Air Fryer Cauliflower Cheese Balls
You won't be able to resist these croquette-inspired Cauliflower Cheese Balls! Gooey in the middle with an irresistible crunch, take them from air fryer to plate in less than half an hour for only 223 calories! They're yummy served with steamed vegetables or as part of a bigger savoury feast.
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NutritionPer Serving
- Calories223
- Carbs27g
- Protein12g
- Fat7g
- Saturates3.9g
- Sugars4.5g
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For the full list of ingredients and comprehensive instructions, please see the recipe card below. Before you scroll, there’s important stuff in the blurb!
We’ve used nifty slimming-friendly ingredient swaps to make these Cauliflower Cheese Balls crunchy on the outside and gooey in the middle, for a fraction of the calories you’d expect. They’ll go from the air fryer to being part of a savoury spread in less than half an hour, oh-so-cheesy dip included!
For our gorgeous cheese ball centres, we’ve layered together freshly-chopped onion and onion granules with tangy reduced-fat Cheddar cheese, cauliflower and mash, and sealed them up tight with breadcrumbs.
Panko breadcrumbs are lower in calories than standard flour breadcrumbs, and they’re usually slightly larger, so a little goes further than you might think. Crisp your Cauliflower Cheese Balls to perfection in the air fryer for around 20 minutes, until they’re an irresistible golden brown colour.
If you’ve not got an air fryer, you can bake this recipe in your oven instead (they’ll be just as tasty!).
What diets are Cauliflower Cheese Balls suitable for?
Cauliflower Cheese Balls are suitable for vegetarian diets.
They can be made gluten-free as long as you swap out the following ingredients for suitable alternatives;
- Panko breadcrumbs
Please make sure to double or triple check all of your ingredients if you’re cooking for people with allergies.
Do you need any special ingredients to make Cauliflower Cheese Balls?
We’ve used panko breadcrumbs to create our crunchy coating. They should be easy to find in the baking section of most supermarkets! A little goes a long way with panko, since they’re larger than typical flour breadcrumbs.
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Panko breadcrumbs are large, so a little goes a long way!
A durable mixing bowl is always useful for sweet and savoury bakes.
How many calories are in these Cauliflower Cheese Balls?
There are 223 calories per portion in these Cauliflower Cheese Balls, which means they fall into our Everyday Light category.
To cut down the amount of calories even more, you can simply halve the portion size and serve with a healthy accompaniment!
Cauliflower Cheese Balls are perfect if you’re following a calorie-controlled diet, and fits well with any one of the major diet plans such as Weight Watchers.
As a guide, an average man needs around 2,500kcal (10,500kJ) a day to maintain a healthy body weight. For an average woman, that figure is around 2,000kcal (8,400kJ) a day. Obviously, if your goal is to lose weight then you might want to adjust these slightly! You can read more about these recommendations on the NHS website.
Step 1
Add the potato and cauliflower to a saucepan of cold water and set on a medium heat. Bring to the boil. Cook for 10-12 minutes until soft and cooked through. Drain well. Mash and leave to cool.
Step 2
Once the mash has cooled add the cheese, garlic granules, onion powder and 20g breadcrumbs. Stir to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Step 3
Preheat the air fryer to 170°C and line the basket with non-stick baking paper.
Step 4
Take a little of the mixture and roll between your hands to create a 4cm-sized ball and place onto a plate. The mixture should make 16 balls.
Step 5
Add the remaining breadcrumbs to a plate. Working one at a time, dip each ball into the breadcrumbs getting an even coating all over. Place the coated balls into the air fryer basket. Once all the balls have been coated, spray with low-calorie cooking spray. Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
Step 6
To make the cheese sauce add the flour to a microwavable jug, along with 1 tbsp of the milk. Whisk into a smooth paste. Add in the rest of the milk and whisk again.
Step 7
Heat in 1 minute blasts in the microwave, whisking in-between until the mixture has thickened (ours took 3 minutes but this depends on your microwave). Add the Dijon mustard, paprika, spreadable cheese and Cheddar cheese, then whisk until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 8
Serve the balls with the cheese sauce and an accompaniment of your choice.
What could I serve with Cauliflower Cheese Balls?
Cauliflower Cheese Balls are especially delicious served with steamed veggies. You can also try them with any of these slimming-friendly main dishes:
How do you know when Cauliflower Cheese Balls are cooked?
You should cook these Cauliflower Cheese Balls until they’re golden brown. This will take around 25 minutes in the air fryer.
Here in the UK, the standard advice is to cook food until it has reached 70°C and maintained that temperature for 2 minutes. This is to keep you and your family safe!
How long can you keep Cauliflower Cheese Balls in the fridge?
It’s best to eat Cauliflower Cheese Balls as soon as they are ready.
You don’t want to refrigerate leftovers as the breadcrumb coating may turn soggy.
Can I freeze Cauliflower Cheese Balls?
This recipe is NOT suitable for freezing due to the breadcrumb coating.
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Air Fryer Cauliflower Cheese Balls
These Cauliflower Cheese Balls are gooey in the middle with an irresistible crunch. Take them from air fryer to plate in just 20 minutes!
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Prep Time
15 MINS
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Cook Time
25 MINS
- KCals 223
- Carbs 27G
Instructions
- Add the potato and cauliflower to a saucepan of cold water and set on a medium heat. Bring to the boil. Cook for 10-12 minutes until soft and cooked through. Drain well. Mash and leave to cool.
- Once the mash has cooled add the cheese, garlic granules, onion powder and 20g breadcrumbs. Stir to distribute evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Preheat the air fryer to 170°C and line the basket with non-stick baking paper.
- Take a little of the mixture and roll between your hands to create a 4cm-sized ball and place onto a plate. The mixture should make 16 balls.
- Add the remaining breadcrumbs to a plate. Working one at a time, dip each ball into the breadcrumbs getting an even coating all over. Place the coated balls into the air fryer basket. Once all the balls have been coated, spray with low-calorie cooking spray. Cook for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
- To make the cheese sauce add the flour to a microwavable jug, along with 1 tbsp of the milk. Whisk into a smooth paste. Add in the rest of the milk and whisk again.
- Heat in 1 minute blasts in the microwave, whisking in-between until the mixture has thickened (ours took 3 minutes but this depends on your microwave). Add the Dijon mustard, paprika, spreadable cheese and Cheddar cheese, then whisk until melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve the balls with the cheese sauce and an accompaniment of your choice.
Looking for Slimming World Syns or Weight Watchers (WW) Points?
With ever-changing plans and point calculations, we have made the decision to remove WW Points from the website - referring to your individual plan or advice from your consultant is always going to give the most accurate results.
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