We present to you: the BEST ever vegan chicken and waffles, made with crispy fried cauliflower, mashed potato waffles and hot maple syrup. Hands down the best vegan brunch you'll ever have!

side view of pouring maple syrup onto vegan chicken and waffles

I truly don't think we've ever been more excited to share a recipe than we are to share this one.

In case ya can't tell, food makes us happy. It's our passion. We love creating and sharing recipes with you, we love hearing your feedback on our recipes, and of course, we love eating all of the food we make!

It's not always easy to make traditional recipes vegan. Fried chicken and waffles isn't particularly easy to recreate without the chicken, but we really didn't mind testing this 5+ times. Worth it for sure.

overhead view of plate with vegan chicken and waffles with fork and knife

The end result is seriously delicious, you guys. What's not to like? Crispy fried cauliflower is good enough to eat on its own. Cheesy mashed potato waffles? HEAVEN. And as if that wasn't enough, we douse everything in hot maple syrup.

Swoon.

Let's break it down by each component so you can easily master this recipe at home! It's a seriously impressive recipe to cook for a loved one, or to be honest, to just enjoy on your own.

overhead view of mashed potato waffles, vegan fried cauliflower and hot maple syrup

Crispy vegan fried cauliflower

To replace fried chicken, we decided on vegan fried cauliflower. I'm not sure about you guys, but I LOVE fried cauliflower. Specifically buffalo fried cauliflower. If it's on the menu at a vegan restaurant, I'm ordering it.

Cauliflower is inexpensive, easy to fry, and is the perfect shape for vegan chicken and waffles. It really, honestly looks kinda like chicken from the exterior. Right?!

side view of vegan fried cauliflower bites on cooling rack

To prep the cauliflower to frying, wash and pat dry. Break the head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. You don't want huge chunks, or else they won't cook fully. Be sure that the pieces are evenly-sized so they cook evenly.

To add more flavor to the cauliflower, we drench it in a flavorful batter. It's made with a base of vegan cream, butter, some hot sauce and a few other ingredients for thickening.

Then, the cauliflower is breaded in a cornmeal coating flavored with various spices, including poultry seasoning.

Use a deep dutch oven to deep fry the cauliflower in a neutral, high-heat oil. Canola, vegetable or peanut oil are all great choices and won't smoke up your kitchen.

Fry the cauliflower bites until the crust is a deep golden brown. We transfer them directly to a cooling rack lined with paper towel to absorb extra oil. Voilá – the perfect vegan fried cauliflower!

Mashed potato waffles

Sure, you could use regular waffles. But you could also use waffles made out of MASHED POTATOES. Is there really any reason not to?

Mashed potato waffles are one of my all-time favorite food inventions. They're quite literally mashed potatoes cooked in a waffle iron. The edges get so crispy and delicious, and the interior is fluffy, cheesy and just so good.

I can't even talk about them without my mouth watering. You need to make these!!

We're sharing a basic cheesy vegan mashed potato recipe below, but you can really use any recipe you'd like. The key is to cook them for long enough that they actually form a crispy exterior. In our waffle maker, it takes about 10 minutes for each waffle to cook.

Vegan cheddar cheese and fresh chives add so much flavor. I love a good savory waffle! Plus, mashed potato waffles are naturally gluten free, so everyone can enjoy them.

side view of crispy mashed potato waffles on cooling rack

If you'd prefer to go for something more traditional, try these homemade crispy vegan waffles.

Hot Maple Syrup

If you read any food-related publications, you've probably heard of the viral phenomenon that is hot honey. It's literally just honey + hot sauce, but it's the perfect combination of sweet and spicy.

To make this delicious condiment vegan, we simply substitute honey with maple syrup.

Make sure you're using real maple syrup (not the fake pancake stuff!). Maple syrup is more nutritious than conventional sugar and has much more flavor. You can read all about it here!

close up side view of vegan fried cauliflower on top of waffles

I personally prefer Frank's Red Hot as the hot sauce. You can also use Cholula, Tobasco, sriracha, or any combination of the above. Feel free to add an extra dash or two if you like things extra spicy!

I absolutely douse my vegan chicken and waffles in hot maple syrup. If you don't, you're not doing it right 😉

More vegan brunch recipes to try

Who doesn't love brunch? Instead of over-spending at an overrated restaurant that only has two vegan options, try these recipes instead.

Southwest Breakfast Skillet with black beans, potatoes and avocado
Homemade Carrot Lox
Cheesy Vegan Breakfast Casserole
Spicy Breakfast Potato Tacos
Fluffy Blueberry Pancakes (Gluten Free)

overhead view of vegan chicken and waffles on grey plate with hot maple syrup and fork

If you make this vegan chicken and waffles recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

📖 Recipe