If you're craving a crunchy, salty, and super fun snack, make this air fryer cauliflower recipe! Smoked paprika and cayenne fill it with bold flavor.
This air fryer cauliflower recipe will make any evening at home more fun! As the seasons change, Jack and I are spending more time inside, which also means we’re watching more movies and TV. Lately, this air fryer cauliflower has been our go-to viewing snack. Health-wise, it’s definitely a cut above the average fries or chips (or fried cauliflower, for that matter), and taste-wise, it’s just as good. A simple panko coating infuses it with smoky, spicy flavor and gives it plenty of crunch. Eat one floret, and you’ll have devoured half a head of cauliflower before you know it!
Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe Ingredients
You only need a few basic ingredients to make this recipe:
- Cauliflower, of course! Break it into small to medium-sized florets. If they’re too large, the outsides will burn before the middles cook through.
- Panko bread crumbs – They create the crispy coating.
- Spices – Garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt give this air fryer cauliflower an addictive smoky/savory flavor.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – It adds richness to the cauliflower and helps it crisp up in the air fryer.
- Egg – The binder! It helps the crispy coating stick to the cauliflower.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe Tips
- Have a wet hand and a dry hand. If you’ve made my Eggplant Parmesan or Crispy Cauliflower Po’ Boy Sandwich, you know that things can get messy when you’re dredging veggies. I recommend having a wet hand and a dry hand to control the chaos. Use the wet hand to dunk the cauliflower in the egg wash and transfer it to the panko mixture. Then, use the dry hand to sprinkle it with the crispy coating and place it on the prepared baking sheet. It doesn’t hurt to have kitchen towels or paper towels handy to wipe off your fingers, either.
- Don’t skip the olive oil. It’s easy to forget to drizzle the breaded cauliflower florets with olive oil before you air fry them (I speak from experience), but if you can help it, don’t skip this step! Even with the oil, the air fried cauliflower is heads and shoulders lighter than regular fried cauliflower. And without it, the veggies won’t get nearly as brown and crispy.
- Work in batches. Make sure to arrange the cauliflower florets in a single layer in the air fryer basket, leaving a little space between each one. If they’re too crowded, they’ll steam as they cook, and they won’t crisp up. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you’ll likely need to work in batches. Note: we have the SkinnyTaste Air Fryer and we really love it.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Serving Suggestions
This air fryer cauliflower is a really fun side dish for veggie burgers or sandwiches. It’d be fantastic with any of these recipes:
- Best Veggie Burger
- Easy Black Bean Burger
- Portobello Mushroom Burger
- Quinoa Burger
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches
- Vegan Meatball Sandwiches
You could also enjoy the cauliflower on its own as a snack or appetizer. Whether you’re making it part of a larger meal or not, finish it with a squeeze of lemon juice and serve it with a tasty dipping sauce on the side. I especially love my air fryer cauliflower with tartar sauce, but it’s also yummy with vegan ranch dressing, chipotle sauce, romesco sauce, vegan cheese, or homemade Caesar dressing. Pick just one, or try a few!
More Favorite Snacks and Appetizers
If you love this recipe, try one of these tasty snacks or appetizers next:
- Air Fryer French Fries
- Baked Zucchini Chips
- Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Steamed Bao Buns
- Homemade Taquitos
For more healthy snack ideas, check out this post. Then, click here to find 50 more of my favorite easy appetizers!
Air Fryer Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ heaping teaspoon sea salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups small cauliflower florets
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- Lemon wedges, for serving
- Tartar Sauce, for serving
Instructions
- On a rimmed tray, mix the panko, smoked paprika, garlic, onion, cayenne, and salt. In a small shallow bowl, lightly beat the egg.
- Preheat the air fryer to 370°F.
- Dip each cauliflower floret into the egg, coat with the panko mixture, then place onto a large plate. Drizzle the cauliflower with olive oil and place into the air fryer basket in a single layer with a little space between each floret. Don’t overcrowd the basket. Work in batches if necessary. Air fry for 9 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Repeat with any remaining cauliflower.
- Serve with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
Any particular air fryer or oven/air fryer you recommend?
Hi Karen, we have the Skinnytaste air fryer and its great! https://amzn.to/3iBSt7v
Can these be baked in a regular oven and turn out as well? They sound delicious but I don’t have an air fryer.
Hi Bridget, yep they can – bake them in a 400°F oven for 20 minutes.
Looks so tasty. And tempting me to get an air fryer! Could you spray them with olive oil before drizzling them instead? Would it be enough? I like the “evenness” of using the spray. Thanks!
Hi, yes, you can spray – that would work out great. Just give it a generous spray 🙂
wow, this looks so yummy. Very curious about it’s taste.
These look delicious! Would this work with a flax egg? If not, do you have another suggestion for an egg substitute?
Thank you.
Hi Andrea, I do 1 tablespoon flax mixed with 1/4 cup almond milk. Hope that helps!
Do you keep the cauliflower warm in the oven while cooking the other batches?
I don’t usually but if you wanted to, that would be a great idea.
my kids like the cauliflower soft…does this turn out soft?
The coating makes it crispy, not soft.
My actual cauliflower was soft and cooked through inside the breading and then the outside/breading was super crispy.
omg, can I do the same with broccoli?
Hi Nicholas, I haven’t tried but I think it would be just fine. You may have to adjust the cooking time, broccoli may cook faster.
The outside was super crispy and the cauliflower was cooked through inside. Next time, I might try generous cooking spray instead of drizzling oil as someone else recommended just to make the oil distribution more even. But still delicious with the oil drizzle
I’m glad you loved it!
Do you by chance have the nutritional value for this recipe?
Apologies, I don’t calculate nutritional info.
Omg these were delicious. Never know what else to do with Riverford cauliflower – other than cheese it. Not anymore since coming to your amazing website ! Oven baked florets as don’t have air fryer. Worked perfectly. Tartar sauce was also divine. Jarred the surplus sauce which lasted about a week in fridge.
Is there a way to make this gluten free if you don’t have GF panko bread crumbs? Do you have suggestions of other substitutes?
Hi Leah, if you have some type of GF bread, you can make your own bread crumbs. I think GF panko would be the best bet for a crispy coating though.
I think a nutty coating also might work (ie, almonds pulsed in the food processor), but I haven’t tried so I’m not sure of the results.
Crushed up Rice Chex make a pretty good GF panko substitute and are way cheaper than the stuff from GF specialty grocery companies.
What is the air fryer temp foe cauliflower recipe
Hi Marjorie, 370°F, it’s listed with the full recipe at the bottom of the post in the recipe card.
This was incredible! Crispy on the outside, perfectly cooked inside. Loved the tarter sauce. I am going to try and make it again without the mayo.
so glad you loved it!
Has anyone tried this with frozen cauliflower? Would you thaw them first or start from frozen and increase the cooking time?
Looks delicious!
Hi Michael, I haven’t tried but I worry that it would be too watery and that the frozen florets would be too small.
Thanks for your thoughts — and the quick reply — they were helpful. I was determined to make this with what I had on hand (frozen) so I decided to thaw, drain and pat dry the cauliflower. I kept the air-fry to 9 minutes since, as you pointed out, the frozen florets are rather small, but they would have benefited with another couple of minutes. The end result was still quite good.
Overall, I don’t think the extra moisture was a problem. The main issue is that the coating-to-cauliflower ratio is higher on the smaller florets so the flavor balance is changed. Even though I only used half the called for cayenne, that was still the dominant flavor.
I’ll have to try this again with fresh cauliflower, but I think a couple of small tweaks work for frozen as well. It was still delicious!
These are great! Timing worked well & it was the first thing we cooked in our new air fryer. Will definitely be making these again!
I want to suggest to use plain yogurt for sauce. Drizzle little bit of salt and dried or fresh mint leaves in the yogurt.
Absolutely delicious!!! I wouldn’t change a thing. I served it with romesco sauce and it was wonderful.
Just made this for lunch, had it with a chipotle mayo from costco.
Cauliflower was amazing!!
I didn’t use olive oil, instead a sprayed with non stick olive oil spray. Super crunchy and awesome.
I’m so glad you loved it!
can you spray with a canned cannola oil spray
It was really good! Did not have cayenne and used chunky blue cheese dressing for dip. Will definitely keep in lineup
I’m glad you enjoyed it!