separate bowl, add bread crumbs and also set aside.
  • Now dip each cauliflower into batter (shaking off any excess) and then toss into bread crumbs. Then lay each cauliflower side by side on the baking sheet (about an inch apart). Repeat until all cauliflower are coated. **NOTE: Be sure to SHAKE OFF any excess coating.**
  • Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown and "crunchy" looking. **NOTE: Be sure to flip each cauliflower on opposite side half way through baking time**
  • In the meantime, combine the honey, and hot sauce in a medium pot (on medium-high heat) and let it simmer for 2-3 minutes until bubbly. Reduce heat to low and add thickener (arrowroot or starch + water mixture), whisking until well combined and sauce becomes thick.
  • Once cauliflower bites are nice and crispy, remove from oven and let cool slightly for 5 minutes.
  • Toss them GENTLY into the sauce until fully coated. Add coated cauliflower back to baking sheet and place them back in the oven (turning oven on broil) for about 5-6 minutes.
  • Once sauce has thickened and appears to be 'sticky' unto the bites, remove from oven and set aside.

Maple Pecan Waffles:

  • Preheat your waffle maker to desired setting–medium-high heat worked for me!
  • In a large bowl, whisk together the organic all-purpose flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and sea salt.
  • Add the oil, Almond milk, vanilla extract, maple syrup, and apple cider vinegar in the center of the dry mixture (after creating a well) and stir everything together well (using a spatula) until fully incorporated. Add the toasted pecans and stir again. Now, let the batter sit for 2-3 minutes while it slightly thickens and rises, which means that the ingredients have activated.
  • Next, spoon batter into your waffle maker (¼ cup approximately) and cook according to your waffle iron’s instructions.
  • Once each waffle completes, add to a baking sheet and place them in the oven on the lowest setting (to keep them warm). Repeat until all waffles are made.
  • To serve–stack waffles (whole or cut), top with cauliflower bites, sliced strawberries (if desired) and drizzle with maple syrup.
  • Bon Appetit!

Notes

SERVING: If you’d prefer to make ½ the amount of Belgian waffles, feel free to shave each measurement down in half for each ingredient. **For standard waffles (non-Belgian)—this will make more than 6-8 waffles for this recipe.**
HOMEMADE BREADCRUMBS: To make your own breadcrumbs, simply grind 1-2 cups of cubed bread into a food processor until finely chopped. Place crumbs onto a parchment lined baking sheet and spread out evenly. Bake for 5-6 minutes in the oven set at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring occasionally. Once brown + crisp, remove from oven and let cool. Continue recipe steps and store remaining breadcrumbs in a tightly sealed container. 
STORAGE: Best if consumed within the same day. Leave leftover cauliflower bites tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for a day or so.
FREEZE WAFFLES: To store waffles for longer periods, simply add them unto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for 2 hours. Once fully frozen, remove and store them in a zip loc and freeze for up to 3 months.
VEGAN OPTION: Instead of honey, you can use maple syrup or Agave as the base sauce for the cauliflower bites.
OIL: Instead of using vegetable oil, you can always use coconut oil or melted vegan butter.

Nutrition

Calories: 1462kcal | Carbohydrates: 297g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 2325mg | Potassium: 960mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 171g | Vitamin A: 312IU | Vitamin C: 93mg | Calcium: 652mg | Iron: 10mg