Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower:
Crispy exterior, fork tender, perfectly flavored roasted cauliflower topped with parmesan and herbs! This is quickly going to become your favorite side dish.
This side dish is Mom’s best friend because it’s quick, easy, and healthy! Using an air fryer offers a nicely roasted cauliflower that has a bit of crunch, but is still fork tender. All in only 20 minutes! You won’t need to heat up the house to get this delicious side dish even your kids will love.
If you love your air fryer, be sure to check out these air fryer egg cups, air fryer turkey breast, and air fryer chicken wings.
As mentioned before, this recipe is so easy and versatile. It can be served as a beautiful caramelized side to a nice lean steak or chicken, or eaten alone as a tasty healthy snack.
Cauliflower adapts to the flavors around it, so spice it up to your liking.
For this recipe you can adjust the seasonings to your preference. And bonus it’s an air fryer recipe so it’s quick, easy, and healthy! So when you realize you didn’t make enough, you can quickly whip up a second batch.
How do I roast cauliflower in the oven?
I realize not everyone has an air fryer, so I am going to give you oven roasting tips as well. However, trust me when I tell you, YOU NEED AN AIR FRYER! I have a Gourmia one.
Just take a little peek at the awesome air fryers on Amazon, read some of the reviews, and you will see for yourself.
If you choose to roast your cauliflower in the oven that is a good option and simple what you do is:
- Cut your cauliflower into bite sized pieces
- Toss with oil and your favorite spices
- Put in to oven on a lined baking pan
- Bake for about 30 minutes.
If you want a whole roasted cauliflower just:
- Season by lathering a mixture of oil and seasonings on top.
- Flipping it over and drizzling the seasonings over the core.
- Place in a pan of water on the bottom of the oven and bake.
- Broil the last few minutes to give it a nice crunch texture.
- Serve cut into wedges.
Oven roasting will produce delicious, slightly browned, roasted cauliflower. A tasty side dish, or great addition to a soup, salad, or pasta dish.
How do I roast cauliflower in the air-fryer?
The steps for air fryer roasting, versus oven roasting are pretty similar, only the air fryer is quicker, and you can use a lot less oil. The air fryer is like a smaller, more intense, convection oven, that uses the air movement, and moisture evaporation to “fry” foods with air. It is awesome.
With a roasted cauliflower recipe in the air fryer the steps to get the perfect side are:
- Prepare your cauliflower by tossing it with a little oil and your seasonings.
- Place the prepared cauliflower in the fryer basket without overcrowding it.
- Shake the basket half way through the cooking time to move the pieces around and “fry” them more evenly.
Why is this better than the oven?
Let me list some of the benefits of the air fryer, and why I’m in love:
- You don’t need to use as much oil.
- You can check on it without the risk of burning yourself on a hot oven.
- It’s faster than roasting in the oven, and leaves.
- Clean up is simple.
- You don’t have to heat up your whole kitchen.
- Saves on electricity.
An air fryer is smaller than an oven so you are limited on the quantity you can cook at one time but it’s great if you’re using roasted broccoli or cauliflower as a side. Pop it in while you work on the entree and your dinner is ready all at the same time.
How long does it take to roast cauliflower
How long it takes to roast cauliflower depends on the method you choose. And the temperature you cook at.
In air fryer roasted cauliflower recipes should be roasted at 400° for 15-20 min. A lot quicker than the oven.
In the oven whether it’s whole roasted cauliflower, or roasted broccoli and cauliflower bites the times and temperatures are as follows:
- 400℉ bake for 30 minutes.
- 425℉ bake for 20-25 minutes
- 350℉ bake for 30-35 minutes
More Air Fryer Recipes
Is Air Fryer Food Healthy?
Compared to deep-frying, using an air fryer is much healthier. It can reduce the amount of fat, calories and potentially harmful compounds in your food.
However, like any cooking method, the health is often determined by the ingredients, not the cooking method. Air fryers are a better alternative to deep fryers, but it is still smart to be conscious of the amounts of unhealthy foods you consume.
Fortunately, this air fryer roasted cauliflower is extremely delicious and good for you. Feel free to cut out the cheese if you want an even healthier and lower calorie version.
Serve with:

Air Fryer Roasted Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped cauliflower
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine cauliflower with olive oil parsley, thyme, minced garlic, and salt.
- Toss to combine and cauliflower is well coated.
- Place cauliflower in air-fryer basket. Set air-fryer to 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Stir the cauliflower at 10 minutes, and add parmesan cheese.
- Serve immediately, season with salt and pepper to taste.
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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