These Vegan Cauliflower and Potato Bites are a tasty vegan finger food that are perfect for snacking! The potato and cauliflower together create this somewhat smooth and chewy bite paired with the crispy exterior. These are inspired by potato-based tater tots. Mixing cauliflower and potato together really get that nice and somewhat creamy bite.
THESE CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BITES ARE:
- Great for snacking! A perfect finger food
- Fried to a crisp but can be baked or even air-fried!
- Delicious paired this with a Mayo-Ketchup dipping sauce—a combo that I grew up enjoying and we’d have it as dressing for salads (similar to Thousand Island dressing), with Filipino-Style cheese sticks, and for lots of different fried food!
HOW TO MAKE THESE CAULIFLOWER AND POTATO BITES:
- Place the cauliflower, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until minced. For the potato and carrot, I simply peeled these and shredded them finely using a cheese grater. You can also opt to process the carrot but I prefer them into very thin, fine pieces.
- FOR THE POTATOES:
- Place the cauliflower, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until minced.
- For the potato and carrot, I simply peeled these and shredded them finely using a cheese grater. You can also opt to process the carrot but I prefer them into very thin, fine pieces.
- FOR THE POTATOES: place the potatoes in a kitchen towel or cheese cloth and then squeeze out the excess water.
- Place all processed/shredded vegetables in a large bowl. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well until evenly combined.
- NOTE: the longer the mixture sits, the more liquid the potato can release especially since the mixture is salted so if it’s too wet to the touch, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour at a time.
SHAPING THE MIXTURE INTO BALLS OR OTHER SHAPE OF YOUR CHOICE
- To test out the mixture: get a small amount of the mixture and shape into a ball. It should hold up well. If not, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour at a time.
- Shaping the mixture: scoop a small amount of the mixture and shape into small balls or form into whatever shape you’d like. Repeat this for the rest.
COOKING THE CAULIFLOWER & POTATO BITES
- Cooking (see baking option below): Heat a large frying pan or wok over med. high heat with enough oil to submerge the pieces. Test the heat of the oil by placing a small chunk of the mixture. If it immediately bubbles, it’s hot enough. Carefully add in the balls/pieces. Leave to cook until golden brown and crisp, moving and flipping halfway through if needed. Once cooked, drain from the oil and place in a strainer to drain the excess oil.
- BAKING OPTION: Heat your oven to 350F. I use an oven toaster with temperature settings. Place the balls/pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Generously brush the balls with some oil. Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until balls are brown on each side. Note that when baking the balls will not be evenly golden brown compared to frying.
- You can also air-fry these. Be sure to generously spray/brush these with oil. Cooking time may vary depending on the air fryer settings.
SERVE AND ENJOY!
- Pair with the dipping sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc. Enjoy while hot! You can also refrigerate leftovers.*
- Storage tips: Considering this is a large batch, you can fry everything then store the rest in the refrigerator after cooling them to enjoy the next day. You can reheat them in an oven toaster for 10-12 minutes on 350F until crisp.
If you try out this recipe, I’d appreciate if you leave a rating or simply click on the stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ on my recipe card!
You might enjoy these vegan recipes:
- Scalloped Potatoes in Creamy Lemon Dill Sauce
- Chili Garlic and Black Bean Eggplant Noodles
- Easy Sweet, Spicy, and Saucy Noodles
- Stir-Fried Tofu and Basil Noodles
- Pan-Fried Tofu Cakes
- Tofu 'McNuggets'
- Yaki Udon
- Chinese-Style Bolognese
You can also check out my other vegan cauliflower recipes here!
Cauliflower and Potato Bites (Vegan)
These Cauliflower and Potato Bites are a tasty vegan finger food that are perfect for snacking! The potato and cauliflower together create this somewhat smooth and chewy bite paired with the crispy exterior.I paired this with a Mayo-Ketchup dipping sauce—a combo that I grew up enjoying and we’d have it as dressing for salads (similar to Thousand Island dressing), with Filipino-Style cheese sticks, and for lots of different fried food! These can be baked as well.
Ingredients
Cauliflower, Potato, Carrot
- 1 lb raw cauliflower , 1 medium head
- 1 small onion , peeled
- 2 cloves garlic , peeled
- 5.2 oz raw potato , 1 small yukon gold or other starchy potato (essential, see notes)
- 3.5 oz raw carrot , 1 small
Flour Mixture
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour or other flour, plus more as needed (see notes)
- 1 tsp baking powder , optional (see notes)
- 1-2 tsp salt , adjust to taste
- Dash ground black pepper
Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup tomato ketchup
- 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
- 2-3 tsp sriracha , optional for spice
Instructions
- You can see the photos above for a step-by-step on how to make these.
- Place the cauliflower, onion, and garlic in a food processor and process until minced.
- For the potato and carrot, I simply peeled these and shredded them finely using a cheese grater. You can also opt to process the carrot but I prefer them into very thin, fine pieces.
- Potatoes: place the potatoes in a kitchen towel or cheese cloth and then squeeze out the excess water.
- Place all processed/shredded vegetables in a large bowl. Add in the flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mix well until evenly combined.
- The longer the mixture sits, the more liquid the potato can release especially since the mixture is salted so if it’s too wet to the touch, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour at a time.
- To test out the mixture: get a small amount of the mixture and shape into a ball. It should hold up well. If not, you can add 1-2 tbsp more flour at a time.
- Shaping the mixture: scoop a small amount of the mixture and shape into small balls or form into whatever shape you’d like. Repeat this for the rest.
- Cooking (see baking option below): Heat a large frying pan or wok over med. high heat with enough oil to submerge the pieces. Test the heat of the oil by placing a small chunk of the mixture. If it immediately bubbles, it’s hot enough.
- Carefully add in the balls/pieces. Leave to cook until golden brown and crisp, moving and flipping halfway through if needed. Once cooked, drain from the oil and place in a strainer to drain the excess oil.
- Pair with the dipping sauce, ketchup, BBQ sauce, etc. Enjoy while hot! You can also refrigerate leftovers. See storage tips below.
Baking option
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Place the balls/pieces on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Brush the balls with some oil. Bake for 40-45 minutes, flipping halfway through, or until balls are brown on each side. Note that when baking the balls will not be evenly golden brown compared to frying.
- You can also air-fry these. Be sure to generously spray/brush these with oil. Cooking time may vary depending on the air fryer settings.
STORAGE TIPS
- Considering this is a large batch, you can fry everything then store the rest in the refrigerator after cooling them to enjoy the next day. You can reheat them in an oven toaster for 10-12 minutes on 350F until crisp.
Notes
Potatoes
- The potatoes here release a lot of liquid so it acts as the binder when mixed with the rest of the ingredients.
Flour
- I used all purpose flour but you’re free to use other flour for this recipe since it simply acts as a binder. You can use whole wheat, spelt flour, etc.
Baking Powder
- The baking powder for this recipe just helps the mixture rise a bit and become somewhat 'fluffier'. It's totally optional.
NUTRITIONAL INFO
Serving: 1ball | Calories: 14kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 122mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 1mg
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Hi! Love your recipes by the way 😉
Can I use frozen rice cauliflower?
Hi Chantal! I haven’t tried it but should work okay too. I’d recommend to thaw your cauliflower well and make sure to drain any excess liquid since if it’s too watery the batter might not hold up very well. Hope this helps!!
Hi jeeca can I do this in an air fryer with the same temperature as the oven?
Hi Belinda! Should work okay too at the same temp. But you can possibly lessen the time to 15 mins? Then see from there if its crispy enough 🙂
Its so good 🙂 i made this for my daughter, and she likes it 🙂 i also tried your recipe of vegan nuggets and its also a hit! Thanks for sharing your recipes!
Thank you!! ◡̈ happy to hear!
I really enjoyed the flavor of these, but would use less salt next time. I would also make them smaller than I did so I could use less oil and they would cook through quicker. One thing I struggled with is determining how much to mince the cauliflower and onion. A picture of this step would be super helpful. Thanks for the fun recipe!
Hi Jessica, the mincing part is totally up to you. If you want it very fine like cauliflower rice or very mashed (almost like mashed potatoes, so smoother), you can. It really depends on your preference in terms of texture. I like mine on the minced/cauliflower rice side with small chunks. Hope this helps!!