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    Watch What U Eat > Instant Pot > Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower With Delicious Gravy

    Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower With Delicious Gravy

    Published: Oct 17, 2018 · Modified: Apr 7, 2022 by Watch What U Eat · This post may contain affiliate links · 20 Comments

    Recipe Print
    Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower - cook whole cauliflower head in the pressure cooker and serve with delicious creamy gravy to make it more flavorful. Perfect vegetarian and vegan recipe for the holiday dinner or weeknight healthy meal. | #watchwhatueat #veganthanksgiving #vegan #cauliflower

    Make this awesome healthy Instant Pot cauliflower with creamy gravy for any party night or weeknight dinner. This garlic and herb whole cauliflower will be a gorgeous addition to your dinner table.

    Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower - cook whole cauliflower head in the pressure cooker and serve with delicious creamy gravy to make it more flavorful. Perfect vegetarian and vegan recipe for the holiday dinner or weeknight healthy meal. | #watchwhatueat #veganthanksgiving #vegan #cauliflower

    After cooking a whole chicken in the Instant Pot it was time to try this delicate vegetable in it. And to my surprise, it takes only three minutes on high pressure to cook the whole cauliflower head in the pressure cooker. And, in less than 30 min you can bring this dish to the dinner table.

    Whole cauliflower head and spice mixture

    How to make Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower?

    As opposed to cooking whole cauliflower in the oven (which takes more than 45 min), an Instant Pot is an easy and super-fast way to cook the whole cauliflower head. However, roasting in the oven has a whole lot of different flavors, tastes, and deliciousness.

    Whole cauliflower head marinated with spice mixture to cook in the Instant Pot.

    Marinate the cauliflower with some spices, herbs, and fresh garlic. Place it on the trivet in the pressure cooker. Add some vegetable stock to the bottom as this will help create steam inside and cook the cauliflower. Cooking whole cauliflower at high pressure in the Instant Pot needs only 3-4 minutes. Once done, the remaining liquid will be helpful in making a delicious gravy to go with this dish.

    Cook whole cauliflower head in the Instant Pot and serve with delicious creamy gravy. Perfect vegetarian and vegan recipe for the holiday dinner or weeknight healthy meal. | #watchwhatueat #veganthanksgiving #vegan #cauliflower

    Helpful Tips!

    • Buy a fresh and large cauliflower head for this recipe.
    • You can rub the spice mixture all over the cauliflower and marinate it well in advance before cooking it in the Instant Pot. It will make the cauliflower more flavorful. It is completely optional.
    • Carefully cut the leaves using a knife. Otherwise, you may end up cutting big florets that will ruin the look of the final dish. Also, carefully trim the stem flush. It will help the cauliflower head to sit flat in the serving dish without leaning on any side.
    Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower - cook whole cauliflower head in the pressure cooker and serve with delicious creamy gravy to make it more flavorful. Perfect vegetarian and vegan recipe for the holiday dinner or weeknight healthy meal. | #watchwhatueat #veganthanksgiving #vegan #cauliflower

    Instant Pot Whole Cauliflower
    Like this recipe? Pin it to your Chicken/Holiday Recipes pinboard!
    And follow Watch What U Eat on Pinterest (We always pin Yummy recipes)

    Healthy Instant Pot Cauliflower - cook whole cauliflower head in the pressure cooker and serve with delicious creamy gravy to make it more flavorful. Perfect vegetarian and vegan recipe for the holiday dinner or weeknight healthy meal. | #watchwhatueat #veganthanksgiving #vegan #cauliflower
    Print Pin
    4.77 from 13 votes

    Garlic And Herb Instant Pot Cauliflower With Delicious Gravy

    Whole cauliflower head flavored with fresh garlic and herbs and cooked in the pressure cooker. Also, learn to make delicious gravy that compliments this steamed whole cauliflower dish.
    Course: Lunch / Dinner,Main Course
    Cuisine: American Inspired
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 25 minutes
    Servings :4
    Calories :99kcal
    Author:Swati Kadam Gulati

    Equipment

    • Instant Pot

    Ingredients

    • 1 large cauliflower head

    Marinade

    • 3-4 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
    • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley finely chopped
    • ½ tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tsp  smoked paprika
    • salt and pepper

    For Gravy

    • 1 onion cut into large pieces
    • 1 teaspoon oil
    • 2-3 garlic cloves whole
    • 1 ½ cup vegetable stock
    • ½ tsp  thyme or more if fresh
    • ½ tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl combine all the ingredients listed under marinade.
    • Cut leaves from the bottom of the cauliflower head. Carefully trim the stem flush without cutting the florets. It will help the cauliflower to sit flat on the trivet.
    • Rub the prepared garlic-herb marinade on the cauliflower head evenly.
    • For the gravy heat oil in saute mode of the Instant Pot. Add onion and whole garlic cloves; cook until translucent.
    • Then add vegetable stock, thyme and lemon juice. Place the trivet into the Instant Pot.
    • Put the whole cauliflower head on the trivet. Cook for 3 min on manual high-pressure mode. Allow pressure to release naturally for 5 min and then quick release the remaining pressure.
    • Carefully transfer the cauliflower to an oven-safe dish or tray. Optionally, broil it 3-4 min in the oven to get a nice crust.
    • Turn on the saute mode in the Instant Pot. Add flour to the gravy base and blend everything using a hand blender until it gets to a smooth consistency. Add salt and pepper according to taste.
    • Cook the gravy for 3-4 min and serve warm with the cooked cauliflower.

    Notes

    1. Do not forget to open the lid after 5 min to naturally release the pressure and take the cauliflower out from the Instant Pot once it is opened. Else, the steam from the gravy base will keep on cooking the cauliflower.
    2. Gravy – you can increase the quantity of the gravy by adding more vegetable stock and flour before blending the gravy base.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 17.9g | Protein: 5.1g | Fat: 2.9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Potassium: 720mg | Fiber: 6.4g | Sugar: 7.2g | Iron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Tag us on Instagram @watchwhatueat or tag #watchwhatueat! OR leave us a comment & rating below. Your feedback is very important to us.

    This post contains affiliate links. For more information on our Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here.

    « Instant pot whole chicken with gravy
    Homemade Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls »
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    About Watch What U Eat

    We are Swati and Tushar, our passion for food and cooking has now led us to share some healthy, tasty recipes and the benefits of eating certain ingredients with the goal of inspiring you to eat well and live well.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kirsten says

      August 18, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      5 stars
      This was very good! Both my husband and I enjoyed it. I did read many comments before attempting and ended up only pressure cooking the cauliflower for 1 minute and then slow venting for about 2 minutes. I did broil in the oven at 425 for about 8-10 mins. Turned out great! Next time I am going to double the marinade though.

      Reply
    2. Victoria Fitton says

      May 08, 2021 at 10:25 pm

      Absolutely delicious! Next time I will shorten the time a bit. Thank you. I will look at other recipes.

      Reply
    3. Nicole says

      February 16, 2021 at 7:58 pm

      5 stars
      omg, this was soooo tasty! I did double the paprika in the marinade, and the lemon and garlic in the gravy… also only cooked on high pressure for 2 min with a QR – perfect firmness for those who don’t like crunch to their cooked cauliflower 😉

      Reply
    4. Ginger says

      February 09, 2021 at 12:44 am

      I am gluten free, can you make this without the flour? would that still work?

      Reply
      • Watch What U Eat says

        February 12, 2021 at 11:14 pm

        I never made it without using flour. However, I feel the gravy might not be as creamy in texture, but will still be tasty without the flour.

        Reply
      • Sharon D says

        September 14, 2021 at 6:03 pm

        Use gluten free flour?

        Reply
        • Watch What U Eat says

          September 17, 2021 at 7:52 pm

          You can use gluten free flour like corn starch, rice flour etc.

          Reply
    5. Vivienne Shore says

      July 22, 2020 at 1:18 am

      5 stars
      I’m new to Pressure Cooking and
      Cooked this Cauliflower today. Very easy and loved it. Definitely a keeper. Next time I’ll double up on the sauce!!! Thank You!

      Reply
      • Gary petranek says

        January 21, 2021 at 5:08 pm

        5 stars
        One of the best dishes I ever made in the instant pot.

        Reply
    6. Vicky says

      July 06, 2020 at 7:52 pm

      5 stars
      Great Recipe!!! Loved it!!! It came out perfect and delicious!!

      Reply
    7. Andrea says

      June 15, 2020 at 6:38 am

      5 stars
      This was so delicious! I’m excited to try variations of this recipe too!

      Reply
    8. Christine says

      June 09, 2020 at 1:05 am

      4 stars
      flavour is good. Gravy is yum,. But 3 minutes plus 5 minutes manual release is WAY too long. The cauliflower was mushy and falling apart. I’d definitely make this again but only do 1 minute cook time versus 3.

      Reply
      • Belinda says

        July 22, 2021 at 5:01 pm

        4 stars
        This was delicious. Agreed with others that reducing the cooking time to as much as one minute under pressure would be enough. I cooked mine for 2 minutes at high pressure and released steam immediately, I couldn’t handle the cauliflower it was so soft. I did put it in a hot oven with some asparagus for 10 or so minutes, but it didn’t crisp. The gravy/sauce was great and the flavours were all perfect. I served with a small amount of rice, and a simple salad of fetta, tomato, cucumber, and yellow capsicum.

        Reply
    9. Rita says

      April 01, 2020 at 9:59 pm

      This evening I cooked (in my Instant Pot 6-quart Duo) a whole head of cauliflower (about 2 pounds after trimming. I used 1/2 c water and cooked it on a trivet with handles.

      I cooked it for 1 minute at high pressure with a Quick Release and showered it in my sink (upside down) with cold water to stop the cooking.

      At the end of cooking, there was almost no water left in the inner pot of the cooker. Next time I will use 1 cup water to possibly crdate more steam.

      I found the texture of the cauliflower a little softer than crisp-tender, not quite mushy, but with just a little texture (“bite”). Cooking it any longer would have created an inedible mush.

      Next time I will cook the cauliflower for “0” minutes since I will be using it for a salad with a vinaigrette.

      Reply
    10. Jan says

      November 29, 2019 at 7:47 am

      5 stars
      I am not a cauliflower fan, but this recipe is amazing. The gravy is out of this world, and I will be using that for more of my vegan dishes.

      Reply
    11. Dallas Cline says

      August 11, 2019 at 9:52 pm

      Delish! First thing I made (tonight) in my Crockpot Express. Great taste! Fast and filling. Thank you!

      Reply
    12. Caitlyn Erhardt says

      October 22, 2018 at 9:09 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe! I love this idea for Thanksgiving! I have some vegan friends I know would love this.

      Reply
    13. Alaina | The Passive 100 says

      October 22, 2018 at 12:29 pm

      Wow! This looks beyond amazing. We are huge fans of cauliflower so definitely going to have to give this recipe a try. Thanks so much for sharing!

      Reply
    14. Deirdre J. @ WalkinGratitude.com says

      October 22, 2018 at 12:18 pm

      This looks absolutely deleicious! I will definitely be giving this recipe a try soon. Loving your site!

      Reply
    15. Emma Burns-Di Lauro says

      October 22, 2018 at 12:09 pm

      5 stars
      My goodness this looks divine! I can’t wait to try this for myself at home…

      Reply

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