This Air Fried Cauliflower recipe is an easy and delicious vegetarian dish that goes with just about anything. With just a handful of ingredients, you can roast cauliflower for a tasty and healthy vegetable side dish with little effort and wonderful flavor. If you don’t have an Instant Pot air fryer or air fryer lid, you can use a traditional air fryer or bake them in the oven.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables. I used to make it on the stove for the longest time but once I started roasting cauliflower, I’ve rarely cooked it on the stove.
I often make it in the oven but when I roast cauliflower in the air fryer it’s faster and it comes out crispier than in the oven. One advantage to doing it in the oven is you can make a larger quantity.
I use an Instant Pot air fryer to make this recipe but I also make it in my Cosori air fryer.
Air fryer cauliflower would go well with air fryer pork chops, air fryer chicken 65, peri peri chicken, or Jamaican jerk chicken. A couple of other easy side dish ideas include air fryer brussel sprouts or air fryer roasted potatoes.
You may also want to check out my other air fryer recipes like frozen french fries, chicken wings, or desserts such as almond cake and pound cake.
Tips for Success
How to Prevent Sticking
To keep the cauliflower from sticking, liberally coat the air fryer basket with vegetable oil.
You can either spray the oil on or apply it using a paper towel. If using a spray, don’t use the canned oil spray, but instead use an oil spray mister that can be filled with oil. [Read More: Go to the section Air Fryer Tips in my guide on how to use the Instant Pot Duo Crisp]
It is also important to make sure that the cauliflower is dried really well before applying the oil and seasonings. If the cauliflower is wet, it won’t get as crisp.
Using your hands to apply the oil and spices to the cauliflower is the best way to get maximum coverage. Wear some gloves or be sure to wash your hands really well afterward!
Cutting the Cauliflower
To cut the cauliflower, first cut the head into quarters. Then cut off the stem from each quarter. Separate the florets with your hands. Cut any large florets in half or quarters to make the sizes even. Get more information on how to cut a cauliflower.
Spices
The recipe gives you the seasonings that I often use when I make roasted cauliflower. When I want something spicier and with more of an Indian flavor, I add the following spices:
- 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
Here are some other ideas for seasonings. Just watch out for the salt content. Each brand is different:
FAQS
Yes, the cauliflower can be stacked – they don’t have to be in a single layer. However, don’t overpack the basket because the air won’t be able to circulate to crisp up the pieces. Feel free to shake up the florets a couple of times while air frying.
Yes, you can use the same timing and temperature to make Instant Pot air fryer cauliflower using the air fryer lid.
Use a nonstick spatula to gently move the pieces. Sometimes letting cauliflower cook for a few more minutes to caramelize it loosens it. You can also line the basket with parchment paper or aluminum foil to prevent sticking next time.
You can purchase parchment rounds with pre-cut holes but if you don’t have them, make sure you poke holes in parchment or foil to allow for circulation.
Yes, you can cook from frozen, without thawing, but you may need to increase the cooking time by a few minutes. I prefer to use fresh cauliflower but frozen is still pretty good, in a pinch. The key is to shake the florets more frequently. They will be softer than when you make them fresh.
It could be because the pieces were cut too small or your air fryer runs hotter. The next time you air fry cauliflower, check on it a few minutes before the time’s up to see if it’s browning too quickly and decrease the cooking time if necessary. Different air fryers may have slight variations, so you have to find a time and temperature that works for you.
If you’re using the Duo Crisp, Pro Crisp, or Instant Pot air fryer lid, they have a built-in preheat time. If your air fryer doesn’t have a built-in preheat, preheat for 4 minutes before adding the cauliflower.
Overcrowding the air fryer can result in soggy or undercooked food. It depends on the capacity of your air fryer. Some air fryers can accommodate more food.
If you need to air fry double the quantity, you can do it in two batches.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
Air Fried Cauliflower – Ingredients
- Cauliflower
- Salt
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Oil
Ingredient quantities are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to make cauliflower in the air fryer (step by step instructions for Duo Crisp model)
- Season the cauliflower
- Place cauliflower in air fryer
- Program the air fryer
- Remove lid partway through cooking to shake up the cauliflower
- Shake the cauliflower and continue cooking
- Remove lid after cooking is complete
- Transfer cauliflower
Season the cauliflower
- Mix paprika, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powders together in a small bowl.
- Dry the cauliflower thoroughly and rub oil all over.
- Coat the cauliflower with the seasonings, making sure all surfaces are covered.
Place cauliflower in air fryer
- Spray the air fryer basket liberally with vegetable oil.
- Transfer the cauliflower into the air fryer basket.
- Put on the air fryer lid.
Program the Air Fryer
- Press the Air Fry Button.
- Press Temp + or – until the temperature says 400F.
- Press the Time + or – until the time says 00:16.
- Press Start.
- The display will say On, and once it has heated up, it will start counting down from 00:16 to 00:00.
If you’re using another model of air fryer, press the Shake button if available. This allows you to turn the food halfway through cooking. If your air fryer doesn’t have this feature, set a timer to turn the food at the halfway point.
Remove lid partway through cooking to turn the food
- Partway through air frying, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will say Turn Food.
- Lift the air fryer lid and place it on the protective pad.
Shake cauliflower and continue cooking
- Using silicone gloves, lift the basket and shake the cauliflower. If you find that the cauliflower is sticking to the bottom, use a nonstick spatula to gently lift up the cauliflower pieces.
- Close the lid.
- Cooking will automatically continue.
Remove lid after cooking is complete
- When the timer runs down, the Instant Pot will beep and the display will say End.
- Lift the air fryer lid and place it on the protective pad.
- If the food’s not cooked to your liking, program the Instant Pot to air fry for another few minutes.
Transfer cauliflower
- Transfer the cauliflower to a serving dish.
Oven Instructions for Roasted Cauliflower
To make this recipe in the oven:
- Stir together all the dry spices.
- Dry the cauliflower and coat the pieces with oil.
- Apply the seasoning all over until evenly coated.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Coat surface with oil.
- Lay the cauliflower on the prepared baking sheet.
- Flip the pieces halfway through cooking
- Bake for 25 minutes or until cooked through.
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Air Fried Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower about 1.5 to 2 lbs of florets
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil or olive oil
Instructions
Air Fryer Instructions
- Make sure the cauliflower is completely dry. This is an important step.
- Mix the paprika, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powders in a small bowl.
- Rub the cauliflower florets with oil. Sprinkle spice mix all over the cauliflower and toss them up to get the evenly coated. Or use your hand to rub the spices all over. Wear kitchen gloves or wash your hands really well afterwards.
- If using the Instant Pot air fryer, place the metal rack in the basket. Place the air fryer basket in the air fryer and preheat at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 5 minutes.
- Grease the basket. You can either use a paper towel soaked with oil or an oil sprayer. Don't use canned aerosol oil as that can harm the coating of the air fryer basket.
- Place the cauliflower in the basket, close the air fryer, and air fry cauliflower for 15 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- If you are using an Instant Pot air fryer, partway through cooking, the display says turn Food. If you are using an air fryer without this feature, set a timer to shake the basket 7 minutes into the cooking process.
- Shake up the cauliflower, close the air fryer and continue cooking.
- When the cooking time is up, open the air fryer and check to see if the cauliflower is cooked enough. If not, air fryer for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Press Cancel and transfer the cauliflower to a serving plate.
Oven Instructions *
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Make sure the cauliflower is completely dry. This is an important step.
- Mix the paprika, salt, pepper, onion, and garlic powders in a small bowl.
- Rub the cauliflower florets with oil. Sprinkle spice mix all over the cauliflower and toss them up to get them evenly coated. Or use your hand to rub the spices all over. Wear kitchen gloves or wash your hands really well afterward.
- Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper and coat with oil.
- Spread the cauliflower on the baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Flip the pieces halfway through cooking.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a serving plate.
Notes
- Cooking time can vary based on the air fryer model and quantity of cauliflower. At the 14-minute mark, check the cauliflower to see if it’s cooked through.
- * If baking in the oven, the recipe can be doubled or tripled.
- See the blog post for more detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
Thank you for visiting Paint the Kitchen Red. All photos and content are copyright protected. Please don’t use any content without prior written permission. If you’ve made this recipe and would like to share it with your friends, please link back to this recipe. Thank you!
I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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Ally
Love the recipe with a few changes. I added curry powder and used parchment paper. Will definitely make again.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for sharing, Ally! Glad to hear you like the recipe.