You can’t miss these cauliflower fritters made this way: not fried, that is cooked in a pan without oil — they are delicious! They strongly remind me of the Neapolitan cauliflower pizzelle that are made fried with a batter, however, despite the similarity, mine score very few Weight Watchers points: only 1 point per fritter!
The batter is very simple and tasty and the trick to success is to cook the cauliflower the right way, either steamed or in the appropriate microwave bags. If instead you boil it in water you must let it drain for several hours otherwise the mixture will be too wet and you’ll need more flour. And we don’t want that, right?
Also the recipe is very simple: you need few ingredients and little time. I liked them a lot: luckily the Dutchman really doesn’t like cauliflower so I gobbled them all up myself!
You can find some other cauliflower recipes here:
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 12 fritters
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 6 cups cauliflower (weighing only the florets (about 21 oz / 1.3 lb))
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 cup flour (gluten-free also works)
- 1/4 cup skim milk (or unsweetened plant-based milk)
- 4 tbsp grated Parmesan (or grana)
- to taste salt and pepper
- Points per fritter = 1 WW point
Tools
- Cooking bag
- Pan
Preparation
Clean the cauliflower and cook the florets by steaming or in the microwave using the appropriate bag. The cauliflower should be soft enough to be mashed but must not become too mushy. Once cooled, roughly mash it with a fork.
In a large bowl beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and the Parmesan: I used my Herb-flavored salt. Add the mashed cauliflower and mix well. At this point add the flour and milk: the final batter should be very soft but not runny.
Heat a good-quality nonstick pan: the pan must be very hot.
Spoon a tablespoon of batter into the pan and immediately shape it into a round, flattened disk with a silicone spatula. Repeat two or three more times, depending on the size of your pan. Let the cauliflower fritters cook well on the bottom before trying to lift them: only when the underside is well cooked will they release easily.
Then flip them and let the other side brown well. You can turn them a couple more times until you achieve the desired golden color. Continue cooking the rest of the batter in the same way until finished.
For baking in the oven or in the air fryer, read the Notes at the end of the recipe.
And here are the not-fried cauliflower fritters ready to be enjoyed. They are great hot or cold: a nice salad, some bread and dinner is served.
I’m happy because they really remind me of the taste of the cauliflower pizzelle my mother used to make and since I never fry, it had been years since I had smelled or tasted them.
They are excellent as a main course but also ideal as an appetizer, and with a large pan you can prepare many quickly.
I hope you like them too; I look forward to your comments and also to photos of your fritters on Facebook!
Enjoy!
by Giovanna Buono
Notes
Cinzia, a very dear reader of mine, made these fritters in the air fryer, here they are:
Are they not beautiful? She placed them in the basket lined with parchment paper and cooked them at 392°F for 15 minutes: well done, Cinzia!
Meanwhile two other dear readers of mine, Michela and Teresina, baked the cauliflower fritters in the oven! Here they are:
Michela put them in a fan oven at 392°F for 15 minutes and then another 5 minutes at 356°F. She wrote to me that they remain nice and compact and well cooked. And I, who didn’t believe they could come out well in the oven…
