Our roasted cauliflower recipe is the perfect, healthy snack. These crispy bites sized of tender air fryer cauliflower are delicious and super addictive. This means you can have roasted cauliflower any time you want pretty fast with the help of the air fryer. Ready in less than 15 minutes, you can make this tasty dish as an afternoon snack or as part of a larger dinner.
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Cauliflower Bites Recipe
Our cauliflower bites combine several spices and tangy, lemon herb tahini dipping sauce for the perfect combination of flavors.
This recipe is also super easy to make. You can get it ready in no time for a simple weeknight dinner or even after school or work snack.
Cauliflower is also a healthy alternative to a lot of snacks that you could serve your kids. The seasonings and sauce will make it so they don't even care that they are eating cauliflower.
Roasted Cauliflower Bites Ingredients
When you are ready to make roasted cauliflower, you'll need spices for the cauliflower and some additional flavors for the sauce. Here's what to have on hand:
- Cauliflower - We prefer using fresh, but you could use thawed, previously frozen florets if you prefer.
- Salt - You can omit this or add as much or little as you like.
- Seasonings - For the basic recipe, we use a combination of garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and black pepper. You could use some of the variations below instead, if you prefer.
- Olive oil or Aquafaba - You could use another oil or even a cooking spray. The oil or spray helps the spices to stick and to give the outside a bit of crispy texture. If you are plant based diet enjoy these by using aquafaba liquid instead of oil
For the Lemon Herb Tahini, you'll also want to have on hand:
- Garlic - We use fresh garlic cloves.
- Fresh parsley - You might find scallions work as a good replacement here.
- Salt (to taste)
- Tahini - You can use your favorite brand and variety.
- Lemon juice - We prefer fresh, but you could use bottled varieties.
- Water
Variations of Spices for Roasted Cauliflower Bites
If you are looking to spice things up a bit, here are a few suggestions for variations on spices you can try:
- Southwest - You could use a combination of garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and a splash of lime juice for a fresh, southwest flavor.
- Asian - For a bit of an Asian flavor, you cold try a splash of soy sauce and sriracha along with garlic powder and ginger powder.
- Italian - If you want to go with an Italian flavor, you could add an Italian spice blend along with garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Indian - For a taste of India, you could mix in your favorite curry.
How to cut Cauliflower Florets
When you cut cauliflower florets, start at the base where the floret meets the stalk. Use a sharp, small knife to decapitate the floret and then cut it either in half or into quarters.
As you cut, try to make the florets an even size. This will help cook them consistently in either the oven or air fryer.
How To Roast Cauliflower in Air Fryer
- First, drizzle the cauliflower florets with the olive oil and then toss them with the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper so that they're well coated in the seasonings.
- Next, place them in the air fryer's basket.
- Roast the florets in the Air Fryer at 390°F for around 15 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes.
- Alternatively, you could place the cauliflower on a flat baking sheet and place them in the oven at 425 degrees for around 25 to 30 minutes. You will want to make sure you flip the florets between 12 to 15 minutes into roasting them.
- When the cauliflower is done, carefully remove the basket from the air fryer and then serve them on a plate either hot from the oven or cold.
Bonus Instructions for Tahini sauce
While the cauliflower is roasting, add all the tahini sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
Transfer the tahini to a serving bowl and stir in the chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!
How Long to Roast Cauliflower Florets in Air Fryer
When you use the air fryer to cook cauliflower florets, they will need about 15 minutes of cooking time at 390 degrees. As they cook, you'll need to flip them every 5 minutes.
Can Frozen Cauliflower be Roasted in an Air Fryer?
You can use frozen cauliflower if you like, but they may have a slightly different texture.
When you use frozen florets, allow them to thaw completely in the fridge. Once thawed, place them between two paper towels and squeeze until most of the moisture is gone.
By squeezing out the moisture, the cauliflower florets will become a bit crispier as they cook.
Why is the Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower not crispy?
The air fryer can make crispy cauliflower, but it will not have the same bite that deep frying food gets. If your cauliflower comes out of the air frier soggy, it may be due to:
- You didn't squeeze out enough moisture from frozen cauliflower.
- The temperature was not hot enough.
- You didn't use any oil or cooking spray.
- There was not enough space between the florets in the basket.
Serving Suggestions
Roasted cauliflower bites go great with your favorite sauces. You can serve them with the tahini sauce provided in this recipe, or you could pick your favorite from the fridge. Some tasty options include:
If you want to make more healthy air fryer treats to fill up a party table or just to make a meal, you could also serve them with these favorites:
- Air Fryer Pickles
- Cauliflower Buffalo wings
- Broccoli in the Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Carrots
- Orange cauliflower
- Hasselback Potatoes
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Apple Chips
- Air Fryer Banana Chips
- Cauliflower Steaks
- Stuffed Mushrooms
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites
If you want to make the cauliflower florets for later, you can!
To store, allow the florets to cool completely and then place them in an air tight container. You can then either place them in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
While you can serve them cold, if you want to reheat them, first allow frozen florets to thaw. You can then place the cold florets in an oven and bake until warmed through.
Let us know what you think
If you make this delicious recipe, let us know how it went! When you make this, be sure to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @dbellyrulesdmind or Facebook @thebellyrulesthemind!
Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Lemon Herb Tahini Sauce
Servings:
servingCalories:
Ingredients
For Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 small head cauliflower cut into florets
- Salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For Lemon Herb Tahini
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup fresh parsley
- salt to taste
- ¾ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- First, drizzle the cauliflower florets with the olive oil and then toss them with the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper so that they're well coated in the seasonings.
- Next, place them in the air fryer's basket.
- Roast the florets in the Air Fryer at 390°F for around 15 minutes, flipping them every 5 minutes.
- Alternatively, you could place the cauliflower on a flat baking sheet and place them in the oven at 425 degrees for around 25 to 30 minutes. You will want to make sure you flip the florets between 12 to 15 minutes into roasting them.
- When the cauliflower is done, carefully remove the basket from the air fryer and then serve them on a plate either hot from the oven or cold.
- Make Tahini SauceWhile the cauliflower is roasting, add all the tahini sauce ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
- Transfer the tahini to a serving bowl and stir in the chopped fresh parsley. Enjoy!
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