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Vegetarian Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Dip

Name: Vegetarian Buffalo Cauliflower Wing Dip
Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1/8 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 4 ounces cream cheese; 1 cup plain Greek yogurt; 1/2 cup Frank’s hot sauce (or Buffalo wing sauce); 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning; 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided; 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional); Sliced green onion for garnish (optional); Carrot and celery sticks and/or tortilla chips for serving

By Kara Lydon - February 2, 2017 - Updated January 20, 2021

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A deliciously indulgent vegetarian and nutritious spin on a classic game day appetizer, this vegetarian buffalo cauliflower wing dip is about to take your Super Bowl party to the next level. Growing up in Buffalo, New York, there are a few guarantees:

You will freeze every winter.
You will suck up freezing because that usually means at least a week off from school every winter (#SNOWDAY!)
You will eat your fair share of wings (in Buffalo, we call them wings, not Buffalo wings cause that’s all there is).
You will find Buffalo chicken wing dip at every single party and gathering you attend.

For a quick play-by-play on how to make this recipe, check out my video below!

I was fine with the first two guarantees and more than fine with that second one. One winter, we had an entire week off of school (5 days straight) because of a blizzard – it was the best week ever. However, as someone who decided to go vegetarian at a young age (12), those last two guarantees got pretty old pretty quick. For like the first ten years of being a vegetarian, chicken wings were the only food I really missed (and in college, I was known to have a few late night slip ups involving wings). Probably because they were such an integral part of my Buffalo upbringing. Maybe subconsciously I didn’t feel like a true Buffalonian because I didn’t eat wings. An outsider in my own hometown trying to make my way back in. Maybe that’s why the lust over wings lingered.

Anyways, I started to notice this gripe at family parties and gatherings because someone would ALWAYS make chicken wing dip (again the Buffalo gets dropped when you live there). And I would be like damn, I wish there was a vegetarian-friendly version so I could join in on all the Buffalo dipping fun. It always looked so deliciously cheesy and rich and spicy and I wanted IN on the action. But every year, I would lament that no such vegetarian version existed. UNTILLLLLL NOW (said in my most dramatic announcer voice).That’s right I have a vegetarian chicken wing dip recipe made with cauliflower that’s going to knock your socks off. I’m not kidding when I tasted this I almost cried out of sheer happiness because it’s as good as the original. Don’t believe me? Ask my carnivore Buffalo-born husband and he’ll tell you how he almost finished the dip off in one sitting :).

I got the inspiration for the dip from the Buffalo cauliflower wing craze that happened a couple years back. I thought if we can make Buffalo wing substitutes out of cauliflower florets, why wouldn’t we be able to make a wing dip out of them?!The dip is super easy to make too – everything goes into the food processor! And then transferred to a baking dish, popped in the oven and voila! I decided to roast the cauliflower in the oven first because I love roasted veggies and think it brings out more flavor but if you’d rather microwave or steam your cauliflower as a time saver, go for it!

You’re gonna love this dip for your Super Bowl party this year. I swapped the chicken for cauliflower. Replaced half the cream cheese with Greek yogurt. Cut some of the cheese and used ranch seasoning instead of dressing. So not only is it deliciously spicy, cheesy and indulgent-tasting, it’s vegetarian, gluten-free, has more fiber, less fat and is super satisfying.Serve this dip up with carrot and celery sticks and a bowl of tortilla chips and you’re ready for some football!