Fried Cauliflower

Lebanese fried cauliflower shows that you don’t need to bread cauliflower for it to turn out golden brown and delicious. Sure, breading makes just about anything crispy. But when you skip the breading, you get something rich and chewy instead. And it only requires oil and cauliflower (just 2 real ingredients!) which means it works for almost anyone (gluten free, keto, vegan, and so on). Plus, this particular recipe uses pan-frying instead of deep-frying.

Jump to recipe to hit the ground running, or read on to decide whether this recipe is for you.

Is this fried cauliflower recipe the one for you?

Or in other words, here is a list of criticism I will not be accepting 😎

Lebanese fried cauliflower is its own thing, and it’s important to have the right expectations going in. Submitting one of these complaints would be like buying tickets to a bluegrass show and then complaining that there is too much fiddle:

• Yes, it’s supposed to be somewhat oily. In reality, it absorbs a very similar amount of oil to breaded fried cauliflower. But you will notice the oil more here, since it’s not being soaked up by a bunch of breadcrumbs or batter. I like to serve fried cauliflower with something light, like lemon roast chicken. It’s also really good with a squeeze of lemon—the oil and lemon act almost like a really good dressing.
• No, it’s not supposed to be crispy (but it is supposed to be chewy!). This comes down to making sure your oil is hot enough and letting the cauliflower cook for no longer than 5 minutes total. If it overcooks, it will go from chewy to mushy very quickly. If the heat is too low, the outside of the florets will get soggy instead of chewy. But no matter what you do, it will never get crispy—that’s really not the goal here. We’re going for maximum chew!
• Yes it’s supposed to be deeply golden brown and caramelized. Our goal isn’t just for it to turn light golden-brown, but deeply golden brown. There should be a few spots that are even a bit dark brown.

Tips for cauliflower success

1. Your cauliflower absolutely MUST be dry before frying.

Do not give it a quick rinse and then pop it directly into the oil or you will create a very dangerous situation. Oil will splatter everywhere and it will bubble up like crazy.

Instead, you must dry your cauliflower completely—not just a quick pat on the outside, but a full spin in the salad spinner or a real serious shake-out bundled in a kitchen towel. When in doubt, dry it even more than you think.

2. You can deep fry instead of pan frying if you want to. Either way, be very careful!!

I chose pan frying when I started to develop this recipe because it is less intimidating for most home cooks. But don’t be deceived—pan frying can be just as dangerous as deep frying if you are not careful. In either case, follow safe frying protocols. Make sure there is plenty of room in your pan (so it does not bubble over), keep the pan on a back burner, have a lid nearby for emergencies, make sure kids and pets are in another room, and read about pan frying and deep frying to learn more about it if you’ve never done it before.

3. Make sure your florets are the right size.

Not too big, not too small—just right! See the photos and video to get a sense.

4. Don’t crowd the pan—work in batches.

Crowding the pan is a great way to get the temperature of your oil to drop quickly, which will result in greasy, mushy cauliflower. Make sure there is plenty of room between each floret, and work in batches to cook the whole head.

5. Carefully control the heat.

You may need to boost it a bit right after adding the florets, and then gradually reduce it as they sear. If you don’t have a thermometer, pay attention to how quickly they are browning, and make sure it never starts smoking. This will give the food a bad flavor and can become very dangerous if you continue overheating the oil.

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