Delicious whole roasted cauliflower that is ready in 10 minutes thanks to the Instant Pot! Paired with a spicy gochujang sauce, this is one easy cauliflower recipe you won’t stop eating!
I used to hate eating cauliflower- it took FOREVER to roast in the oven. Forget about roasting a whole head of it too- that took even longer. In walks the Instant Pot: cook time was cut from 60 minutes to less than 15. How crazy is that?!
Once you try this method, you will never go back! It is so quick and requires minimal prep and ingredients- the best kind of recipe! Paired with a spicy and super addicting gochujang sauce, this is a recipe you’re going to make again and again.
INGREDIENTS
This recipe is super easy to pull together thanks to the small handful of ingredients. This is a great recipe for a healthy side dish. I have found it so addicting that it can also be a main dish such as cauliflower steaks. I may or may not have eaten whole heads of cauliflower by myself while developing this recipe…
CAULIFLOWER: The star of the show! I like to use an entire head of cauliflower, but you can chop it into cauliflower florets if you prefer.
WATER: Adding a cup of water to the Instant Pot results in super tender cauliflower. You could switch with vegetable stock to give the veggie more flavor if you like.
OLIVE OIL & SALT: To season the cauliflower. I do not add black pepper because of the gochujang paste.
For Spicy Gochujang Sauce
GOCHUJANG: A spicy Korean hot pepper paste that is delicious and super spicy. I like to use the mild paste.
TAMARI: I like to use tamari instead of soy sauce- it is less salty. Feel free to use the two interchangeably.
HONEY: To help sweeten the sauce. You could also use maple syrup.
SESAME OIL: Sesame oil adds a faint nutty flavor to the sauce.
RICE VINEGAR: To help cut the spice and balance the dipping sauce.
HOW TO COOK WHOLE CAULIFLOWER IN AN INSTANT POT
This recipe could not be any easier! Using an Instant Pot is seriously the best way to cook a whole head of cauliflower. It takes less than 15 minutes, unlike roasting in an oven which can take a whole hour. While it is cooking you can quickly whip up the dipping sauce. Trust me, it has amazing flavor and you’re gonna want to put it on everything!
Prepare Instant Pot
Place a steamer basket in the Instant Pot and add 1/2-1 cup water. If you wanted, you could switch the water with broth. Rinse the whole cauliflower head and pat dry. Next remove any leaves from the bottom and chop off the stem so it sits flat. Season with a little olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
Pressure Cook The Cauliflower
Set the Instant Pot to PRESSURE COOK on high pressure. Set the time to 0 minutes. Yep, 0 minutes is a real time! In testing, I have found 0-1 minute results in perfectly steamed cauliflower.
It will take approximately 10-13 minutes to build pressure and cook.
When the instant pot beeps to signal the end of cooking, move the nozzle to venting for quick release. Do not use a natural pressure release- your cauliflower will be soggy.
Make The Spicy Sauce
While the cauliflower is cooking, combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust if needed. If it is too spicy, try adding more honey or tamari.
Roast In The Oven (Optional)
This step is optional (but highly recommended)- the cauliflower will be fully cooked in the instant pot.
Slather on the gochujang sauce all over the cauliflower. Roast the cauliflower on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 15 minutes to help crisp up.
Enjoy!
Drizzle on the glaze and enjoy! For added flavor and garnish, sprinkle on furikake or cilantro.
RECIPE SUGGESTIONS
If you want to make this a side dish, it would go great with Easy and Creamy Instant Pot White Bean Soup or Vitamix Spinach Soup Recipe (Creamy and Fast!).
If you love this recipe, please let me know in the comments below! Let me know if you want other easy vegetable recipes like this.
FAQ
The whole head of cauliflower will be done after 0 minutes. In testing, I have found that 1 minute of cooking also results in tender cauliflower. Anything above 1 minute will result soggy cauliflower and is not recommended.
Yes, the size of the cauliflower head matters. I have found in testing that 0-1 minute is plenty for most medium-large cauliflower heads. If you have a very large head of cauliflower you could try 2-3 minutes. However, you risk your cauliflower becoming overcooked and mushy.
You can store the cauliflower and gochujang dipping sauce separately if you want. I like adding the sauce to the leftover cauliflower- it becomes a delicious marinade!
Instant Pot Whole Roasted Cauliflower
Equipment
- Instant Pot
- trivet or steamer basket
Ingredients
Whole Roasted Cauliflower
- 1 cauliflower, whole
- olive oil for dizzling
- salt
Spicy Gochujang Sauce
- 1 tablespoon gochujang paste mild
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
Instructions
- Place a steamer basket in the Instant Pot and add 1/2-1 cup water. Rinse the whole cauliflower head and pat dry. Next remove any leaves from the bottom and chop off the stem so it sits flat. Season with a little olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt.
- Set the Instant Pot to PRESSURE COOK on high pressure. Set the time to 0 minutes and change the valve to SEALING. It will take approximately 10-13 minutes to build pressure and cook.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, combine all ingredients for the gochujang sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Taste and adjust if needed.
- When the instant pot is finished, move the valve to VENTING for quick release. Using a brush, generously cover the cauliflower with the gochujang sauce.
- *Optional* Cook the cauliflower in the over at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. This will help crisp up the edges.
- Top with furikake or fresh cilantro for garnish.