air fryer

Perfectly cooked cauliflower surrounded by a crunchy exterior and dipped in an Asian-inspired sauce that is both sweet and salty – that’s what you will get with this amazing Air-Fried Orange Cauliflower!

I had many iterations of the orange sauce containing many different things:  orange zest – too bitter;  honey – overly sweet; Thai chili sauce – too spicy;  artificial sweeteners – tasted artificial – and on and on. I tried making this without sugar, but it needs sugar for caramelization. It only contains 1/2 cup and when spread out over 5-6 servings the amount is minimal.

I think one of the reasons for the success of this recipe is that the cauliflower is marinated before cooking – the same way you’d marinate meat 🙂

*Note: You can also use palm or coconut sugar instead of brown sugar – but I think brown sugar tastes best!

Let’s get cooking.

Vegetarian Air-Fried Orange Cauliflower

Ingredients

For the Cauliflower:

Fresh cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces (approx. 3-4 cups)

1 Tablespoon low sodium soy sauce or tamari

1 Tablespoon orange juice

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/2 cup flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs –click here for gluten free

Paprika, salt and pepper

For the Orange Sauce:

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/4  teaspoon fresh minced ginger

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (more if you like it spicey)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup tamari

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

2 Tablespoons water

1 scallion sliced thin for garnish

Sesame seeds

Instructions:

First, let’s marinade the cauliflower.  Add 1 Tablespoon tamari,  1 Tablespoon orange juice and 1 teaspoon grated orange zest to a baking dish. Add bite-sized cauliflower florets to the pan and mix together so that each piece has a bit of marinade on it.  Let sit for about 30 minutes.

Next, prepare the cauliflower for air-frying:

Line up three shallow bowls and add flour to the first, eggs to the second and panko to the last one. Add a generous pinch of paprika, salt and pepper to the flour and panko, mix well.  Dip each floret first in the flour (shake off the excess), then the eggs (let excess drip off over the bowl), then the panko. Make sure to cover all the  nooks and crannies with the panko. Place on a wire rack.

Air fry on 375 degrees for 20-30  minutes, or until the outside starts to turn golden and the inside is soft.  Check your air fryer directions for best results.

For the Orange Sauce:

Spray a medium-sized skillet with cooking spray.  Add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes, stir over low heat until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add orange juice, sugar, vinegar and soy sauce.

Cook for one minute on high until it comes to a boil.

In a small bowl whisk cornstarch with some of the hot liquid from the skillet until the cornstarch is dissolved, then add back to the sauce.

Cook for about 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.

Toss in roasted cauliflower florets and mix until all are coated.

Serve over rice and garnish with scallions or sesame seeds.

Enjoy!