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Home » Side Dishes » Veggies

Breaded Cauliflower in the Air Fryer

By Karly on March 14, 2023 | Updated March 14, 2023 | Rate Recipe

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Our Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower is coated with a simple, flavorful panko mixture, tossed in the air fryer, and cooked until crispy. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!Our Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower is coated with a simple, flavorful panko mixture, tossed in the air fryer, and cooked until crispy. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!Our Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower is coated with a simple, flavorful panko mixture, tossed in the air fryer, and cooked until crispy. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!Our Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower is coated with a simple, flavorful panko mixture, tossed in the air fryer, and cooked until crispy. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!

Our Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower is coated with a simple, flavorful panko mixture, tossed in the air fryer, and cooked until crispy. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!

Overhead view of breaded cauliflower in a bowl with two dips.

I know there are people out there with a deep disgust for cauliflower. I don’t understand them, and I never will.

I’m pretty sure I could convert anyone over into a cauliflower lover with this crispy cauliflower recipe! Hard to go wrong with that crispy coating!

You end up with a soft interior, crunchy exterior, and plenty of seasoning. Of course, dipping your breaded cauliflower in ranch or honey mustard doesn’t hurt either!

My daughter is vegetarian about 90% of the time (not sure what you’d call that, haha), so when we make our air fryer garlic parmesan wings for dinner, I make these breaded cauliflower wings for her.

If you are a cauliflower skeptic but want to maybe give it another try, this could very well be your conversion recipe!

Table of Contents

  • Ingredient Notes:
  • How to Make Crispy Cauliflower in the Air Fryer:
    • Shop our Favorite Air Fryers!
  • FAQ:
  • Recipe Tips!
  • Other Popular Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes
    • Air Fryer Cauliflower Tots
    • Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks
    • Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables
    • Air Fryer Radishes
  • Breaded Cauliflower in the Air Fryer
    • Equipment
    • Ingredients  1x2x3x
    • Instructions 
    • Notes
    • Nutrition
      • Did You Make This Recipe?

Ingredient Notes:

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Breaded cauliflower ingredients on a countertop.

Cauliflower – Pick up a 16 ounce bag of cauliflower florets at your grocery store or chop a large head of cauliflower into florets yourself.

Breading –You will need a couple of eggs, panko bread crumbs, and traditional bread crumbs.

Seasoning– We will use garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and a little oil.

Dip– This is totally optional, but I tend to dip these into ranch dressing or honey mustard. You could also drizzle them with the buffalo sauce from our air fryer frozen chicken wings.

If using a head of cauliflower instead of a bag of florets, you’ll need about 5 cups of florets, which is the average size of one head of cauliflower.

We are using two types of bread crumbs to get a good coating while also making it light and crispy! You may use all panko bread crumbs, but we like a mix of the light and fluffy panko with the traditional bread crumbs for better coverage.

How to Make Crispy Cauliflower in the Air Fryer:

  • Prepare the breading– Crack your eggs into a shallow bowl and whisk in a tablespoon of water. Dip the cauliflower pieces in the egg wash to coat them. Stir together the seasonings and bread crumbs in a second bowl (or in a plastic bag) to make the breading.
  • Bread the cauliflower– Add the cauliflower to the bread crumbs to coat by dredging them in the bowl or tossing them all together in a plastic bag with the breading.
  • Air fry the cauliflower– Spritz your air fryer basket with oil or nonstick spray and place your cauliflower in a single layer in your air fryer basket, work in batches if needed. Spritz the cauliflower liberally with oil spray. Air fry for 10 minutes at 380 degrees F.
Breaded cauliflower in an air fryer basket.

Shop our Favorite Air Fryers!

Cosori air fryer.

We’ve tested loads of air fryers over the years and narrowed it down to the best of the best! Whether you’re looking for a basket style air fryer that fits nicely on your countertop or you want the toaster oven style air fryer, we’ve got the recommendation for you!

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FAQ:

What is the best reason for eating cauliflower?

Cauliflower is high in B1 which does a lot of good things. One cool thing it does is help metabloize carbohydrates which is neat for weight loss. The best reason I eat it though, it just tastes good!

Why didn’t my cauliflower come out crispy?

It is likely the case that you didn’t have enough space in your air fryer basket. Be sure there is space around the cauliflower for air to move. Overcrowding the air fryer will result in a less crispy texture.

Can I use frozen cauliflower with this recipe?

I haven’t tested our breaded cauliflower recipe with frozen cauliflower. In theory it would work but you may need to adjust cooking times.

Dipped breaded cauliflower.

Recipe Tips!

This crispy cauliflower is great with a variety of dips! You can even serve it with a couple of different dips such as ranch, sriracha + mayo, honey mustard, or remoulade.

Turn our breaded cauliflower into ‘wings’ by drizzling it with your favorite wing sauce!

Other Popular Air Fryer Vegetable Recipes

  • Close up of cauliflower tots stacked up next to a cup of ranch dressing.

    Air Fryer Cauliflower Tots

  • Cabbage steak on a black plate.

    Air Fryer Cabbage Steaks

  • Overhead view of cooked veggies in an air fryer basket.

    Air Fryer Frozen Vegetables

  • air fryer radishes in baset.

    Air Fryer Radishes

An air fryer basket full of breaded cauliflower.
Breaded cauliflower in an air fryer basket.

Breaded Cauliflower in the Air Fryer

Created by: Karly

Course Air Fryer Snacks, Side Dish, Veggies
Cuisine American
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
4 people
Our Air Fryer Breaded Cauliflower is coated with a simple, flavorful panko mixture, tossed in the air fryer, and cooked until crispy. Serve with your favorite dip and enjoy!
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Equipment

  • Air Fryer

Ingredients
  

  • 16 ounces cauliflower florets about 5 cups
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 cup panko bread crumbs
  • ½ cups bread crumbs
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Oil for spritzing
  • Dip if desired, see notes

Instructions
 

  • Sort through the cauliflower florets and break or chop up any larger pieces so that all the cauliflower is a similar size.
  • Add the eggs to a medium-sized bowl along with 1 tablespoon of water and beat with a fork to combine.
  • Add the panko, bread crumbs, and seasonings to a second bowl or a zip top bag and stir or shake to combine.
  • Drop the cauliflower into the bowl of egg and stir well to coat each piece of cauliflower in the egg mixture.
  • Use a slotted spoon to remove the cauliflower from the egg to the panko. Either stir the cauliflower in the bread crumbs to coat, or seal the bag and shake to coat. We find the bag/shake method to be best for even coverage.
  • Spritz the basket of your air fryer with oil spray. Arrange the breaded cauliflower in an even layer leaving space between each piece for air to flow for maximum crispness. You may need to work in batches.
  • Spritz the cauliflower liberally with oil spray and air fry at 380 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden and crispy. Repeat with any remaining cauliflower, checking after 6 minutes as the air fryer will be hot and subsequent batches will cook a bit faster.
  • Serve with dip of choice.

Notes

We usually buy a bag of cauliflower florets in the produce section, rather than a head of cauliflower, just to keep life easy. If using a head of cauliflower, you’ll need about 5 cups of florets, which is the average amount for a large head of cauliflower.
We’re using two types of bread crumbs for maximum crispiness (the panko) and coverage (the traditional bread crumbs). You can use all panko if desired, but you may have some bare spots on your cauliflower. If you use all traditional bread crumbs, the cauliflower won’t be nearly as crispy.
This crispy cauliflower is great with a variety of dips, such as ranch, sriracha + mayo, honey mustard, or remoulade.

Nutrition

Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 106mg | Sodium: 919mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2mg

Did You Make This Recipe?

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posted in: Air Fryer Snacks, Vegetarian, Veggies

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