Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites

These Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites are quick and easy to make so that they come out roasted and crispy and perfectly tender on the inside.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 15

Total Time 35

Servings people

Calories 372kcal

Author Kim

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

1 medium head of cauliflower chopped into florets
¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon cornstarch
¾ cup milk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup Panko breadcrumb
Salt to taste

Bang Bang Sauce

½ cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon sriracha more if you like spicy food
2 tablespoon maple syrup

Instructions

Prepare the batter: Add flour, chili powder, cornstarch, milk, salt and pepper to a bow and whisk together until you have a runny batter. Add the panko to a second bowl
Batter Cauliflower: add cauliflower bites to the batter bowl and coat them with the batter
Bread Cauliflower: one at a time, press the cauliflower pieces into the panko breadcrumbs so that all sides a completely covered, repeating until all are done.
First Air Fry of Cauliflower: lay cauliflower bites in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 8 minutes at 400 degrees F/200 degrees C (you may need to do two or more batches depending on the size of your air fryer)
Make Sauce: add the 3 ingredients for the sauce into a bowl and whisk together until combined
Coat cauliflower in sauce: Remove half cooked cauliflower from air fryer and put into a large bowl, add half the sauce and gently stir through with a spatula.
Second Air Fry of Cauliflower: lay cauliflower bites in the air fryer basket in a single layer and cook for 4 minutes at 400 degrees F/200 degrees C . Remove immediately and serve.

Notes

Cauliflower: Chop a head of cauliflower into pieces of roughly equal size so they will cook evenly, making sure to discard the leaves.
Panko Breadcrumbs: These are light and coarse white breadcrumb that creates a crispy and crunchy coating. Alternatively you could use regular breadcrumbs for a smoother texture of cauliflower bites.
Flour and Cornstarch/Cornflour: Both of these flours work together with the milk to create a light “batter”. The combination of both, creates the right level of stickiness and lightness, however if you only have one or the other on hand, this will also work, just make sure to add the quantities of both flours together if using one type.
Chilli Powder, Salt and Pepper: These provide the seasoning which adds flavour to the cauliflower bites. The chilli powder also provides additional spice and heat. Adjust the level of powder to your taste, or leave out completely. Alternatively you could swap it with smoked paprika for less heat but a more smoky and earthy flavour. Or do a combination of both. Or substitute for parmesan.
Milk: The milk is used instead of eggs to create a batter. Any type of milk is fine, with the exception of coconut milk.
Vegetable oil: this is important to get a crispy coating on the outside. Only a little oil is used but it makes a big difference. If you don’t have vegetable oil, use whatever you have on hand, even spray oil will be fine.
Mayonaise/Sriracha/Maple Syrup: these ingredients are what makes the sauce. Any type of plain mayo will work, you could substitute sriracha with sweet chilli sauce, and the maple syrup with honey or a little powdered monkfruit.
Storage: Store cooked cauliflower in the fridge for upto 3 days in an air tight container
Reheating: To reheat the Cauliflower place it in the air fryer's basket and cook at 400˚F/200 C for 2 minutes.

Nutrition