How to Steam a Whole Head of Cauliflower
Published Oct 22, 2019•Updated Jan 07, 2026
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A whole head of Steamed Cauliflower is great for slicing into cauliflower steaks, chopping into florets, or drizzling with sauce for a beautiful vegetarian dish. It’s easy and just takes a few minutes either on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
Cauliflower is really having its 15 minutes of fame. Cauliflower rice, cauliflower gnocchi…this vegetable is being transformed into all sorts of things. Frank and I were served a whole head of cauliflower in a rich butter sauce two years ago in Paris that inspired this Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Lemon Butter Caper Sauce. (That recipe was the most popular thing I shared on Instagram all of last year!)
How to Steam a Head of Cauliflower
The easiest way to get steamed cauliflower that also insures it is tender all the way through to the center, is to steam it. You can do this on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot / pressure cooker.
Step 1: Rinse and Remove Leaves
Rinse the cauliflower and peel off the outer leaves. (Note: This is optional. If you want to leave a few or all of the leaves intact, you can, just make sure to peel them back and rinse well since dirt can hide behind the leaves.)
Step 2: Prepare Your Steamer
Option 1 (stovetop): Place a steamer basket in a large pot (use one that has a lid). Fill the pot with water until it reaches just below the bottom of the steamer. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a simmer with a few bubbles constantly rising from the bottom.
Option 2 (Instant Pot): Put the trivet that came with Instant Pot inside the machine. Add water to the pot until it reaches just below the base of the trivet.
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Step 3: Add the Cauliflower and Cover
Option 1 (stovetop): Put the head of cauliflower, stem-side down in the steamer basket and cover with the lid. Steam for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, start checking the cauliflower for doneness every 5 minutes. Remove it from the pot as soon as it is tender.
Option 2 (Instant Pot): Put the head of cauliflower, stem-side down on the trivet and close and lock the lid. Use the “Steam” button on the Instant Pot set for 1 minute. When done, quick release the pressure.
Step 4: Cool and Use
Remove the head of cauliflower and let it cool slightly. Then serve it however you’d like. Keep it whole, slice into “steaks”, or remove the florets. If you want to use the florets individually, you can just use your hands or a small knife to pop them off, leaving the core in place. Add some sauce or just toss the florets with some salt and pepper.
Recipe Tip
The way to check if the cauliflower is done cooking is to use a sharp knife to pierce through the center of the vegetable. The knife should meet with a bit of resistance but should slide in easily without much effort.
More Cauliflower Recipes
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How to Steam a Whole Head of Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head Cauliflower (1.5-2 pounds total)
- Water
Instructions
- Rinse the cauliflower and peel off the outer leaves from the head of cauliflower. (Note: This is optional. If you want to leave a few or all of the leaves intact, you can, just make sure to peel them back and rinse well since dirt can hide behind the leaves.)
For the stovetop:
- Place a steamer basket in a large pot (use one that has a lid). Fill the pot with water until it reaches just below the bottom of the steamer. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a simmer with a few bubbles constantly rising from the bottom.
- Put the head of cauliflower, stem-side down in the steamer basket and cover with the lid. Steam for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, start checking the cauliflower for doneness every 3 minutes. Remove it from the pot as soon as it is tender (easily pierced with a knife).
- Let the cauliflower cool slightly and then season it with salt and pepper and serve it however you'd like.
For the Instant Pot:
- Put the trivet that came with Instant Pot inside the machine. Add water to the pot until it reaches just below the base of the trivet.
- Put the head of cauliflower, stem-side down on the trivet and close and lock the lid. Use the “Steam” button on the Instant Pot set for 1 minute.
- When done, immediately quick release the pressure. (Be careful as steam and possibly hot water will come out of the pressure spout.)
- Let the cauliflower cool slightly and then season it with salt and pepper and serve it however you'd like.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi and thank you for the recipe. Learning to cook lots of things in our instant pot. The recipe produced somewhat crisp cauliflower. We ended up cooking it one more minute and it was softer.
The Instant Pot is a game changer! Glad you enjoyed the cauliflower.
I myself never thought about steaming the whole head! Perfect to use for so many things.
Thank you!
Noreen
So glad you found it helpful! Enjoy!
Easy fast and incredibly tasty! My whole family enjoyed it!
That’s great – I’m so glad!
Hi Jess
I have to say that although I have cooked veg in my Instant Pot before, it’s never occurred to me to cook a whole cauliflower. I tend to cook double quantities for my husband and myself and create a home made ready meal for another day and I think this would be a very useful way to add veg quickly. It’s usually cheaper to get a full cauliflower than a bag of frozen so I’m definitely going to try this. Thank you.