Baked Breaded Cauliflower
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These Baked Breaded Cauliflower florets are incredible! Tender pieces of cauliflower dredged with Panko breadcrumbs, then baked until crispy and golden brown. They taste like a guilty pleasure while still being a healthy snack! Serve them up with your favorite dip, sit back, and enjoy.
Baked Breaded Cauliflower
This baked breaded cauliflower is a much healthier alternative to the fried version and trust me, you won’t even taste the difference. While cauliflower isn’t always a loved vegetable, there are a few things you can make with it that can really turn it into something extraordinary besides this breaded cauliflower, like my Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks, or Cauliflower au Gratin!
I mean let’s be serious, anytime you bread something and fry it’s going to be delicious! I’ve learned over the years that baking these breaded veggies ends up being just as good. I’ve also included instructions for the air fryer as well, so we’ve got all of our bases covered.
What You’ll Need For Breaded Cauliflower
- Cauliflower – Fresh or frozen, in bite-sized florets.
- Breadcrumbs – I used Panko breadcrumbs because I find they’re best for really crispy cauliflower, but any other breadcrumbs will work too.
- Oregano – Dried. You can use thyme, basil, or a blend instead.
- Eggs – Large eggs. This is going to help bind the bread crumbs to our cauliflower.
- Paprika – Smoked or regular.
How To Make Baked Breaded Cauliflower
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the dredges: In a shallow plate beat the eggs and add paprika, salt, pepper and half of the oregano. Whisk so that it’s well combined. In another shallow plate combine the breadcrumbs together with the rest of the oregano and additional salt and pepper if required.
- Dredge: Dip each cauliflower floret in the egg mixture, making sure it’s fully coated, then in the breadcrumb mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue until finished with all the florets.
- Bake: for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce.
FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make these in an air fryer?
Absolutely! Just preheat your air fryer to 350°F. Follow the instructions for dredging the cauliflower florets, then spray them with a light coating of cooking spray. Close the lid and air fry for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown.
Can I make these in advance?
Yes! Please refer to the “Freezing/Make Ahead” Section for full instructions.
How do I serve these?
You can’t serve these crispy goodies up without dipping sauce! My personal favorite is ranch, but some of my other favorite homemade dips for these cauliflower bites include Buffalo Sauce, Thousand Island Dressing, Marinara Sauce, Homemade Tzatziki, or Creamy Cheese Sauce!
Tips
- My biggest piece of advice? Find those panko breadcrumbs! They’re larger than your typical breadcrumb and, as a result, will guarantee ultra-crispiness every time. A must for faux-fried baked goods.
- Add a little hot sauce, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to make a spicy version!
Leftovers
Once completely cooled down, transfer the breaded cauliflower to an airtight container or large sealable bag. They will last 3-5 days in the fridge.
Reheating
To reheat and retain as much crispiness as possible, use your stove rather than the microwave. Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the cauliflower on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake the cauliflower for 5-10 minutes or until crisped and heated through.
Freezing/Make Ahead
After dredging and lining the florets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, transfer the sheet to the freezer and freeze until solid, 1-2 hours. You can then transfer all the florets to a large airtight container or sealable freezer bag without having any stick together. They will last up to 1 year frozen.
You can bake the cauliflower directly out of the freezer following the recipe instructions exactly as is.
More Delicious Recipes To Try
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Baked Breaded Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (cut into florets (about 4 cups))
- 3 large eggs (beaten)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon oregano (dried)
- 1 cups breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the dredges: In a shallow plate beat the eggs and add paprika, salt, pepper and half of the oregano. Whisk so that it's well combined. In another shallow plate combine the breadcrumbs together with the rest of the oregano and additional salt and pepper if required.
- Dredge: Dip each cauliflower floret in the egg mixture, making sure it's fully coated, then in the breadcrumb mixture and place on the prepared baking sheet. Continue until finished with all the florets.
- Bake: for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown.
- Serve: Serve with ranch dressing or your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
- My biggest piece of advice? Find those panko breadcrumbs! They’re larger than your typical breadcrumb and, as a result, will guarantee ultra-crispiness every time. A must for faux-fried baked goods.
- Add a little hot sauce, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to make a spicy version!
- Once completely cooled down, transfer the breaded cauliflower to an airtight container or large sealable bag. They will last 3-5 days in the fridge.
- To reheat and retain as much crispiness as possible, use your stove rather than the microwave. Preheat the oven to 400°F and place the cauliflower on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake the cauliflower for 5-10 minutes or until crisped and heated through.
- After dredging and lining the florets on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, transfer the sheet to the freezer and freeze until solid, 1-2 hours. You can then transfer all the florets to a large airtight container or sealable freezer bag without having any stick together. They will last up to 1 year frozen.
- You can bake the cauliflower directly out of the freezer following the recipe instructions exactly as is.
Nutrition Information
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
I don’t know if my comments went through. Again, I had two heads of cauliflower. I only had 4 large eggs. Instead of 2 missing eggs, I used an approximate measure of Honey mustard bbq sauce. I used half bread crumbs and half matzo meal. They came out spicy and delicious. Thank you
Got it, thank you 🙂
I meant “an approximate measure (to equal 2 eggs) ” of bbq honey mustard sauce.
I love this recipe! I used two heads of cauliflower. I only had 4 large eggs. I used an approximate equal measure of honey barbque sauce and mixed it with spices into the 4 egg mixture. I also used half bread crumbs and half matzo meal. They are spicy and delicious. Thank you
My pleasure, glad you liked the recipe!
I did dip in the egg first but no luck – I’ll try it again. Maybe I’ll use breadcrumbs instead of panko. The panko seemed to get too wet from the egg.
I can’t get the breadcrumbs to stick to the cauliflower
If you dip the cauliflower in the egg first, the breadcrumbs should stick to it.
These are SO good! A new favourite appetizer. I like to blend up a chipotle mayo as a dipping sauce. Cheers!
Wow, this looks amazing. Cannot wait to try!
Wonder if this can be made in the air fryer??
Yeah, look at the FAQ section there are instructions there.
I’ve made a few breaded cauliflower recipes but this one was INCREDIBLE. So crispy. So flavorful. This will be my go-to breaded cauliflower recipe now!
Thank you for sharing!!
We are so glad you’ve enjoyed it!
I made it with a mix of smashed fried onions and canned bread crumbs. It was delicious!
Grandson who is 22 months old loves these cauliflower bites!
I haven’t made this yet…can I use crushed potatoe chips instead of bread crumbs? I need to get rid of them and I don’t want to throw the chips out. Also, I have an air fryer that only goes up to 400°…I know it sounds silly but if I do that, how long should I cook this for? I don’t want to burn them either or under-cook it?!?
Thanks for the advice!!!
I personally haven’t used potato chips but why not try it out! You may come up with a new culinary masterpiece 😉 As for the temperature, 400 is still pretty high, just adjust the time as you see fit, try around the same amount of time and if you want them a bit crispier, leave them for a bit longer!
Have you ever tried Cheez -it’s instead of planko?
I have not, but that sounds good!!
Turned out SO good! I used nutritional yeast instead of panko crumbs and it turned out perfectly!
Do you know if your recipes freezes? Thanks for the recipe!
For sure! I under-bake them by about 5 minutes before freezing. Let them come to room temp fully before putting them in the freezer.