Breaded Cauliflower Bites

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One of the go-to recipes at my house lately has been this recipe I came up with as a way to use cauliflower when I wanted an alternative to meat at a meal. Some folks like to use cauliflower sliced in the form of what they often call a “steak” when it’s substituting in for meat, but I prefer my cauliflower breaded and more in the form of a bite or a nugget. I also like to just make baked cauliflower bites in the oven rather than try to mimic any kind of crispy fried nugget. This recipe fits all those requirements perfectly!

A plate of breaded vegan cauliflower bites

Making Breaded Cauliflower Bites In The Oven

The batter that I make for my baked cauliflower bites is also how I’ve been putting my homemade 10-spice blend to good use too. Using this spice blend gives the breading a nice boost of flavor to help give some zing to the cauliflower.

I start with a 1/2 cup of almond flour when making the batter. (The almond flour has given me much better results than when I tried regular flour, which would result in a stickier batter that didn’t bake up as nice.) To the almond flour I add 2 teaspoons of 10-spice blend and 1 teaspoon of hot sauce (I usually use Frank’s hot sauce).

A mixing bowl with breading for vegan oven baked cauliflower nuggets

Then I add water to the dry mixture. This is something I often do just by “feel” to get a very loose and wet batter. When I do measure it out, it’s 1/3 cup of water + 1 Tbl of water. I know, I know, whenever I read recipes like that I think, “did you really need that extra tablespoon?”, but in this case you really do! 1/3 cup of water isn’t enough and a 1/2 cup of water is too much. Adding that extra tablespoon to 1/3 cup really does seem to do the trick!

This batter mixture makes enough to bread about 18 cauliflower florets. I just dunk them into the wet batter and dredge them around a little bit, and then set them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sometimes I add a little bit more water to the batter as I work to keep it a nice wet and loose batter.

Putting breaded cauliflower bites on a baking sheet.

Then the coated cauliflower florets get popped into the oven to bake at 410 degrees for 18 minutes. Again, that temperature and time may seem kind of random, but that’s what seems to work out the best!

As mentioned earlier, these breaded cauliflower bites are not intended to be crispy, and instead have a softer and lighter coating – BUT – a coating that adds a little bit of heat to the flavor thanks to the spice blend and the hot sauce. When I make these little bites Bob often comments, “The spices in these are just right!”

So even though I often make this breaded cauliflower bites recipe as a plant-based substitute for myself when Bob still wants chicken, he always enjoys noshing on a few of these cauliflower bites during the meal too.

A plate of breaded cauliflower bites

You might want to give these breaded cauliflower bites a try too if any of the following are things you’re looking for in a recipe because these bites are also:

  • Gluten Free
  • Plant Based and Vegan
  • Have no Dairy or Eggs
  • Use no oil or frying
  • Are a good way to add another vegetable to a meal
  • Also a good way to an additional meat alternative to a meal

All of these things make these cauliflower bites note only a simple and easy item to add to a meal, but a healthy addition as well!

You might also like to try these recipes:

Breaded Cauliflower Bites

These tasty cauliflower bites have a simple breading that's made with almond flour so they're gluten free, and are oven baked so there's no oil or frying needed either. I like to use these bites as an alternative to meat at a meal. Skip the chicken nuggets and make these instead!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time18 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Meat Alternative
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cauliflower, Vegan, WFPBNO
Yield: 18 Bites
Author: Beverly

Equipment:

  • Baking Sheet
  • Parchment Paper

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Almond Flour
  • 2 tsp 10-Spice Blend (see notes below)
  • 1 tsp Hot Sauce (I use the Franks brand)
  • 1/3 cup + 1 Tbl Water
  • 18 Cauliflower Florets

Instructions:

  • Preheat the oven to 410 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • In a small mixing bowl, stir together the almond flour, the 10 spice blend, and the hot sauce.
  • Stir in the water. The batter should be a very wet and loose batter.
  • Dip each cauliflower floret in the batter, twisting it around as needed to get it well coated. You may need to add a bit more water to the batter about half way through to keep the batter a wet consistency. Place each dipped piece of cauliflower on the parchment lined baking sheet.
  • Bake at 410 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. I usually do 18 minutes.

Notes:

To make a batch of the 10 spice blend, mix together the following:
  • 4 tsp paprika
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

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