Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower – No Breading
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This crispy Air fryer cauliflower recipe with no breading is easy and quick to make. Served with a dipping sauce it’s so delicious you’ll be going for seconds!
Jump to:
- Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe Without Breading
- Ingredients
- Step-By-Step Process
- How To Cut Cauliflower
- How To Make Crispy Cauliflower in Air Fryer
- Best Tips
- What Air Fryer to Use
- Recipe Variations
- What To Serve Air Fryer Cauliflower With
- Can You Cook Frozen Cauliflower In Air Fryer?
- How To Store and Reheat
- More Air Fryer Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe Without Breading
This roasted cauliflower recipe in the Air fryer is absolutely delicious! Served with a dipping sauce, it tastes so good you’ll be going for more. If you love cauliflower you need to make this!
Air fried cauliflower requires only a few ingredients and is so simple to make. Cauliflower florets are tossed in a seasoning blend, parmesan cheese, and coated with olive oil generously. That and air frying makes a nice crispy coating without the need for bread crumbs. If you’re looking to omit the bread crumbs or looking for an Air fryer cauliflower keto recipe or low carb recipe, this is ideal for you!
Air fryer cauliflower is a delicious appetizer or side dish! My family loves it. I serve it with a spicy mayo dipping sauce and it’s finished off and the plates are licked clean. It’s one of my favorite vegetables and if you love cauliflower, you’ll love cauliflower steaks and Air fryer buffalo cauliflower too. We also love Air Fryer Broccoli and Air Fryer Brussel sprouts as side dishes or snacks.
Why we love Air fryer Cauliflower Recipe:
- Tastes so good
- So quick to make
- Uses a few basic ingredients
- Easy side dish or an appetizer
Ingredients
- Cauliflower florets – from a medium-sized head
- Olive oil – avocado oil or vegetable oil
- Smoked paprika – if you want more heat use chili powder
- Turmeric – gives a nice golden color to the roasted cauliflower
- Garlic powder
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Parmesan cheese – I use the Kraft grated cheese from the bottle. Use that or freshly grated.
Step-By-Step Process
How To Cut Cauliflower
Cutting cauliflower into florets is a breeze. Here’s how to do it:
How To Make Crispy Cauliflower in Air Fryer
Making crispy air fryer cauliflower is so easy. Here’s how to do it:
- Cut the cauliflower into bite sized florets.
- In a small bowl, whisk in smoked paprika, turmeric powder, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper together.
- In a large bowl, add the florets and seasoning and toss the cauliflower to coat.
- Add olive oil and toss so they’re evenly coated.
- Preheat Air fryer at 380F for 5 minutes.
- Place seasoned cauliflower in a single layer in Air fryer basket.
- Cook cauliflower for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Shake the basket of the air fryer halfway through.
- Serve immediately on its own or with a dipping sauce.
Best Tips
- Preheat Air fryer to cook faster and for crispy air fryer cauliflower.
- Cut the cauliflower in to even sized florets.
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper for easy clean up.
- Don’t overcrowd the air fryer basket. Place cauliflower in a single layer.
- Cook in batches if needed.
- When the last batch is done, add the first batch to the Air fryer basket and air fryer for one more minute to keep everything warm.
What Air Fryer to Use
Best Basket Type Air Fryer: Cosori 5.8 quart
Toaster Oven Style Air Fryer: Power Air Fryer
Recipe Variations
This Air fryer cauliflower recipe is so versatile and can be easily adjusted to your favorite flavor combinations. Here are a few of my favorites:
Panko – For breaded cauliflower or to add crunch, add 2 tablespoons of panko breadcrumbs to your cauliflower.
Parmesan – Add extra parmesan if you want a bold flavor.
Indian – Add 1/2 tsp red chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 1/4 tsp garam masala to the cauliflower.
Herbs – Add 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning or any herb you prefer.
Tangy – Add a teaspoon of lemon juice, lime juice or serve it with lemon slices.
What To Serve Air Fryer Cauliflower With
I like to serve them with a with a tasty dipping sauce like a jalapeno garlic aioli or a spicy mayo dipping sauce.
To make the spicy mayo dipping sauce, combine 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, and 2 tablespoons of hot sauce.
They’ll be amazing with a ranch dressing or if you’re making the Indian Air fryer cauliflower serve it with yogurt.
They can be served with any main dish as a healthy vegetable side dish.
Can You Cook Frozen Cauliflower In Air Fryer?
Absolutely! To cook frozen cauliflower in the Air fryer, follow the same recipe as above. Cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes.
How To Store and Reheat
Store air-fried cauliflower in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Reheat them in the microwave or in the Air fryer at 370F for 2 to 3 minutes.
More Air Fryer Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Air Fryer Garlic Steak Bites
- Crispy and Juicy Air Fryer Chicken Thighs
- Air Fryer Chicken Nugget
- Air Fryer Crispy Roast Potatoes
- Air Fryer Sweet Potatoes
- Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
If you like this recipe, I’d love it if you can give me a rating and comment! Share it with your family and friends! ❤️
Recipe
Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe Without Breading
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp turmeric powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into even sized florets.
- In a small bowl, whisk in smoked paprika, turmeric powder, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper together.
- In a large bowl, add the florets and seasoning and toss the cauliflower to coat. Add olive oil and toss the florets so the spices are evenly coated.
- Preheat Air fryer at 380F for 5 minutes. Place cauliflower in a single layer in Air fryer basket. Cook cauliflower for 10 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
- Serve it Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce: To make, combine 1/4 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of mayonnaise, and 2 tablespoons of hot sauce.
- Store – the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
- Reheat – in the Air fryer or microwave until warm.
- To Cook from Frozen – add an additional 4 to 5 minutes to the cooking time.
Any ideas on what might be good to replace the cheese? I cant do dairy and am keto. Thanks!
Hi Kathie, you can omit the cheese. If you still want that crisp coating you can use about 2 tablespoons of almond flour.
Please send me your crispy cauliflower and more recipes
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I didn’t see recipe for dipping sauce. Looks wonderful going to try.
Thank you Tonya! I’ve added the instructions to make spicy mayo dipping sauce in the recipe. Enjoy!
This was very good but didn’t come out crispy. What did I do wrong?
Hi Trina, it becomes crisp but not crispy like fries. You may need to reduce the heat and cook for a few minutes longer. Let me know if it works out.
This turned out delicious! I had smaller flowerettes so I checked the air fryer several times and 7 minutes was perfect. They were crispy and I used your suggestion for seasoning without any changes. I liked that they were not breaded but very tasty. And you can’t get it any easier. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Lucy, I’m glad you like it. This is one of our favorites. 🙂
Left out the cheese but followed everything else spot on- only adding 3 minutes cooking time to get them a little more browned. This was so easy and delicious. The spices are so good and now I actually want to eat cauliflower haha. Thank you!
That’s awesome. Thanks Tori!