You can use the air-fried cauliflower florets as a side dish or to make other delicious recipes such as cauliflower salads, pasta, rice, and more. When roasting vegetables, one can rarely beat an air fryer. While this air fryer cauliflower recipe is pretty much the same as oven-roasted cauliflower florets, you can make it in half the time!Thanks to the hot air fanned onto the food; the air fryer can cook cauliflower florets in 12 to 15 minutes.And the result is perfectly roasted air fryer cauliflower, slightly charred outside for maximum taste, tender-crisp, and retaining most of their nutritional properties. Being able to cook heads of cauliflower so quickly gives us the option to eat it more often and make more recipes with it.And while air fryer cauliflower is delicious as a snack or side dish, with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt, it’s even better when mixed into a cauliflower salad or cauliflower pasta.Let’s see how to make it!
Ingredients
Instructions
Serving Suggestions
More Air Fryer Recipes
Brown spots are common on cauliflower, and they are due to oxidation. It happens when the cauliflower is exposed to air for too long. The good news is that brown spots are not harmful once the cauliflower is cooked. They are just a cosmetic problem. However, if you don’t like to eat them, you can slice the brown part off with a paring knife. Note: we only use the cauliflower florets for this recipe. However, you can save the stem for making cauliflower rice and the leaves for making cauliflower soup.
Olive Oil
We recommend using extra virgin olive oil. Its fruity and nutty flavor matches cauliflower perfectly. In addition, its high antioxidant content makes it stable at high temperatures so that it won’t burn.
Salt and Black Pepper
All you need to season cauliflower is a pinch of sea salt (or kosher salt) and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.
Other Spices
Suppose you want to add more flavor to the roasted air fryer cauliflower. In that case, we recommend garlic powder, sweet or smoked paprika, chipotle powder, chili powder, ground cumin, curry powder, or turmeric powder. Add the florets to a large bowl and toss with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Tip: you can add the cauliflower stem if you like, or you can save it for another day and make cauliflower rice with it. Add the cauliflower florets to the air fryer basket. The cauliflower CAN overlap. It does not have to be on a single layer. Tip: you don’t have to cook cauliflower florets in batches. Air fryers are designed to cook buckets of food, not single layers. The hot air pushed by the air fryer fan can flow through the layers of foods, cooking them evenly. All you have to do is shake the air fryer basket every 4 to 5 minutes. But, of course, don’t stuff your air fryer basket to the brim. Air fry at 400°F or 200°C for 12 to 15 minutes until slightly charred outside and tender-crisp, with a slight bite. Shake the air fryer basket every 4 to 5 minutes to ensure even cooking. Some delicious dips that go well with it are:
Creamy-dreamy chickpea hummusEggplant dip or baba ganoushHot and smoky chipotle sauceOne-minute homemade vegan mayoIncredible avocado dip with tahini and garlicEasy and creamy white bean dipZaalouk – a Moroccan eggplant dipGreek tzatziki sauce with cucumber and garlic
Hummus
Baba Ganoush Recipe
Chipotle Sauce
Vegan Mayo
Avocado Spread
White Bean Dip
Zaalouk (Moroccan Eggplant Dip)
Tzatziki
Creamy red pepper pasta with roasted cauliflowerCauliflower salad with tahini and lemon dressingMediterranean lentil cauliflower salad with cumin dressingAdd it to our homemade tofu curry
Red Pepper Pasta
Cauliflower Salad
Cauliflower Lentil Salad
Tofu Curry
You can also eat it cold with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, freshly ground black pepper, and chopped parsley. We don’t recommend freezing air fryer cauliflower.
Questions
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