The trending vegetarian appetizer: Buffalo cauliflower

As plant-based options spread on menus, many customers have been seeking vegetarian trade-off for their favorite foods. A growing number of consumers also are gravitating toward spicier flavors, so it stands to reason that Buffalo cauliflower would grow in popularity.

Spicy and tangy, but also familiar, this breaded, fried, and sauced replacement for chicken wings has proven to be a popular choice for guests watching football games, and also as a great bar snack or appetizer any day of the week.

There are plenty of ways to adapt this dish to different restaurants. For example, Indian spices or Thai sauces could easily replace the Buffalo flavor, but there’s still plenty of runway for Buffalo cauliflower as fewer than a quarter of consumers have tried it.

Market research firm Datassential reports that Buffalo cauliflower is found on 1.4% of U.S. menus, up 219% over the past four years.

Click through the gallery to learn more about this Flavor of the Week and see how one restaurant is using Buffalo cauliflower on its menu.