Air Fryer Cauliflower With Teriyaki Sauce

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These Air Fryer cauliflower wings have that perfect crispy texture and roasted flavor you’re looking for, along with the sweet and savory deliciousness of the teriyaki sauce.

If you love roasting cauliflower, you definitely need to give this easy recipe a try.

The seasoned cauliflower florets are air fried until crispy, and then tossed in a delicious savory sauce that’ll take your taste buds on a ride.

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What I Love About the Recipe

My favorite part about this crispy cauliflower recipe is the fact that it is actually healthier than most other fried cauliflower recipes out there, since I use the Air Fryer to make it.

You’ll be amazed at how easily you can transform this healthy vegetable into a wickedly delicious side dish or even a main dish if you want to.

Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe Cooking Times

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients For the Air Fryer Cauliflower Recipe

Cauliflower: I used a whole cauliflower head for this recipe.

Panko breadcrumbs: Panko bread crumbs form a nice crust on the cauliflower florets, which when air fried, form a nice crispy crust.

Milk: I’ve used soy milk to create a slurry for the cauliflower florets.

Flour: Flour, when mixed with soy milk, turns into a nice coating for the cauliflower florets.

Seasonings: I used a simple seasoning blend of onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper for this recipe.

Ginger: I used a small piece of fresh ginger for the teriyaki sauce.

Garlic: Garlic is another must have for the teriyaki sauce. If you don’t have fresh garlic, use garlic powder.

Brown sugar: Brown sugar lends a nice touch of sweetness to the sauce.

Soy sauce: Soy sauce brings some delicious umami flavors to the Air Fryer cauliflower.

Honey: Honey lends the teriyaki sauce into a nice glaze-like finish.

Sesame seeds: I love topping my Asian foods in some sesame seeds. They really add to the beauty of the dish and lend it some crunch factor too.

Scallions: Chopped scallions bring a nice element of freshness to the dish.

Cornstarch: Cornstarch is optional, and can be used to create a slurry, which can make the teriyaki sauce nice and saucy.

How to Make the Air Fryer Cauliflower

Got all your ingredients ready? Here’s what you’ll need to do next to make the crispy Air Fryer cauliflower.

Step 1: Make Cauliflower Florets

Start by cutting the cauliflower into florets. Preheat Air Fryer.

Step 2: Prepare the Coating

In a large bowl, add the milk, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Whisk until well combined.

Step 3: Coat the Fresh Cauliflower in the Coating and Roll in Panko Bread Crumbs

Add your cauliflower florets to the bowl with milk and cover all florets. Then put your cauliflower in the panko crumbs and make sure all florets are covered with the panko.

Step 4: Air Fry Cauliflower Until Golden Brown

Place the florets in the Air Fryer in a single layer. Air fry for 20 minutes on 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5: Make Teriyaki Sauce

While the cauliflower is cooking, make your teriyaki sauce.

Add the water, soy sauce, brown sugar, honey, minced garlic, minced ginger in a sauce pan and cook on medium high heat until the water has evaporated and the sauce becomes thicker.

This can take about 10-15 minutes.

Step 6: Pour Sauce Over the Air Fried Cauliflower

Once the cauliflower florets are cooked, pour the teriyaki sauce over the florets and garnish with sliced scallions and sesame seeds. Serve immediately.

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Recipe

While making Air Fryer cauliflower is super easy, you might want to keep these additional tips and tricks in mind too.

While Air Fryers are designed to make the cauliflower crisp without any oil or fat needed, I would recommend drizzling a bit of olive oil over the cauliflower when you add it to the Air Fryer basket to make it even more crispy.
If you don’t have olive oil, you could always use some avocado oil or any other cooking oil of your choice.
Just like most other Air Fryer recipes, remember to toss the contents of the basket halfway through the cooking process.
While I would highly recommend using fresh cauliflower for air frying, you can also choose to use frozen cauliflower if you want to.
If you have any leftover cauliflower that you want to store for later, just allow it to cool down before you transfer it to an airtight container.
This can be refrigerated for 2-3 days, and then reheated in the Air Fryer.

More Recipe Variations to Try

You can add some more heat to the air fried cauliflower by adding some chili powder and lemon juice into the coating mixture.

Smoked paprika can be another great addition to pick.

You can also use a mix of curry powder and smoked paprika in the coating and air fry the cauliflower to turn it into a nice Indian Air Fryer cauliflower that can be an incredible side dish.

Can I Prep the Recipe in Advance?

You totally can!

You can prepare the teriyaki sauce days in advance and refrigerate it.

Then, all you need do is cook the cauliflower in the Air Fryer when you want to and toss it in the sauce.

How Can I Serve Air Fryer Cauliflower?

You can serve this Air Fryer cauliflower with any tasty dipping sauce of your choice.

I personally love teaming the crispy cauliflower with some sour cream, ranch dressing or even some hot sauce.

You can also top the cooked cauliflower with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese and some chopped fresh parsley right before you serve.

If you don’t have Parmesan cheese, you can top the tasty cauliflower with almost any other shredded cheese of your choice.

You could also drizzle some fresh lemon juice or lime juice over the top if you want to for some extra vitamin C.

More Delicious Recipe Ideas

If you enjoyed making this easy Air Fryer cauliflower recipe, and are inspired to try some more Air Fryer recipes or just other delicious recipes in general, here are a few good ideas.