Baked Cauliflower Poppers

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

When I think of a crunchy salty snack... chips, french fries and carb loaded goodies (everything I have been craving this pregnancy but resisting) come to mind. I recently heard about cauliflower poppers and I knew I had to try them.

I have said before that I am not a big fan of raw cauliflower (yucky) but after I made skinny mashed potatoes using cauliflower I knew it was my new favorite lo-carb substitute.

What you will need:
  • 2 heads of cauliflower
  • 1/4 cup of olive oil
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
  2. Wash and clean the cauliflower. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the cauliflower up into small pieces.
  3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
  4. Place cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour and turn 3 times during cooking until each piece has a nice brown coloring. The browner they are the better.
  5. Remove from oven and enjoy!
I made these on Sunday and my husband loved them! He said they tasted like french fries (I agree). The great part is that you can happily eat the entire batch and not feel guilty at all.

134 comments:

Lindsay said...

Amazing! This looks so good--and healthy too! You have the best recipes on here. Thanks for sharing!

Hanna said...

These look divine LIndsay! LOVE

Anonymous said...

YUMMO! Totally making these! I love cauliflower!! Thanks Lindsay!

Unknown said...

Hey now, this is the most delicious cauliflower recipe I have ever seen. And I'm kinda embarrassed because I'm supposed to be the food blogger and I don't have any cauliflower recipes that are THIS yummy! :)

Lindsay said...

Taste like french fries?! I might just have to try these. As a picky eater and lifelong veggie hater, I always have to trick my taste buds :)

Brittney - The Luycx's said...

I LOVE this idea! Yumm!

Simply LKJ said...

Looks super yummy! Thanks for sharing. I am looking for some lower calorie snacks to replace the fries and chips!! And, I already like cauliflower.

sherri lynn said...

I've never heard of cauliflower as an alternative crunchy snack! You have so much self-control to consistently say no to your cravings and find something better instead!

Amy said...

Wow, I'm definitely trying this! Our family loves cauliflower, thanks!

Mamasita said...

ohhhh for DELICIOUS!!! ***
Thanks for sharing :)

Jenn @ Bliss to Bean said...

French fries? Ok!! :) Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

So glad for another healthy way to prep our cauliflower! Thanks for sharing.

Stephanie said...

Oh my word, this looks SO GOOD! I am definitely going to make these!

Elaine said...

I have never heard of these! I'm going to try them!

erica said...

I have never even thought of doing this before. It looks wonderful! Definitely making this ASAP! xo

Kelly said...

These sound delicious! I can't wait to try them...thanks for sharing :)

Unknown said...

Looks yummy! Even though I love raw cauliflower I am going to try making these too!

Tara @ Tales of a Trophy Wife said...

I'm trying these-thanks!

Unknown said...

Lovely dish.

JM said...

These look so delicious! Can't wait to make them myself.

Hilliary Meisner said...

Omg this looks delicious! Cauliflower is one of my favorites, thanks for sharing this recipe!

Alexa said...

Oooh I've had these before they are super yummy, surprisingly! :)

Little City Farm said...

Oh that's brilliant!

Unknown said...

what a great idea.. i've never really been much into califlower but this recipe and the skinny mashed potatoes sound delicious. i'm going to have to try these.

Amy Willingham said...

i MSUT try i absoutly love califlower..

thansk for sharing

www.chaptersofawife.blogspot.com

Jennifer @ Delightfully Noted said...

Like french fries??! I'm sold.

Makaila said...

I've made mashed cauliflower, but never cauliflower poppers! YUM. This is hitting the menu this week! -m-

natasha {schue love} said...

Ooo these look super yummy! Do you dip in ketchup?! Love this!

Anna Elder said...

Ok yeah, I definitely have to check these out. I LOVE cauliflower! Especially raw!! haha, but my husband hates it. Maybe this can ease him in. :) I love plain white popcorn with a little salt. At least it's super low-cal?

Sharstin said...

fantastic idea--so healthy and yum too! thanks chick!

Selena said...

I love cauliflower and french fries. Im sure this will taste great!

Unknown said...

This look so good! I liked your mash potato recipe too!

jessica // union shore said...

i've been looking for more healthy snack options, so I will definitely be trying these!! :)

Carrie said...

Oh my gosh what a fantastic idea for cauliflower! I am a huge fan of cauliflower..raw..cooked whatever. Just found your site and love it! Just adorable! Following for sure!
XO Carrie
www.carriefabulous.com
www.livefrombungalow63.blogspot.com

Jennifer of JennySue Makeup said...

are you dipping those in ranch or marinara?? either way, i'm totally trying this on my 3 kids bc they eat zero veggies, except for corn;-) looks tasty!!

Jennifer of JennySue Makeup said...

I'm kind of embarrassed I wrote "ranch" previously as it's obviously red in color- I meant to say ketchup or marinara- ha!!

Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

JennySue- it's Ketchup. I totally knew what you meant :)

Finley said...

Alright, I'm going to have to try this! I've been craving salty and crunchy and resisting buying chips or I will eat the entire bag in one sitting! Kale chips were a fail, but I can't mess up cauliflower, right?!
:: mommy chic ::

Brianna said...

I made these tonight... DELISH! I also put a little garlic salt on too sometimes (:

Heather @ Finding Beauty in the Ordinary said...

oh my gosh, i'm trying this, thank you! <3 <3

... said...

What a healthy snack alternative!! :)

Mimi said...

wow, they taste like french fries? that's really interesting! my sister is gonna love this! :)

<3, Mimi
http://whatmimiwrites.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

oh my goodness...yum, yum, yum!!! will be trying this one soon :) XO brynn

sam&charlie said...

YUM-O! i can't wait to try these out!

Chunny said...

Healthy and Yummy. =)



http://sassychunny.blogspot.com/

Elaine said...

I made these last night and they were SO good! Thanks very much - a new fave for me :)

Unknown said...

add some cumin, paprika cinnamon and sugar and do the exact same as the rest of the recipe and they are sooo yummy.

Unknown said...

These look AMAZING and sound delicious Lindsay! I will have to give these a go as I would love to eat something delicious and it be healthy ..and then not feel guilty - fabuloso! I have been MIA from blogging recently BUT have spent the last little while going through allllll your posts! And its a boy!!!! Congrats :) So excited and happy for you - you will have to share another bump photo soon :)

Anna xx

http://www.lifesshinyprettythings.blogspot.com/

Heldine said...

I definitely want to try this some time. :)

Jensters said...

Im gonna try these...they look so yummy :0

Tara @ Tales of a Trophy Wife said...

We tried them and liked them.Thanks for sharing. I featured them in a healthy recipe round-up today. http://trophyw.blogspot.com/2012/01/12-healthy-meals-youll-that-taste-good.html

Marysa said...

We do about the same - bake cauliflower, and then when it's just about done, toss shredded cheese on top (cheddar, smoked cheddar, smoked gouda, etc) and broil. SO good!

Beth said...

I plan on trying these!

JB said...

so good! used the same recipe with sprinkled fresh rosemary. yum!

Anonymous said...

Just put these into the oven... added some cumin, too. We'll see how they turn out! Thanks for this :)

Stampin_melissa said...

I tried this tonight. This was SO very good! I am allergic to potatoes, so now I have something I like to replace french fries!! Thank you!

Amanda said...

saw these on Pinterest. Trying them tonight!

http://agrainofcumin.blogspot.com

Beth said...

I finally tried these tonight and LOVED them! Even my hubby liked them and he NEVER eats cauliflower! I will definitely be making these again.

Anonymous said...

I LOVE cauliflower just never know what to do with it. Thanks for an easy great recipe!

Swimming Upstream said...

Can't wait to try these!

Esther said...

Tried these last night, and they were DELICIOUS! I don't even like cauliflower, but I will eat it this way any day!

Mommy of three---Fighting to Believe said...

i CANNOT stop eatting these!!! they are so GOOD!!! AHH!! :) i don't add as much oil because i have a stone ware and i use that and it makes things really crispy :)

LadyRizzo said...

I just made these about 10 mins ago. And the plate is now empty. My 2 year old and baby in my belly LOVED them.

Lexi said...

These were delicious but they didn't get really crisp. I was afraid they'd burn if I left them longer. Any suggestions to make them crunchy not sure what I did wrong ?

Anonymous said...

AH.MAZE.ING!!!
we loved them and can't wait to impress our friends with these! Thanks.

Anonymous said...

So, I made these for the Super Bowl. I have to disagree that they taste like French Fries. HOWEVER - they are sooooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe - from now on, this is the way to make cauliflower in my house...yummmmm!

Anonymous said...

So, I made these for the Super Bowl. I have to disagree that they taste like French Fries. HOWEVER - they are sooooo delicious! Thank you for the recipe - from now on, this is the way to make cauliflower in my house...yummmmm!

Kylie's Mom said...

My husband ate 90% of them, but for the little bit that I got before he got his hands on them...they were delicious!! Definitely making these again. And I'll make more next time :)

Kylie's Mom said...

...oh, and normally I think cauliflower is nasty. Definitely not nasty when prepared this way. Thanks for posting!

Anonymous said...

O wow! So cannot wait to try these! I almost think a spicy remoulade would go great, but then again I like a spicy remoulade on most vegetables.

Ashley S said...

I made these and tried them with three diffent dipping sauces- ketchup, ranch, and bbq. I was not expecting to like ketchup at all (I typically only like it on french fries) but it was honestly the best of the three. They ACTUALLY taste like french fries! So yummy, thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Can you make these ahead of time and then store them, or are they just good hot out of the oven? Was wondering about a travel snack....

Barca Mama said...

Another one I can hardly wait to try... You really do have some fantastic recipes!

Elaina said...

These were absolutely amazing!!! I made 1/2 head of cauliflower because I didn't know how they would turn out. They were so good that I ended up eating all of it within a few minutes! When I cut up the pieces, mine didn't look like the picture....I had tiny pieces, small pieces, and medium pieces. I baked for 50 minutes directly on my stoneware, without the parchment. The tiny pieces came out burnt & very crispy, and the other pieces were mostly crispy, but in my opinion, all of it was extremely delicious!! I cannot wait to make these again!

Anonymous said...

so i made these once... and then by popular demand i made them again the day after, and again the day after that.

absolutely a success, thank you for the wonderful idea!

Stories of a Suburban Outlaw said...

These were amazing! I added garlic powder and made a spicy ketchup to dip them in...my 3 year old and I ate a whole head of cauliflower in 1 sitting!

billbert said...

try spraying the olive oil on. takes about 80% less...

Rebecca @ Herons Crafts said...

Love these soooo much :) Heavenly!

Nicole Johnson said...

I tried these tonight. I must try them again because I didn't have parchment paper (so I tried tin foil instead) and I think I had too much cauliflower and not enough oil. I also think I cut my pieces way too small. They didn't get crispy and were a little soggy. My sister has done them a couple times and loves them. So, I will need to try again! :)

Liz said...

These are SO Yummy!! My 3 year old daughter, who tells me frequently that she doesn't like vegetables ate half of the batch by herself. I had to keep getting some out of the oven for her before they were done cooking because she couldn't wait to eat them.

devon lynne said...

Delicious! I love the recipes I've tried so far and am stoked to make more.

gina said...

I am going to try this tonight. My mom used to make "brains" with cauliflower. Cover the entire head with a mixture of mustard and mayo and bake til tender. We use to fight over the outside pieces with the burnt "cheese" sauce.

This looks awesome. I have no parchment paper tho. hmmm

BarbaraScarp said...

My mom used to make something similar, but they were breaded and fried. Because of that, I only made them on special occasions like Christmas and Thanksgiving. My kids LOVED them. This is so much healthier,now I can enjoy them ALL the time! Thank you!

upandover said...

I made these and they really didn't go overly crispy! They WERE delicious, however, but I'm wondering how I can up the crispness. I didn't use parchment paper, could that be why? Maybe the pieces I cut were too large, not sure. Any suggestions/help/redirection would be greatly appreciated! :) Kudo's on the awesome blog, I love it!

Shauna said...

These are baking as we speak! Can't wait to try them!

The Provision Room said...

These were a hit! The whole family loved them!

Herballistic Garden said...

My friend just told me about these and upon searching the net, yours seem easiest and look yummy, so I'll be trying these...Thanks! wendy

mrs.rappsclass said...

Do you think I could make these on my pampered chef pizza stone and not need the wax paper?

acethegreat921 said...

I am going to try these very soon. I am always looking for more ways to my family to eat their veggies.

Jen said...

These are great. The first time I made them I cut the pieces too small. They will forever be Cauliflower nubbins of goodness now.

Iva said...

I tried mock mashed potatoes for the first time tonight (not your recipe - it sounds fantastic...must try it next time).

I think I might like to try these as well. I see cauliflower being my new "go to" veggie.

Lindsay said...

You can do the same thing with Kale and they're like potato chips! So good!

Kara said...

This is our new favorite snack. I will now have to keep cauliflower on hand. Thanks!

Tracy said...

I just tried them and they are amazing!! My husband couldn't stop complimenting me on them :)

Unknown said...

About to make these for dinner and pair them with a homemade ketchup. Can't wait to try them out! :)

Shannon said...

I got a similar recipe off of another website except they said cook for 10 minutes or until tender....well its been 20min and one hour sounds like about what it is going to take. Wish I found this recipe before the rest of my supper was ready. Guess it will make a good snack tonight.

whatsmycraft said...

I love cauliflower made this way. I have been making it this way for years, but I add a TON of garlic!!! I have two heads in the fridge, kids and I will try with ketchup, YUMMY.

Unknown said...

If you think that's good, add some garlic & Parmesan as well... you'll think you've died & gone to heaven! : )

Amanda Jo Moss said...

Ha Ha, I was just looking up a recipe for roasting cauliflower. I got so sucked up into reading your blog that I mindlessly started eating my cauliflower raw and I ate the whole bag before I could actually try it. Oh well, next time;) This looks delish!

Jonimae said...

Found you when Lizzie reposted your blog on fb. These recipes are awesome. Hubby needs it coz he too is diabetic. Thanks

Unknown said...

Tou can put nutritional yeast on them for a cheesy version. Get it in the health food store. (normally bagged bulk style)

Unknown said...

The dish is delicious....I just feel like your cauliflower kept it's uniform shape, when mine seemed to shrink. Have you ever experienced that before?!?

halftherainbow7 said...

OMG THESE WERE AWESOME~~!!! When they were done I put pepper jack cheese on top of half of them and stuck them in the oven just to melt the cheese and oh my goodness, deliciousness :D

Dianne said...

MADE THIS!!! It was TASTTTTTYYY. Thank you for sharing!

Anne said...

In the oven now, can't wait!

sassy_mommie said...

how many calories do you know...

Anonymous said...

Would it be okay to cut the quantity of oil in half?

Anonymous said...

why did mine not turn out crunchy????

Anonymous said...

I think this will be a favorite snack.

SaraGezelius said...

OH my goodness! I will make these for my family tomorrow! They sound delicious!!

Thanks for sharing!

Check out my blog?
http://saraforsoker.blogspot.se/

Unknown said...

Temp on the oven?? Thanks!

Jane N. said...

These were amazing. They seriously tasted like French fries. Thank you!

Libby said...

You converted me from a "Cauliflower Avoider" to someone who seeks out recipes made with this vegetable. Even my kids, who also had some of the "Avoider" in them are beginning to like this veggie. I tried this recipe last year, and it opened up a whole new culinary adventure for me. Tonight I am making these poppers again, and they are all for me (Note: making a 1/2 recipe). Thank you for sharing this great recipe.

Trish said...

I made these today, and they were delicious. I halved the recipe, because I only had one head of cauliflower and I noticed that it was a bit too salty for my taste. Next time I probably won't use as much salt, but there WILL be a next time. So good. I ate them with my morning eggs. I tried to get my kids to try them but they refused :( Oh well, more for me. I'll keep trying though. Thanks for the healthy recipe.

Charlie H said...

My doctor recently told me to eat more brocolli, cauliflower & brussels sprouts. I think this will fit the bill nicely.

Anonymous said...

What kind of dip is in the picture?

Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

Ketchup :)

Anonymous said...

Do you think it can work with frozen cauliflower or will it come out too soggy?

Lindsay @ Delighted Momma said...

You definitely want to use fresh cauliflower not frozen.

Anonymous said...

Can u dip them in ketchup or do you suggest something more healthy?????

Jenny C. said...

Made these for my family tonight and everyone loved them (even my 2 and 5 yr. olds). They did taste like french fries! We dipped them in ketchup.

MommyVcreations said...

I really really must have done something wrong... They don't taste anything like fries . they taste exactly like broiled cauliflower... Which is still good by me ! Maybe its because I used spray oil ?? I didn't want to coat them that much... And I also don't use ketchup so I skipped that ... Still ate the whole head with my husband and I .. Great dish. Wish it didn't take so long ( over an hour for one head)

Anonymous said...

I can't wait to try these. I cook broccoli like this but also add cloves of garlic and when they are done they taste like candy! It is amazing what roasting can do to veggies. :)

Unknown said...

Great Idea! Made it tonight and loved it!

Anonymous said...

Sounds great! What temp did you bake them at?

Anonymous said...

I know why it calls for 2 heads of cauliflower, because it is so amazing 1 is just enough

Anonymous said...

Delicious!!! The best part is that my husband likes it too!!

Anonymous said...

These tasted amazing thanks Lindsay!!
Some were quite soggy - was that because I might have used too much oil? I had to guess a bit because I had less than a whole cauliflower.
Cheers!
Cecilia

spatel88 said...

I'd love to try this! Question: do these get soggy if you don't eat them right away??

Unknown said...

I don't have any parchment paper...think it will still turn out great?

Anonymous said...

OMG! Linds? I can't believe it! I'm just sitting here playing on Pinterest, and WHAM your picture comes up next to these yummy photos! I had no idea! Love the page, can't wait to go thru all the yummy recipes!
Miss ya girl! Jodie!

Anonymous said...

it was amazing and easy

Bet @ Bet On Dinner said...

This was really good! I had tried another version of roasted cauliflower a couple of weeks ago that didn't turn out well, but we all liked this! :o) Thanks!

Anonymous said...

I have made this more times than I can count. My husband and I love it, and eat a whole head of cauliflower in one sitting between us.

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