Air Fryer Cauliflower

Crispy air fryer cauliflower bites or cauliflower steaks are really easy to make in your Ninja Foodi or other machine. Healthy and full of flavor it’s a great vegetable side dish or snack. 

Ninja Air Fryer Cauliflower

If you have a Ninja Foodi machine it is really handy because you can air crisp (directions below) using the lid that is attached to make your vegetables a bit crispy on the edges or use the other lid to make pressure cooker whole cauliflower.

OH MY was this even better than I could have even imagined. Cut into bite size florets tossed with Old Bay and other seasonings makes this a healthy side dish we all love.

This one is simple but you could add some heat to make it spicy with our air fryer cauliflower wings recipe too. Both are great and I rotate between them rather often to change things up for dinner.

If you have never cooked this veggie before this way it brings YUM to a whole new level. Yes you can slather butter or make slow cooker cheesy cauliflower but really simple can be delicious too if you make it right.

Ingredient Notes

You want to start with a medium sized head of cauliflower should be medium sized, with the bottom stem and leaves removed. From there use a small pairing knife almost to pop off the larger florets and cut those in half or thirds so they are equal sized.

Olive oil, or avocado oil is a good alternative too if you prefer something different. Old Bay seasoning is something I use often on veggies as well as seafood. It offers a deep Lawry’s type of flavoring.

Garlic salt is a seasoning I use with the basics of salt and pepper for additional flavors but use your favorites.

Minced garlic can be jarred or from fresh, dice into small almost minced sizes so it coats each piece well in your mixing bowl when you add the cauliflower with the oil so it sticks with the seasonings.

If you wanted to add some spicy heat I would suggest a pinch of red pepper flakes. Another choice for this might be chili powder or even a drizzle of sriracha.

Can you use frozen cauliflower?

I prefer fresh for sure but yes, you can. Just: For some you would want to use higher heat so they don’t have a chance to get soggy. Choose olive oil spray as opposed to bottled because it will stick better. Then season accordingly. You can follow our air fryer frozen cauliflower recipe for accurate steps.

How Long to Cook Cauliflower in Air Fryer

Whether you cook from frozen or fresh it will take about 30 minutes to prep and cook so keep that in mind when making your whole meal. Time it so the last 15 minutes of your main dish finishing that you put this in for perfectly roasted cauliflower. It is best served right out of the air fryer basket.

How do you prepare cauliflower to air fry?

You’ll want to remove the green leaves and hard stem first. Then use a knife and cut the florets off. The smaller the pieces the more tender they will get. You do want to make sure they are all about the same size for even cooking. Then prep with a bit of oil and seasonings of your choice. And when you air fry everything you want to preheat air fryer to 400 degrees beforehand too!

This is by far one of our favorite low carb recipes we’ve made. I mean yes, Instant Pot side dishes are great too but you don’t get those crispy edges on your vegetables that I love.

Tips

When you are making air fryer vegetables shaking the basket is an important step, or you could use a wooden spoon to flip pieces over every 5 minutes or so throughout the cook time. This will give all sides and areas to get nice and crispy. Cut head into bite size cauliflower florets. Equal sizes is helpful to cook evenly.

I hope we have shown you that in this post. Not only should you now understand how to air fry cauliflower, but a bunch of other ideas too. From vegetables, to steak, and even frozen foods like air fryer frozen tater tots, they always come out better without oil.

More Cauliflower recipes

If you don’t have an air fryer you can make oven roasted spicy cauliflower recipe. Instant Pot cauliflower soup is cheesy and great too. Steaming a head with just some butter, salt and pepper is a simple and easy option everyone can do.

What are the health benefits?

A head of cauliflower is a vegetable that is naturally high in fiber and vitamin B. It provides antioxidants that can protect against cancer which is great. The fiber enhances weight loss and healthy digestion. It contains choline as well which is essential for learning and memory, as well as other important nutrients.