Korean Fried Cauliflower in the Air Fryer
Cheescake Factory Inspired Korean Fried Cauliflower
Crispy, Spicy Korean-Style Cauliflower (Air Fryer Recipe)
This is an excellent and unique appetizer recipe — Korean fried cauliflower made in the air fryer! It’s the kind of dish that surprises people with just how incredible cauliflower can be.
It’s bold, crispy, sweet, and spicy — very similar to hot wings, but much lighter and healthier. It also makes a fantastic Super Bowl snack, party appetizer, or game-day bite. Cauliflower absolutely pulls through for another win.
If you’re planning a party or looking for more easy crowd-pleasers, you’ll also love our best air fryer appetizer recipes — they’re quick, bold on flavor, and perfect for entertaining.
You might even be able to sneak this veggie recipe past picky eaters who normally turn their nose up at vegetables.
Ingredients and Supplies Needed
Ingredients:
- 1 large head cauliflower
- Cornstarch
- Salt
- Pepper
- Baking powder
Batter:
- All-purpose flour
- Cornstarch
- Baking powder
- Garlic powder
- Cold water
Sauce:
- Gochujang (Korean chili paste)
- Reduced-sodium soy sauce
- Honey
- Sesame oil
- Freshly grated ginger
- Minced garlic
- Rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Optional garnishes: sesame seeds, green onions, lime wedges, ranch dressing
Supplies:
- Air fryer
- Large bowl
- Small bowl
- Wire rack (helpful)
How to Make Korean Fried Cauliflower in the Air Fryer
This recipe has a few steps because you’re making both a batter and a sauce, but none of them are difficult, and most ingredients are pantry staples.
Step 1: Season the Cauliflower
Toss the cauliflower florets with cornstarch, salt, pepper, and baking powder. This helps the batter stick and creates a better texture once air fried.
Step 2: Prepare the Batter
Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and garlic powder. Slowly add cold water until the batter reaches a thick pancake-like consistency.
Tip: Cold water helps create a lighter, crispier coating.
Step 3: Remove Excess Batter
Wet batter can drip and pool in the air fryer, so it’s important to remove excess batter before cooking. Shake off what you can, then place the cauliflower on a wire rack with paper towels underneath.
Step 4: Air Fry the Cauliflower
Lightly oil the air fryer basket and place cauliflower florets in a single layer with space between them. Air fry in batches if needed.
I usually get about 1½ pounds of florets from one head of cauliflower, which takes about four batches in a standard air fryer. Larger florets may need an extra minute or two.
Step 5: Make the Korean Sauce
Combine soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, vinegar, and gochujang. Simmer briefly until slightly thickened.
If you like extra heat, add more gochujang or a splash of Sriracha. The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and reheated before serving.
Step 6: Serve
Toss the crispy cauliflower with the warm sauce until coated. The result is tangy, spicy, sweet, and incredibly satisfying.
Finish with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and serve with ranch dressing if desired — it cools the heat beautifully.
For reference, The Cheesecake Factory serves their Korean Fried Cauliflower garnished with lime zest, green onions, and sesame seeds, alongside ranch dressing and fresh lime wedges.
I highly recommend trying at least a few of these garnishes — they really elevate the flavor and presentation.
Korean Air Fryer Cauliflower FAQs
Is Korean fried cauliflower spicy?
It has a mild to medium heat thanks to gochujang. You can easily adjust the spice level by using less chili paste or adding more honey.
Why isn’t my cauliflower crispy?
Overcrowding and excess batter are the most common causes. Make sure to cook in batches and remove extra batter before air frying.
Can I make this vegan?
Yes! Swap the honey for maple syrup or agave nectar.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can air fry the cauliflower in advance, then reheat and toss with sauce just before serving for best texture.
Final Thoughts
This Korean fried cauliflower is crispy on the outside, tender inside, and packed with bold flavor — all without deep frying. It’s one of those recipes that disappears fast, so you may want to double it.
If you try this recipe, I’d love to hear how it turns out in the comments!
Korean Fried Cauliflower in the Air Fryer
Equipment
- Small bowl
- Large bowl
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into bite-size florets (about 1 ½ pounds florets)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- Pinch salt
- Pinch pepper
- Pinch baking powder
Batter:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 cup cold water
Sauce:
- 4 ½ tablespoons gochujang Korean chili sauce
- 4 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- ¼ teaspoon rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- Garnishes: lime zest sesame seeds, green onions, lime wedges, and/or Ranch dressing
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together 1 tablespoon cornstarch with a pinch each of salt, pepper, and baking powder. Sprinkle cauliflower florets with the mixture and stir to coat.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and garlic powder for the batter. Then add the cold water. The batter will be on the thick side, kind of like pancake batter.
- Dip the cauliflower into the batter to coat, shake a little over the bowl to allow excess batter drip off, then place the coated cauliflower on a wire rack (with a paper towel underneath) to allow more excess batter to drip off. Better for excess to drip off before it goes into the air fryer.
- Brush the air fryer basket with a light layer of oil to help reduce sticking. Place coated cauliflower into the air fryer basket in a single layer, with space between each floret. Air fry at 350 °F for 10-12 minutes, until parts are light golden brown. (For my air fryer, this took 4 batches to cook all cauliflower. Remove debris and re-coat basket with oil between each batch.)
- While the cauliflower is cooking, you can finish dipping the remaining cauliflower florets, then work on the sauce. Whisk together the gochujang, soy sauce, honey, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and vinegar in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then remove from heat.
- Once cauliflower is done cooking, add it to a large bowl. Then pour the sauce over the cauliflower and gently stir to coat.
- Serve immediately. If desired, garnish with lime zest, lime wedges, green onion, and sesame seeds. Delicious served with a side of Ranch dressing.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Adapted From: Carmyy
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frozen cauliflower? can that be used instead? I am reading over the recipes in here as I am waiting impatiently for my air fryer to arrive lol .. a bit excited to try one or two of your recipes just not sure what yet
Great question! I haven’t tried it with frozen cauliflower, so I’m not sure how it will affect the batter sticking to the cauliflower. If you use frozen cauliflower, you will want to thaw it and pat it dry before using.
Absolutely delicious!!
So glad to hear it, Susie!
I woumd like to point out, that gochujang is sold as a paste and ingredients added to it to make a sauce , that’s how it is sold on amazon and in stores in uk. But I like the recipe
This did not work out for me. The batter was way too thick, they turned out like misshapen golf balls. I tried salvaging the last batch with a half cup of soda water added to the batter, which was way better for texture. I love gochujang, but the sauce was overwhelming, too much gochujang and too thick.
Sorry you didn’t enjoy it, Barbara!