Vegan Crispy Air Fryer Cauliflower Wings

Don’t let this cauliflower season slip by without trying this insanely delicious crispy air fryer cauliflower with the right amount of kick from paprika and a beautiful depth of flavor from garlic powder!

After watching uncountable reels of roasted cauliflower, I finally made up my mind to take matters into my own hands and whip up this air fryer cauliflower in my own beloved air fryer!

With the fresh produce of cauliflowers overflowing in the supermarkets at the moment, you gotta try new recipes with this humble and nutritious veggie this winter season!

If you are extra-fond of this vegetable just like my better half, I am sure you will love to try this crispy air fryer cauliflower if you haven’t already!

You may have had your fair share of aloo gobi; so this time give this air fryer cauliflower a go! I can guarantee you won’t regret it!

What is crispy air fryer cauliflower?

Crispy air fryer cauliflower is exactly what the name says! These are crispy florets of cauliflowers that are air fried to perfection!

Air fryer has become my best friend for a couple of years now thanks to the versatility of this gadget!

It not only uses less oil to cook food, it churns out recipes so quickly that my trusty old conventional oven is often left ignored!

Plus its user-friendliness compels us to use it more than anything else! And that’s how these air fryer cauliflower also materialized!

I have been sharing many air fryer recipes recently, but those were mostly chicken air fryer recipes; so it was high time to add some veggies in the list too!

If you have loved my air fryer potato wedges before, then these air fryer cauliflower is gonna become your second best friend, I can guarantee that!

You can serve these crispy cauliflowers with a creamy Greek yogurt dip or a hummus dip on the side and sprinkle some fresh greens of your choice to brighten things up!

Ingredients for crispy air fryer cauliflower

Cauliflower: A large head of a fresh cauliflower is what you need for your crispy air fryer cauliflower.

This is the full blown cauliflower season here in India now and we are getting the freshest produce possible.

Hence my air fryer cauliflower is appearing more than ever on our dinner table in the past few weeks, more so because of my cauliflower-loving husband!

I had to use 2 heads of cauliflower since the ones I got from my supermarket were quite small in size; and the florets significantly shrink after being baked.

You can see the size of the florets before they were air fried and how the volume had reduced afterwards.

Garlic powder: Must have seasoning for a nicely flavored crispy cauliflower. With most of my air fryer recipes, I see a consistent increase in my use of garlic powder.

That’s simply because this aromatic powder relieves us from the hassle of peeling and grating garlic cloves; also you don’t end up with burnt bits of garlic in your air-fried foods!

Red chilli powder / Paprika: Who would like a bland crispy cauliflower without any depth of flavors? Not me!

And I am sure not you either! So please sprinkle some good old paprika or our very own red chilli powder (Kashmiri or regular) to add that kick to your crispy air fryer cauliflower.

Seasoning: Since this is a very simple recipe, rightly seasoning these crispy cauliflowers is key to perfection.

If you are unsure in the beginning about how much salt would be perfect, then use a small amount in the spice rub.

After the cauliflowers are completely done, you can sprinkle a little more on top if required while the cauliflowers are still hot. That way you can avoid the risk of over-seasoning.

A fat pinch of freshly crushed black pepper will round up all the flavors perfectly in your crispy air fryer cauliflower and make it the best crispy cauliflower you ever made!

How to make crispy air fryer cauliflower?

Step 1: Prepare the spice mix by whisking together garlic powder, red chilli powder or paprika, salt and pepper in a small bowl to make an evenly mixed spice rub for your air fryer cauliflower. Set it aside.

Step 2: Cut each cauliflower head into large florets. Remove the hard stems.

Pro tip: Make sure all the florets are almost of equal size; then they will cook evenly. Otherwise, smaller florets will burn and large ones will end up uncooked.

Step 3: Take all the florets in a large mixing bowl and pour water in it covering all the florets.

Step 4: Leave the florets in water for 15 minutes to let all dirt release into water from the nooks and crannies of the florets which are difficult to wash out.

Step 5: Then transfer the florets to a colander i.e. perforated bowl to allow all excess water to drip off. Leave it there for 20 minutes.

Step 6: Transfer the florets to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle the olive oil over them and give them a stir using a spatula so that each floret is coated with the oil.

Step 7: Now sprinkle half of the prepared spice mix over the cauliflower florets. Cover the bowl using a plate and shake it nicely to coat each floret with the spice mix.

Step 8: Sprinkle the remaining half of the florets over the cauli and give a nice shake again. Your cauliflowers are now ready to be air fried.

Pro tip: I prefer to add the spice mix in 2 installments as that way the spice powders do not clot at one place.

Step 9: Brush the bottom of the air fryer basket with oil. Then preheat your air fryer at 190 C / 375 F and set the timer for 15 mins.

Step 10: Once heated, transfer the spice coated cauliflower florets to the air fryer basket and arrange them in a single layer to ensure even frying.

Pro tip: Never over-crowd your air fryer! If the basket is not big enough to hold all the florets at once, please do it in 2 batches.

Step 11: Air fry the cauliflowers for 15 minutes flipping them over half-way through (or you can give them a vigorous shake!).

Step 12: Crispy air fryer cauliflower is ready! Serve them up with a Greek yogurt dip and enjoy!

More delicious air fryer recipes from Flavor Quotient