We tried Wholly Veggie! Ranch Cauliflower Wings. Here's what we thought of these vegan, gluten-free cauliflower wings.
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Wholly Veggie! Ranch Cauliflower Wings review
This package of cauliflower bites says that it serves four, but I'll be real with you: Dave and I ate a whole box on our own as a late night snack. Amy ate a whole box herself! So take that serving size with a hefty grain of salt.
The box comes full of frozen cauliflower wings and with a packet of ranch sauce. You are supposed to thaw the ranch packet in a cup of hot water, then toss the wings with it before serving.
I am bad at following directions, so I served the ranch as a dip instead, which turned out to be a good move. Amy followed the sauce directions and said that her wings got a bit soggy that way.
The thing that blew us all away about these bites was the coating. It was sturdy and crunchy, which is a feat for a product that is both vegan and gluten-free. That kind of texture is not difficult to achieve if you're working with one or the other, but vegan and gluten free is tricky when it comes to breading. They really nailed it!
For me, the breading texture was great, but it wasn't flavorful enough on its own. Dipped in the ranch they provided, it was nice. When I ran out of ranch, I switched to BBQ sauce, and that was even better!
The ranch they provided was good, but it didn't give any of us strong ranch vibes. It was very vinegary, which worked with the wings, but it tasted more like a creamy vinaigrette.
Amy and Dave both liked the bites both plain and with sauce. Though Dave wasn't as big a fan of them as Amy and I were. He isn't big on cauliflower in general, though, so that isn't a big surprise.
I think these would work well -- and really serve four -- as a taco filling! Maybe with avocado and chimichurri sauce in top?
If you want crunchy cauliflower bites and don't want to buy them pre-made, I have a recipe on my blog for air fryer buffalo cauliflower that get great reviews!
This isn't the only Wholly Veggie! product that we've tried. Check out our review of Wholly Veggie! Cheddar Jalapeño Sticks. We've also reviewed other frozen cauliflower wings! Read our review of Good & Gather Cauliflower Wings.
The best way to cook them
The Wholly Veggie! Ranch Cauliflower Wings package includes oven/toaster oven and air fryer directions.
Obviously, Dave and I cooked ours in the air fryer. Cooking them for 12 minutes at 400° F worked like a charm. They come out warm and crunchy without being dried out.
Our guest, Amy Katz from Veggies Save the Day, made hers in a toaster oven. She baked them at 425° F for 23 minutes, then used her toaster oven's broiler setting to broil them for two minutes. She also had lovely, crunchy results.
What's in them?
Here's what the Wholly Veggie! Ranch Cauliflower Wings are made from:
- Cauliflower
- Panko coating: water, rice flour, pea protein, non GMO canola oil, dextrose, baking soda, corn flour, rice flour, potato starch, rice starch, sea salt, sunflower oil, spices, yeast extract, ancho pepper powder, xanthan gum.
- Ranch sauce: Water, Sunflower oil, Corn starch, Vinegar, Modified corn starch, Salt, Cane sugar, Concentrated lemon juice, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Faba bean protein powder, Spices, Sunflower lecithin, Guar gum, Cellulose gum, Xanthan gum.
As you can see, the base for these is plain ol' cauliflower. The crunchy coating is made from gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and seasoning. They also use pea protein in the coating to add protein and texture.
Where to find them
Toronto-based Wholly Veggie! has done a great job getting its products into stores. I've seen them at Target and Sprouts here in Atlanta. According to their website, you can find them at:
- Target
- Sprouts
- Whole Foods Market
- Sevananada (Atlanta, GA)
- Gelsons
- Loblaws
They're pretty widely available, at least here in the U.S. If you want to find their products, I suggest using their store locator.
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