Whether you are vegan or an omnivore, you will love this fried cauliflower recipe!  Lightly battered, crispy, and perfectly tender inside, this will be your new favorite way to eat cauliflower!  These cauliflower nuggets give you the taste and satisfaction of chicken nuggets without the meat. 

Lightly breaded and deep-fried cauliflower nuggets, that are then placed on a paper towel after frying.

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This deep-fried cauliflower can be used as a vegan substitute for buffalo wings or in your favorite Asian-inspired dishes, like orange cauliflower or sweet-and-sour cauliflower “chicken.”

Monica, thank you for posting this delicious recipe! I have been searching the web for weeks on the perfect fried cauliflower with no avail… until today. My husband absolutely loved it! This will be in meal rotation. I’m looking forward trying other recipes on your site.

—Phyllis

This recipe is

  • vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, and nut-free, so nearly everyone can enjoy it!
  • fast and easy to make – cooks in less than 3 minutes!
  • a perfect vegan appetizer.
  • delicious served over rice with your choice of sauce.
  • Great for dipping, and kids love it!

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Cauliflower Florets – I usually just buy a head of cauliflower and cut the florets into bite-sized pieces.  You can also buy a bag of florets ready to go.  (You need to use fresh, not frozen, cauliflower.)
  • Flour – for the batter.  You can use all-purpose wheat flour or a gluten-free flour mix.  (I find that gluten-free actually has a lighter and crispier texture).
  • Corn Starch – to make it crispy.  When cornstarch is fried, it gets very crispy.
  • Baking Soda and Baking Powder – just a little of each helps the batter puff up a little and gives it a lighter feel.
  • Salt – for flavor.
  • Onion and Garlic Powder – for flavor.
  • Turmeric – for flavor and color.  It gives them a nice golden brown color.
  • Canola Oil – for frying the cauliflower in.  You will need enough so that your nuggets can float and turn in the oil with ease.  I like canola oil because it has a very neutral taste and a light texture.  It also has a high smoke point, so it will be stable and won’t smoke or break down.  You can use any other neutral-flavored oil that you like.

Helpful tools

  • Deep Frier – This is not totally necessary, but it makes it much easier because you can control the oil temperature and have a basket to take out all the nuggets at once when they are done cooking.
  • Tongs – to let you drop the breaded cauliflower into the hot oil without getting too close and getting splashed.  (Don’t put the breaded cauliflower into the basket before submerging, or the batter may stick to the basket.)
A plate of spicy fried cauliflower on a paper towel after frying.

How to make fried cauliflower

Prepare the Cauliflower

  1. Wash the head of cauliflower under running water, then shake the water off.
  2. Cut the cauliflower florets off the head of the cauliflower and into bite-sized pieces, removing the large stem in the center of the head.  (Try to keep the pieces a similar size, so they cook at the same rate).

Make the batter

  1. Put the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. (Flour, corn starch, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, baking soda, and baking powder).
  2. Pour in the water and stir the batter until it forms a smooth paste.
  3. Put the cauliflower pieces into the batter and toss until well-coated.
A collage of 4 images showing the process of making a batter and coating pieces of cauliflower in it before frying.

How to deep fry cauliflower

  1. Heat oil to 334° F.
  2. Use tongs to pick up the pieces of coated cauliflower and place them into the hot oil.  (It will bubble and spatter, so stand back.)
  3. Allow the cauliflower nuggets to cook in the oil for 2-3 minutes, until the bubbling slows and they are golden brown.
  4. Immediately remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
  5. Serve hot!
A collage of 4 pictures showing the process step for deep frying cauliflower in a pan.

Frying temperature: I find 334°F to be the perfect temperature for frying cauliflower.  I don’t fry it quite as hot as some other things, like French fries, because I want it to cook slowly enough to cook the cauliflower all the way through.  However, don’t cook it below 325°F, or it will absorb too much oil and get soggy instead of crispy.

If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test your oil’s temperature by cooking one piece first. You know you have the right frying temperature if it bubbles vigorously when you first put it in, then the bubbling slows way down after about 2-3 minutes, and you have a crunchy, golden-brown cauliflower nugget that is cooked through.

Seasoning Variations

The basic batter recipe is great when served with a drizzle of sauce or as a dipping sauce.  However, they’re also delicious (and crispier) when eaten with the seasoning cooked into the batter. Simply add the following to the batter mixture. 

  • Cajun: 1-2 tsp of Cajun seasoning mix, like Tony Chachere’s or equivalent. (If the seasoning mix has salt, reduce the salt you add.)
  • Extra Spicy: 1/2 tsp paprika plus 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Mexican: 2 tsp taco or fajita seasoning plus 1/4 tsp cumin. 
  • Popcorn Chicken Style: 1 tsp poultry seasoning plus 1/4 cup cornmeal. 

Serving suggestions

You can eat them plain as soon as you are done frying, or dip them in vegan bang bang sauce, vegan honey mustard, barbecue sauce, vegan honey-garlic sauce, cilantro-lime sauce, or ketchup. 

You can also put it over rice and drizzle it with sweet chile sauce or Asian-style orange sauce to make orange cauliflower or sweet and sour sauce to make sweet and sour cauliflower.

It’s also delicious when served with vegan buffalo sauce and vegan blue cheese dressing for authentic-tasting vegan buffalo cauliflower wings!

Vegan buffalo sauce being poured over fried cauliflower.

Are cauliflower nuggets healthy?

This is a recipe for fried cauliflower.  It’s not meant to be healthy food; however, deep-frying actually cooks the food, with less oil absorbed than if you were to pan-fry it. 

Cooking your food in hot oil above 325°F makes it crispy without absorbing as much oil as pan-frying.  You can read more about deep frying in this article by Jessica Gavin.

Want a lower-fat baked alternative?

If you want crispy cauliflower nuggets without frying, try my roasted cauliflower nuggets recipe.  These nuggets are delicious, yet cooked on a cookie sheet in the oven. 

You can also use this recipe: place the coated cauliflower pieces on a parchment-lined cookie sheet and bake at 425°F for about 45 minutes, turning 1/2 way through.

Can I air-fry these nuggets?

No, it’s not a good idea to put my battered version in your air fryer since the batter is wet and will drip all over the inside.  You can use my roasted cauliflower nuggets recipe in the air fryer since it has a drier coating.

A close-up of deep-fried cauliflower on a paper towel.

More recipes you will love

Fried cauliflower recipe

A close-up of vegan breaded and deep-fried cauliflower nuggets on a paper towel.
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5 from 21 rating

Deep Fried Cauliflower

Yield: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
A breaded deep-fried cauliflower that can be used for buffalo cauliflower, orange cauliflower or popcorn cauliflower nuggets.
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Ingredients

  • 1 head cauliflower, about 4 cups of florets

For the batter

  • 3/4 cup flour, gluten-free flour mixes work great!
  • 2 tablespoon corn starch, or potato starch
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt, (reduce for lower sodium or if using seasoning with salt in it)
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • 3/4 cup water

For Frying

  • 3 inches oil, for frying

Equipment

Instructions
 

Prepare the Cauliflower

  • Wash the head of cauliflower under running water, then shake off the excess water.
  • Cut the cauliflower florets off the head of cauliflower and into bite-sized pieces, removing the large stem in the center of the head.  (Try to keep the pieces a similar size, so they cook at the same rate).

Make the batter

  • Put the dry ingredients in a medium-sized mixing bowl. (Flour, corn starch, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, turmeric, baking soda, and baking powder).
  • Pour in the water and stir the batter until it forms a smooth paste.
  • Put the cauliflower pieces into the batter and toss until well coated.

Deep Fry the Cauliflower

  • Heat oil to 334°F (168°C)°.
  • Use tongs to pick up the pieces of coated cauliflower and place them into the hot oil.  (It will bubble and spatter, so stand back.)
  • Allow to cook in the oil for 2-3 minutes until the bubbling slows down and the cauliflower nuggets are golden brown.
  • Immediately remove from oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve hot!

Notes

Seasoning Variations
The basic batter recipe is great when served with a drizzle of sauce or as a dipping sauce.  However, they’re also delicious (and crispier) when eaten with the seasoning cooked into the batter. For this, simply add the following to the batter mixture. 
  • Cajun: 1-2 tsp of Cajun seasoning mix, like Tony Chachere’s or equivalent. (If the seasoning mix has salt, reduce the salt you add.)
  • Extra Spicy: 1/2 tsp paprika plus 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • Mexican: 2 tsp taco or fajita seasoning plus 1/4 tsp cumin. 
  • Popcorn Chicken Style: 1 tsp poultry seasoning plus 1/4 cup cornmeal. 
If you don’t have a deep fryer, you can use a saucepan filled with about 3-4 inches of oil.  A thermometer that goes up to 400°F (200°C) will also be helpful.  You can then use a slotted spoon or tongs to remove the cauliflower from the oil.
Frying temperature: I find that 334°F (168°C) is the perfect temperature for frying cauliflower.  I don’t fry it quite as hot as some other things, like French fries, because I want it to cook slowly enough to cook the cauliflower all the way through.  However, don’t cook it below 325°F (165°C), or it will absorb too much oil and get soggy instead of crispy.
If you don’t have a thermometer, you can test your oil’s temperature by cooking one piece first. You know you have the right frying temperature if it bubbles vigorously when you first put it in, then the bubbling slows way down after about 2-3 minutes, and you have a crunchy, golden-brown cauliflower nugget that is cooked through.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 218kcal, Carbohydrates: 18g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 794mg, Potassium: 481mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin C: 69mg, Calcium: 59mg, Iron: 1mg
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