Frozen cauliflower in the air fryer has never tasted so good! With an easy buffalo sauce and 15 minutes you’ll have yourself an incredibly flavorful side dish or snack. It’s perfect for busy weeknights yet fancy enough to impress guests and serve for a party or potluck!
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Why air fry frozen cauliflower
This air fryer cauliflower recipe will quickly become your new favorite! Frozen cauliflower in the air fryer is fast and easy and great when you’re short on time.
Frozen foods are perfect for air frying. We love air frying frozen mixed vegetables, frozen brussels sprouts, frozen broccoli, frozen cauliflower gnocchi and more!
Frozen cauliflower becomes perfectly roasted as if it were roasted in the oven, but in far less time!
Using the air fryer reduces the overall time and more evenly cooks the food. It’s like a countertop convection oven. We have been using this air fryer daily since we got it and love it!
You’re going to love this air fried frozen buffalo cauliflower. It’s:
- Tender on the inside, crispy on the outside
- Easy and quick to make
- No oil needed which makes it healthier yet still gets crispy
- No thawing or steaming needed
- Perfect for busy weeknights
- Easy to customize with different flavor variations
Ingredient notes
Frozen cauliflower florets—Any brand of frozen cauliflower will work! You can even use fresh cauliflower. Just make sure to wash and chop it into florets as evenly as possible. Fresh cauliflower will cook slightly faster as well.
Hot sauce—I used Frank’s RedHot Original Hot Sauce but feel free to use your favorite hot sauce or buffalo sauce. You can even make your own homemade vegan buffalo sauce.
Nutritional yeast—this gives it a subtle cheesy flavor but you can also use whole wheat bread crumbs or Panko to increase the crispiness.
How to make
This step-by-step walkthrough shows the process of making frozen buffalo cauliflower in the air fryer. A printable recipe card can be found below.
1. Start by preheating your air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 400F.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, add the frozen cauliflower and choice of hot sauce. Toss to coat evenly.
3. Add the nutritional or breadcrumbs to the bowl and toss to combine. Place the buffalo cauliflower in the air fryer basket or tray (depending on type of air fryer), and cook frozen cauliflower for 10 minutes. Careful not to overfill the air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer you may need to cook in batches.
4. Shake or stir the cauliflower to redistribute, then continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes until desired crispiness is reached.
Cooking time may vary depending on the model of air fryer and size of cauliflower florets. Smaller florets will cook faster. Mine was perfect after 15 minutes but yours might need more or less time so I recommend checking on it every couple minutes after the initial 10.
Pro Tips
To obtain the best texture, do not allow the cauliflower to thaw before air frying. Work quickly to coat the cauliflower in the buffalo sauce so that it is not sitting outside the freezer for more than a few minutes.
For best results, avoid overcrowding the air fryer. Place the frozen cauliflower in a single layer without overlapping. If your air fryer is too small to fit the entire batch in a single layer, you may need to split it up into two batches.
Frozen cauliflower won’t get as crispy as it would if cooking from fresh due to the moisture content. If yours is not crisping up at all, you’ll need to add more cooking time.
How to serve
This air fryer buffalo cauliflower makes a great side dish or party food snack. Tossed with hot sauce, it tastes like buffalo cauliflower wings!
Serve with ranch sauce to to balance the heat or dip into a tasty ‘cheesy’ sauce.
This crispy cauliflower can accompany almost any meal. Serve alongside sandwiches, pasta, this meaty vegan steak (or your preferred protein source) or add to a buddha bowl or salad.
Double down on buffalo flavors and serve it alongside this buffalo chickpea Caesar kale wrap!
Storage
Store leftover cauliflower in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for longer. Reheat in the air fryer for a few minutes to retain crispiness or reheat in a microwave.
Flavor variations
Here are some of my favorite ways to flavor frozen cauliflower before air frying.
Savory:
- Soy sauce
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt and black pepper
Smoky:
- soy sauce
- smoked paprika
- liquid smoke
- salt and black pepper
BBQ:
- BBQ sauce
- garlic powder
- salt and black pepper
- Panko breadcrumbs
Korean-Style BBQ:
- Korean barbecue sauce
- sesame seeds
Curry:
- soy sauce
- curry powder
- black pepper
- salt and black pepper
Zesty:
- tahini
- lemon juice
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- salt and black pepper
Follow the same instructions but toss with your favorite seasonings or sauces before air frying! It’s so easy to customize frozen cauliflower to your taste preferences.
Can I use BBQ sauce?
Yes, BBQ sauce would work just as well! If you’re not a fan of spicy, a delicious BBQ sauce can replace the hot sauce in this recipe 1:1.
Can you air fry from frozen?
Absolutely! It is best to air fry from frozen and not allow frozen foods to thaw first before cooking. When air frying from frozen, preheating the air fryer works best. Then transfer the frozen food directly from the freezer to the preheated air fryer.
Do you need oil to air fry?
No, I’ve never needed oil to air fryer. The air fryer basket has a nice non-stick coating and the circulation of hot air allows food to crisp up nicely without oil. If you prefer you can use an olive oil spray to lightly spray food before air frying but it’s not necessary.
More frozen air fryer recipes
If you enjoyed this tasty cauliflower recipe, you won’t want to miss these!
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Frozen Buffalo Cauliflower in Air Fryer
Method
- air fryer
Ingredients
- 12 oz frozen cauliflower
- ½ cup hot sauce I used Frank's Hot Sauce
- ½ cup nutritional yeast or whole wheat breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder optional
- ½ teaspoon onion powder optional
- salt and black pepper optional, to taste
Instructions
- Start by preheating your air fryer for 3-5 minutes at 400°F.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the frozen cauliflower and choice of hot sauce. Toss to coat evenly.12 oz frozen cauliflower, 1/2 cup hot sauce
- Add the nutritional yeast or breadcrumbs to the bowl along with andy additional seasonings if desired; toss to combine. Place the buffalo cauliflower in the air fryer basket or tray (depending on type of air fryer), and cook frozen cauliflower for 10 minutes. Careful not to overfill the air fryer. If you have a smaller air fryer you may need to cook in batches.1/2 cup nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, salt and black pepper
- Shake or stir the cauliflower to redistribute, then continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes until desired crispiness is reached.
- Cooking time may vary depending on the model of air fryer and size of cauliflower florets. Smaller florets will cook faster. Mine was perfect after 15 minutes but yours might need more or less time so I recommend checking on it every couple minutes after the initial 10.
