Deep fried beer battered cauliflower florets make a delicious snack or side dish, and they are super easy to fix. The batter can be used to coat broccoli florets or onion rings as well. Make a double batch of batter and dip a variety of vegetables for your friends and family.
Why Add Beer To the Batter?
- Texture: The carbonation in beer creates a lighter, airier batter, and the bubbles produced as the cauliflower fries make the coating crisper.
- Flavor: The malt and hops in the beer give the batter a distinct flavor. The type of beer you use—light, dark, etc.— can also affect the flavor.
- Alcohol: Alcohol evaporates faster than water, and this contributes to the crispy texture as well.
Which Beer Works Best?
- Light Beer: Use a light beer such as a lager or pilsner if you don’t want an overpowering beer flavor.
- Ale: Pale and amber ales can add a slightly malty and hoppy flavor.
- Neutral Flavored Beer: For the least amount of beer flavor in the coating, opt for a light and neutral-flavored beer, such as a light lager or another type of mild beer.
- Dark Beer: A dark beer, such as stout or porter, adds a more robust and pronounced flavor.
Beer Battered Cauliflower
Replace your regular French fries with these tasty beer-battered cauliflower florets. They’re super easy and taste great!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Vegetables, Cauliflower
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Dash cayenne pepper
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup beer
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Oil for deep frying
Instructions
- Heat the oil to 370 F.
- Trim the cauliflower and cut it into florets.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper.
- In another bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the beaten eggs, beer, and vegetable oil to the first mixture and stir until smooth.
- Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter to coat thoroughly; working in small batches, fry the cauliflower florets for about 3 to 4 minutes in the hot oil, or until they are golden brown.
- With a metal slotted spoon, remove the cauliflower florets to paper towels to drain.
