Kirbie's Cravings

Popcorn Cauliflower

Crunchy baked pieces of cauliflower make a fun snack, side dish, or mini-meal. This is a healthier version of popcorn chicken that still tastes delicious.

photo of Popcorn Cauliflower

I’ve been wanting to make popcorn cauliflower for a while now, but it took me a few attempts to get me to this recipe. My first thought was to coat the cauliflower in batter and then fry it, but then it would be as unhealthy as the original. So then I started working on various baked versions. And after a few trials, I’m excited to share this version.
photo of Popcorn Cauliflower with dipping sauces

To get the cauliflower bites to stay crunchy, I used crushed pretzels. I chose honey mustard flavor. You can use other flavors like buffalo or parmesan. What’s great about using flavored pretzels is that it adds bold flavor to your cauliflower too.
photo of the ingredients for the coating in a food processor
ingredients for the coating processed into crumbs in the food processor
photo of raw cauliflower florets
These were simple and easy to make. I really loved how they came out!

close-up photo of Popcorn Cauliflower

You might like to try my buffalo cauliflower, too!

Popcorn Cauliflower

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Crunchy baked pieces of cauliflower make a fun snack, side dish, or mini meal. This is a healthier version of popcorn chicken that still tastes delicious.

Ingredients

  • 1 small head cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 cups flavored pretzel pieces I used honey mustard flavor
  • 2 large eggs whisked

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Pulse pretzels in food processor until they become small crumbs.
  • Pour about 1/3 of the pretzel crumbs into a Ziploc bag. Dip and coat a few cauliflower pieces in egg. Tap off excess egg (this will prevent your pretzel coating from getting too wet; if it gets too wet it will be harder for it to stick to cauliflower) and then place cauliflower pieces into ziploc bag with the pretzel crumbs. Seal bag and shake a few times until cauliflower pieces are completely coated in pretzel. Place coated pieces onto baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cauliflower, adding more pretzel coating to the bag when needed.
  • Bake cauliflower for about 15 minutes, until outer coating is crunchy and cauliflower is cooked. Serve warm with dipping sauces of your choice.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25of recipe, Calories: 264kcal, Carbohydrates: 32.3g, Protein: 7.4g, Fat: 13.2g, Saturated Fat: 5.4g, Sodium: 419mg, Fiber: 1.3g, Sugar: 5.9g, NET CARBS: 31

The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Mention @KirbieCravings and tag #kirbiecravings!

 

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2 comments on “Popcorn Cauliflower”

  1. Yum, these sound great! I’ll have to try them. I love making appetizers- it’s so much fun to have all these different bite-sized foods. These would go great with the Curtido and Bacon Deviled Eggs I’m making this weekend!