Is it possible to be addicted to cauliflower???
I swear, this shake and bake cauliflower is possibly even more addictive than popcorn or potato chips.
One taste and it’s impossible to stop… until suddenly the entire bowl is gone!
Luckily, it’s super easy to make more.
Like the name says, you simply throw the ingredients into a bag, shake it all together, and bake until crispy.
Then you can devour the evidence and repeat the process all over again!
Growing up, I always loved Shake’n Bake Chicken, more for the addictively crunchy breadcrumb coating than for the actual chicken.
So, after the incredible success of my Sticky Sesame Cauliflower recipe, when I started brainstorming additional recipes I could make using cauliflower instead of chicken, the “shake and bake” idea was an immediate next choice.
Obviously this does not taste exactly like chicken… but if you are a cauliflower fan, you might like it even more than the original chicken version!
I once read an article where the author claimed it’s only possible to become addicted to processed foods and that no one can be addicted to vegetables.
This made me laugh and think that the author clearly had never tried roasted cauliflower!
Shake & Bake Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1/2 a large head of cauliflower
- 1/4 cup milk of choice
- 1/4 cup fine cornmeal or flour
- 1-2 tsp oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup Italian panko breadcrumbs (regular or gf)
- 3-4 tsp nutritional yeast or parmesan (such as vegan Parma)
Instructions
- Finely crush the breadcrumbs, either in a blender (easiest method) or by placing them in a bag and crushing with a rolling pin or heavy object. Preheat oven to 425 F. Cut the cauliflower up into florets. Whisk together the other ingredients except breadcrumbs, then toss everything (except breadcrumbs) together in a large ziploc. Put the cauliflower in a colander to drain off excess batter. Toss with the breadcrumbs. Arrange in 1 layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven. (Note: If you want to use oil spray instead of oil, feel free to experiment. I’ve not tried it and so can’t say how it would affect the taste/texture. Plain breadcrumbs can be subbed for the Italian, but you'll probably want to add some Italian seasonings.)View Nutrition Facts
Notes
Have you made this recipe?
Tag @chocolatecoveredkatie on Instagram
More Healthy Cauliflower Recipes:
Vegetarian Enchiladas – with Cauliflower Sour Cream
What’s your favorite way to eat cauliflower? Roasted in the oven? Pureed into a creamy sauce or soup?
Or maybe in this Healthy Chocolate Cake???
Melissa Griffiths says
We make something really close to this and my kids don’t even know it’s a vegetable, they taste so good! I’m going to have to try your sticky seasame cauliflower, it looks delicious!
Juliette | Namastay Traveling says
I love, love ,love ordering cauliflower as an option at a recipe..but it’s usually always fried! This at-home version looks like an awesome substitute!
Emma says
I’ve never some across this idea before and it sounds awesome! Movie night tonight with shake and bake cauliflower!
Kat says
This looks absolutely phenomenal! Such a great idea, wish I could have some right now. I bet you could do it with other veggies too
claudia says
Katie’s gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
And then she’s gonna bake , bake, bake, bake, bake
Baby I’m just gonna do the same, same, same, same, same
And eat it all, eat it all
Next hit!
Available in iTunes! Lol
Andrea says
Please make that real life. I love Taylor Swift and Chocolate Covered Katie. A collaboration between the two would be the best thing ever. 🙂
claudia says
😀 LOL
Kathy says
LOL
Anna says
I have an extra packet of Shake and Bake in my cupboard. This recipe has inspired me to try the shake and bake on cauliflower directly! I’ll probably need a bit of oil to get it to stick though. I’ll report back if it works out 🙂
Jen says
Did it work??? I have the above recipe in the oven right now but the whole time I was wondering if literal store bought Shake ‘N Bake would work.
Taryn says
I just made this and it is AWESOME!
I don’t really remember shake and bake chicken or think I’ve ever had it, but this reminds me of popcorn chicken. It is delicious!
jordan @ dancing for donuts says
okay these looks DELICIOUS. admittedly, cauliflower is not my favorite thing in the world, but it is SO versatile and whenever i have it out at restaurants i love it. hopefully this recipe will make me love having it at home too! thanks for sharing 🙂
Maria says
The author who said that is crazy. Wouldn’t most people agree that summer fruit is pretty addictive?
On a more related note, this will sound crazy, but I have tried so many new cauliflower recipes recently that are based off of some sort of non-cauliflower original, and I have loved them all!! So I can add shake-n-bake cauli to the collection of things I’ve never had but will probably love.
Cathy says
I have a cauliflower sitting in my fridge. It was just waiting for this recipe! Yummy! And you sure can get addicted to vegetables! I am totally addicted to asparagus right now!
Emily says
This looks amazing, cauliflower is my absolute favorite. For sure making it this week! Thank you! 🙂
xo,
Em
Kathie Arias says
Whoever said that about not being able to become addicted to vegetables is ALL wrong! They definitely haven’t tried your recipes! It’s a matter of knowing how to cook them and being creative. This recipe sounds wonderful. Cauliflower is delicious and mixing it up with this looks irresistible. Thank you for sharing such a delicious-sounding recipe. I look forward to giving it a go soon!
Amy says
This is a pretty cool recipe Katie! This has to be on my must-make list for the week.
Karen says
I’m going out to the farmstead now!
When you say “Note: If you want to use oil spray instead of oil,” do you mean to spray the cauiliflower before or after it goes in the batter?
Jason Sanford says
I would probably try spraying it before so things will stick.
Margaret says
I had to make this right away, and it was amazing! Definitely addictive! I even used frozen cauliflower cause I was feeling lazy, and it worked great.
Jason Sanford says
So cool to know it works with frozen!
Rachel says
Great tip, for two persons a whole cauliflower can be a bit much.
Aimee says
That’s great… sometimes I get sooo sick of chopping up veggies!!! Good to know! Thx!
Mary Frances says
I haven’t seen “Shake n’ Bake” in so long, this is a great idea and one that is actually healthy.
Cassie Tran says
I’ve never had Shake n’ Bake chicken before, but I absolutely love the idea of this recipe! The cauliflower looks so crispy and decadent. It’s probably perfect with ketchup, Sriracha, or even barbecue sauce!
Deliverr says
This looks so easy and delicious! I really Liked it! Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Deanne says
I made this for dinner tonight.. absolutely delicious and so filling.. what a wonderfully healthy and economical meal.. we had it alone with some dippy sauce.. My Husband said this is is new favourite meal..
Jason Sanford says
Haha I love the name “dippy sauce” 🙂
Becky says
I am making this tonight. What a great idea. Super simple. too.
Katherine says
Um, I am definitely addicted to fruits and vegetables, so yeah…
This cauliflower looks amazing!!!
Janet Paula says
I forgot the oil but the bread crumbs adhered to all the cauliflower. Why do you need oil in the first place. Is it used only to help the bread crumbs stick to the cauliflower? Thanks.
Sheri Negri says
I absolutely love cauliflower, so I’m going to make this! Looks great.
Kinetic Sequence says
I haven’t seen “Shake n’ Bake” in so long, this is an awesome thought and one that is really solid.
Crystal says
This is my first time commenting but I had to. Amazing. I included the nutritional yeast and added garlic powder, giving it a “mac and cheese” feel . I doubled the recipe so I could use a whole cauliflower and between my non-vegan/cheese loving boyfriend and I, it was gone by the end of the night, (followed by your Reece’s eggs, his favorite). All of Katie’s recipes are amazing and, even as a loose vegetarian, I make at least one recipe daily (oats, smoothies, desserts, everything) but I had to comment on this one because, as my boyfriend said, “F&*% cheese”. I now have full permission to feed him your vegan mac and cheese, and I’m going to have fun and add this to it as well as try broccoli done up the same way for a tasty, veggie filled feast. Katie, you really are a step above any other recipe related blog. Thank you!!
Jason Sanford says
This comment made me laugh, mostly because I can relate to your boyfriend in the story. (I’m not a full vegan, but even just a few years ago I never would have thought I’d like any so-called “vegan” recipes.)
Amanda says
I made this tonight in the air fryer. Yummy! 390 for 13 minutes and the family loved it. Next time I will add some Italian seasoning to give it a bit more oomph.
Jason Sanford says
So cool it works in an air fryer! Italian breadcrumbs should already be seasoned, so yeah definitely add in seasonings if subbing plain breadcrumbs.
Kristen says
Just made this for dinner and it is so delicious! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Loved it!
Sue says
I love your sticky sesame cauliflower and was going to make some tonight, but after seeing this, I think I’ll switch to Shake & Bake!
Maggie@Salty Bean says
That looks really addictive! I have been reading this blog for years and every time I am amazed by the creativity you show, Katie. Simply the best! 🙂
Symone Clark-McGuire says
I don’t usually leave comments but just wanted to say that these were amazing Katie, thank you! I was slightly sceptical that they would taste too “vegetable-y” but they are so yummy!
Amber says
Made this and really liked it! My batter was really thick, though–it wouldn’t drip off, it was so thick, so next time I’ll thin it out more. We dipped ours in spicy marinara sauce and even the Picky Kid liked it!
Hilary F says
This is my new favorite recipe!! I made it twice this week. I always try to add a veggie side to my dinner. There are only so many ways to roast different veggies. This was a perfect way to keep things interesting. My husband devoured them and thought they were oddly shaped tater tots ☺. Thank You for yet another winning recipe!!
Carol says
Today is Thanksgiving 2017. I’m waiting for stores to open in the morning, so I can go buy cauliflower! You really do make me hungry! Sorry hubby… You can eat all the red meat you can handle… After reading this blog, i just want to eat!
Thank You Katie!!
Valerie says
Really dumb question: The recipe says to put most of the ingredients into a plastic bag, but then it never says to do anything with it!
It says: “Whisk together the other ingredients except breadcrumbs, then toss everything (except breadcrumbs) together in a large ziploc. Put the cauliflower in a colander to drain off excess batter. Toss with the breadcrumbs. Arrange in 1 layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.”
If I am reading that correctly, it says to put everything except the breadcrumbs into a plastic bag. Then you toss the cauliflower and the breadcrumbs. But when do you use the stuff in the plastic bag?
I would appreciate clarification on what to do! Thanks….
Jason Sanford says
Hi, you put the cauliflower in with everything in the bag. Then you take everything out of the bag, drain in the colander, and then toss with the breadcrumbs.
Valerie says
Oh! I missed the clue that the cauliflower itself is one of the ingredients that goes into the plastic bag. Now it makes much more sense — thanks!!
Linda says
Can someone clarify something for me? Does the cornmeal/flour go in with the milk and oil? And the Panko and nutritional yeast get mixed together for the coating?
Jason Sanford says
All ingredients except the breadcrumbs go in together.
Christina says
Would this work with regular Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, instead of panko? That way, there would be no need to crush them. If it would work, would you recommend using the same amount or less?
Jason Sanford says
I don’t see why that wouldn’t work!
Jason
Nicole says
I just tried this for the first time, and the whole family is raving about it. I did try it without any old or cooking spray, and it’s excellent. This is my new go-to cauliflower recipe. THANK YOU!!!
Javva61 says
Just found your delicious recipes tonight !! Can’t wait to try so many of them…. especially the cauliflower recipes. Your photos are fantastic also ! I think my first two are shake & Bake Cauliflower and Cauliflower pizza crust . I think it will be x simple pizza just thick sliced tomatoes and slices of fresh mozzarella and a few fresh basil leaves…maybe a drizzle of really good olive oil… I want the cauliflower crust to be the star of it… I have a question.. I was reading some of the comments and there was one from June 9 , 2017 (can’t remember the name ) she wrote her husband’s fav recipe of yours was Reece’s ???? until he had the shake & bake cauliflower…..just wondering what that is … I couldn’t find it . Anyway, maybe you know what she meant ??Well , I gotta go get cooking .. Looking forward to trying more recipes and getting more. Thanks so much !!
Jason Sanford says
Hmm maybe the Reeses baked oatmeal?
Flora P says
Another winning recipe! I used almond milk for my liquid, rice flour imstead of corn meal. The ingredients I used were mainly based on what I had already. Next time, I want to add more flavor – a nice chili lime? Idk yet. Overall – this recipe hit the spot! I served it inside tortillas smothered in roasted red pepper sauce alongside some avocado and roasted serrano pepper. Thank you for making it easier to have meatless meals.
Jason Sanford says
Lime sounds amazing in this!
Betty says
I made this tonight for dinner using the flour in the batter. The batter was so thick it was like paste (I even added a bit of water) and it was difficult to get all the pieces coated. I added some flavorings to the batter. It was ok but I’m not sure I would make it again – or perhaps I just made it wrong.
Deanna Marks says
This was delicious! I will make it again.
BK says
Made this in the air fryer and it turned out really good! 200c/400f for about 17 minutes. (Check after 10 to see how much longer you’ll need.)
Mark Staff Brandl says
This is wonderful! Thank you! I made a few changes as well to make it even more vegan (for my wife) and diabetes-supportive (for me). I did hardly any milk and that was almond mill, but much more of pungent olive oil (from a friend in Italy), increased the nutr. yeast, and used pea-flower. It was really great too!