Crispy Fried Cauliflower Bites | Gobi Fry

Crispy Fried Cauliflower Bites are easy-to-make, delicious, and crunchy vegan recipes that can be served as a snack, appetizer, or finger food.

Check out low calorie tandoori cauliflower bites or whole roasted cauliflower.

About Rava Fry

Rava Fry is a Managlorean style of fry specially used to fry fish. Vegetarians make rava fry using vegetables like cauliflower(gobi), eggplant(baingan), baby corn, raw jackfruit rava fry, breadfruit (jeev kadgi), etc. You can make rava fry either with onion and garlic or with hing. Any flavor you like, but the steps remain the same.

Rava fry is also a popular finger food or appetizer served in Mangalorean bars and restaurants. These cauliflower fries are also called gobi rava fry or cauliflower rava fry. They are vegan, super crispy, and addictive, and once served, believe me, they will disappear in no time.

Crispy cauliflower fry is one of the best recipes that you can serve for your dinner party, super bowl or game night, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Diwali Parties. A total crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients

To make this crispy fried cauliflower bites or Indian gobi fry, you need basic ingredients from your kitchen. 

Cauliflower: Cut the medium-sized cauliflower into florets or bites of desired size. 

Semolina: Also called suji rava, gives a crispy exterior to fries. 

For the paste: Add rice flour along with onion, garlic, ginger, red chilies, and salt. 

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Step-by-step instructions

• Add onion, garlic cloves, ginger, lemon juice, and dry red chilies in a mixie jar or grinder and make a thick paste. 
• Transfer this to a bowl. To this, add rice flour and salt to taste and water little by little and make a medium-thick paste. You can check this video for rava fry consistency. 
• Wash the cauliflower florets, mix them with the paste, and keep them aside for 15 to 30 minutes.

How to make crispy cauliflower bites?

• Heat oil in a pan for frying. Coat each floret with sooji/semolina.
• Drop 8 to 10 florets in hot oil, depending on the size of the pan, and cook on medium flame, occasionally flipping till it becomes crispy and golden brown on both sides.
• Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process. 
• Serve and enjoy.

Tips

• Suppose you want a no onion, no garlic version of Mangalorean rava fry, then skip onion, garlic, and ginger and simply add red chile powder and hing to the rice flour paste. You can check the video here on making Mangalorean rava fry. 
• Do not overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, add the florets.
• To check if the oil is hot, add a small piece of floret and check if it sizzles and comes up.
• Oil should not be too hot/too cold. If it's too hot, the florets might become brown faster, cauliflower might be undercooked, and if it's cold, it might absorb oil when frying.
• My secret frying tip: I add the florets on a medium-high flame. Then switch it to medium flame, and once the cauliflower turns crispy and golden, I again switch the flame to medium-high and remove the florets using a slotted spoon. Doing so will prevent it from absorbing excess oil.
• You can make the paste and mix the cauliflower ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for a day; just before serving, toss it with semolina or rava and fry. 
• These crispy cauliflower fries taste the best when served immediately. So fry only as much as needed. If there are any leftovers, store them in an airtight conatiner and reheat them in an oven or skillet with some oil. 
• No need to boil the cauliflower if you are making the crispy rava fry. 
• If semolina is unavailable, coat each cauliflower in rice flour or all-purpose flour and fry. 

Crispy cauliflower air fryer

Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F. Spread the cauliflower florets on a single layer in an air fryer basket and drizzle the oil of your choice.
Air fry for 14 to 15 minutes until they are crispy and cooked through. Shake the air fryer basket halfway through.

Recipe FAQs

More cauliflower recipes

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Recipe card

Crispy Fried Cauliflower Bites | Gobi Fry

Kushi

Crispy Fried Cauliflower Bites are easy-to-make, delicious, and crunchy vegan recipes that can be served as a snack, appetizer, or finger food.

5 from 9 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course Appetizer, Finger Food, Snack

Cuisine Indian

Servings 6

Calories 130 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  Pan
• ▢
  Bowl
• ▢
  Blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 Medium size cauliflower cut into florets
• ▢ ½ cup Semolina or sooji
• ▢ Vegetable Oil for frying

Other ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup Rice flour
• ▢ 1 Small onion
• ▢ 2 to 3 Garlic cloves
• ▢ ½ inch Ginger
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Lemon juice
• ▢ 4 to 6 Dry Red Chilli Red chilli powder - 1 ½ to 2 tsp
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Salt

Instructions

 

• Add onion, garlic cloves, ginger, lemon juice, and dry red chilies in a mixie jar or grinder and make a thick paste.
  1 Small onion, 2 to 3 Garlic cloves, ½ inch Ginger, 1 teaspoon Lemon juice, 4 to 6 Dry Red Chilli
• Transfer this to a bowl. To this, add rice flour and salt to taste and water little by little and make a medium-thick paste. You can check this video for rava fry consistency.
  ½ cup Rice flour, 1 teaspoon Salt
• Wash the cauliflower florets, mix them with the paste, and keep them aside for 15 to 30 minutes.
  1 Medium size cauliflower cut into florets

How to make crispy cauliflower bites

• Heat oil in a pan for frying. Coat each floret with sooji/semolina.
  ½ cup Semolina or sooji, Vegetable Oil for frying
• Drop 8 to 10 florets in hot oil, depending on the size of the pan, and cook on medium flame, occasionally flipping till it becomes crispy and golden brown on both sides.
• Transfer it to a paper towel to absorb any excess oil. Repeat the process.
• Crispy Cauliflower is ready. Serve and enjoy.

Notes

• Suppose you want a no onion, no garlic version of Mangalorean rava fry, then skip onion, garlic, and ginger and simply add red chile powder and hing to the rice flour paste. You can check the video here on making Mangalorean rava fry. 
• Do not overcrowd the pan. Depending on the size of the pan, add the florets.
• To check if the oil is hot, add a small piece of floret and check if it sizzles and comes up.
• Oil should not be too hot/too cold. If it's too hot, the florets might become brown faster, cauliflower might be undercooked, and if it's cold, it might absorb oil when frying.
• My secret frying tip: I add the florets on a medium-high flame. Then switch it to medium flame, and once the cauliflower turns crispy and golden, I again switch the flame to medium-high and remove the florets using a slotted spoon. Doing so will prevent it from absorbing excess oil.
• You can make the paste and mix the cauliflower ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for a day; just before serving, toss it with semolina or rava and fry. 
• These crispy cauliflower fries taste the best when served immediately. So fry only as much as needed. If there are any leftovers, store them in an airtight conatiner and reheat them in an oven or skillet with some oil. 
• No need to boil the cauliflower if you are making the crispy rava fry. 
• If semolina is unavailable, coat each cauliflower in rice flour or all-purpose flour and fry. 

Nutrition

Calories: 130kcalCarbohydrates: 27gProtein: 5gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.1gSodium: 417mgPotassium: 347mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 0.4IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 30mgIron: 1mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Note: We originally posted this recipe in July 2015. It has now been modified in July 2023 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Recipe maker, calorie and Storage Instructions, etc.