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1 Comment These cauliflower bites are just so good! I made them in the air fryer but you can also easily transfer this recipe into an oven based recipe. Check below for the details on that.
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Air fryer cauliflower bites
The fact that cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise as I use it a lot. Most of the time I use it as an easy replacement for regular rice, as it increases the amount of vegetables I eat on a daily basis with a simple swap. I had never tried to make air fryer cauliflower wings however. I mean, technically these are not ‘wings’ of course but just cauliflower florets but they could almost pass for chicken wings. They’re just that good!
What do you need to make the cauliflower bites?
While the bites themself only require a few ingredients, you need a bit to make the batter and the dip so bare with me here. You can also easily make it simpler by removing the batter entirely and just go for the roasted cauliflower. That will absolutely work as well. Although the crispy coating really does make it extra delicious.
- head of cauliflower – broken into florets. Not too big and not too small. You want something that you can eat in one or two bites. You’re probably not gonna make the whole cauliflower. We used only half of the cauliflower as a snack for four.
- onion powder
- garlic powder
- corn flour
- regular all purpose flour
- panko bread crumbs
- smoked paprika – or for a spicier effect use a bit of cayenne pepper
- almond milk – or something similar
Once the cauliflower is crispy, you will need something like buffalo sauce or a smoky barbecue sauce to brush the cauliflower bites.
For the dip you will need only three ingredients; mayonnaise, crispy chili oil and gherkins.
How to make the cauliflower air fryer bites
You start by making the batter and break up the cauliflower. Once that is done you need one bowl with the batter and a large bowl of panko. Now dip each cauliflower into the batter and into the panko next. Make sure they are covered all over. Place them on a piece of parchment paper in the air fryer basket. Make sure to use a single layer. You can spray the cauliflower with a bit of olive oil or cooking spray if you want. They won’t be super golden brown but that’s ok as they will get a brush with the sauce afterwards. Bake the cauliflower bites in the air fryer at 200˚C/400˚F for about 20 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on how big or how small your florets are. Ours where cooked through after 20 minutes.
Next: brush with sauce
Once you have the crispy cauliflower you will need to brush them with the barbecue sauce. I used a smokey chipotle flavor (from Sweet Baby Ray) and that worked absolutely perfect. But you can use whatever wing sauce you might normally use. As soon as they are all brushed you can serve it with the dip and dive in. Now good to know is that the crispy florets will be slightly less crispy once they are brushed with the sauce. But let me tell you it is worth it! It is crazy good! You can optionally sprinkle them with sesame seeds and some spring onion.
Making cauliflower bites in the oven
Of course you can also make these cauliflower bites in the oven. In fact the timing will be roughly the same. They might need just a tiny bit longer in the oven. You spread the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and place in the oven at 200˚C/400˚F until golden brown and cooked. Follow the same steps with the sauce and the dip.
Questions asked about making air fryer cauliflower bites
No they are best served right away. If you place them in an airtight container they will lose a lot of their crispy exterior. That said; if you have leftovers I would suggest to reheat them in the air fryer for a couple of minutes to get that crispy texture back.
If you want yes, you can serve them as a side dish. I would maybe skip the dip in that case as that would probably not work with your main dish. You can also think if the sauce would work with the flavor of the rest of the dish.
Cauliflower bites from the air fryer
Ingredients
Batter
- 3 tbsp flour
- 3 tsp corn flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp paprika powder
- 180 ml soy milk or other milk of your choice
- 100 grams panko breadcrumbs
For the cauliflower
- 1/2 cauliflower broken into florets
- 100 ml barbecue sauce
Dip
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 tsp crispy chili oil
- 5 gherkins very thinly sliced
Equipment
- Air fryer
Titel
- First, make the batter by mixing the ingredients together (except the panko). Allow to stand for a while, the batter will thicken slightly.
- Break the cauliflower into florets. Not too big but not too small. Remember, this is a snack. So it is convenient if you can put it in your mouth right away.
- Prepare a bowl of panko.
- Mix the cauliflower florets with the batter and remove with a fork. Let the excess batter drip off for a moment. Dip into the panko and roll for a moment.
- Place the coated cauliflower florets on a sheet of parchment paper in the air fryer in a single layer.
- Set the air fryer to 200˚C/400˚F and bake the cauliflower florets for about 20 minutes. They will turn light brown in the air fryer.
- Remove and brush each floret with the barbecue sauce.
- Make the dip by mixing the mayonnaise with the crispy chili sauce and diced cucumber.
- Serve the cauliflower bites with the dip.
Notes
- Oven preparation: if you want to prepare the cauliflower bites in the oven, the proces is virtually the same. You preheat the oven to 200˚C/400˚F and spread the cauliflower (once dipped in the batter and panko) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake in the oven for around 20-25 minutes or until lightly golden brown. The rest of the proces is the same.
- Storing: The cauliflower bites are best served straight from the air fryer or oven. If you want to store them, place in an airtight container and reheat in the air fryer for a couple of minutes to crisp back up.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
We could not stop eating these cauliflower bites! Brushed with the smokey bbq sauce it was just heaven!