Instant Pot Cauliflower Florets

Name: Instant Pot Cauliflower Florets
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 min
Total time: 21 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Healthy
Ingredients: 1 cup water; 1 large head of cauliflower, broken into florets (about 4 cups)

by Carrie Forrest, MPH in Nutrition | Jun 6, 2020 (updated: 1/19/21)

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Here’s how to make Instant Pot Cauliflower Florets for an easy, healthy side dish. Serve the cooked cauliflower hot or freeze it for smoothies.

Contents show

cauliflower florets in an Instant Pot pressure cooker

My Instant Pot Cauliflower recipe today isn’t super original, but it’s a super fast way to cook cauliflower florets for an easy, healthy side dish.

Once you have your steamed cauliflower, you can toss it with olive oil, salt, and pepper, or you can blend it with some ghee or coconut oil into cauliflower mash.

Or, you can cook the florets and freeze them to use in a smoothie later. Believe me, I know it sounds weird to consider putting cauliflower into a smoothie, but once it’s frozen and blended with ingredients like frozen fruit and peanut butter, you can’t taste the cauliflower at all!

This is a great healthy hack for getting picky eaters to eat more veggies. I also make Instant Pot Zucchini for the exact same reason. Read more of my tips for making delicious smoothies.

Recipe Steps

To make this recipe for Instant Pot cauliflower, you’ll need one large head. Look for cauliflower that is firm and white, without too much browning around the edge. Or, you can buy a bag of cauliflower florets.

One large head of cauliflower yields about 4 cups of florets.

cauliflower on cutting board with colander

Step One

If you are starting with a head of cauliflower, use a sharp knife to cut the cauliflower in half. Then, use your hands to break off each of the florets. Place them in a colander to rinse with fresh water. This will ensure that you remove any dirt or little bugs that may have hidden inside.

As always, please do see the recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredients and measurements.

Step Two

Place the trivet in your 6-quart or 8-quart Instant Pot pressure cooker. Add 1 cup of water. Then, add the rinsed cauliflower florets. Lock on the lid and set the time to 1 minute on high pressure.

Step Three

Once the cooking time is complete, I recommend using the quick-release when the cooking time is up to make sure the cauliflower doesn’t get mushy.

If you’re going to eat it right away, just use tongs to serve it up. Otherwise, I like to rinse the cauliflower with cold water (or transfer it to an ice water bath) to stop it from cooking.

After you put the cauliflower in an ice bath, you’ll need to drain it in a colander.

instant pot steamed cauliflower in colander

Step Four

If you want to freeze the cooked florets, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for 2 hours before transferring them to a zip-top bag. They’ll keep in the freezer for up to 2 months.

frozen steamed cauliflower in a ziplock bag

Ways to Use Cooked Cauliflower

Now with more people than ever on a low-carb, gluten-free, or grain-free diet, it’s even trendier to use cauliflower in unique ways. Cooked cauliflower has a flavor and texture similar to that of cooked white potatoes. That’s why it works so well to transform cooked cauliflower into a mash.

Or, you can serve steamed cauliflower as a side dish, topped with my Creamy Vegan Cashew Cheese Sauce.

FAQs

Can I cook frozen Instant Pot florets?

Yes, you can! Just cook them for 2 minutes on high pressure, and use the quick release.

Other Simple Instant Pot Vegetable Recipes

I hope you make this recipe! If you do, please leave a comment and a starred review below.

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