close-up of golden brown crunchy fried tempura battered broccoli

Tempura Battered Broccoli

A great appetizer, side dish, or snack tempura battered broccoli satisfies everyone, just add dipping sauce!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American, Japanese
Keyword: broccoli tempura recipe, tempura battered broccoli, tempura broccoli, tempura fried broccoli
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 73kcal

Equipment

  • 1 large bowl
  • 1 medium bowl
  • 1 Strainer or colander
  • 1 Cutting board
  • 1 Knife
  • 1 whisk
  • 1 Liquid Measuring Cup
  • 1 Medium skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch fresh broccoli
  • water enough to cover broccoli; to soak
  • ¾ cup tempura
  • ½ cup club soda
  • ½ Tbsp Dash Original seasoning
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning
  • ¼ tsp ground black pepper
  • canola oil any neutral oil; for frying

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add your broccoli stalk side up, and enough water to cover the broccoli heads. Allow them to soak for about 2 minutes.
  • Time's up! ⏲️ Grab your strainer (or colander) and drain the broccoli. After draining, rinse the broccoli heads one more time, and allow them to partially air dry while setting up your towel station.
  • With a clean kitchen towel, wrap your broccoli up and shake until the towel becomes damp, or wet. In that same large bowl (dried), add some paper towel and place your dried broccoli in there to air dry a bit more while you grab your cutting board and knife to cut the stalks off.
  • On the cutting board, cut the broccoli crowns off as much as possible to leave just enough stalk to grab and dip (if you're trying to avoid a mess, or just like a little bit of crunch). Set aside.
  • Grab your medium bowl and add your tempura, seasonings, and club soda. Whisk thoroughly until no lumps remain, and all ingredients are well combined. Set aside.
  • While the batter is thickening, preheat your oil in the skillet on high heat. To test if the oil is hot enough, feel free to add a drop of batter or water to the oil. Step back in case it pops! If it does, it's ready, but allow it to now stop popping and prep your broccoli.
  • Assemble your broccoli heads and batter near the skillet for easy frying. Starting with one broccoli crown, dredging it through your batter, enough to cover, as desired. Then, carefully place it into the oil and repeat until all crowns are covered and in the oil frying.
  • Fry for a total of 5 - 7 minutes, depending on how crispy you like them, turning as each side becomes golden brown. Serve hot and enjoy!

Notes

Storage Tips

  • Once fully cooled, place the leftovers in an airtight container. Tempura vegetables will keep fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator. Freezing isn't ideal for these, as the crispiness will certainly fade and become soggy.

Reheating

  • In a hurry, you can use the microwave, but expect the crispiness to deplete a bit.
  • However, you can use your oven to broil for a couple of minutes on each side or place the oven at 350 degrees and bake until crispy (about 5 - 10 minutes).

Nutrition

Calories: 73kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 58mg | Potassium: 273mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 723IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 1mg
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