Deep fried cauliflower wings or crispy fried cauliflower florets is a delicious vegetarian and vegan homemade vegetable snack made from scratch using cauliflower (fresh or frozen cauliflower can be used) and just few more ingredients.
In this deep fried cauliflower recipe, we basically make fried breaded cauliflower for sides or snacks by dipping the cauliflower florets in prepared flour batter and then deep fry them in the oil to perfection.
The best thing about this recipe is that it is so easy delicious, easy and simple to make from scratch at home using a batter made with chickpea flour which adds so much flavor to the fried cauliflower wings even without using milk, panko, eggs or breadcrumbs.
I have this easy deep fried potatoes recipe as well, which is yet another delicious deep fried vegetable snack which you can quickly and easily make.
I used frozen cauliflower florets to make this easy cauliflower pakora which is a popular, easy & delicious veggie snack which is also vegan. You can also use fresh cauliflower florets from a medium sized cauliflower head instead.
This is made similar to Indian style using chickpea flour where it is most commonly known as cauliflower pakora or pakoda as known in North India and also known as cauliflower bajji in South Indian states like Kerala.
However, this is not an authentic recipe for cauliflower pakora since I have made it very simple flavoring only with garlic.
Cauliflower pakora is basically Indian style crispy cauliflower fritters which is a vegetarian and vegan snack made using cauliflower florets and chickpea flour and also spices.
In this deep fried cauliflower recipe or crispy cauliflower wings recipe, I used a mix of chickpea flour and all purpose flour (you can try wheat flour or atta flour too along with chickpea flour), which is my personal preference but if you want to make it gluten free, you can make it using just chickpea flour, since chickpea flour is naturally gluten free.
Also, I went for a mild spiced wings recipe by just using garlic powder, but you can add more spices based on your personal preferences.
The Indian style deep fried cauliflower wings or fritters or pakoras recipe is a very flexible, simple and easy recipe, which you can adjust based on your spice tolerances and personal preferences.
Also try this delicious & easy oven roasted frozen cauliflower florets recipe if you like frozen cauliflower recipes.
How To Make Deep Fried Cauliflower?
We need the following ingredients to make delicious deep fried cauliflower fritters.
Ingredients for deep fried cauliflower
cauliflower florets (I used frozen) 2 cups — 16 oz package
chickpea flour 1 cup
all purpose flour ½ cup
salt as needed
garlic powder 1 teaspoon
water ¼ cup (may add more little by little if needed)
oil enough to deep fry the florets
Steps To Follow (The Process)
To make the batter
Step 1 – In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients first – chickpea flour, all purpose flour, salt and garlic powder until the ingredients are evenly mixed.
(If you are using frozen cauliflower florets, thaw the florets first. I used the microwave oven to do this. I placed the florets in a microwave safe plate in single layer and then microwaved in high power for about 2 minutes. Microwaves can vary, so you can first heat for about a minute and heat more only if needed. If using fresh cauliflower florets, you can skip this step.)
Step 2 – Transfer the florets to the bowl with dry flour mixture and mix well to coat the florets.
Step 3 – Now add water little by little to the bowl and mix well to make the batter which will coat the florets in the bowl. The batter shouldn’t be watery nor too sticky but should be of dropping consistency.
Make sure to coat all the florets in the bowl with the batter (alternatively you can first prepare the batter by mixing the dry ingredients mixture with the water and then dip the cauliflower florets in the prepared batter, either way it works just make sure to get the right consistency for the batter and also make sure to coat all the florets in the batter).
To make the deep fried cauliflower
Step 1 – Heat enough oil in frying pan.
Step 2 – When the oil is hot enough, using a large spoon carefully transfer each floret dipped in the batter to the hot oil. You can transfer as many florets as you can fill in the pan, but keep in mind that you will have to flip the pakoras as they get cooked, so make sure to place them in a single layer and do not overcrowd the pan which will make the flipping difficult.
Step 3 – Wait until the bottom side of all the florets are cooked and its golden brown in color, the batter shouldn’t be sticking to the pan at this point and you should be easily be able to flip them.
Step 4 – Gently and carefully flip the florets using a long spatula or tong, whichever is convenient for you, cook the other side too until they are all golden brown in color, which will take another 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 5 – Transfer the fried cauliflower pakoras or fritters to a serving dish and serve hot. If anymore florets and batter are remaining, repeat the same process and fry all the pakoras.
You can serve the cauliflower pakoras with tomato sauce or any Indian style chutneys or any sauce of your preference.
Make sure to serve the cauliflower pakoras while they are still hot and crispy for the best results.
How To Add Sauce To The Fried Cauliflower Wings?
Once you have made these simple & delicious cauliflower wings using chickpea flour, you can make it spicy just like the popular cauliflower wings by tossing them in hot sauce or buffalo sauce if you like.
You will need about 3 tablespoons of hot sauce for this amount of cauliflower wings.
You can add sauce to the fried cauliflower, then heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and you can toss the fried cauliflower in the pan for a couple of minutes with the spicy sauce to make spicy cauliflower wings.
In fact, you can use any sauce of your choice to make it more flavorful.
You may use bbq sauce to make it slightly sweet bbq cauliflower wings, or use hot sauce or buffalo sauce. If you do not want to use sweet bbq sauce or spicy sauces like hot sauce, you can use tomato sauce to add a slightly tangy flavor to the cauliflower wings.
You may also use a mix of sauces like bbq and tomato sauce or hot sauce or buffalo sauce & tomato sauce to bring out different flavors to make tangy and sweet or tangy and spicy cauliflower wings.
More Recipes On Easy Vegetable Sides:
oven roasted fresh cauliflower florets
Below you can read the recipe for fried cauliflower in detail.
Deep Fried Cauliflower Wings (Vegan, Simple & Easy)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cauliflower florets I used 16 oz package o frozen cauliflower florets
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- salt as needed
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup water may add more little by little if needed
- oil enough to deep fry the florets
Instructions
to make the batter
- in a bowl, mix the dry ingredients first – chickpea flour, all purpose flour, salt and garlic powder until the ingredients are evenly mixed.
- If you are using frozen cauliflower florets like I did, you will have to thaw the florets first. I used the microwave oven to do this. I placed the florets in a microwave safe plate in single layer and then microwaved in high power for about 2 minutes. Microwaves can vary, so you can first heat for about a minute and heat more only if needed. If using fresh cauliflower florets, you can skip this step.
- Transfer the florets to the bowl with dry flour mixture and mix well to coat the florets.
- Now add water little by little to the bowl and mix well to make the batter which will coat the florets in the bowl. The batter shouldn’t be watery nor too sticky but should be of dropping consistency. Make sure to coat all the florets in the bowl with the batter (alternatively you can first prepare the batter by mixing the dry ingredients mixture with the water and then dip the cauliflower florets in the prepared batter, either way it works just make sure to get the right consistency for the batter and also make sure to coat all the florets in the batter).
To make deep fried cauliflower
- Heat enough oil in frying pan.
- When the oil is hot enough, using a large spoon carefully transfer each floret dipped in the batter to the hot oil. You can transfer as many florets as you can fill in the pan, but keep in mind that you will have to flip the pakoras as they get cooked, so make sure to place them in a single layer and do not overcrowd the pan which will make the flipping difficult.
- Wait until the bottom side of all the florets are cooked and its golden brown in color, the batter shouldn’t be sticking to the pan at this point and you should be easily be able to flip them.
- Gently and carefully flip the florets using a long spatula or tong, whichever is convenient for you, cook the other side too until they are all golden brown in color, which will take another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Transfer the fried cauliflower pakoras or fritters to a serving dish and serve hot. If anymore florets and batter are remaining, repeat the same process and fry all the pakoras. You can serve the cauliflower pakoras with tomato sauce or any Indian style chutneys or any sauce of your preference. Make sure to serve the cauliflower pakoras while they are still hot and crispy for the best results.
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