With this air fryer cauliflower recipe, this cruciferous vegetable will become much more palatable. This will be a great way to trick everyone into eating more healthy, high-fiber food.
Is This Air Fryer Cauliflower Healthy?
Yes, it is.
For starters, because we’re using an air fryer to cook our cauliflower, we don’t need to use much oil. This helps reduce the amount of fat and cholesterol intake tremendously.
To keep the amount of sodium within recommended limits, we’re leaving salt out of the recipe. Instead, we’re adding grated Parmesan cheese to season the cauliflower.
We’re also serving our recipe with ketchup to give them more flavors. Keep in mind that ketchup is well-seasoned and loaded with sodium, so we only need a moderate amount.
If you want to know more about your recommended daily sodium intake, check out our healthy eating guidelines. We also set limits on the amount of calories and saturated fat you should consume per day.
Last but not least, cauliflower is a great source of fiber and nutrients. One serving can provide you with 80% of your recommended daily vitamin C intake and 4g of fiber.
For more healthy cauliflower recipes, check out the following:
- Air fryer buffalo cauliflower recipe: If you’re looking for a healthy, addictive, game-day snack, this one is perfect for you.
- Cauliflower nuggets recipe: They are just as delicious as those store-bought fast-food nuggets but undoubtedly healthier.
Main Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients for today’s air fryer cauliflower recipe:
- Cauliflower: We’re using fresh cauliflower for today’s recipe. If you’re using frozen cauliflower, we’ll show you how to prepare it later.
- Batter: It’s a mixture of water, all-purpose flour, cornstarch, and melted butter.
- Breadcrumbs: We’re using regular breadcrumbs, but you can use panko breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- Seasonings: We’re using garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and grated Parmesan cheese. As mentioned, we’re not using salt in this recipe.
- Herbs: Garnish your air-fried cauliflower with freshly chopped parsley to give it a hint of herby aroma.
- Condiments: Ketchup is our pick for today’s dip as it’s versatile and can go well with any food.
How to Cook
First, you will need to make a batter to coat the cauliflower. Our recipe makes a fairly thick batter that will cling onto the cauliflower without leaving much excess.
Why do you need to make this batter? Because it will act as an adhesive to help breadcrumbs stick onto the cauliflower more easily.
Once all the cauliflower florets are coated in batter and breaded, put them into a preheated air fryer. They only need 15 minutes to cook and become delicious, crispy, gold brown treats.
As always, you can find full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions in the recipe section below.
How to Cook Frozen Cauliflower in an Air Fryer
Ideally, it’s best to let frozen cauliflower thaw before you coat and bread them. If you skip this step, the crust may not hold onto the cauliflower.
Even if it does, the cauliflower will thaw slowly during the cooking process and release moisture. This extra moisture will go into the crust, making it lose its crispness or even become soggy.
However, if you insist, you can cook the frozen cauliflower in the air fryer first and coat it later.
How Long to Cook
This cooking method only applies to frozen cauliflower that is straight out of the freezer:
- Put the frozen cauliflower into the basket of an air fryer. Cook for 10 minutes at 400°F.
- Once the cauliflower is defrosted and partially cooked, remove it from the air fryer.
- Coat the cauliflower with the batter and breadcrumbs.
- Return the coated cauliflower to the air fryer and cook for another 10 minutes at 375°F.
In total, it would take about 20 minutes to cook frozen cauliflower.
Tips for Making Air Fryer Cauliflower Extra Crispy
Our recipe may be simple, but it takes precision to achieve a perfectly crispy crust. With that in mind, here are a few tips for you:
- It’s important to coat the cauliflower evenly with the batter and breadcrumbs on all sides. Don’t leave out any nooks and crannies.
- You may need to cook your cauliflower in batches to avoid overcrowding the air fryer. If you overlap the cauliflower, they may not be evenly crispy.
- With either traditional deep-fried or air-fried food, it’s best to serve them immediately. If you wait for a while before eating, you will miss out on the fresh and satisfying crispness.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftover
Normally, we would recommend storing food in an airtight container. However, it may not be ideal to do the same for these air fryer cauliflower.
It’s better to put them in a bowl and wrap it loosely with cling film. This will prevent the crust on the cauliflower from becoming too soggy.
Once covered, they can last about seven days in the fridge.
To reheat, put them in the air fryer for 5 minutes at 375°F.
More Air Fryer Dinner Ideas
If you’re interested in other air fryer recipes as healthy as this one, we’ve got some seriously delectable ones:
Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe
Our air fryer cauliflower recipe is a great way to encourage everyone to eat more fiber. Let's check out the ingredients and see how it's made.
- cook TIME 15 mins
- prep TIME 15 mins
- total TIME 30 mins
- COURSE Side Dish
- CUISINE American
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 220 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 20 oz cauliflower (cut into bite-sized florets)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter (melted)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 0.5 oz grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 fl oz water
- 1/2 cup plain panko breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp Heinz ketchup
- 2 tbsp parsley (roughly chopped)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the air fryer at 375°F for 5 minutes.
Mix the batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp paprika, 1 1/2 tbsp melted unsalted butter, 3 tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 0.5 oz grated Parmesan cheese, and 4 fl oz water. Whisk until smooth.
Coat the cauliflower: Add 20 oz cauliflower into the bowl of batter. Toss to coat evenly.
Bread the cauliflower: Put 1/2 cup breadcrumbs into a bowl or plate. Roll each cauliflower floret into the breadcrumbs to coat evenly on all sides. Put the breaded cauliflower on a plate and set aside.
Cook the cauliflower: Put the breaded cauliflower into the air fryer's basket and cook for 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Garnish and serve: Remove the cauliflower from the air fryer and transfer it to a serving platter. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately with 4 tbsp ketchup.
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN, LD
Nutrition Reviewer
- thedailygourmetCrispy and delicious air fryer cauliflower recipe, a healthier alternative to fried snacks!