Easy air fryer cauliflower seasoned with garlic, oregano, and smoked paprika!
A quick, delicious, and healthy vegetable side dish, or a tasty addition to salads and buddha bowls.
These air fryer cauliflower florets are golden and crispy on the outside and tender and soft in the middle! The perfect addition to your favourite family meals, particularly roast chicken or slow cooker roast beef!
Check out my eBook⭐Easy Air Fryer Recipes⭐ which includes 20 straightforward and easy-to-follow recipes for your air fryer. You'll be a pro at air fryer cooking in no time! Don't miss out, get your copy today!
👩🍳 Love air fryer vegetables? Try my easy air fryer parsnips next!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Easy air fryer vegetable side dish.
- Crispy on the outside, tender in the middle.
- Vary the seasonings.
- Tastes like roasted cauliflower.
- Ready in just 15 minutes.
🛒 Ingredient notes
Cauliflower - You'll need one medium cauliflower. Remove the leaves, cut off the stalk, and then break the cauliflower into florets. Cut large florets in half to ensure even cooking.
Olive Oil - use a light olive oil or vegetable oil.
Seasonings - garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper.
🥄 Equipment
Which air fryer? I use the Ninja Foodi 5.8 litre Grill and Air Fryer with 4 customisable cooking functions including air fry, roast, bake, and dehydrate!
What is an air fryer?
Air fryers are small(ish) kitchen appliances that operate like a convection oven—except in a smaller, more concentrated space.
The air is circulated at a high temperature and evenly around the food, which makes the food cook more quickly than in a conventional oven and helps give foods a crispy coating without the need for lots of oil and fat.
🔪 How to air fry cauliflower
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the prepared cauliflower florets in a large bowl and stir in the olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix until the cauliflower florets are coated.
Two: Air fry at 200C (400F) for 12-15 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Flip the florets with tongs every 3-4 minutes.
💭 Expert tips
- Make sure the cauliflower florets are in a single layer in the air fryer basket to ensure they cook evenly. Depending on what size air fryer you have, you may need to air fry the cauliflower in several batches.
- Keep a close eye on the cauliflower as it can burn quite easily. Turn each floret regularly to prevent this from happening.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the air-fried cauliflower with regular roast dinners (try my slow cooker roast beef, slow cooker lamb breast, and air fryer whole chicken!), alongside other vegetable sides such as cheesy leeks and slow cooker red cabbage.
Or, why not add them to salads (beetroot and goats cheese for example), buddha bowls, or eat them cold with your favourite dips.
📖 Variations
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the cauliflower before air frying for an air fryer cauliflower cheese!
- Coat the cauliflower in panko breadcrumbs before roasting it in the air fryer.
- Add some broccoli for air fryer cauliflower and broccoli.
- Use different seasonings. Indian spices like cumin and turmeric work well with cauliflower.
- Like food spicy? Sprinkle over chilli flakes at the end of cooking.
🥡 Storage
The roasted cauliflower is best eaten fresh, straight out of the air fryer.
Store: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat: In the air fryer at 180C for 3 minutes, in the oven, or in a microwave. They can also be eaten cold or at room temperature.
Freeze: Not suitable for home freezing due to the high moisture content of cauliflower.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Frozen cauliflower purchased in the freezer section of the supermarket have been prepared in a way that allows them to be cooked from frozen in an air fryer. You may need to add an additional 1-2 minutes to the cooking time.
Most air fryer models have a preheat function before adding food. This ensures the air fryer is up to the correct temperature.
😋 More air fryer sides
- Air Fryer Asparagus
- Air Fryer Corn on the Cob
- Air Fryer Green Beans
- Air Fryer Radishes
- Air Fryer Broccoli Parmesan
- Air Fryer Parsnips
- Air Fryer Butternut Squash
- Air Fryer Baby Carrots
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Recipe
Easy Air Fryer Cauliflower
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower leaves and stalk removed, broken into florets
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 200°C (400F).
- Place the prepared cauliflower florets in a large bowl and stir in the olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix until the cauliflower florets are coated.1 Cauliflower, 1 tablespoon Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper, ¼ teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika, ½ teaspoon Oregano
- Air fry at 200C (400F) for 12-15 minutes until crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. Flip the florets with tongs every 3-4 minutes
Notes
- Make sure the cauliflower florets are in a single layer in the air fryer basket to ensure they cook evenly. Depending on what size air fryer you have, you may need to air fry the cauliflower in several batches.
- Keep a close eye on the cauliflower as it can burn quite easily. Turn each floret regularly to prevent this from happening.
- Sprinkle grated Parmesan over the cauliflower before air frying for an air fryer cauliflower cheese!
- Coat the cauliflower in panko breadcrumbs before roasting it in the air fryer.
- Add some broccoli for air fryer cauliflower and broccoli.
- Use different seasonings. Indian spices like cumin and turmeric work well with cauliflower.
- Like food spicy? Sprinkle over chilli flakes at the end of cooking.
Sue
Love how crispy the florets became. A delicious air fryer cauliflower recipe!