How to Make Fried Cauliflower

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Cauliflower is a delicious, healthy vegetable that's high in fiber, nutrients, and antioxidants. Frying battered cauliflower in a pan or deep fryer is a great and easy way to enhance its flavor. With a few simple ingredients and techniques, you'll have an excellent side dish that even the pickiest eater at your table will happily gobble up.

Ingredients

Pan-Fried Cauliflower Florets

1 small cauliflower
2 eggs
¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of milk
1 cup (240 mL) of all purpose flour
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of ground pepper
pinch of ground cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
¹⁄₄ to ¹⁄₂ cup (59 to 118 mL) of olive oil

Yields 4 Servings

Deep-Fried Cauliflower

1 small head of cauliflower
1 cup (240 mL) of flour
¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of cornstarch
1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of baking powder
¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of salt
1 cup (240 mL) of water
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of hot sauce
2 cups (470 mL) of seasoned breadcrumbs
4 to 5 cups (950 to 1,180 mL) of oil for frying, safflower or other

Yields 6 Servings

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Pan-Fried Cauliflower Florets

1
Boil the whole cauliflower head. Bring a pot of water to a boil and submerge the entire cauliflower head. Let it boil for about 7-10 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your vegetables to be.^{[1]
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2
Rinse the cauliflower in cool water and chop it into florets. Use a knife to cut up the cauliflower head into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces, or roughly bite-size. Try to keep them all a similar size so that they'll fry evenly. The more flat sides your florets have, the easier you’ll find it to fry them.^{[2]
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3
Prepare 2 mixtures for the batter. In one small container, whisk together 2 eggs and ¹⁄₄ cup (59 mL) of milk. In another small container, combine 1 cup (240 mL) of flour, ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) each of salt and black pepper, and a pinch of ground cayenne pepper if you want a bit of extra spice.^{[3]
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4
Dip each cauliflower floret into the egg mixture. Use tongs or a fork to place one floret at a time into the mixture. Turn and swish the floret around to cover it generously with the egg batter.^{[4]
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5
Coat the florets in the flour mixture. After dipping a floret into the egg mixture, use the tongs to move it to the container with the flour mixture. Turn the floret in the flour until it’s well covered. Set the battered florets aside on a plate until you’re ready to fry them.^{[5]
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6
Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Heat about 2 to 4 tablespoons (30 to 59 mL) of olive oil in a large skillet. Be sure to use enough to thinly coat the bottom of the skillet!
- You'll know the oil is hot enough when it begins to shimmer.
7
Add the florets to the skillet and fry the first side for 3 minutes. Put the florets down in the hot oil without crowding them. Place the florets flat-side down if there is a flat side. Fry the first side for about 3 minutes without moving the florets around.^{[6]
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- The undersides of the florets should be golden brown.
- You can probably fit 8-10 florets into the skillet at a time without overcrowding.
8
Flip the florets with tongs and fry until all sides are nicely browned. Some pieces won’t have 2 flat sides to fry. Cook oddly-shaped florets on at least 3 sides to make them as crispy as possible. Flip whenever the part of the floret touching the hot oil is golden-brown.^{[7]
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- If the oil starts to look low after the initial batch, add a little more to the skillet and let it heat it up again before continuing.
9
Remove fried florets from the skillet onto a paper towel to drain. After one batch is fried, use the tongs to transfer the cauliflower pieces to a paper towel while you fry the next batch. The paper towel will soak up any excess oil.^{[8]
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10
Serve the fried cauliflower warm. Try dipping the florets into sour cream or Greek yoghurt sauce.^{[9]
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- You can refrigerate leftover cauliflower for 3-5 days in an airtight container. Make sure you refrigerate any leftovers within 2 hours of cooking.^{[10]
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- Fried cauliflower tastes best fresh and hot. Reheat any leftovers in an oven at 375 °F (191 °C) for about 10 minutes. Avoid microwaving the cauliflower, or it will become mushy.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Deep-Fried Cauliflower

1
Chop up your head of cauliflower. Use a knife to cut it into rough, small florets. Try to keep them all about the same size so that they deep-fry evenly. You don’t need to boil the cauliflower first, though you can if you prefer it to be more tender.^{[11]
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2
Prepare the batter. Combine 1 cup (240 mL) of flour, 1 teaspoon (4.9 mL) of baking powder, ¹⁄₂ cup (120 mL) of cornstarch, and ¹⁄₂ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of salt in a large bowl. Add 1 cup (240 mL) of water and 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of hot sauce. Mix all the ingredients into a smooth batter. In a separate bowl, put out 2 cups (470 mL) of breadcrumbs.
- Leave out the hot sauce if you want your dish to be less spicy.^{[12]
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3
Dip the cauliflower florets into the batter. Use tongs to lower each piece into the mixture and turn to coat it evenly. Lift out the floret and hold it over the bowl with the tongs, allowing the excess batter to drip back into the bowl.^{[13]
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4
Roll the cauliflower florets in the breadcrumbs. Use the tongs to place the batter-covered florets into the bowl of breadcrumbs. Roll and turn the cauliflower pieces to make sure that they’re thoroughly coated in breadcrumbs.^{[14]
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- Once you've battered the florets, you can set them aside on a plate.
5
Pour in the oil and heat the deep fryer. You can use safflower, vegetable, or peanut oil for this with great results. Wait until the deep fryer reaches 365 °F (185 °C) before proceeding.^{[15]
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- If you don’t have a deep fryer, fill a skillet with 1 inch (2.5 cm) of oil and heat it on the stove.
6
Deep fry the florets for 4-6 minutes until they’re golden brown. Use tongs to lower the florets into the deep fryer in batches. Don’t overcrowd the basket. Keep checking the batter for a golden brown color for the best indication of doneness.^{[16]
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- Once the florets are in the oil, you don't need to move them around or do anything else to coax them along.
7
Remove the florets with tongs and drain them on paper towels. Line a plate with a few layers of paper towels. Transfer the fried florets to the plate and let the paper towels absorb any excess oil.^{[17]
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- Keep the paper towel on a plate rather than the counter for easier clean-up.
8
Serve the cauliflower warm. Fried cauliflower tastes best when it's freshly cooked, so serve it while it's still hot. You can taste it first and season it with more salt, if you want to. Try garnishing with fresh parsley for a nicer presentation!^{[18]
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- Refrigerate any leftovers for 3-5 days in an airtight container, or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.^{[19]
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Community Q&A

Question

Can I use frozen cauliflower to make fried cauliflower?

Community Answer

Thaw it first. There would be excess water from the frozen cauliflower that might alter the frying time if it isn't thawed and dried first.
Question

How do I make the dipping batter?

Community Answer

You can just mix the ingredients together as they're listed (one egg, 2 tbsp. of milk, and 1 tbsp. of flour).