Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

A couple weeks ago Giz over at Equal Opportunity Kitchen posted a recipe for Cauliflower Pancakes. They sounded & looked wonderful to me so the head of yellow cauliflower in our fridge was quickly marked for pancakes. When I mentioned them in my weekly menu Dawn at Vanilla Sugar said she hoped there would be cheese in them. Well that was like a light bulb going on over my head. Of course there would be cheese in them! Cheese & cayenne!
Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes
These were such a simple side dish & a great use for cauliflower (it seems we always end up roasting it). The cheese added a really nice depth of flavor & the cayenne just gave that bit of heat at the back of the throat.
Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes
I liked them with a little sour cream to dip them in while Matt preferred them with a little more cheese grated over the top.

Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes

1 head cauliflower
2 large eggs
1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1/2 c panko
1/2 t cayenne pepper (more of less to taste)
salt
olive oil

Cut cauliflower into florets & cook in boiling water until tender about 10 minutes. Drain. Mash the cauliflower while still warm. Stir cheese, eggs, panko, cayenne & salt to taste.

Coat the bottom of a griddle or skillet with olive oil over medium-high heat. Form the cauliflower mixture into patties about 3 inches across. Cook until golden brown & set, about 3 minutes per side. Keep each batch warm in the oven while you cook the rest.

Makes 8 pancakes

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© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

100 comments:

Carrie said...

These look so fabulous!! I'm bookmarking for sure.

vanillasugarblog said...

OMG! Girl you know I have been so looking forward to these. Now if I could just sit down with you and eat them (all). To me, this is a food porn pic. Oh yeah

Dayna said...

Oh my is this genius??
My mom used to make cauliflower with a buttery breading which is still the only way my kids will eat this - until now... Here it all is--together!!

Fahrenheit 350° said...

I was going to mash my cauliflower, but this looks so much better!

Lori said...

I was just eyeing some cauliflower earlier today. This makes it that much more enticing. I swear we have eatent eh corn fritters and zucchini fritters so many times and they still are my favorite. But I can let go of that produce knowing that this looks like a good one to usher in Fall.

jillian said...

These look so good. The cheese and cayenne sound like the perfect flavors.

Amy said...

These look seriously awesome...can't wait to try this recipe!

Deborah said...

I would have never thought to make cauliflower pancakes - what a great idea!

Maueen said...

Good-freaking-deliciousness!

Those look INCREDIBLE!

Yum!

~M

grace said...

yeah, if i'm gonna eat cauliflower, i want cheese to be involved. a little spice and frying action can't hurt either. :)

Beth (jamandcream) said...

A good way to get kids to eat cauliflower. Will have to try this one

Thistlemoon said...

I so making these!!!! But probably with summer squash instead, as that is what I have lying around in my fridge from last week's farmers market!

Stacey Snacks said...

we both did cauliflower this week!
I love it!

Alicia Foodycat said...

I'm really hoping there is a cauliflower in my veg box this week!

Lori said...

These are wonderful! I love cauliflower, but always struggle with new ways to make it exciting. Such a great idea!

Peter M said...

Now, this is something I've never seen, heard or tried and the photos are very convincing!

Gina's Custom Creations said...

Wow, do these ever look and sound yummy! I can't wait to try making them!

Tony said...

This sounds really good.
I must admit I have never heard of roasting cauliflower either. We usually have it boiled and then covered with a cheese sauce and baked in the oven so the cheese goes golden brown.
I love this idea though, should bring out both the flavor of the cheese and caulflower, and the cayenne gives it a nice kick.
Perfect!

SkeeterN said...

Can you use Parmesan cheese instead of the panko? These look great but I eat low carb.

kat said...

Anita - I have no idea. It would make them cheesier & probably they would still stick together fine.

Unknown said...

Ok, I was so excited about making this. I paired it with baked tilapia and a salad. Apparently I was so excited that I wasn't paying attention when putting the patty into the oil and managed to deep fry the tip of my finger. I think the next time I will either use less oil or find a way so that the patty doesn't stick to my hand! LOL All in all, these were delicious and my boyfriend really liked them. Still trying them on the kids, they weren't as receptive.

Jess said...

I just made these and am chewing as I type. Very tasty, good for lunch with a salad. I did have a little trouble with mine sticking together - they seemed very crumbly and kept falling apart in the pan when I flipped them. I didn't have any large eggs, so I just used two regular sized...I probably should have used larger...

Oh! Also! Could different cheeses be substituted in for cheddar? I have a tendency to snarf down gorgonzola and gouda with little regard for the concept of sharing, so I was wondering if is would have any adverse effects on the pancakes if I mixed it up in the cheese department. Thanks! Wonderful recipe...

Bethany said...

Just made this for the first time. Yum! I used my immersion blender on the cauliflower, which made it very difficult to keep it together in patty form. But once I started viewing it as egg-like scramble, it turned out fine. I'd cut back on the cayenne though (we're not spicy people). But my husband loved it, and that's good because there's a limited amount of veggies he can eat without getting kidney stones. So, thanks for introducing a new way to eat cauliflower!

Lily said...

Yummy! I bet these would be good with a side of salsa.

Debbi Does Dinner Healthy said...

These look awesome and I just added them to the menu! Thanks!

Amber said...

I just made a batch of these, minus the panko since I do a no grain diet. They turned out wonderfully and Ill be blogging about them too!

A Hunter's Wife said...

I need to go buy some cauliflower stat. My husband loves the pancakes I make with leftover potatoes. These are going to blow him away! Thanks!

Adele Forbes said...

I would like to say talk dirty to me but I guess I really shouldn't...beautiful stuff!

janis said...

Unfortunately these kept falling apart & lacked flavour. I don't think I'll be making them again.

kat said...

Janis - Sorry they didn't work for you. They were a hit at our house.

Ginnie said...

Amber and Anita... I don't eat carbs either - did they work ok without the panko?? These look great!!

mub said...

I couldn't get these to hold together but I fried them up like a hash and that was quite tasty! If I do that again I'll just leave out the panko. Thanks for the recipe =)

Dee said...

I will definitely be trying these this week! Just made the crescent French dips for a get together and they were a big hit! Hope these are to!

Dee said...

I will be trying these soon! They will be my 3rd recipe for this week from Pinterest that I have tried!

Anonymous said...

tried this during the weekend, delicious!!
I divided the mix into 2 batches, the first one I made exactly as in the recipe, which was very yummy, and the second I experimented a bit :)
I like spicy food so i used more cayenne pepper, and add a little garlic powder, about 1/4 tsp, to make it tastier :)
I also sprinkle panko on the patties before putting them on the skillet, to make it crunchier.
Love both version, thanks a lot for the recipe!

Anonymous said...

I haven't tried these yet, I just found this recipe...but I KNOW I'll love them!

Gayl said...

I tried these tonight and thought they were only ok. My husband did not like them at all. Seemed to be missing something. Will stick with steamed cauliflower with cheese sauce. sorry

Anonymous said...

These looked incredible, and I even bought a head of cauliflower just specifically for them. However, for some reason they wouldn't stay together. Ended up being like a hash or a scramble instead. Still pretty good, but I was hoping for a nice crunchy side. Still looking for something like that.

kat said...

Seems like a few people are having issues with these sticking together. We didn't & I'm not sure what the difference is. These are not crispy though, they are like a potato pancake not hash browns.

Anonymous said...

I made these tonight for dinner. As I was frying them, they tended to fall apart, and I thought they looked like hashbrowns. I then dumped the rest of the mixture into the skillet,and fried them. I added sliced green onions as well as garlic and salt and pepper. They turned out more delicious than I could have imagined!

Tamara said...

Made these tonight and I also has issues with them falling apart although they were very tasty. Thinking maybe I should have let the cauliflower cool before mixing together?

LJ said...

I tried these last night, and I failed miserably. Not because of the recipe, but because I screwed it up myself! :) I used regular bread crumbs instead of the panko (because that's what I had on hand) which was a bad idea because all I could taste were the bread crumbs (maybe if I had used less?). Also? I somehow read the cayenne pepper as Tabasco (although that didn't seem to be a big deal breaker), and I used Fontina cheese instead of Cheddar (because that's what I had on hand). I love Fontina, but I don't think it was sharp enough.. or gave it enough cheesy flavor. My boyfriend liked them, but next time I think I'll stick with the actual ingredients (duh)!

All that being said, I didn't have any problem with them not holding together - that part worked out well. :)

kat said...

LJ - I can't help but smile at your comment. How many times have a made a million changes to a recipe & then wondered why it didn't come out like the original ;)

Kristy said...

I am planning on trying these tomorrow, but I'm going to bake them instead of frying them. Also going to substitute Parmesan cheese for the bread crumbs. These sounds fantastic!! Thanks for the recipe!

Irfon-Kim Ahmad said...

Holy 2009! I just realized that this is a super old post. :) Anyway, a friend of mine on Tumblr linked to this recipe and I happened to have a head of cauliflower lying around, so I thought I'd give it a shot! Unfortunately, they didn't have the panko at my grocery store, so I had to just use italian-style breadcrumbs. Other than that, I doubled the cayenne and used a teaspoon of onion powder. They were delicious! My wife loved them as well. Thank you so much for the idea!

Anonymous said...

These are good but we founded them boring. So I added more cheese (making it 1 cup) & some chopped green onions (about a 1/4 cup) We also topped them with a dallop of sour cream .... DELISH!!!

Anonymous said...

These were so delicious! I made them tonight for dinner and am now sad that they are all gone.

Anonymous said...

My wife found this through Pinterest. I saw the photo and we had them with dinner tonight. Yummy.

Susie Bee on Maui said...

Found on Pinterest. Great idea, will be trying soon.

Tiffany Youngren said...

Cauliflower and cheese - yum! So rich and filling.

~ Tiffany

Transfer of Health
Healthy Recipes and Wellness Tips

angie said...

I haven't tried these yet (I'll be doing that tonight). A few of you said that you were having problems keeping them in patty form. I came up with a few things that might help that (I hope);
-try steaming the caulflower instead of boiling, it will hold less water,therefore, hopefully making it a stiffer patty
-if using regular bread crumbs, run through a food processor, it will lighten them up making them more like panko
-after mixing, let it set in the fridge and it should stiffen and make it easier to patty.

I hope they turn out. The picture of these pancakes look so good, it would e really disapointing if they didn't!

CardMaven said...

What is panko. Is it like Bisquick?

kat said...

Cardmaven - Panko is Japanese breadcrumbs. They are finer & lighter than normal breadcrumbs. Most grocery stores carry them these days. You can also use regular breadcrumbs, cropped a little it you want.

Mel the Aussie nutritionist said...

Low-carbers, try using some soy protein isolate powder or nut meal in place of the breadcrumbs. I frequently use soy isolate to bind and coat patties - just add it to the mix a teaspoon first then add by sprinkling to test the mixture's firmness. To replace the crunch of the panko, you could some crushed seeds or sesame seeds. I'm looking forward to making these spiced with grated nutmeg. Yum!

Lace said...

Ok I seen this and deff wanted to try it, so I did! I tried 3 different ways of cooking them< #1 the frying pan - this way they turned out a tad crispier & still stuck together fine, #2 baked them, I baked them on 400 for like 20 mins but wanted a bit more browned on the tops so i broiled for 3 mins, again they stayed together just fine, and #3 the George forman they turned out just fine, just not crispy enough so yea over all they were good, just wouldnt use as much cayenne next time

Katie Jo said...

Just made these! They are fantastic!!

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I'd like to know how yours actually stayed together. We had cheesy cauliflower scramble...did not make Mamma happy. Not happy at all.

kat said...

Anonymous -It seems some people get them to stick together & some don't, I'm not sure why. Their eggs could be a different size, their head of cauliflower could too. Perhaps they are trying to flip them before the egg and cheese have cooked to bind things together. All I know is it did work for me. Sorry, it didn't for you.

CarCarLove said...

These were great! I just made them for lunch with purple cauliflower, it looked kind of weird but tasted great! I found that the thinner ones crumbled a little but the thicker ones held together just fine. Thanks for the recipe!

Cozy Cuisine said...

In my new and improved low carb efforts I am always looking for new ways to appreciate my veggies. This cauliflower recipe is extremely versatile. This is what I did: Drizzled olive oil over the florets and lightly salted. Roasted them in the oven at 325 for about 30 minutes (this avoids the watery consistency). Processed them in 3 batches in my $40.00 Ninja. That gives you a nice polenta texture. Only used one eggs, 1Tbsp flour & breadcrumbs each. Added in a little goat cheese, dried parsely, granulated onion and garlic with the other ingredients because I happen to have it. I didn't get the pretty picture perfect results like your pics but they were AMAZING! Enjoyed with some horseradish sauce and that put this recipe over the top. I had to get over the carb issue because Breadcrumbs and flour are about 28 carbs for 1/4C and I used 1TBSP each for the entire recipe. Thanks a bunch!

Dana said...

I just tried to make them and they turned out to be a total disaster! OMG, I'm glad I didn't buy organic cauliflower, I had to dump the whole batch, the patties was falling apart so I'm sending my boys hungry to bed. And they looked soooo yummy ...

amruta said...

These cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes looks so yummy. I would never thought to make cauliflower pancakes with cheese. This is something different to try. Thanks for sharing.

Kate said...

I would be interested to know the actual amount of cauliflower used in the original recipie. My head yielded a little under 4 cups which is much too much for the other ingredients.
so I added more cheese and bread crumbs

kat said...

Kate - Since this post is three years old I really have no way of telling you how much cauliflower was in the head we used. I think your instinct was good if you felt you had too much.

Anonymous said...

What a mess. Added extra eggs & crumbs. Just kept falling apart. Threw the mixture in a baking dish, going to bake it. I'm so disappointed.

kat said...

Some have had a hard time making the cakes stick together. I unfortunately don't know how to trouble shoot for those who have had problems. Was your cauliflower bigger, did you substitute an ingredient & so on.

A lot of people have had success with it as did I.

Anonymous said...

What a great recipe! I added garlic powder, onion flakes, black pepper and used 1/2 cup of shredded American cheese. Before cooking, I coated them in panko for extra crunch! Delicious, fast and very easy, thank you'

Anonymous said...

These sound fantastic and I will be making them tomorrow. To stop them falling apart, why not put the mixture into a greased egg ring? This should hold them together and you can fill the ring to the top to make the pancakes nice and thick then just remove the ring once you have plated them up!

Anonymous said...

These looked so good in the picture but were a HUGE disappointment to me. Yuck ! I even added extra cheese. Don't think I'll bother with this recipe again.

Unknown said...

I halved the recipe and made it this morning. The cauliflower pancakes were good; however it was difficult keeping them together. If I make the recipe again, I will add a little extra panko and cheese.

Anonymous said...

Just ran across this and will be trying it soon as I have cauliflower in the frige. Sounds like people have the heat too high and aren't giving it enough time to cook before turning. Also, try adding an extra egg to the mixture. Another suggestion would be to fry it in butter instead of oil. Can't wait to try it.

Anonymous said...

Found on pinterest and made these tonight...halved the recipe (there were only 2 people to feed) and used gluten free bread crumbs in place of panko....total disaster. Pancakes would NOT stay together at all. And were completely bland. I think the mixture was definitely off...I probably could have used the full recipe with the half head of cauliflower I had (about 2 cups raw). May try again next time I have cauliflower in the house.

Bridget said...

So good, fried them in coconut oil and added red pepper and green onions! I made the pancakes ahead and kept them in the fridge on wax paper until I was ready to fry them. Cut down a little on the cayenne, otherwise fantastic.

Anonymous said...

Haven't made these yet but definately going to try them since I love cauliflower. Tip I was given years ago when making latkes is to add a tsp or so of cornstarch to help hold together and get crispier. I don't know if it would work with these but it may be worth a try.

Margaret said...

I made these last night and they were delicious. My very picky daughter ate three! I substituted flour for the Panko because I thought it might work a little better and they turned out great! They didn't fall apart at all. I added some minced garlic and chopped green onions for extra flavor. Great recipe!

Carolyn said...

I just wanted you to see that this person stole your recipe and photo. You may want to do a DMCA take-down notice. Their whole blog is stolen recipes and I am trying to alert as many bloggers as possible.

kat said...

Thanks Carolyn,

Can you tell me what site you saw it on?

Unknown said...

I just made these for my extremely picky family and we all loved this so much, my kids want this for dinner tomorrow night again. I wish they would crisp up a bit, but other than that these are the best.
thank you for sharing this recipe.
Debbie

Unknown said...

This is so delicious. I've never made anything like this. Thanks for the recipe. I'm going to be making this alot.

Unknown said...

I've made these multiple times and they are amazing!Thank you so much!

Giona0330 said...

Has anyone tried to freeze these? I would love to add these to my freezer meals if it was successful..thanks in advance :)

Unknown said...

For those having trouble with these falling apart, consider baking them. I did (I have horrible luck with anything I try to fry) and they held their shape beautifully.

Unknown said...

Just made these - I also had trouble with them sticking together. Maybe not enough cauliflower? I added a little mozzarella cheese and some garlic powder, and the flavor is great. Just stuck them in the oven to see if maybe that will help firm them up a bit. Thanks for the recipe. I'll keep trying!

cari said...

I loved these! At first I had trouble keeping the patties together too but added a couple spoons of flour and it worked wonderfully! delicious, perfect amount of spice and a much tastier way to eat cauliflower.

Anonymous said...

I loved them. I made extra for the next days lunch but they never made it that far. I did them on a lightly oiled baking sheet in the oven instead of frying because I was concerned about mangling them with my spatula in the pan. They stayed together and set-up perfectly! And they were super-rich still. Great one!

Susie said...

Just made these- had my kids try them and everyone gave them a thumbs up and asked me to make them again. Thanks so much!

Unknown said...

Delicious! Modified for low glycemic by using toasted soy flour, 2 Tbl., and no panko. Used a little more cheddar and garlic powder. Loved them.

Anonymous said...

I made these today Cauli with water in microwave, used a salad spinner to get the water out , mashed, used spinner again, then added cheese, chopped onion, garlic pepper, panko and eggs, some flour and they fried up in oil just like a potato cake , great

GinaLynne said...

I always use ground nuts instead of breadcrumbs and my favorite seasonings(I used almond meal this time). Avoided the cheese and added some green onions. Worked perfectly with steamed cauli and less work. It worked great in Vita-mixer. Absolutely delicious

Anonymous said...

I made these for dinner tonight. I added some garlic powder, onion powder and green onions to the mixture. Like a lot of others, I had issues with them falling apart in the skillet when I tried to flip them. Some worked, some didn't. Either way, they tasted really good. My kids scarfed them up!

Nicole said...

I've been dying to make these since I found the recipe a year ago, but I too fall into the trap of roasting cauliflower more than anything else.

Made these tonight. My first batch in the pan was really crumbly and fell apart. So I added another egg. The rest came out perfectly! I think if it's a larger head of cauliflower it might need 3 eggs instead of 2. Seemed to work great for me!

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Can these be frozen after cooking?

kat said...

I am not sure because I've never tried freezing them myself.

Anonymous said...

I would freeze them before cooking.

Anonymous said...

Kat, I've been reading through the comments and am wondering if those who are having trouble with it holding together aren't mashing the cauliflower but rather more chopping it up? Should there be small chunks of cauliflower? Can't wait to try!

kat said...

I'm not sure. I did mash mine though you can see from the pictures there was still some texture, it wasn't smooth like mashed potatoes, but finer than chopping.

The issues could also come with the size of the head of cauliflower, a bigger one may require more eggs. Or even the size of the eggs used.

Unknown said...

I made these tonight and they were amazing! My kids loved them as much as I did. I asked them how they liked their "potato pancakes" and they said they were amazing!! I honestly cannot believe how delicious they were. I will definitely be making them again and again. I read a lot of the comments so I was very worried about mine following apart so what I did was make one exactly as instructed and it did break up a little bit so I added more panko bread crumbs (just a handful or so) and the rest of them stayed together beautifully. I did also add some diced shallots. I really cannot wait to make these again. Thank you so much for the great recipe!

Kalyn Denny said...

Just letting you know this Facebook page has stolen this recipe + photos:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/GetSkinnywithStacey/

Barbara said...

Looking for a way to lower carbs, I stumbled on this:
Tear up a slice of the lowest carb (soft) bread you can find and let it soak in the liquid required in the recipe, in this case the eggs, combine until it becomes a slurry. Especially easy to do in your food processor. This works as a binder in lots recipes that call for panko or bread crumbs. Try it in meatloaf, meat balls, and veggie pancake recipes.

Unknown said...

I just made these, they're excellent!

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