Cauliflower florets coated with a spicy panko crumb and cooked in the air fryer until crispy.

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower is an easy side dish recipe made with the loved buffalo sauce and crispy panko crumb. The air fryer perfectly cooks the cauliflower and crisps it up nice with delicious buffalo flavor from the sauce coating beneath the panko.

Not only is Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower a delicious side dish recipe, it can be served as an appetizer for any gatherings such as game day, movie night, or for snacking.

Air Fryer Cauliflower Bites on a brown serving tray with white blue cheese dipping sauce to the back left and a blue, yellow, and white napkin blurred in the background.

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Air Frying Veggies
🥘 Ingredients
🍽 Equipment
👪 Serving size
🔪 Instructions
💭 Top Tips
Dipping Sauces To Try
📖 How To Make It Keto
📖 Variations
Serving Suggestions
More Air Fryer Recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

Are you new to using the air fryer? If so, then be sure to read this post on How To Use an Air Fryer to learn the best one to buy, air fryer cooking tips, cleaning tips, and more!

Air Frying Veggies

I love to cook veggies in the air fryer. After I tried this Sweet Chili Air Fryer Cauliflower recipe I started to think that I really wanted to try some coated in panko for a little added crunch.

I loved how the air fryer cooked so quickly and still had a toothsome bite, but missed my fried cauliflower. I tried this recipe with panko bread crumbs, but a crushed pork rind would work perfectly here as well to lower the carb count and make it a keto recipe.

Cauliflower pieces that have been coated with an egg and chile sauce wash in a blue mixing bowl.

🥘 Ingredients

Cauliflower, buy the whole cauliflower and cut it into florets, or buy pre-cut florets. The pre-cuts will need to be broken down a little more to make smaller bites.

Seasoned panko bread crumbs, this is my favorite brand of panko bread crumbs.

Chile garlic hot sauce, I love this brand.

No sugar added ketchup, this one is the best!

Egg whites

Cauliflower pieces coated with the chile egg wash and panko crumbs on the air fryer tray.

🍽 Equipment

Air Fryer, I have one similar to this one. It not only has removable trays but a rotisserie option as well as french fry basket.

Tongs, for removing the cauliflower from the air fryer trays.

👪 Serving size

This recipe is created for 4 people, but can easily be used as an appetizer recipe and feed up to 8.

🔪 Instructions

Step 1:

Whisk together ketchup, hot sauce, and egg white in a small bowl until smooth.
Place panko in a large bowl. Toss together cauliflower florets and ketchup mixture in a second large bowl until coated.
Place the cauliflower on the air fryer trays, and cook at 350°F for 20 minutes, or until brown and crispy.

💭 Top Tips

Toss all the cauliflower into the wet coating at once. Then, scoop it from the egg mixture and toss it in the panko.
Use tongs or a fork to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the air fryer tray.

Dipping Sauces To Try

Serve with your favorite dressing for dipping. I love this Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe with some added blue cheese crumbles.
Chipotle Salad Dressing
Leave out the chili sauce and dip these in this Honey Mustard Salad Dressing.

📖 How To Make It Keto

Substitute plain or bbq flavored crushed pork rinds for the panko.
If looking to add fat for keto, go ahead and use the whole egg, not the egg white along with the crushed pork rinds.

📖 Variations

Use your favorite barbecue sauce or buffalo sauce in the egg batter in place of the chile garlic sauce.
Substitute breadcrumbs for panko
Eliminate the chile garlic sauce and stir in 1 tablespoon of cajun seasoning, chili powder, or ranch seasoning.

Overhead view of Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower on a brown tray with dipping sauce and a blue-cream colored towel to the back left.

Serving Suggestions

Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower makes a tasty appetizer or side dish. They go great with this Air Fryer Rotisserie Chicken or Air Fryer Pork Chops!

More Air Fryer Recipes

📖 Recipe