Whole Cauliflower in Instant Pot

Name: Whole Pressure Cooker Cauliflower
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1 head cauliflower; 1/2 c water; 1/4 c olive oil; 2 tbsp garlic (minced); 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (to give it heat, can omit); 1/4 c parmesan cheese; 1 tbsp parsley; 1.5 tsp garlic salt; 1/2 tsp basil

Jump to Recipe

How to cook whole pressure cooker cauliflower is easy and more delicious than you’d think! If you loved our Cheesy Instant Pot Cauliflower you will love this side dish with NO need to break it apart, just cook in 10 minutes in your Instant Pot or Ninja Foodi and it’s perfect.

Have you tried making pressure cooker cauliflower yet?? It’s the only way I make my vegetables now! It’s healthier and quicker than boiling and if you have a Ninja Foodi you can even add cheese and crisp the top. Really, this is to die for I tell you. (affiliate links present)

Instant Pot Cauliflower Whole

Yes you can make this in your Crockpot Express or an easy Instant Pot recipe too. The only difference is you won’t be able to crisp the top unless you use the CrispLid where you can turn your Instant Pot into an air fryer. Or pop under your broiler for a few minutes.

Whole Ninja Foodi Cauliflower

Even just under high pressure it turns out great this way. In a Foodi you will use the lid that is not attached first, then the other if you want to melt some parmesan. You can season before, after or both ways to add flavor and the texture is just perfect. Fork tender where you could almost just eat this as a meal on your plate, but should share.

If you too are obsessed with your pressure cooker and air fryer machine, here are a few resource to start with:

You can bookmark our Ninja air fryer recipes page, we add to that weekly.
Here’s an air fryer cooking times chart here for your fridge.
Be sure to save this link to Instant Pot recipes for beginners too. You can use any of those in your pot too.
Grab a set of wooden utensils to work with. They are great so your pot doesn’t get scratched!
Then join our Facebook group where you can share and find more ideas you’ll love. Thousands of others share easy recipe ideas.

How Long to Cook Whole Cauliflower in Instant Pot

Cook time varies slightly depending on how large it is and how tender you want it to be. I prefer a medium size with a bit of texture still to it so 2 minutes is plenty. If yours was very large you could increase to 3, if you wanted to cook Instant Pot cauliflower mash you would want 5 minutes so it literally falls apart. Then we air fry or broil after that which is optional.

This is the “magic sauce” that takes this whole cauliflower over the top. You can adjust the heat level to your liking. We follow the same idea when we showed you how to cook a whole cabbage. Both are quite bland if you don’t add some type of moisture and flavor to it.

If you really want it to seep into the center you can kinda’ hollow out the top a bit with a knife. Garlic and butter are a given for us but you might have a seasoning that you love too. Just sprinkle that on top and let it go.

I mean you can even make this a bit cajun with some heat too if you wanted to. I did add measurements for some red pepper flakes but that is optional of course.

How to Season Cauliflower

Ok so if you are really sensitive to heat I would leave out the crushed red pepper all together. A little is really good though and I am not one for spicy things.

Olive oil
Garlic
Crushed red pepper
Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Garlic salt
Basil

If you want to crisp the top and don’t have an air fryer you can put it on a baking sheet and under your boiler instead. I got the recipe out of the book that came with my Ninja Foodi. For another with this same pot you can make cauliflower steak air fryer style. Just use the air crisp button vs. high pressure.

There are many ways on how to cook a whole cauliflower. This is the best in my opinion. Cauliflower in a Ninja Foodi is shown here but other brands will work the same to essentially steam it so it’s tender.

Whole cauliflower pressure cooker time is minimal. Boiling vegetables removes a lot of nutrients that you want in your diet, and your stovetop will take quite a while longer. Of course you can skip the seasonings and just make Instant Pot cauliflower by itself, but it is a bit bland.

Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker Cauliflower

When pressure cooking vegetables it is handy to have this Instant Pot vegetable cook times sheet handy. That way when you try something new it will let you know whether you need high or low pressure, and approximately how long it should take.

This is what I used when I made my Instant Pot cabbage recipes so they didn’t come out limp and overdone.

You’ll also need about a cup of water and a steamer basket or trivet for steamed cauliflower head. If you love cauliflower like we do this is great. Faster yet if you break it up into cauliflower florets it takes just 0 minutes to cook!!

Is there any way to cook cauliflower and not have it stink up the whole place?

Instant Pot Whole Cauliflower is the way to go. Use your pressure cooker for just a few minutes which will trap the smell almost entirely. Easy gluten free side dish you can make with a trivet at the bottom of your pressure cooker, a cup of cold water at the bottom in 2 minutes!

How to cook a whole head of cauliflower in the Instant Pot

Cut the end of cauliflower off and remove the outer leaves. If adding olive oil and herbs cut into middle of head and remove a quarter size piece so seasoning can later seep in.

Put your head of cauliflower on the top of the trivet.
Close the lid and steam valve and set to high for 2 minutes.
- if you prefer a much softer texture I would set to 3 minutes on high pressure.
- 2 will produce a tender head with a little texture to it which I think is perfect
Quickly release the pressure when time is up. Can take out, slice and enjoy now or proceed on.
If you have a Ninja Foodi you can do the next steps right in the pot. If not transfer to a baking dish and turn broiler on.
- Whisk together olive oil and all spices listed above.
- Pour this on top of your cauliflower in the middle so some can be absorbed within. Then sprinkle parmesan on top of everything.
Close air crisp lid of Foodi and set to 390 degrees for 8 minutes so top gets golden brown, then serve.
- If using broiler leave in for approx. 5 minutes or until top is as golden as you’d like. Cut into pieces, sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve!

Loving this? Try our Instant Pot cauliflower curry recipe too. That has a TON of flavor to it and can be complete meal vs. a side dish like this.

How to store leftover cauliflower

I have this because I hate wasting food too. I bet you are like me too. So wait until it is completely cooled to begin with. Enjoy what you want and then set the rest aside. Use a large freezer bag, or pint size if you just have a bit left over. Put it inside and zip it almost all the way closed.

Then with the little hole that is open suck all the air out, like all of it. Air is the enemy, remember that when saving leftovers. Put into your fridge and eat within the next 2 days, the next day is best. Reheat on a plate in your microwave for about 45 seconds or so. Put a small pat of butter on top before heating to keep it moist.

You could put it into your air fryer too as an alternative method, this will add just a bit of crisp to the outside. 400 degrees for about 4 minutes shaking the basket halfway thru should do the trick. You could add a bit of parmesan cheese into the mix too with a drizzle of olive oil so it doesn’t dry out and gets crunchy on the edges.

Instant Pot Cauliflower Recipes

Looking for more easy recipes with this inexpensive piece of produce to take you further? This pressure cooker cauliflower soup is a winner too.

Want to make an oven roasted whole cauliflower, try this one. Like it kinda’ crispy? Make air fryer frozen cauliflower. If you want to make it more bite size you should try our air fryer cauliflower recipes too.