These gluten free cauliflower fritters are made just like cauliflower pizza, but breaded and lightly fried into fritters!
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These gluten free cauliflower fritters are an excellent addition to any Super Bowl finger food spread. They take a bit of time, but it's easy to do it all in stages. I'll show you how.
You can use whatever dipping sauce you like. These are not spicy little fritters, so it's nice to have a dip with some real flavor. My dipping sauce is a little something I like to call Better Than Thousand Island Dressing. (It's the same sauce I made for those Crispy Fried Onions around Thanksgiving.)
Ricing cauliflower
We'll be “ricing” some cauliflower. Stop rolling your eyes and hear me out! The whole trend of using cauliflower as “rice,” which leads directly to making cauliflower pizza, is something I resisted mightily—until I tried it.
I like to “rice” the cauliflower ahead of time (like, days ahead of time—I tend to do a couple heads at a time and then freeze it and defrost as needed) since it involves using a food processor and I hate that. But it's totally food processor-worthy. And if you know me at all that is certainly saying something.
I'm not sure if it's a super food or not, and that whole concept always seems like a bill of goods to me, but it's delicious and it's a vegetable and all 3 of my children (+ my husband) will eat it greedily.
Gluten Free Cauliflower Fritters
Equipment
- Food processor, fitted with the steel blade
Ingredients
For the fritters
- 1 large head raw cauliflower (to yield about 12 ounces “riced”)
- 3 (150 g (weighed out of shell)) eggs at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese finely grated
- 8 ounces Asiago cheese grated (can use another semi-hard cheese)
- Vegetable oil for frying
- ⅓ cup (45 g) cornstarch
- ½ to ¾ cup Panko-style gluten free bread crumbs
For the dipping sauce
- ½ cup (114 g) plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup
- 1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked Spanish paprika
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and set it aside.
Rice and cook the cauliflower.
- Slice all of the florets off of the cauliflower, rinse them thoroughly, and pulse them in a food processor until they are the texture of short-grain cooked rice.
- Place the riced cauliflower in a large, microwave-safe bowl (or a medium, heavy-bottom lidded stockpot), add about 2 tablespoons water and cover tightly with plastic wrap (or the stockpot lid).
- Cook on high for 3 to 4 minutes (or over medium heat for about 5 minutes) until the cauliflower is more tender but still firm. Uncover the bowl or stockpot, and allow the cauliflower to cool until no longer hot to the touch.
Drain the cauliflower.
- Transfer the cooked and riced cauliflower to a large tea towel or cheese cloth, gather the towel or cloth tightly around the cauliflower and wring out all of the moisture. There will be more moisture than you expect. Keep wringing until the cauliflower is clumped and mostly dry. Set it aside.
Make the fritter mixture.
- To a large mixing bowl, add 2 of the 3 eggs and beat well. Add the riced and dried cauliflower, parsley, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Asiago cheese, and mix to combine. The mixture may seem somewhat dry, but will hold together when pressed.
Shape and coat the fritters.
- Roll the cauliflower mixture into balls about 1 1/2-inches in diameter, pressing the mixture as firmly together as possible. You should have about 12 balls. Set up a dipping station with three flat bowls.
- IIn one bowl, place the cornstarch. In a second, place the remaining egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water. In the final bowl, place the bread crumbs.
- Roll each ball in the cornstarch, then the egg wash, and finally the bread crumbs, and place it on the prepared baking sheet.
Cook the fritters.
- Place about 1 inch of oil in a large, heavy-bottom skillet, and place the skillet over medium-low heat.
- Once the oil is rippling, press the breaded balls firmly between your palms to create a patty about 1/2-inch thick, and place in the oil. Do not crowd the patties in the oil.
- Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, or until lightly golden brown and beginning to firm up. Place each on paper towels to drain briefly, then return to the prepared baking sheet, placing each fritter about 1 inch from the next. Repeat with the remaining fritters.
- Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until beginning to sizzle on the bottom. Remove from the oven, and serve after allowing them to set for about 5 minutes.
Make the dipping sauce.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium-size bowl and whisk until smooth. Adjust the sauce to taste.
- The dipping sauce can be made up to 2 days ahead of time, covered and stored in the refrigerator. Serve at room temperature.
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Ariane says
I am trying to make these but got thrown off when I saw “add the riced and dried cauliflower”… when do we dry it? My oven is preheating, but I’m not sure how long to cook it in the oven for? Thanks!
Nicole Hunn says
Ariane, a closer reading of the recipe will give you all those answers.
1. Step 3 states: “Transfer the cooked and riced cauliflower to a large tea towel or cheese cloth, gather the towel or cloth tightly around the cauliflower and wring out all of the moisture.”
2. Step 5 states: “Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes, or until beginning to sizzle on the bottom.”
Anneke says
So, first of all, I knew I would be making these babies just from reading the title, cause they will be awesome! Second, you know how much I love the words “freeze ahead of time.” And then there was the nifty “cook for about 2 inches on each side” typo, that made me smile. On the other hand, there is the cleaning of the food processor . . .
Nicole Hunn says
I fixed the typo! But I almost wish I didn’t have to. Hysterical.
Yup. Make-ahead is pretty key, Anneke. :)
lunaKM says
Just a funny typo in your Directions: Cook for about 2 inches on each side….
Nicole Hunn says
Oh lunaKM I absolutely laughed out loud at that. It was such an obvious mistake that I was inclined to keep it in since it’s so funny, but I wouldn’t want anyone to be confused. Thanks for pointing that out!
Jennifer S. says
Um now – you know who really reads everything!! :)
MIchelle says
These look so delicious- what a creative idea!
Jennifer S. says
These look super yummy! I need a bigger freezer!!!
Thank you for the dipping sauce recipe!!!! I make my own tartar sauce and then 1000 island from the tartar sauce -very similar to yours but with lots of chopped pickles cause that’s how the Sasse’s roll…. I like your version too for the more sophisticated times… “For parties with ladies,” my youngest would say….
Nicole Hunn says
I often chop cornichons and put them in the dressing, but for some reason left them out this time. I guess I thought there was already so much going on flavor-wise! How cute is “for parties with ladies”?
John Lachett says
Yum. Yum. Yum. I can’t WAIT to make these! I’m gonna whip up a batch of “fake” campfire sauce as well as your sauce for dipping! Hmm…I also wonder if a little old bay would give them a “crab cake” taste….and then I could use tarter sauce for dipping! Or Cocktail sauce! And serve it on a Paleo roll!! ACK!! SO MANY OPTIONS!!!!!!!
Your GFF,
John L
Nicole Hunn says
Old Bay would be awesome in these, John. No doubt. Oh I do love tartar sauce. Go for it!
Abby says
These look amazing. I love knowing there are so many great GF meals out there for me.
Donia Robinson says
If you don’t mind a little less perfection in the result (a few bigger pieces here and there), it doesn’t take much time to grate an entire head with the box grater. My trick when grating anything is to do it in the kitchen sink (into a bowl). Then, if anything goes flying, the sink catches it.
Sigh. I do love Detoxinista, but I don’t recall seeing a cheese-free version of the crust. But without being able to eat cheese on the top (without bad consequences), cheese-free pizza seems like “what’s the point?” I miss dairy so much!
Nicole Hunn says
Nope, it relies heavily upon cheese, Donia. Sorry!
Sounds interesting, to grate it with a box grater. Too bad I do need perfection, since I foolishly take pictures of my food. But for a normal human being, that sounds like a great option. You know I’d love to avoid that food processor. ;)
Jennifer S. says
I still don’t even know how to use my food processor. :|
Donia Robinson says
What??? Mine is old-school, I guess, but I have two speed options (on and pulse) and three blades. It’s got less settings than our toaster! Email me and tell me your hangup. It’s a great tool!
Donia Robinson says
Well surely you’re going to make these fritters again and not photograph them, right? ;)
Nicole Hunn says
Probably not for a long time, believe it or not. I had to make them a few times to get the recipe just right, so now that it’s up… probably not. Onward!