Amazing cauliflower snack that kids and adult will love. These Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps are made with a few easy ingredients that many people will already have at home. All you need is a head of cauliflower, block of Parmesan cheese, dry parsley flakes, and some garlic powder.
Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps
Raise your hand if you’re addicted to cauliflower!
I have both my hands raised because I LOVE cauliflower. There is always a head of cauliflower in my fridge. If I don’t have anything prepared for myself for lunch, I quickly make some roasted cauliflower in the oven.
Roasted cauliflower if often my choice for a fast side dish or a quick lunch. It’s very easy to make and all I need is a head of cauliflower, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
I preheat the oven to 425, cut cauliflower florets off the stem, and mix it with some olive oil, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. After that, I just spread it evenly in a rimmed baking sheet and bake for about 20-25 minutes.
No joke, it’s the simplest form of cooking cauliflower and the most delicious.
That is not the only way I use cauliflower, of course. I add it to stir fry, casseroles, make rice out of it, and even pizza crust.
Last time I was making cauliflower pizza, I got an idea for a snack made out of cauliflower and cheese. I wanted to make little bites of cauliflower that would be cheesy and crispy on the outside.
Starting out as if I was making cauliflower pizza crust, I made a few modifications to make these little cauliflower Parmesan crisps. They made a tasty snack and I bet kids will love these. My 1-year old sure did!
TIPS FOR MAKING THESE CAULIFLOWER PARMESAN CRISPS:
Use block Parmesan cheese and grate it freshly yourself. This will ensure that the cheese melts better. Don’t use dry grated Parmesan cheese because it will not melt. (Some grocery stores do have freshly grated Parmesan off the block in the deli section.)
Much like cauliflower pizza crust, make sure to squeeze all liquid out of the steamed, ground cauliflower.
To make cauliflower crisps the same size, I used a cookie scoop to measure the “dough.” I used #40 cookies scoop but you can choose to use a different one.
Once cauliflower crisps are baked, let them cool before taking them off or they might break.
When making the crisps, pat the “dough” down and fix the edges as you flatten it. The edges will crack as it spreads but they are easily fixed.
What is the best way to squeeze liquid from the cauliflower?
The best thing to use when you need to squeeze the liquid from cauliflower is cheese cloth. I like to fold cheese cloth in two (sometimes even more) to make finer mesh.
What if I don’t have a cheese cloth?
What you are looking for is fine mesh to squeeze out the liquid without squeezing part of cauliflower through the holes. There were a few times when I ran out of cheese cloth, then I used clean veggie saving bags. They are made from fine mash material and worked perfectly. So look around your kitchen, you might just have something you can use. Make sure it’s clean and it’s fine mesh material.
Can I prep them ahead of time?
Yes, you absolutely can.
You can prepare the cauliflower “dough” and refrigerate it in an air-tight container. (Up to step 5.)
You can prepare it the night before and bake the next day or prepare in the morning and bake in the afternoon or evening.
How can I reheat these crisps?
Just like so many other things, this snack is best eaten fresh from the oven but, it CAN be reheated.
The best way to reheat it is in the oven. Heat oven to 425 and pop them in on a baking sheet for just about a minute or two, until hot.
You can also reheat them in a dry cooking pan, on stove-top. Preheat a cooking pan over medium-high heat and re-heat the cauliflower crisps for about a minute on each side.
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Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps
Ingredients
- 3 lb head of cauliflower 1 average head of cauliflower
- 3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp dry parsley
- salt optional
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower florets off the stem.
- Steam cauliflower florets until tender. (10-15 minutes)
- Place steamed cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulse a few times until it looks like fine crumbs. (Make sure there are no chunks left.)
- Transfer cauliflower crumbs in a doubled cheese cloth and squeeze out all the liquid. (You may have to let it cool a bit or it will be too hot for you to squeeze.)
- Place cauliflower in a mixing bowl and add Parmesan cheese, dry parsley, and garlic powder. Mix well, until all evenly incorporated. (Taste to see if you want to add salt. Parmesan cheese is quite salty and you may feel like it's enough salt.)
- Preheat the oven to 425 and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop out cauliflower "dough." Press it into a ball with your hands and place it on the baking sheet. (I used #40 scoop.)
- Press down to flatten the "dough" into a thin disk, fixing the broken edges. The goal is for the disks to be only about 3 millimeters thin.
- Repeat with all the "dough." You will get about 12 pieces.
- Bake for 15-17 minutes, until deep golden brown.
- Let the cauliflower crisps cool before taking them off the baking sheet. Use a spatula to gently scoop them up.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Barbara Stolzenfeld says
I love this recipe. Haven’t made yet cauliflower is expensive now. I read other people commence nd. The y could buy. Those flour towel all white. I use them on other things nd they sre great. I would two to three to wring them out. I hope this is alright if i said something. These towels are kinda cotton towels nd their great for this. If you don’t have cheese cloth. Im going to buy cheesecloth for sure. Thank you Barb
lyuba says
That’s a great idea! They are thin and easily washed. Thank you, Barbara!
Susan Russo says
Hi….I made these with parmesan…..didn’t get golden crispy. And they were crumbly.
lyuba says
HI Susan,
I’m sorry they didn’t get golden crispy. Did they get golden at all! I’m asking because it might be an oven or temperature problem. By crumbly, do you meat they fell apart easily? What kind of Parmesan did you use, was it grated or dry crumbled? Grated is best because it will still melt and help hold cauliflower together.
Susan Russo says
I used grated romano cheese. I thought maybe I should add an egg to hold it together. I ended up cooking them for about 40 minutes. I actually flipped them and sprayed them with some oil to see if they would brown, but they never browned, only on the edges a tiny bit. Weird. Yours looked so yummy and mine not so much.
lyuba says
Oh, it’s so hard to pinpoint what exactly went different without being there 🙂 I would not recommend adding an egg since you want them thin and you don’t want too much moisture.
I know it’s a silly question but you oven is working well, right? I’ve had that happen when an old oven didn’t keep temperature and didn’t cook uniformly.
Romano Cheese should be just fine wince it’s very close to consistency of Parmesan.
I really hope I could help more!
lyuba says
I will also work on the video for these crisps, that might help people out!
SHG says
Im making these right now. They’re baking and look really good. I wrung cauliflower out with a dish cloth, used Italian seasoning since i don’t have dried parsley, and pregrated parm since I didn’t have a block. I was eager to try them even without all the right ingredients. They smell amazing and pretty sure they’ll taste as good as they smell!!
lyuba says
I really hope you enjoyed them !! Thank you for coming to tell me 🙂
Judith Ray says
Where’s best place to buy veggie mesh bags and cheese cloth? I live in a very rural area with a Piggly Wiggly & Dollar General stores. I shop online a lot!
lyuba says
HI Judith!
I’ve seen both, veggie mash bags and cheese cloth, at grocery stores. I’m sure WalMart would carry either or both. You can always call your store and ask to speak to a manager to check on the product availability before you make the drive 🙂
If you shop online, Amazon will have it for sure!
Cheesecloth: https://amzn.to/2TDO5sn
Mesh bags: https://amzn.to/2TDCJEM
Best of luck!!
Elaine Williams says
I am crazy about cauliflower. Steamed and mashed! The ultimate comfort food!
lyuba says
Oh me too! I even snack on it raw but that does tend to tough on the stomach when raw.
Diana Foster says
Second time making these yummy crisps !!! My husband loves them ! The cheese cloth makes it easier to drain more liquid from cauliflower. Also a hot oven . Easy , fun & healthy , a wonderful recipe . I learn more each time I make them , not to flat , get all the water , make them round & not to thin !!!! Love it
lyuba says
Awe, I’m so happy you guys like them! I am working on my son agreeing to try them but my toddler loves these! 😀
Carla says
How many crisps in a serving?
lyuba says
Hi Carla!
The whole recipe makes about 12 crisps, so it’s about 3 per serving. I hope you like them!
Yas says
Omg these were amazingggg thank u
lyuba says
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know, Yas! 🙂
Colleen says
If using frozen riced cauliflower, how many cups would you use for your recipe? Thank you
lyuba says
Ha, that’s a great question, Colleen! I had to look that up and it seems like there are about 1.5 cups of cauliflower florets per lb of cauliflower. It would probably reduce to 1 cup pulsed. So I would say 3-4 cups. Just make sure to squeeze the liquids out. I hope you like them!
Kay Gerth says
Great tasting but despite wringing cauliflower myself and then my husband wringing it some more- the final product was more like a patty not like a chip. Suggestions? No parchment paper? Longer cook time? Love any ideas. Thx.
lyuba says
Hi Kay!
I think that there is some misconception about the final product 🙂 It is not a cheese crisp or a cracker so it will not span. Cauliflower is a vegetable and has moisture in it so it will still have moisture in it. It’s thin and crispy in the outside but there is a little softness in the middle. I’ve added a video and you may be able to tell.
I hope this helps!!
Marlyn says
Can you freeze the cauliflower after squeezing it dry? I made too much and want to use it later.
lyuba says
Hi Marlyn!
Yes, you can freeze cooked and squeezed cauliflower. Place it into a zip-lock freezer back, get all the air out, seal it, and you should be good. Defrost it slowly in the refrigerator. Double check to see it a little more moisture needs to be squeezed out once you’ve defrosted it.
IRENE LONG says
Can these be frozen once they are baked?
Kathryn Gannon says
Use nut milk bags to squeeze out moisture.
Kari says
Mine turned out pretty “floppy” following recipe xavtly. Any comments?
Kari says
*exactly*
LyubaB says
Hi, Kari! I think maybe you still had to much moisture inside them or they were not thin enough.
Tammy says
This may sound like a strange question but where in the oven do you place your sheet? Would it be on the bottom?
LyubaB says
Hi, Tammy! Not at all! You can place them on the middle rack. 🙂
Lauren says
Amazing. Have you used a beaten egg in the recipe? I may try next time.
LyubaB says
Hi Lauren,
I haven’t tried it. The egg is a leveler not just a binder so it won’t help for this recipe and would give you a very different result.
MK says
Wow, this turned out awesome! The cheesecloth is key – I don’t know how I would have been able to squeeze out enough liquid without it. They were a little tender in the middle but crispy on the sides. My family loves them, thanks!
LyubaB says
I’m so glad you liked them, thanks for stopping by!
LyubaB says
I am so glad you liked them! 🙂
Shelley says
Hello. I assume you store these in the refrigerator, correct? I am trying to come up with readily available snacks for when cravings hit I am not reaching for unhealthy foods. Thanks.
LyubaB says
Yes, you would store these in the refrigerator, and for the best result heat them up in a frying pan with a little cooking spray.
Shelley says
Thank you!