Menu

Crunchy Cauliflower Recipe

February 12, 2022   21 Comments

This crunchy cauliflower recipe is your go-to appetizer for the Super Bowl!

Crunchy Cauliflower Recipe

I have been criticized for my love of cauliflower but I continue to cook with it no matter what the consequences.

One of my favorite cauliflower recipes is incredibly simple – Smoky Cauliflower Recipe. All you do is roast it and add smoked paprika.

Cauliflower is a great vehicle for other flavors because it is so bland – and your family or friends might not even realize you served them something healthy.

Another favorite of mine is to turn cauliflower into alfredo sauce for pasta or whatever you want to use it for. I love how the cauliflower can taste like cheese and no one will know that you snuck in cauliflower.

My kids are sick of me sneaking cauliflower into everything (though they may be getting used to it). I don’t really think of it as sneaking. I think of it as being creative!

Cauliflower is so good for you -it is an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin K, folate, pantothenic acid, and vitamin B6 and it is low in calories and high in fiber.

It is one of those super foods that your doctor is always trying to get you to eat – and if you just treat it correctly with a little love – it isn’t a chore like some other stuff (chard – I am looking at you).

The cauliflower in this cauliflower crunch recipe needs some kind of sauce to make it work. I mixed mayo and Frank’s Red Hot but you could use a less calorie sauce such as green salsa or simply Frank’s Red Hot (which has zero calories).

Serve this as an appetizer or a snack. I love to eat this instead of potato chips when I am watching the game. You have plenty of time at half-time to toss this together and be back for the action.

Do yourself a favor and don’t tell everyone how good cauliflower is for them. They might start bugging you for deep fried mozzarella sticks if they think you are trying to serve them something that is healthy.

Crunchy Cauliflower Bites Recipe

1.6 from 24 reviews

Makes 24 bites

Print  Pin

Ingredients

1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized florets
1 cup panko bread crumbs
3 eggs, beaten

For Dipping Sauce:
2 teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot
1 tablespoon mayonnaise

Instructions

Heat oven to 400 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Dip cauliflower pieces into egg and then bread crumbs. Place on parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes until lightly browned and crunchy. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper,. Serve hot with sauce on the side.

Nutrition Facts

6 bites without sauce is 96 calories, 2.4 g fat, 0.0 g saturated fat, 14 g carbohydrates, 1.2 g sugar, 4.4 g protein, 1 g fiber, 180 mg sodium, 1 Purple, 1 Blue, 2 Green SmartPts

All of the sauce is 57 calories, 4.9 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat, 3.5 g carbohydrates, 0.9 g sugar, 0.1 g protein, 0 g fiber, 300 mg sodium, 2 Freestyle SmartPts

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

Other posts you might like:

A Buffalo Cauliflower Recipe For The Snack Girl Recipe Swap

Last month, I featured a recipe swap with carrots as the featured vegetable. Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.

Add A Little of This To Your Cauliflower

Snack Girl is forever trying to sell you cauliflower. You can never have enough cauliflower in my opinion....

Get Free Email Updates! Yes please!

21 Comments:

I'm curious: what's the difference between panko breadcrumbs and other breadcrumbs? I feel like I should know this, since I lived in Japan, but I happen never to have cooked with them!

They are super crunchy and more coarse than regular bread crumbs. Imagine croutons that you put in a dish towel and used a rolling pin to crush them but only enough to make crumbs the size of quinoa grains.

Looks tasty. And so much healthier than any bagged snack! 2 extra bites and you've had an egg. Is there an eggless way to get crumbs to stick? We are trying to not eat any fat, and especially saturated fat in our house. Maybe a mist of olive oil and panko to bake then a hot sauce-only dip? Any other ideas?

@carolyn--thank you!

BarbL - Try substituting 2 egg whites for one whole egg to avoid the fat in the yolk.

Thank you Elissa!

you could do try aquafaba in place of the egg. i have not tried it myself but learned about it on a vegan website. Evidently it is easy to make but i do not know how the moisture in the bean juice will impact the panko crunch

I am delighted to find cauliflower tator tots, cauliflower made to look like mashed potatoes in the store. My hubs detests any veggie except corn ..yuck, so I am trying to squeeze these products in to our regular dinners!

I love cauliflower so I really need to try this recipe. I love roasting veggies.

A few days ago I saw Muhammad Ali’s daughter talk about a white sauce made with cauliflower. The next day there was your recipe for the same thing! I tried it tonight in a pasta casserole, and my husband just went back for his third helping! Since it was for just the two of us, I did use my hand blender as we didn’t care if there were cauliflower pieces in it. I was surprised at how liquid it was, and how it thickened up while baking. Excellent!!!!

Hi, does the cauliflower need to be fresh? Or would Frozen work as well?

Thanks!

Amazing!!!! This was perfect to eat while everyone else was eating their snacks during the Super Bowl. Totally making this many more times!

I was half way through preparing this recipe, when I found my eggs were past their prime. I made an egg substitute out of ground flax seed and water. Turned out fine:)

@Carolyn: Thank you! Aquafaba sounds intriguing. I must experiment with it one day because I'm using garbanzos on a regular basis and discarding a lot of good juice.

@Joan: Thank you! Good to know. I've had success with flax eggs in brownies but not so much in corn bread due to taste [so the birds got that batch then I found Bob's Red Mill egg replacer which worked perfectly]. I'll definitely do a flax egg substitute for this cauliflower recipe. Always looking for ways to get some freshly ground flax seeds in me every day.

@BarbL, As for flax, I add it to oatmeal too. I prepare a big batch on the weekend, then have some every day. I add mashed bananas, soy milk, anther fruit, such as raisins, frozen blueberries,or dates, cinnamon, and top with walnuts. Works for me. Hubby takes it to work too--it helps his cholesterol.

@Joan: I'm smiling as I read your comment cuz I do exactly with my oatmeal! It's a ritual of oatmeal, flax, wheat germ, nuts, raisins, spice, fresh or frozen fruit, plant milk. I love how fruit can vary the experience. I also occasionally use brown rice farina or cold puffed rice with same toppings. We're all getting off to a good start! :)

Hello, Great post!

Amazing recipe. This dish looks yummy and healthy too. Cauliflower offers a wide variety of health benefits. Cauliflower is a rich source of vitamin B and fiber. Cauliflower contains fiber that helps with weight loss and provide a healthy digestive system. Cauliflower also contains good amount of vitamin K, which has anti-inflammatory properties. I will definitely try this recipe.

Thank you!

I tried this recipe with mushrooms. I broke off the stems of the large ones and breaded them too. Also substituted a flax egg (1 Tbsp ground flax to 2.5 Tbsp water) for each chicken egg; let stand for 5 minutes then proceed with recipe. Delish!

THANK YOU, W/ALL THE RECEIPES I HAVE USED FOR CAULIFLOWER

THIS IS JUST FABULOUS & EASY. JUST A TIP, I TELL MY FAMILY YOUNG & OLD, AFTER THEY TASTE THE FOOD WHAT IS IN THE FOOD.

At least it gives them a chance to see if they could "possible" like it. Have Safe day to all! anneippi

I'm vegan so I use a mix of plant based milk and arrowroot flour to dip cauliflower in before breading.

@Sue; Brilliant, I'll do just that. You have just given me an idea to test omitting bread crumbs altogether. Arrowroot, potato starch and corn starch may provide the crunchy on its own.

Add a comment:

(required)

(required, never published)



© 2024 Snack-Girl.com