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Crispy Gluten Free Cauliflower Pancakes

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Gluten free cauliflower pancakes make a wonderful appetizer, side dish, or vegetarian meal. Crispy on the outsides and cheesy tender on the inside, you will love this easy riced cauliflower recipe.

If you love cauliflower recipes as much as we do…here are all of my delicious gluten free cauliflower recipes in one place!

Gluten Free Cauliflower Cheddar Pancakes on a wooden board. Each pancake has sour cream and fresh cut scallions on top

Have you seen all of those fun riced cauliflower recipes on Pinterest lately?

I have always wanted to try one, but the thought of ricing a cauliflower was a bit overwhelming. Do visions of cauliflower flying around my kitchen and creating a huge mess flash before your eyes?

Not to mention, my kids are not big fans of cauliflower unless it is served raw with extra ranch dressing. These gluten free cauliflower pancakes are going to change all of that! Kids love them.

bag of Trader Joe's riced cauliflower

Riced Cauliflower Pancakes

Luckily, I found this riced cauliflower at Trader Joe’s this week. (I love when Trader Joe’s makes something so incredibly easy to want.) It was the shortcut I was looking for!

They did all of the work and this bag of riced cauliflower costs the same as a big head of cauliflower. Win-win! (*If you can’t find pre-packaged cauliflower rice, check out this simple step by step method to create your own riced cauliflower.)

And you can even use riced cauliflower instead of rice in risotto, check out this recipe for Shiitake Cauliflower Rice Risotto!

How to make these cauliflower cheddar pancakes:

Cauliflower Cheddar Pancake ingredients mixed in a bowl

Toss the cauliflower rice into a large bowl and added the cheddar, leeks, and other ingredients.

Frying cheesy gluten free cauliflower pancakes in a cast iron skillet

I formed pancake-shaped cauliflower patties with my hands and carefully dropped them into the hot oil. The riced cauliflower pancakes get so crispy and delicious. Try adding cayenne for a spicy kick!

Try to cook these in a cast-iron skillet because the pan can get nice and hot making a crisp outside!

What oil is best for frying fritters and cauliflower pancakes?

When frying at high heat, you need to use an oil that can hold up to the heat. Some oils, like olive oil, will get rancid at high heat. Here are my favorite oils for frying:

  • Avocado oil (my very favorite for savory dishes)
  • Coconut oil (great for sweet fried recipes)

Click here to see all of my gluten free appetizer recipes.

Top view of Gluten Free Cauliflower Cheddar Pancakes on a wooden cutting board

Topping Ideas:

  • Sour cream
  • Scallions
  • Chives
  • Bacon

What can you serve with cauliflower pancakes?

When I am not using this recipe as an appetizer, I love to serve these pancakes with a side salad like this Kale and Apple Salad, or turn it into breakfast by adding a fried egg on top!

More Delicious Gluten Free Cauliflower Recipes to Try:

Tools To Make This Recipe:

  1. Lodge Cast Iron Skillet: This is by far my favorite pan and I do almost all of my frying in this.
  2. Food Chopper: I bought my cauliflower already riced, but if you can’t find it pre-chopped, this inexpensive food chopper will do the trick for you.
  3. Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Blend: My favorite gluten free flour, it works beautifully in this recipe without making my pancakes gummy.
recipe
Gluten Free Cauliflower Cheddar Pancakes

Gluten Free Cauliflower Cheddar Pancakes

Yield: 12 pancakes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Easy riced cauliflower cheddar pancakes.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag riced cauliflower, or a head of cauliflower riced
  • 3/4 cup Vermont cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 1 large leek, sliced
  • 1 egg
  • 3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend
  • 1/2 cup almond milk, (or regular milk if you have it.)
  • **Optional 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • garnish with sour cream and scallion.

Instructions

  1. Start heating oil in a pan on medium high heat.
  2. Add riced cauliflower, egg, cheese, salt, flour, leek and milk to a bowl and mix well.
  3. Test oil temperature by dropping a drip of water into the pan. If it sizzles, it is ready.
  4. Form patties.
  5. Drop patties into the hot oil.
  6. Cook until golden on each side, about 3-4 minutes per side.
  7. Remove from heat and put each patty onto a plate covered in paper towels (to absorb extra oil)
  8. Serve with sour cream and scallions

Notes

To test if your oil is hot enough, toss one drip of water into the hot oil. If it sizzles, your oil is hot enough.

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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 111Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 26mgSodium: 188mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 1gSugar: 2gProtein: 5g
Please note this nutrition information is calculated by a recipe plugin and is an estimate based on the ingredients used in this recipe.
© Sandi Gaertner
Cuisine: American / Category: Gluten Free Appetizer Recipes

If you love vegetable pancakes, give these Delicata Squash Cheddar Fritters.

Gluten Free Delicata Squash Cheddar Fritters in a row on a rectangle plate

Looking for a meal to enjoy after these appetizers?

How about this amazing gluten free fried chicken recipe from San Francisco’s Proposition Chicken?

gluten free Fried chicken on a plate

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Maria

    I used cooked cauliflower a little well done, parmeson cheese and 2 lightly beaten eggs lots of seasoning , scallion, onion, garlic pwder, 1/4 cup almond flour, mashed everything together, used a ice cream scoop to drop the batter in the pan and flattened them with a spoon came out delicious. I’m sure any cheese wil be delicious

    Reply

  4. Adriana Lopez Martin

    This is a genius idea love that you used cauliflower I bet these are super tasty I need to make them soon would be a great yummy surprise to add this to my menu.

    Reply

  6. Marie

    These cauliflower pancakes look fantastic! I love the crispy outsides and the fact that it has cheese in them makes them even better!

    Reply

  7. Dahn

    these are great little appetizers and a delicious gluten-free option. It seems like everyone wants a gluten-free snack so it’s always nice to have a few options at the parties

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Geri, I tend to cook with my computer open. If you send your email, I can send a copy of this recipe to you…although I am not sure that would help if you can’t print? Please let me know.

      Reply

  10. Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

    Sandi you had me at cheesy tender!!! Oh man!!!

    We don’t have trader Joe’s here and I have never seen cauliflower rice in the grocery store, but that isn’t going to stop me…..I have a food processor and I am not afraid to use it 😉

    These look sensational. A dollop of sour cream, a ribbon of smoked salmon and a few baby capers and I think my guests would be super happy!!!

    Reply

  11. Helen@ scrummylane

    Amazing! Usually anything this delicious is not exactly healthy but you’ve managed to make something crispy, deliciously cheesy AND nutritious.
    I wish we had Trader Joe’s in Australia. I’m afraid I’ll still have bits of cauliflower flying around my kitchen if I make these, but it’ll be worth it 😀

    Reply

  12. peter @Feed Your Soul Too

    Sandi, looking for some new gluten free recipes of some classic dishes my family enjoys and saw this one. When I tried AP flour for a roux, I did not like how it changed the flavor. The pic looks great. Did you notice any flavor difference? Did it hold together?

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      I haven’t really done much with roux Peter. I find potato starch (like in a chowder) works really well as a replacement. I didn’t notice any off taste with these cauliflower cheddar pancakes. They hold together pretty well, but you do have to make sure the oil is really hot so it cooks quickly.

      Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Melissa, I have not tried either of the flours you ask about with this recipe. I would say definitely not to the almond flour as that wouldn’t help bind the ingredients. I am not sure about the coconut flour. It definitely absorbs a lot of moisture, but I haven’t tested it in this way. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out.

      Reply

  15. Taylor

    This sounds like a great way around my potato pancake obsession – way healthier anyway!!! I constantly use cauliflower as a substitute for everything, it’s so delicious and earthy!

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      I hope you like it. Please report back and let us know how baking these work so others can try it too. Have a great weekend 🙂

      Reply

  17. NinaT

    These sound awesome! I’ve been trying to figure out a new way to use cauliflower….and I’ve actually been craving zucchini fritters, but haven’t tried making them gluten free yet….so this should satisfy my craving 😉 Also, just to put it out there, if your food processor is in good shape, making cauliflower rice is super duper easy! I’ve been making a gluten free jambalaya which my husband didn’t realize the “rice” was cauliflower until I told him!

    Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      Hi Nina, I love that your husband couldn’t tell it was cauliflower rice 🙂 I hope you like these, even my kids gobbled them up. I appreciate your taking the time to write. Have a great week.

      Reply

    • Sandi Gaertner

      I am so sorry Maureen. Let me see if I can help you. Can I ask a few questions? Which gluten free flour blend did you use? If it didn’t contain xanthan gum, you would need to add 1/2 teaspoon. Also, how hot was the oil when you dropped in a spoonful? I make sure the oil is bubbly hot, then I drop the batter in, then lastly press it down a bit to make the shape.

      Reply

  19. Oana @AdoreFoods

    These pancakes are looking great! Just the perfect recipe to finish my cauliflower head I still have in my fridge. Yum!

    Reply

  20. Donna

    Oh yum, we LOVE cauliflower around here – my kids are ridiculous and start cheering when they see it at the farmers market! I had no idea TJ’s had a pre-riced mix, looks great for a quick and easy alternative.

    Reply

  22. Patricia @ Grab a Plate

    Great little pancakes! And how much do you love Trader Joe’s?? Always to the rescue with something tasty!

    Reply

  24. Amanda {Striped Sptaula}

    These look delicious! Love the addition of Vermont cheddar. I didn’t know that Trader Joe’s sells cauliflower already riced. Will look for it later today, thanks!

    Reply

  28. Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy

    Cauliflower and cheese are such a great combo, so these sound great. They look like potato pancakes and would work great as a sub for them anywhere.

    Reply

  32. Diane

    Sandi, These look crispy and delicious. Lol. You are right about ricing cauliflower at home. I have…and it did get all over my kitchen! The lid came off the blender at a very inconvenient time. Water and cauliflower everywhere! I’ll look for it in the stores! Thanks!

    Reply

  33. Marisa Franca @ All Our Way

    Thank you for the heads up on Trader Joes — we are due to go there soon and I’ve been wanting to make cauliflower rice. This is great. Your pancakes look delicious. Now I don’t like overly sweet things for breakfast — the pancakes would work beautifully.

    Reply

  34. Michelle | A Dish of Daily Life

    How cool is that that you can buy already riced cauliflower at Trader Joe’s! I’ll be on the lookout for it now! These look delicious and my kids all love cauliflower so I know this would be a big hit in our house. 🙂

    Reply

  35. Jasmin

    Someone is making riced cauliflower – really? I should move to USA, because (just like you sad) these pancakes will make a nice mess in my tiny kitchen, but I’ll give them a try 😉

    Reply

  37. Rachel @ Simple Seasonal

    Sandi, these sound delicious! I make a potato version of this that I love, but I think that riced cauliflower may just be even tastier!

    Reply

  38. Marlene

    These look tasty, Sandi. And thanks for letting us know that TJs has already riced cauliflower! I sent the link to my daughter, who is a big cauliflower fan. I haven’t been converted yet but these make me want to try!

    Reply

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