Air Fryer Cauliflower

Air fryer cauliflower is a quick, tasty, and versatile recipe you can make with four ingredients in less than 15 minutes.

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.

Cauliflower

Get a large fresh cauliflower head. Fresh cauliflower is white, without brown spots, and with a firm texture.

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.

Preheat the air fryer for 3 minutes at 400°F or 200°C. Rinse the cauliflower head, then cut off small florets with a paring knife.

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.

You can serve air-fried cauliflower florets as a snack, as an appetizer on a platter with other Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern recipes, or as a side dish to your dinner.

Serve it with a squeeze of lemon, fresh parsley, and a drizzle of tahini sauce. Or use your favorite dipping sauce, such as buffalo sauce or ranch dressing.

Some delicious dips that go well with it are:

• Creamy-dreamy chickpea hummus
• Eggplant dip or baba ganoush
• Hot and smoky chipotle sauce
• One-minute homemade vegan mayo
• Incredible avocado dip with tahini and garlic
• Easy and creamy white bean dip
• Zaalouk – a Moroccan eggplant dip
• Greek tzatziki sauce with cucumber and garlic

Alternatively, you can make some other delicious recipes with it. For example:

• Creamy red pepper pasta with roasted cauliflower
• Cauliflower salad with tahini and lemon dressing
• Mediterranean lentil cauliflower salad with cumin dressing
• Add it to our homemade tofu curry

Storage

Store leftover air fryer cauliflower in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes or in the air fryer for 5 minutes before serving.

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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