Cauliflower Fritters with Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion Sauce

These Cauliflower Fritters with Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion Sauce have to be one of my favorites so far. If you’ve followed for a while, you’ve likely seen me do several cakes/fritters/patties (I’ll link some at the bottom of this post) but these are so much lighter. I think that’s what draws me to this version.

When I was trying to decide what kind of sauce to dip them in, I used to love Outback’s Bloomin’ Onion Sauce and therefore decided to veganize it!

So let’s get cooking our cauliflower fritters 🙂

To start, place fresh, RAW cauliflower florets in the bowl of a food processor. There is no need to pre-cook anything here. You will get much more consistent cauliflower “rice” if you do this in batches.

Give it a few pulses and this is what it looks like! Empty it into your mixing bowl and do another batch.

Once all of the cauliflower is riced, I like to add all of the ingredients EXCEPT the bread crumbs.

I am using Italian seasoned Panko breadcrumbs and highly recommend this. If you are using plain Panko, add Italian seasoning to taste. I used flax “eggs” as a binder and used just enough of the breadcrumbs to give me that coarse sand texture. It will seem like it has no chance of holding together – but it will 🙂

Forming the fritters:

I used a large cookie scoop just to get similar sized patties and then when in my hands, flattened and shaped them. Once in the pan, you can use a spatula to further press them into shape.

Here’s what they look like and don’t worry about imperfections. These do not have to be perfect. They remind me of couscous cakes at this stage.

Just look at that! We have golden brown cauliflower fritters! They puff up just slightly due to the addition of baking powder.

To make the Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion Sauce:

So while we are waiting for all of our cauliflower fritters to fry, it’s a good time to get started on our sauce. Literally made up of just a few simple ingredients that get whisked together taking no time at all.

Vegan mayonnaise, vegan sour cream, horseradish, vegan ketchup, paprika, garlic powder and salt are what I used to create this Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion Sauce and it was SO good! This sauce recipe can be adjusted so be sure to taste it. Want more ketchup? How about more horseradish? – go for it 🙂

As the cauliflower fritters come out of the fry pan, be sure to let them rest on paper towels. You want to drain any excess oil that may remain and also, as they sit, they become a bit firmer. They are still a very light and fluffy fritter, but allowing them to sit makes them more easily able to be handled.

By the way, these also reheat really, really well.

I like to use my hands with these, but you can use a fork. I encourage double-dipping and therefore, give everyone their own little serving of that special sauce. I like a bit of sauce with each and every bite. Who doesn’t?

I just wanted to show you the inside of this cake. It’s like no other I have made to date. So light, so fluffy. In your mind, you know it’s cauliflower, but it has almost a pancake or bread-like consistency to it.

Light and airy inside, just enough crisp on the outside. I think you are going to love these. They also make a nice substitute for a hash brown.

If you enjoyed this recipe for Cauliflower Fritters with Copycat Outback Bloomin’ Onion Sauce, you might also like these similar recipes I’ve made!

Over on my sister site, The Veg Life! we have:

VEGETABLE LATKE PICCATA
VEGAN CORN FRITTERS
VEGAN ARTICHOKE CAKES
ROASTED BROCCOLI CAKES
POTATO PANCAKES

And on this site, we have:

GOLDEN TURMERIC FALAFEL
CRISPY CHICKPEA CUTLETS
EASY VEGAN FALAFEL

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Cauliflower Fritters with Copycat Outback Bloomin' Onion Sauce

Cauliflower Fritters with Copycat Outback Bloomin' Onion Sauce

Course Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine American, vegan

Keyword bloomin' onion sauce, cauliflower fritters

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Rest for 5 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12 fritters

Author Living Vegan Staff

Ingredients

FOR THE CAULIFLOWER FRITTERS:

• 1 head Cauliflower cut into florets
• 1 c Vegan Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 2 Flax "Eggs" {this is 6 tbl water PLUS 2 tbl flax allowed to sit until gelatinous - about 15 minutes}
• 1 tbsp Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 c Panko Breadcrumbs add 1/2 - 1 tsp Italian seasoning if yours are unflavored/plain
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/8 tsp Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
• Oil for pan frying

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:

• ⅓ c Vegan Mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp Vegan Sour Cream
• 1 tbsp Prepared Horseradish or more to taste
• 1 tbsp Vegan Ketchup or more to taste
• ¼ tsp Paprika
• ¼ tsp Garlic Powder

Instructions

• Cut cauliflower into florets and in 2-3 batches, pulse in a food processor until it looks like rice. Remove processed rice to a mixing bowl and repeat until the entire head has been processed.
• Combine all of the ingredients, adding the breadcrumbs last. I do this so I don't add too much. This is a moist mixture. Think wet sand.
• Heat skillet to medium/high heat and add about 2 tbsp of oil. You can always add more if necessary as you continue cooking.
• Using an ice cream scoop and your hands, form into an elongated patty and place into the hot oil. 
• Cook until golden. This should take about 3-5 minutes per side. Check one for doneness but try not to handle too much and flip just one time. 
• Remove the fritters to paper towels to drain excess oil and allow to sit and firm up for about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the ingredients for the dipping sauce.
• Serve while hot. Enjoy!

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