Tasty and healthy cauliflower, mushrooms, or zucchini lightly battered and air fried for a yummy snack.

Who doesn’t love deep fried vegetables with a creamy ranch dip? I mean its just so good, but the calories and fat are not so good for you. Dammit! I created this recipe because I was craving a crunchy snack but I had a head of cauliflower staring at me, and then it hit… how about fake deep fried vegetables?!

So here we are. Instead of using flour or egg as a binder we will be using low calorie Italian dressing and Italian bread crumbs. You can use GF or Panko, however if you use Panko roll them out in a sandwich bag with rolling pin to get a finer texture. This will allow the breading to cover evenly and get that good air fry we are looking to achieve.

For this demonstration I used cauliflower. Simply cut into bite size pieces and dredge and fry. While they are cooking it’s the perfect time to make this DELICIOUS dip. Made with Greek yogurt, onion powder, dill, garlic flakes, salt, cayenne, a dash of Worcestershire sauce, and green onions to finish it off. This healthy fake ranch also tastes fabulous with fresh raw veggies too.

Let’s get started!

Print Recipe

Healthy Air fried veggies and creamy dip!

Deep fried veggies and ranch without all the fat and calories, this recipe will fulfill your cravings and help trim the waist line.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Keyword: air fryer, air fryer recipes, cauliflower, deep dried, fresh vegetables, fried onions, gluten free, healthy, healthy snacks, mushrooms, vegetarian

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite size pieces
1 cup Italian style breadcrumbs can use GF or Panko
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup Italian dressing (low calorie)

Creamy Dip

2/3 cup Greek yogurt, plain
1/2 tsp garlic flakes
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2-1 tsp fresh or dried dill 1/2 to 1 tsp depending on preference. I love fresh dill and add more
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt I like to use pink Himalayan
2 dashes of Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp green onion, sliced for topping

Instructions

Combine the breading, cheese, and paprika in a shallow bowl. Mix well.
Dredge the vegetables in the dressing, coat all sides.
Now move to the breading mix. Cover all sides and press gently to get the breading to coat.
Shake off excess and move to a plate, continue dredging until all the veggies are coated.
Set the air fryer to 390° Do not crowd the veggies, make sure you leave a bit of room in the fry basket.
Air fry for 10 minutes. When the time is up, give them a good shake and cook for 5-10 minutes more or until golden brown. Cook in batches if need be. Serve immediately