Find vegan and vegetarian wings at these 9 Phoenix eateries

There’s just something about wings, grabbing them with both hands and tearing in. There’s something about the sauce, whether you go sweet or lip-stinging hot. And there’s something about making a mess while you eat.

Good news: None of the above are reserved for meat eaters only. Phoenix has plenty of plant-based wings that provide the same caveman and carefree feels without the chicken. Here are nine metro Phoenix options for vegan and vegetarian wings perfect for the Super Bowl and beyond.

Trash Panda Vegan

2152 E. Broadway Road, Tempe

Craving a vegan twist on your favorite comfort foods? The Trash Panda Vegan food truck is your place. Owner and chef Krystal Mack serves a menu of fan favorites like sliders, mac and cheese, seasoned fries and, of course, wings – and for the Super Bowl, she’s offering 30- and 60-piece wing platters for pickup. Perfect when you’re craving something meaty and mouthwatering, the chicken-like protein is made with wheat and soy, the drumsticks are sugar cane and the whole thing is wrapped in rice paper so it gets extra crispy when deep fried. Available doused in Buffalo or barbecue sauce with Southwest aioli on the side, not even the sauces can extinguish the crunch. Pre-order platters by Friday here for game day.

Hot Sauce and Pepper

2060 E. Baseline Road, Mesa

Husband and wife AJ and Tajia Diggs own Hot Sauce and Pepper where they put a lot of soul and spice into their famous Caulifyah wings. How much soul and spice, you ask? The soul for their sweet and spicy Mambo sauces comes from the couple's respective hometowns of Detroit and Washington D.C. As for spices, the breading is a closely guarded secret, “but we can say that it is a seven-spice recipe passed down through our generations,” Tajia says. We do know is these wings come out big and hot, with a saucy coating that gives you the sink-your-teeth-in feeling usually reserved for the meaty variety. Hot Sauce and Pepper also offers a gluten-free variety. Order online for the $1 Caulifyah wing Super Bowl special.

Green New American Vegetarian

2022 N, Seventh St.
2240 N. Scottsdale Road, Tempe

The Buffalo "Wings" at Green New American Vegetarian have been made using the same recipe since the vegan comfort food mecca first opened in 2006. Praised for their meaty texture and saucy finish, these morsels are made from a house blend of mushrooms, soy protein and spices, and crisped up in the fryer before being doused in one of three house sauces: Buffalo, Espresso BBQ or Sweet Hüney Jalapeño. For the big game, Green's introducing two new limited-time flavors: T n T Kansas City barbecue “wings” with a side of blue cheese and SanFran “wings” topped with spicy gochujang and sesame seeds with a gold rush curry dipping sauce. May the best wing win. Pre-order your game day menu here by Thursday.

Nana’s Kitchen

777 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler

When husband and wife Rob and Nequa Matthew opened Nana’s Kitchen in Chandler in 2018, they made vegan versions of all the soul food they enjoyed as non-vegans – and some of the dishes trumped the originals. Take the Wangz, hefty hunks of cauliflower that are dredged, deep fried and sauced, transforming them into meaty, mouthwatering bites that not only have a distinctive exterior crunch, but a juicy interior as well. Even better, the Trio Platter comes with all three flavors – spicy Buffalo, saucy barbecue and zesty lemon pepper – so you don’t have to pick just one.

The Hot Chick

4363 N. 75th St., Scottsdale

The Hot Chick is a total party of TV screens, disco balls, DJ beats, arcade games and fried chicken. In other words, not your typical place to find vegan eats. But the cauliflower wings don’t skip a beat. Get the “Hot Chick” version, a sneaky spice blend that looks harmless enough, and even tastes a little sweet at first bite, but give it a second and the heat score hits, and may even singe your nostrils, but it won’t slow you down. (Note: The cauliflower wings are cooked in the same fryer as chicken.)

Earth Plant Based Cuisine

1325 Grand Ave.

If seeing is believing, you’d think the wings at Earth were the real deal. These craggy, deep-fried drumsticks sport a blistered exterior. Sinking your teeth in means doing a double-take too. Grab the sugar cane "bone" with one hand and the meaty end with your other, and dig in. The tender insides are firm and satisfyingly chewy, the result of the soy-based, house-made “meat” with a pull-apart texture that mimics chicken. Available in Buffalo, lemon pepper or barbecue and served with a side of zesty vegan house-made ranch, consider yourself fooled.

Pedal Haus Brewery

Multiple locations

Shout out to local brewery Pedal Haus for their designated vegan menu. The Bavarian pretzel, loaded nachos and mac and cheese medley also includes vegan cauliflower “wings.” In other words, vegans aren't an afterthought. The only wings on the list that don’t come with breading, what they lack in flour, they make up for in flavor. The deep fry adds a burnished edge giving them a wing look, before they're tossed in house-made sauce (vegan Buffalo, chipotle barbecue, whiskey barbecue or Carolina barbecue) to thoroughly coat the florets. They come with an ample side of creamy vegan ranch and a knife and fork which you may need.

Vegan & Vine

502 E. Thunderbird Road

The Buffalo Cauliflower is a must-order dish at Vegan & Vine. A take on buttermilk-fried chicken, cauliflower is battered in a combo of flour, coconut milk and vinegar that both tenderizes the veggie and guarantees a delightfully crunchy crust. Add in the creamy vegan house ranch and crumbly gorgonzola, and you have a picture-perfect plate that comes piled high. It’s so popular, the family-owned vegan restaurant in Moon Valley has added two new sauce flavors: mango habanero and sweet chili.

State 48 Brewery

Multiple locations

Instead of standard breading, the cauliflower wings from State 48 are tempura beer battered, meaning they puff up during deep frying, creating a light and airy coating, an elevated, Japanese spin and plenty of crunch (note: the batter does contain egg whites). You pick the sauce that comes on the side, be it Buffalo, honey mustard or Beer-B-Que, and go as saucey as you want. For the perfect beer compliment, go for the Van Buren Belgian Blonde, Javelina Hefeweizen or Lost Dutchman Golden Ale.