Crispy Cauliflower Bites

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These wonderful Battered and Fried Crispy Cauliflower Bites make for a delicious appetizer or an easy snack to feed the hungry masses. The use of Cauliflower means this dish is 100% Vegan / Vegetarian, and you could make a case that it’s a great way to get some vegetables into those perhaps less than willing to eat them on occasions (cough kids, cough!). They’re super-versatile and pair with so many great sauces, or you can just enjoy them as they are. Either way, they taste great and are easy to make

For our Crispy Cauliflower Bites, we coat them with a Batter similarly to what’s used with Fish and Chips

There are really two options when it comes to making a coating for deep frying: A Batter, or coating with Egg wash and Breadcrumbs. We’ve found for Cauliflower that you want an even coating that is a little bit thicker than you’re typical coating for Chicken. It is important that there’s a thicker layer on the Cauliflower as you want to ensure no Oil gets into the Cauliflower itself

For this reason, as well as the overall texture being amazing, we’re opting for a Batter mixture. We’ve based our batter off a typical Batter that you’d use for making Fish and Chips, only we’ve kept it even simpler. No need for adding Milk to this Batter, you can simply use Water. The use of Water keeps the Batter beautiful and light, and maintains this dish being 100% Vegan

What’s also great about using a batter is you can load it up with seasoning and spices to create your own unique flavor profiles. Simply add your favorite spices straight into the batter and give it a good mix through

For our recipe we’ve opted for a classic combination of Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, a little bit of Cayenne Pepper, and Salt of course. Cauliflower itself isn’t loaded with huge flavors, so adding flavor to the batter is the best way to infuse as much flavor as you can into the Fried Crispy Cauliflower Bites

You don’t need to cook the Cauliflower before it goes into the deep fryer

Frying the coated, raw Cauliflower in hot oil is more than enough to cook it completely through. There is perhaps a perception that Cauliflower takes a long time to cook, especially since when oven roasting it you’re looking at easily 30+ minutes for a full cook

The good news is because we’re frying these Cauliflower pieces in super-hot oil, they’re going to completely cook by the time the batter goes golden-brown and crispy. This makes this dish even easier to prepare, as you simply need to cut the Cauliflower into florets, coat them with batter and then straight into the deep fryer

We recommend having a good quality kitchen thermometer at home to monitor the temperature of the Oil

For the best result when deep frying, it’s best to monitor the Oil temperature with a thermometer. You want to always keep the temperature of the Oil around the 350F mark. This will ensure that the Oil is hot enough to achieve a beautiful, deep-fried dish, with the Cauliflower cooked perfectly by the time the batter turns golden brown

If the Oil is too hot, the Batter will cook before the Cauliflower is done. So, you’ll likely end up with either undercooked Cauliflower or burnt Batter. Either way, not an enjoyable eating experience! If the Oil is too cold, the Batter won’t seal completely when it hits the Oil, which means that the Oil will seep its way into the Cauliflower resulting in a greasy and unpleasant texture

The best thermometer to use when deep frying is a Candy Thermometer. These can be placed straight into the Oil and clip onto the side of the pot. It’ll stay submerged in the Oil the whole time, so you can always check how hot the Oil is

Always monitor the Oil temperature

An important note to remember is that once the Battered Cauliflower hit the Oil, they will reduce its temperature. So, you’ll need to crank the heat a little bit to bring the Oil back up to temperature as soon as you can to keep that temperature around 350F

We recommend avoiding overcrowding the pot, because the more Cauliflower that you add to the pot, the more the temperature will drop. The Cauliflower also tends to stick together when they’re dropped in the Oil. So, fry in batches and try to keep them separate when in the pot for the best result

Serve these delicious Crispy Cauliflower Bites with your favorite Sauce

The versatility of these Cauliflower is so much so that really any kind of sauce is going to taste great with them. Rummage around your refrigerator and pantry to see what you’ve got and try a few different options. A few favorites are Aioli, Buffalo Sauce, BBQ Sauce, and of course the classic Sweet Chili Sauce

We opted for Sweet Chili Sauce for the photos in our recipe. Mainly because it’s what we had available, but also because it looks beautiful on the plate and tastes delicious! You can’t go wrong with sauces for these Cauliflower Bites. Heck, even Ketchup is going to taste great!

If you want to go all our you can always make your own Cheese sauce from scratch. That is definitely next level, but can be done by making a simple Béchamel Sauce then adding some grated cheese at the very end

Crispy Cauliflower Bites Recipe

Ingredients

• ½ head of Cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 cup of All Purpose Flour
• ¼ cup Corn Starch
• 1 tsp. Onion Powder
• 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
• ½ tsp. Cayenne Pepper
• 1 cup of Water
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 gallon / 16 cups of Neutral Oil (Canola Oil or Vegetable Oil)
  
  

Equipment Needed: Candy Thermometer

Instructions

1. Pour the Oil into a large, heavy bottomed Pot and place over medium high heat. Heat the Oil to maintain a temperature of around 350F. We recommend using a Candy Thermometer to monitor the Oil temperature
2. While the Oil is heating, mix the AP Flour, Corn Starch, Onion Powder, Cayenne Pepper, and Salt in a small bowl. Add the Water gradually until a smooth, but slightly thick batter forms
3. Add the Cauliflower Florets to the Batter and mix well to thoroughly and evenly coat them. Carefully place the coated Cauliflower into the Oil once it’s at temperature
4. Fry the Cauliflower for about 6 minutes until they turn golden-brown. Once cooked, remove from the heat and set aside on a wire rack and immediately season with a pinch of Salt. Serve while hot with your favorite dipping sauce
   
   

Recipe Notes

• You may need to add a little more or a little less Water to the Batter. Just mix until a smooth batter forms that will easily coat the Cauliflower evenly
• We recommend using a spider strainer to add and remove the Cauliflower from the hot oil safely
  
  

We hope you enjoy our recipe for these addictively tasty Crispy Cauliflower Bites. They are a great way to turn boring old Cauliflower into a delicious meal and are perfect for feeding some hungry kids (and adults!)

For more delicious fried goodies, check out some of these tasty recipes:

• Beer Battered Fish and Chips
• Fried Pumpkin Fritters
• Crispy Coconut Shrimp
• Fried Chicken Bites
  
  

Happy Cooking!