People often speak of the foods they craved during pregnancy – but what about after and even after that (i.e., the toddler era)? We’re not talking sushi, or other things you couldn’t eat for a time; we’re talking about the food you want to eat when the will to do anything cooking-related post-putdown is nil and the call of your own bed and/or the television is strong. For us, that answer became and stayed anything mala-spiced or buffalo-sauced (buffalo sauce for kids) – you know, big-flavored, spicy food that both felt adult and appropriately/equally matched our mania. More than just a treat, it became our thing: small, silly joy for what can often be a monotonous and stressful time.
But you see where this is going: our child grew, and more and more dinners became a joined, collaborative effort; we were going to have to count him in on our dinner extracurriculars. And so here we are: buffalo sauce for kids. An exact replica of a classic wing sauce? Of course not–it’s been modified for children. Combine it with blue cheese dressing, though, and the differences become not just minor but also irrelevant–especially to your child. It has a hit of spice but is not spicy; it adds some sweet–as most mild buffalo sauces do–but is primarily tangy. We employ it on a vegetable in this particular recipe, because you can use all the help you can get to get kids excited about, say, cauliflower; it would work just as well slathered on a chicken sandwich or, yes, wings. It’ll bring joy to whatever you put it on.
(Note: traditional buffalo sauce is typically a 1:1 ratio of butter to hot sauce; for obvious reasons–namely, your children–we aren’t going to do that. Instead, we are going to use several pantry staples to replicate the feel and (most) of the taste of wing sauce, with a very subtle but strategic–but also entirely optional–use of hot sauce. If your child can tolerate spice, or if you’re just here for the cauliflower recipe, feel free to use bottled sauce, or skip the sauce entirely–in fact, the Adapt section at the bottom of the page has an idea for you about a different sauce altogether.)
This mild buffalo cauliflower comes together with simple pantry staples and a light kid-friendly sauce. Bite-sized cauliflower florets are coated in a thin crispy layer, air fried until golden, and dressed in a tangy, not spicy buffalo glaze with a touch of blue cheese for creaminess.
Do I have to use hot sauce?
No — the hot sauce in this recipe is optional and tuned so the final result is tangy rather than spicy. You can omit it entirely if your child is sensitive to heat.
Can I make this without an air fryer?
Yes. You can roast the cauliflower on a baking sheet at 400°F for 20–25 minutes. It won’t be as crisp but will still have great flavor.
Is this dairy-free?
Not as written, since the buffalo glaze uses butter and the recipe includes blue cheese dressing. You can swap in dairy-free butter and dairy-free ranch or omit the dressing for a dairy-free version.
How do I adjust the flavor for older kids or adults?
Add a bit more hot sauce to the buffalo glaze or serve extra sauce on the side for dipping. Adults can also sprinkle with a tiny bit of salt or grated cheese after cooking.
This not-spicy kid-friendly buffalo cauliflower is air-fried until crisp, then tossed with a mild buffalo-style sauce for kids and blue cheese dressing. Tangy, buttery, and palatable to toddlers, it’s an easy side dish that helps get kids excited about vegetables.
We eat this as a side, especially with pizza or tacos or quesadillas–in other words, it plays well with kid-friendly junky foods. But you could also serve over rice and call it a meal, especially if you use the orange sauce adaption we describe below.
You can get rid of cornstarch and just roast for 20-25 minutes–won’t have a crunch but the flavor will be the same. You can switch the sauce up to you: heating up big splashes of orange juice, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic ginger paste in small pot the same way you do in the original recipe will yield an equally tangy and sweeter take on the Orange-flavor you often see used in Chinese American chicken and beef dishes.
Servings 6
Serving Size about seven small florets
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily value may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
Brad (the Dad) is the founder and Chief Recipe Officer of New Dad's Kitchen. His own cooking/feeding journey started humbly during his son's infancy, preparing and managing his son's bottle intake in order to support his wife; it has since blossomed into a full-on passion to feed his child and family delicious and healthy meals that can satisfy both a toddler and his very tired parents.
