Instant Pot Cheesy Cauliflower

If you’re looking for a great low carb pressure cooker recipe this cheesy Instant Pot mac and cheese cauliflower is a real winner! It’s now one of our favorite easy vegetable Instant Pot recipes we make as a side dish every week.

If you have ever made whole cauliflower in Instant Pot you know just how quickly it works. You will want to cut this one into large bite size florets instead so the sauce can coat each piece well. You want an ooey gooey feel and look to it.

You can make it in any pressure cooker brand you have. I have made this as one of our Ninja foodi recipes too. You just need the high pressure function with the lid that is not attached for this and the pressure cook button. Served as a side dish at dinner time or a complete meal, I can never make enough of it!

After it was made whole we also then made this mashed cauliflower with cooked cauliflower that’s been pureed. It’s not only yummy but fun too since it was purple! Then I thought about this macaroni and cheese cauliflower idea and had to try it as a pressure cooker recipe.

We essentially used a similar sauce we used to make Instant Pot macaroni and cheese but used this veggie instead. It made this comfort food lower carb for those who are trying to eat more vegetables but still want to feel like they are cheating but you really aren’t. 😉

Ingredient Notes

Heavy whipping cream will make the sauce thick. You do not want to use low fat versions if you want that rich and creamy sauce. Same thing goes for the Cream cheese. You want “regular” that has been softened so it melts well.

Dijon mustard gives the sauce a bit of zing to the sauce. I am not a huge fan of this normally but gives it a swedish meatball sauce type of flavor that is out of this world delicious.

Cheese, cheddar sharp we love and it is great with a mix of pepper jack and white cheddar is fabulous too.

Garlic salt and pepper to taste is really all that I add after it’s done to avoid over seasoning. You will want a steamer basket for the bottom so the veggies don’t sit in the liquid and get mushy.

For a dairy free option you can find lactose free cream cheese at the store which is quite good. As a milk substitute I would use cashew milk or plain almond. There are a lot of cheeses to choose but cheddar is our favorite.

How Long to Cook Cheesy Cauliflower in Instant Pot

Following our vegetable cook time chart we ended up setting our pressure cooker to high pressure for 1 – 2 minutes. This is subjective according to how soft you like the florets. If you want still a bit of “bite” to them and not on the verge of falling apart then use one minute with a quick release.

Remember that there is a second cooking step to this as you saute the cream cheese sauce together and fold it in with your white veggie pieces. If you make them super soft to begin with they will continue to soften in the last few minutes and then won’t be the texture you want. Personally I feel one minute is best!

When it comes to Instant Pot steamed vegetables it doesn’t take long at all. You don’t want them to get mushy. I prefer to cook it a little less because when it sits, or if you add hot sauces like this one, it tends to soften even more when it sits but it is just a preference really.

How Long to Cook with Frozen Cauliflower

It would be possible to make this with bags of frozen cauliflower and the cook time wouldn’t change. Actually it would make this dish even faster since there wouldn’t be any cutting necessary. The head is already cut into bite size florets in this case. Just pour in the bag and continue with the recipe below.

Tips

Remember to quick release when the beeper goes off IMMEDIATELY! One minute means just that, no longer. Perfect Instant Pot broccoli is the same way. Walk away and let it sit for 60 more seconds and you’re likely to say “ewwwww” when you lift the lid.

Of course you could make this without a pressure cooker. Just steam your cauliflower in a basket on the stove. Then gently boil the sauce in the recipe card below. Remove from heat, add your cauliflower, gently stir together and serve. Either way you’ve gotta’ make this!

Other easy side dish recipes you’ll love

Instant Pot cheesy bacon ranch potatoes have a great sauce too or slow cooker cheesy potatoes with frozen hashbrowns. Our Roasted Cauliflower at 400 is great in the oven to make crispy.