Instant Pot Cauliflower

This cauliflower Instant Pot recipe is an easy way to cook cauliflower! Garlic-infused Instant Pot steamed cauliflower is so fast and tasty. It's a weeknight game-changer.

Cauliflower is a delicious low-carb healthy side dish if cooked right. With my recipe, you'll get perfect tender cauliflower that's not mushy at all.

If you love cauliflower, check out these other cauliflower recipes: Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower, Instant Pot Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower, Keto Buffalo Cauliflower, Air Fryer Cauliflower Gnocchi, and this Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole.

Cauliflower seasoned with salt and pepper sitting in a ceramic bowl on a white countertop

Why you'll love this Instant Pot Cauliflower

Fast and easy recipe! It takes only five minutes to prep and one minute to cook once your pressure cooker is up to pressure. You couldn't ask for a simpler recipe!
A simple way to incorporate a vegetable! Let's face it; cauliflower isn't everyone's favorite vegetable, but steaming it in the Instant Pot makes it much more palatable. Now you can tell your mom you're eating your veggies.
Flavor! Want to spice it up? Go for it! This recipe is flexible enough for you to combine any flavors you want. Try lemon and herbs, melty cheese, or even tumeric.

Ingredients

head of cauliflower
water
salt
pepper
garlic, minced

This is a low fat recipe, no need to add butter, olive oil or avocado oil unless you want to!

Ingredients consisting of water, salt, pepper, one garlic clove and one head of cauliflower on a white countertop.

Tips & Tricks

When selecting a head of cauliflower, search for heavy white or cream-colored heads. The green leaves should look fresh, not yellow, dry or wilted.

Cutting a cauliflower head may seem tricky, but all you have to do is cut the stem from the head and break it into florets with your hands (or a knife if you prefer).

Tools to make cauliflower in the Instant Pot

I use a 6QT Instant Pot, but any electric pressure cooker will work. I've been using the same one since 2016! You will also need a sharp knife, a trivet or silicone steamer basket to steam the cauliflower, and a butcher block to cut the cauliflower on.

How to Make Instant Pot Cauliflower

Wash and chop your head of cauliflower into florets.
Next, add the cup of water to the Instant Pot.
Place the trivet into the bottom of the instant pot. Next place the cauliflower on top of the trivet.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and make sure the knob is set to sealed. Hit manual, high pressure and set times to 1 minute.
Once the timer goes off, perform a quick pressure release. Carefully remove the lid.
Remove the cauliflower and place it into a medium bowl.
Add the salt, pepper, and garlic and mix until cauliflower is well seasoned.

One trimmed head of cauliflower next to a chef's knife on a wooden cutting board. — Gather ingredients

Stovetop Directions

If you don't have an Instant Pot, no problem! You can steam cauliflower on the stove.

Place a metal colander or a steam basket into a large pot.
Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pot.
Add the cauliflower florets to the colander.
Boil the water, then reduce heat to simmer
Cover and cook 7-9 minutes (or 5-6 minutes for firmer cauliflower).
Season as desired.

Substitutions for Pressure Cooker Cauliflower

Want to try something other than cauliflower? Try broccoli instead.

You can use the same tools, seasoning, and directions for broccoli too. For crunchy broccoli set timer to 0 minutes and for tender broccoli set to 1 minute cook time.

Did you know there are many varieties of cauliflower? Romanesco cauliflower has bright green head and pointed florets. This variety has a nutty flavor when cooked. It may be hard to find at times, but I've always been able to find it at Whole Foods.

Cauliflower comes in other interesting colors too. Orange cauliflower is similar to white but has more vitamin A due to the beta carotene giving it its vibrant color.

If you don't want to use water in the Instant Pot, you can use chicken broth or vegetable broth instead.

What to serve with Instant Pot Cauliflower

Cauliflower makes a wonderful side dish and serves as a delectable compliment to your favorite proteins like this Instant Pot Beef Brisket Recipe. Use less dishes and streamline the cooking process using only your Instant Pot.

If you're not worried about dishes, you can also try it with these Teriyaki Chicken Thighs on the griddle, this Air Fryer Ribeye Recipe or this Salmon on the Blackstone Recipe.

How to store steamed cauliflower

Store leftovers in a glass air tight container for up to 5 days.
Alternatively you can store in a glass container in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to reheat cooked cauliflower

You will want to consider texture when reheating cauliflower. To prevent the leftovers turning to mush, quickly microwave it no longer than two minutes in the microwave.

However, if you want a more even heat distribution you can toss it in the air fryer on 350F for about 5 minutes or to desired doneness.

Steamed cauliflower in a ceramic bowl on a white countertop.

FAQs

How to steam cauliflower in instant pot?

After you clean and cut the cauliflower into florets, toss into the Instant Pot and hit manual, high pressure and set times to 1 minute.

Flavor the cauliflower with salt, pepper, and finely minced or grated garlic. And the garlic will cook from the residual heat because the cauliflower is hot once removed from the Instant Pot.

How long to cook cauliflower in instant pot?

Steaming cauliflower in an Instant Pot is really quick and easy! Just cook it for one minute on manual, high pressure. It takes only about 10 minutes for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure.