Cauliflower Parmesan Crisps
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
Categories:
Cauliflower Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Healthy Dinner Ideas, Snack Ideas, Vegetarian Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
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!
I’m so glad you liked them, thanks for stopping by!
I am so glad you liked them! 🙂
Amazing. Have you used a beaten egg in the recipe? I may try next time.
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.
This may sound like a strange question but where in the oven do you place your sheet? Would it be on the bottom?
Hi, Tammy! Not at all! You can place them on the middle rack. 🙂
Mine turned out pretty “floppy” following recipe xavtly. Any comments?
*exactly*
Hi, Kari! I think maybe you still had to much moisture inside them or they were not thin enough.
Use nut milk bags to squeeze out moisture.
Can these be frozen once they are baked?
Can you freeze the cauliflower after squeezing it dry? I made too much and want to use it later.
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.
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.
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!!
If using frozen riced cauliflower, how many cups would you use for your recipe? Thank you
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!
Thank you for responding to that question. I was going to ask the same thing.
Omg these were amazingggg thank u
Awesome! Thank you for letting me know, Yas! 🙂
How many crisps in a serving?
Hi Carla!
The whole recipe makes about 12 crisps, so it’s about 3 per serving. I hope you like them!
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
Awe, I’m so happy you guys like them! I am working on my son agreeing to try them but my toddler loves these! 😀