Air Fried Trader Joe's Rainbow Cauliflower

Learn how to air fry the Rainbow cauliflower you find at Trader Joe's in either the fresh produce department or in the freezer section.

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Isn't colorful food the best! I love it when I can make a simple side dish look beautiful by just having colorful vegetables on hand.

In recent years I have seen tons of different colors of cauliflower showing up at farmers markets. They make the tables look attractive to potential customers. Both my youngest and my sister in law's youngest were more excited to eat their cauliflower because I had cooked "rainbow flower"!

Trader Joe's has gotten in on it too. They have their Cauliflower of Many Colors ready for you to use. I think the best way to use it is in the air fryer!

Jump to:

• 🥶 Fresh or Frozen?
• 📋 Instructions
• 🧂 Seasonings
• 🛒 For Your Next Shopping Trip
• Air Fryer Trader Joe's Rainbow Cauliflower

🥶 Fresh or Frozen?

I have seen both at Trader Joe's. They have 1 pound bags of Cauliflower of Many Colors going for $3.29. You get white, yellow, green, and purple cauliflower in the bag. They are already cut into florets, so you don't need to do anything else to prepare to cook them.

In the frozen department, you can find it in a 1 pound bag called Organic Rainbow Cauliflower. Yep, the frozen kind is certified USDA organic.

Which is better for air frying? I first noticed this with broccoli, that the frozen actually cooks better in the air fryer. The challenge is getting the stems cooked through without burning the tops. The stems take longer to cook. When you freeze the cauliflower or broccoli, the stems end up being softer.

Once you stick the frozen cauliflower in the air fryer it defrosts pretty fast. I don't even adjust my cook time when compared to using fresh.

RELATED - Does Purple Cauliflower Taste Different?

📋 Instructions

Start by placing the cauliflower into the basket of your air fryer.

I like to work in batches, but if your air fryer is big enough you can place all of the cauliflower into your basket. I want to make sure I give enough room for the air to circulate well around the cauliflower so it browns well.

I then spray some oil onto the cauliflower and then add my seasonings. We will talk more about seasoning ideas below.

Air fry for 8-10 minutes at 400 degrees. I recommend checking after 5 minutes and giving the basket a good shake. If you are finding that the tops of the cauliflower are getting dark but the stems still need more time, then reduce the heat to 375 to finish cooking. I don't have this problem when I used the frozen cauliflower.

🎧 RELATED - Why I Love a Dual Basket Air Fryer

🧂 Seasonings

What seasoning works well on air fryer cauliflower? You have to start with salt. I was super excited when I found a large box of Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt at Trader Joe's. I had never seen it there before and I was completely out.

This is my default salt to use when seasoning food to cook. I like how it's easy to pinch with your fingers and evenly distribute the salt.

Trader Joe's has a lot of seasoning mixes that could work well. Don't be afraid to go big and bold with your flavors. Cauliflower is really good at absorbing those flavors, more so than broccoli. Give these a try:

• Everything But the Bagel
• Everything But the Elote
• Chile and Lime Seasoning
• Smoked African Blend

You can also keep it as simple as salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. I get most of my spices and seasonings from Burlap & Barrel. They have the best garlic powder you will ever taste. It's called Purple Stripe Garlic Powder and it's from the mountains of Vietnam.

🛒 For Your Next Shopping Trip

Before you head out to Trader Joe's again, you will want to check out my Rankings of the Best Cheeses at Trader Joe's as well as these other helpful guides.

• Cooking Trader Joe's Baby Vegetables
• Baking Guide for Trader Joe's
• What Kind of Honey to Buy at Trader Joe's
• How to Cook Tiger Stripe Pumpkins from Trader Joe's