This air fryer cauliflower recipe is a delicious side dish or appetizer perfectly flavored with sriracha sauce and effortless to make. Air fry the cauliflower florets until nice and crispy on the outside, and enjoy these fantastic little bites.
Looking for delicious cauliflower side dish ideas? Try my cauliflower rice paired with my smothered pork chops or ranch pork chop recipes.
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⭐Spicy cauliflower bites
This recipe stands out thanks to sriracha sauce and the bold spicy flavor is one of my favorites. The cauliflower florets turn into a crispy delicious, vibrant side dish in a matter of minutes with very minimal effort. And everybody in my family loves it!
Since this is a base recipe, you can easily create endless variations of cauliflower bites. See my notes below on popular variations like buffalo cauliflower bites, cauliflower taco bites, and cauliflower ranch bites.
If you have kids, this is a perfect mid-afternoon snack. It's a fun way to get them to eat veggies.
🍽 What you need
You only need three ingredients for this recipe. And, of course, an Air Fryer. These cute, healthy treats also make great appetizers for guests to snack on. It's crispy, attractive, and downright delicious.
Essential tools
- Air fryer
Ingredients
- 1 small or medium head of cauliflower
- ½ cup homemade mayonnaise
- ⅛ cup sriracha sauce
Seasonings
The trick to cauliflower recipes is lifting the flavor to give them that extra oomph. So be adventurous and pair up your favorite seasonings. In this crispy air fryer cauliflower recipe, we used mayo and sriracha sauce.
I use chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and some curry powder when I want to add a little flair to my air fryer cauliflower. You can also sprinkle some parmesan cheese to add a pleasant kick to your taste buds.
🔪 How to make
This cauliflower appetizer is effortless to make, and it's perfect for game day, thanks to its spicy kick. Plus, it tastes a lot like buffalo wings, although a much healthier version.
Step 1
Start by cutting the cauliflower into florets, then break the large ones into bite-sized pieces. The pieces shouldn't be too small, though.
Step 2
Mix the mayo and the sriracha sauce in a deep mixing bowl or even glass. This combo gives the cauliflower that lovely crisp, tasty finish.
Step 3
Dip each piece of cauliflower into the sauce mixture, toss until well coated.
Step 4
Shake off the excess and place the pieces one at a time in the air fryer basket. For best results, please place them in a single layer. Resist the temptation to stack the pieces on each other or overload the basket. Cook in batches instead. Also, to avoid the florets sticking to the air fryer basket, line the bottom of the basket with parchment paper.
Step 5
When the basket is full, place it into the fryer and set it to 350°F (176°C) and set the timer for 15 minutes.
Step 6
Pull the air fryer basket out every 5 or so minutes and give it a gentle shake to evenly cook the pieces. As the first batch is cooking, continue to coat the remaining pieces in the sauce.
Step 7
When the first batch is done allow the cauliflower bites to cool down.
Step 8
Repeat the coating process with the remaining pieces of cauliflower. A small to medium head of cauliflower should take two batches.
Serve and enjoy your air fryer cauliflower!
💭 Top Tips
- Sprinkle salt and pepper after dipping the florets into the sauce for extra flavor.
- I prefer using fresh cauliflower in all my recipes, but if you have frozen cauliflower on hand, use it. Thawing isn't even necessary; coat the florets with some olive oil spray or cooking spray. This helps the spices to stick. So if you're planning to spice up your cauliflower florets, don't skip this step.
- You may want to double the mayo and sriracha sauce you use depending upon the size of the cauliflower or if you're going to serve some on the side for dipping. Just maintain the ratio of ½ cup to ⅛ cup. If you want to make more than one batch of these, I recommend that you chop the head cauliflower ahead of time and use a plastic zipper bag to coat the pieces.
- I didn't use oil in this recipe but go ahead and use some if desired. Olive oil works great for this cauliflower air fryer recipe. Its robust flavor infused with the spicy, creamy sweet sauce will add a new dimension to your favorite appetizer. If you don't have it on hand, butter, avocado oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil are great substitutes. However, you will not get the depth of flavor olive oil brings to the table.
- If you don't have an air fryer, bake instead. Coat your cauliflower florets with sauce, then set the oven to 400° F. Arrange the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook for about 15 minutes, flip, then bake for another 5 or so minutes until crispy or golden brown. If you want ultra-crispy air fryer cauliflower, set the oven to high broil and cook for about 2 minutes or until nicely browned.
📋 Variations
As mentioned earlier, you can incorporate this basic crispy air fried cauliflower into various tasty variations. Here are a few ideas;
Buffalo Cauliflower Air Fryer
This buffalo cauliflower recipe is just as tasty and straightforward. Swap the sriracha sauce for the buffalo sauce. Homemade buffalo sauce tastes way better than the store-bought ones, and it only requires a handful of ingredients.
In a pan, melt ½ cup unsalted butter over medium heat. Remove from heat, then add:
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1½ tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- ⅔ Frank's red hot sauce
- salt to taste
Whisk until smooth, and your sauce is ready!
You can also add a bit of honey to balance the tangy, spicy flavor. The best about this sauce is that you can use it in so many ways - dips for vegetables, chicken and potatoes recipes, pizza crust, and so much more.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Tacos
How about you substitute the crispy cauliflower for some spicy air-fried cauliflower tacos? If you're on a low-carb diet or vegan, you'll love this lick-your-fingers goodness. Swap the sriracha for my Keto taco seasoning, and you'll have taco cauliflower bites.
Air Fryer Cauliflower Ranch
I'll admit, I've had my fair share of cool ranch Doritos over the years. Although, I make an effort to make homemade seasoning and dips for my family and guests. In this case, my homemade ranch seasoning combined with mayonnaise and air-fried is a real treat.
🥗 Paring Ideas
This cauliflower air fryer goes wonderfully well with just about anything. Here are a few of my favorites;
- Bacon-wrapped chicken - if you crave something meaty, this juicy and flavorful recipe is a great partner for both air-fried and roasted cauliflower.
- Mexican Pork Chops - pork chops are an excellent accompaniment for crispy air fryer cauliflower. Everybody will love this combo.
- Chicken wings - you can never go wrong with chicken wings and some perfectly spiced cauliflower prepared in the air fryer.
👪 Serving size
This crispy air fryer cauliflower recipe makes 4 servings. The tangy-sweet dipping sauce with a hint of garlic plus the crispy exterior makes it a delightful treat that everyone can enjoy. So if you're looking for the perfect finger food to serve your guests or kids, this recipe is right up your alley. It's delicious, healthy, and a breeze to make.
Plus, you can customize it to make finger-licking air fryer cauliflower wings or some air-fried tacos cauliflower bites. And the best part is that you can pair it with just about anything.
Air frying benefits
- Real Tasty: create delicious recipes that the whole family will enjoy. Who doesn't like healthy "fried" foods?
- Real Healthy: reduces the amount of fat in the food by 75% means healthier versions of otherwise unhealthy foods. Thinks french fries, sliders, wings, and more!
- Real Simple: easy to use, convenient, no smoke, less mess and easy cleanup.
Popular air fryers
Air fryers have exploded in popularity in 2021. Everyone is looking for easy ways to recreate restaurant-quality meals.
Cosori Air Fryer currently holds #1 and #2 on Amazon's best sellers list. And while I'm not trying to sell you an air fryer, this means something. This also happens to be the most wished-for Air Fryer as of 2021.
If you are loyal to specific brands, here are a few more top air fryer brands:
The Philips air fryer is pretty much ready to use right out of the box. You need to wash the cooking pan in warm soapy water first, but otherwise, it's ready to go. Set the mesh bottom into the basket, set the basket in the pan, add your food, and fry!
Looking for more appetizer ideas? Check out my whole roasted cauliflower recipe next.
📋 Recipe
Air Fryer Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 small or medium head of cauliflower
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ⅛ cup sriracha sauce
Instructions
- Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces. Not too small though.
- Mix the mayo and the sriracha together and pour it into a small bowl with tall sides or even a glass.
- Dunk each piece of cauliflower into the sauce, coating it fully.
- Shake the excess sauce off each piece and place in the fryer basket. The pieces can touch each other but place them in a single layer.
- When the basket is full, place it into the fryer.
- Set the fryer temperature to 350°F (176°C) and set the timer for 15 minutes.
- Every couple of minutes, pull the basket out and shake it so move the pieces around and ensure they cook on all sides.
- While the first batch is cooking, continue to coat the remaining pieces in the sauce.
- When the first batch is done, remove the pieces and place on parchment paper to cool.
- Repeat with the remaining pieces of cauliflower. A small to medium head of cauliflower should take two batches.
Notes
- Sprinkle salt and pepper after dipping the florets into the sauce for extra flavor.
- I prefer using fresh cauliflower in all my recipes, but if you have frozen cauliflower on hand, just use it. Thawing isn't even necessary; just coat the florets with some olive oil spray or cooking spray. This helps the spices to stick. So if you're planning to spice up your cauliflower florets, don't skip this step.
- You may need or want to double the mayo and sriracha sauce you use depending upon the size of the cauliflower or if you want to serve some on the side for dipping. Just maintain the ratio of ½ cup to ⅛ cup. If you want to make more than one batch of these, I recommend that you chop the head cauliflower ahead of time and use a plastic zipper bag to coat the pieces.
- I didn't use oil in this recipe but go ahead and use some if desired. Olive oil works great for this cauliflower air fryer recipe. Its robust flavor infused with the spicy creamy sweet sauce will add a new dimension to your favorite appetizer. If you don't have it on hand, butter, avocado oil, canola oil or vegetable oil are great substitutes. However, you will not get the depth of flavor olive oil brings to the table.
- If you don't have an air fryer, bake instead. Coat your cauliflower florets with sauce then set the oven to 400° F. Arrange the cauliflower pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cook for about 15 minutes, flip, then bake for another 5 or so minutes until crispy or golden brown. If you want ultra-crispy air fryer cauliflower, simply set the oven to high broil and cook for about 2 minutes or until nicely browned.
Air Fryer - Sriracha Cauliflower Appetizer Bites recipe originally published February 1, 2018 and improved with updated images and content on Jun 2021.
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