Air-Fryer Cauliflower Recipe

As a child, I used to be disgusted by cauliflower. I would insist on eradicating it from my plate earlier than even contemplating the remainder of my meal. I do know I did not give the vegetable a good shake, however then once more, the one cauliflower I knew was bland, pale, faintly sulfurous, and almost all the time both under- or overcooked.

It wasn’t till maturity that I discovered the thrill of nutty, wealthy, roasted cauliflower. Roasting it at a excessive temperature creates a crisp exterior with a young—however not mushy—inside. The excessive warmth additionally ensures that these disagreeable sulfurous compounds do not type. Right this moment, cauliflower is a staple in my dinner rotation: It’s simple to make, pairs effectively with nearly the whole lot, and may be dressed up with a favourite seasoning mix, recent herbs, or a easy sauce I have already got available. 

On a busy weeknight, my favourite strategy to roast cauliflower is in my air fryer. I simply press a couple of buttons, and the air fryer is able to go. There’s a cause why the equipment is such a preferred powerhouse: It’s mainly a tiny convection oven that circulates air effectively to advertise browning on meals, which is why it’s so nice at rapidly and completely roasting greens.

Although cooking cauliflower within the air fryer isn’t difficult, there are a couple of suggestions and tips that can assist you make flavorful cauliflower that’s each crisp and tender. We requested seasoned recipe developer Julia Levy to methodically take a look at air-fryer–roasted cauliflower by cooking batch after batch till she’d perfected the method. Right here’s what it’s essential to know.

Ideas for Making Nice Air-Fryer Cauliflower

Minimize into evenly sized florets. Preserving all of the florets roughly two inches in dimension creates extra floor space for crisping, whereas additionally permitting for extra uniform cooking. Cutting up cauliflower into florets is comparatively simple, simply make certain to take away the fibrous heart core, then reduce with the pure branching system of the florets to reduce waste.

Add moisture earlier than cooking. In her air-fryer roasted broccoli recipe, Genevieve factors out that for completely roasted broccoli, maintain moisture at a minimal, however with roasting cauliflower, the other is true. Cauliflower and broccoli look related at first, and the aim is similar while you’re roasting them in your air-fryer—candy nuttiness from browning and caramelization—however cauliflower is denser than broccoli, and must be handled in a different way to attain florets which are tender inside and crisp and on the skin.

To cook dinner, taste, and crisp up the cauliflower within the air fryer, we discovered that tossing it with oil and water does the trick. Oil and water collectively may appear counterintuitive, however here is what occurs: The water steams the dense vegetable initially to melt it, and when the water evaporates, the oil supplies optimum warmth switch for browning. The result’s cauliflower that’s creamy on the inside and evenly crisped exterior.

Crank up the warmth. As with different brassicas, excessive warmth is what you are after right here with the intention to get probably the most taste out of cauliflower. 

Maintain it easy or costume it up. Whereas crispy air-fryer cauliflower is improbable with nothing greater than a sprinkle of salt and the oil it’s cooked in, it’s additionally an amazing canvas on your favourite seasonings. Gussy it up with a mix of Madras-style curry powder, garlic powder, and cumin earlier than roasting, end it with a mix of recent herbs and lemon, or toss it with a simple Buffalo-style scorching sauce. See the Variations part under the recipe for detailed concepts on dressing up your air-fryer cauliflower. You can even incorporate the cooked cauliflower right into a quiche or salad or toss your favourite pasta with it. Personally? I like to show mine right into a heat salad with a zesty lemon vinaigrette.