This is one of the best Air Fryer Bang Bang Cauliflower recipes as it’s low-carb, keto-friendly, and gluten-free. It takes just 15 minutes to prep and 30 minutes inactive time to cook this Keto bang bang cauliflower in the air fryer. Plus, it’s deliciously crispy.
Why This Recipe Works
Here’s why we love this Air Fryer cauliflower bites recipe:
- The coating gets incredibly crisp and crunchy without extra oil, thanks to the air fryer!
- You can make this keto bang bang cauliflower in the air fryer or the oven, just like our Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- This recipe is low-carb and keto-friendly, thanks to almond flour. It’s also gluten-free, just like this Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry.
- It makes a fun party appetizer, a great side dish, or a tasty topper to a salad!
What Goes Into This Recipe
These are the ingredients for this air fryer cauliflower bites recipe:
- Cauliflower. Cut your cauliflower into equal-sized pieces for even cooking.
- Butter. Use melted unsalted butter.
- Eggs. Choose large eggs to make the batter.
- Garlic. I highly recommend using grated fresh garlic.
- Almond flour. This is a great gluten-free flour that crisps up nicely.
- Parmesan cheese. Make sure it’s finely grated.
- Spices. The cauliflower is flavored with smoked paprika and Italian seasoning.
To make the Bang Bang sauce, you’ll need:
- Mayonnaise. You can also use sour cream if you prefer.
- Keto maple syrup. If you’re not keto, you can use regular maple syrup.
- Sriracha. Use as much or as little sriracha as you like.
Ingredient Swaps
Here are a few simple swaps if you don’t have all of the ingredients for this Keto bang bang cauliflower recipe:
- You can replace butter with ghee or clarified butter.
- Also, feel free to swap almond flour with cashew flour or another gluten-free nut flour.
- You can swap parmesan cheese with a similar hard-grated cheese like pecorino or grana Padano.
- Feel free to replace the seasonings with any of your favorites, such as Cajun or old bay.
- You can replace mayo with sour cream or plain greek yogurt.
- If you like, try adding 1 tablespoon of dijon mustard to the sauce.
How to Make This Keto Bang Bang Cauliflower in the Air Fryer
Follow these steps to make the best air fryer bang bang cauliflower recipe:
First, prepare the cauliflower. Start by slicing it into bite-sized florets. Then transfer them a large ziplock bag. Next, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the melted butter, eggs, and garlic. Season the mixture generously with sea salt and ground pepper. Then pour this mixture over the cauliflower florets in the ziplock bag. Close the bag, and mix thoroughly through the bag to coat evenly.
Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, combine the almond flour, parmesan cheese, paprika, and Italian seasoning. Mix these ingredients well, then dip each cauliflower in the flour mixture to coat completely on all sides.
Now, preheat your air fryer to 400°F/200°C. When the air fryer is hot, arrange half of the cauliflower florets in the air fryer basket, without overlapping them at all.
Air fry the cauliflower for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of your florets, so if they’re smaller, check the tenderness after 12 minutes by inserting a knife in the center. I like cauliflower with a bit of crunch to the bite, so for this particular size, I air-fried it for 15 minutes.
Repeat with the second batch of cauliflower. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together all of the bang bang sauce ingredients. Finally, as soon as all the cauliflower is done cooking, transfer it to the bang bang sauce and toss to coat.
FAQs
These are great with our pan-seared garlic butter chicken, baked salmon, or on top of a salad like this keto broccoli bacon salad.
Many crispy cauliflower bites recipes are made with oil, but there is none in this recipe! That’s because it’s made in the air fryer. You can remove the butter as well if you’d like. The recipe will still work, but the cauliflower may not get as crispy and golden. It will still be delicious, though.
I recommend using fresh cauliflower. I would not make this recipe with frozen cauliflower because it gets mushy when cooked, and won’t work well for this type of recipe.
To add a kick to these crispy cauliflower bites, add cayenne pepper to the coating. Or you can add more sriracha to the bang bang sauce.
The coating in this recipe gets that perfect crispy crunch when it’s cooked in the air fryer at 400°F/200°C for 12-15 minutes.
Expert Tips
Keep these tips in mind when making this keto bang bang cauliflower in the air fryer:
- Make sure to preheat the air fryer for about 4 minutes before adding the cauliflower to it.
- It’s also important to shake the basket halfway through cooking to ensure they get even crispiness.
- You can cook the cauliflower in the oven. To do so, preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Transfer the coated cauliflower to the baking sheets and arrange them without overlapping. Then cook for 10 minutes. Flip and cook another 12-15 minutes, or until golden brown.
More Easy Cauliflower Recipes
- Vegan Tikka Masala with Tofu and Cauliflower
- Roasted Cauliflower Steaks Recipe (Vegan | Keto | Paleo)
- Indian Butter Cauliflower (Vegan / Whole30 / Paleo Recipe)
If you made this air fryer bang bang cauliflower recipe, let me know how you like it in the Comments below, Rate It, and make sure you Share It with your friends and family. And if you want to see more recipe videos like it, follow me on YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook. And for weekly updates be sure to Sign Up for my Email List.
Air Fryer Bang Bang Cauliflower Recipe
Equipment Needed
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1/4 cup (60ml) melted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 2 cloves garlic - minced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ¾ cup (75g) almond flour
- ¾ cup (75g) ground parmesan Cheese
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
Keto Bang Bang Sauce:
- ½ cup (120ml) mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp keto maple syrup - zero-calorie/sugar-free
- 2 tbsp Sriracha - or to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and transfer to a large ziplock bag.
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter, eggs and garlic. Season with sea salt and ground pepper.
- Pour this mixture over the cauliflower florets in the ziplock bag. Mix thoroughly through the bag to coat evenly.
- In a shallow dish, combine the almond flour, parmesan cheese, paprika and Italian seasoning. Mix well, then dip each cauliflower to completely coat on all sides.
- Preheat your air fryer to 400°F/200°C.
- Arrange half of the cauliflower florets into your air fryer basket without overlapping.
- Air fry for 12-15 minutes, shaking the basket halfway. The cooking time may vary depending on the size of your florets, so if they're smaller, check the tenderness after 12 minutes by inserting a knife in the center. I like cauliflower with a bit of crunch to the bite, so for this particular size, I air-fried it for 15 minutes.
- Repeat with the second batch of cauliflower.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk all the bang bang sauce ingredients.
- As soon as all the cauliflower is done cooking, transfer to the bang bang sauce and toss to coat.
Recipe Notes
- If you prefer to bake the cauliflower bites, do so in a 400°F oven for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- You can easily change up the spice level by adding cayenne to the seasoning blend or more sriracha to the bang bang sauce.
- These air fryer cauliflower bites are best served right after they’re made, as they’re the crispiest. I don’t recommend making them ahead of time.
- You’ll want to use fresh, not frozen cauliflower, as frozen will get soggy, not crispy.
Nutrition
*This post may contain affiliate links
Assuming the values in the nutrition are per serving how is this keto friendly if it has 13g of carbs?
In the image it looks like it had sesame seeds on it, but I don’t see that in the recipe.