Cauliflower is a vegetable that didn’t seem to get a lot of love before the low-carb style lifestyles hit the scene. Now it’s regularly served as the star of lots of delicious low-carb favorites, especially as a look-alike substitute for rice and potatoes. I’ve tried quite a few varieties of these popular low-carb cauliflower dishes and I’ve liked many of them a lot.
I always enjoy throwing some cauliflower florets into hearty vegetable stews, and other times I like to roast it with herbs then drizzle it with lots of butter. But, my favorite way to eat this stunner of a vegetable is when it’s perfectly, crispy fried!
When I was whole lot younger and still living with my parents, my mom used to deep-fry breaded cauliflower florets and we always thought it was such a weird and delicious treat. Fried cauliflower is definitely a dish I associate with my mom and I’ve always considered it one of her personal specialties. However, she told me very recently, that a woman she met from Italy many years ago was the source of her recipe for breaded cauliflower.
Lately we’ve been on a breaded food kick around my place, and I’ve thought about making my mom’s recipe for fried cauliflower more than once in the last few weeks. I just haven’t been motivated enough to get to it before now!
So, when I was thinking up recipes to share this weekend, the first recipe that came to mind was my mom’s fried cauliflower. However, I changed it up a little bit though and this is my lightened-up spin on the recipe: it’s baked in the oven and not deep-fried in oil. My mom breads her fried cauliflower in a seasoned, flour-based coating, but my oven-fried version is coated in a mixture of Italian-seasoned bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese.
I think it’s a heavenly dish whichever way it’s made.
The cauliflower florets roast to a perfect, tender crisp texture which makes for a really nice bite underneath that crunchy coating. We enjoyed this dish as an appetizer and served it with some cool, creamy ranch dressing on the side. Southern cream gravy would be another delicious dipping option for this oven-fried cauliflower.
This cauliflower dish is really versatile, and it works terrifically as a side dish served with some roasted or grilled meat. It can even be a satisfying vegetarian main!
Save this recipe on Pinterest!
Check out one my latest cooking videos and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more easy recipes and live streams!
Never miss a post or new recipe! Sign up here to have all of of my new posts delivered right to your inbox!
Crispy Oven-Fried Cauliflower
Course: Sides, vegetarianDifficulty: Easy4-6
servings15
minutes30
minutesThis delicious, Oven-Fried Cauliflower is a fantastic side dish, but I love to eat it as a meatless main dish with ranch dressing or homemade cream gravy!
Ingredients
4 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup Italian-seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (I used the canned Kraft brand)
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk or water
non-stick cooking spray (I used canola oil spray)
Directions
- Pre-heat the oven to 400°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat, and set it aside. Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, paprika, salt and pepper together in a medium-size bowl and set aside. Place a spoon next to the bowl with the bread crumbs (you’ll use this to coat the cauliflower with bread crumbs)
- In another smaller bowl, mix the egg and milk together. Set the small bowl next to the bowl with the bread crumbs. Dip the cauliflower pieces into the egg wash and briefly allow the excess to drain off. Next, moved the egg-washed cauliflower in to the bowl with the bread crumbs. Using the spoon, generously coat the cauliflower with bread crumbs. (you can also watch the video below for a full tutorial on how to prepare this recipe!)
- Place the coated cauliflower florets onto the prepared baking sheet. Continue breading the cauliflower until the baking sheet is full. Generously spray the breaded cauliflower with cooking spray and place them in the oven.
- Allow to bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and crisp.
- Serve warm with ranch dressing, ketchup or cream gravy for dipping. Enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe from A Little Fish in the Kitchen at https://alittlefishinthekitchen.com. All content on this website is owned by Marcelle G. Bolton, please contact the author for permission to republish.
Cauliflower is amazingly versatile! I’ve never tried a recipe like this one and it sounds delicious! I even make Ranch dressing from my own mix, in which I use herbs I’ve grown myself, so that’s even more appetizing. It just so happens that I have a head of cauliflower in the refrigerator. I bought it not knowing what I was going to do with it, but now I do!
Yum, your cauliflower looks crispy and delicious.
This is such a good idea! I need to try this! Bet the Parmesan gives it a great flavour.
These oven-fried cauliflowerettes look delightful, Marcelle! Looking forward to try them soon 🙂
Its like grown-up tenders for adults! Looks delicious.
Veva
i've never tried fried cauliflower, but i've had it baked, and i love it! this is an every-person-pleasing recipe!!
I love this recipe- I could eat this as a side dish or a main meal for sure!
Hi David, thank you! I hope you all like it if you try it! 🙂
Marcelle – I love when you can bake vs. fry – so much healthier and, honestly, less mess! You know from my posts that I love cauliflower, so I can't wait to try yours! David
Thank you, Cheri!
Hi Marcelle, love how you prepared the cauliflower, looks amazing, love the coating.
Hi there, Angie! Thank you! 🙂
Hi, Liz thank you! I hope you all enjoy them 🙂
I always love cauliflower! These bites look so delicious with Parm flavoured coating.
Marcelle, this oven fried cauliflower will have to be on our menu soon! It's similar to a dish I make but your coating with the powdered Parm makes such a lovely fine breading. It looks fabulous!!!