A step by step tutorial with photos showing you exactly how to freeze cauliflower. Stocking up the freezer means you always have cauliflower on hand for healthy recipes!
Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable because it really takes on the flavors of whatever it is you’re pairing it with. It is a low carb meal prepper’s dream as it can substitute for rice, pizza crust etc.
Even if you’re not following a low carb diet, cauliflower is great to add to your diet, as it provides a ton of vitamins, minerals and natural anti-oxidants.
There are a few inconveniences when it comes to cauliflower; the size of a head of cauliflower, which can be quite large for some families, and the prep work involved in cutting it up.
The solution? Freeze your cauliflower! This makes for easy portions of cauliflower you can grab out of the freezer to throw in whatever you’re cooking.
How to use frozen cauliflower
- in soup
- in stir fries (here are 7 Stir Fry Sauce recipes to use!)
- sauteed as an easy side dish
- in an egg muffin (check out these 7 Breakfast Egg Muffins, one of which is a broccoli cheddar version)
- in smoothies! Yes you read that right! Check out this Malted Chocolate Cauliflower Smoothie!
How to freeze cauliflower
Step one- wash the head of cauliflower.
Step two- pick off the leaves, then cut into bite-sized pieces. You can include the stem as well.
Step three- blanch: Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add cauliflower (you may need to work in batches). Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, then scoop cauliflower out of the pot with a slotted spoon.
Step four- ice bath: to stop cooking the cauliflower, place it in an ice bath while you blanch all remaining cauliflower.
Step five- drain excess water.
Step six- arrange on a baking sheet.
Step seven- freeze overnight.
Step eight- transfer to a freezer bag labelled with the contents and date. Remove as much air as possible, then freeze for up to 1 year.
Frozen Cauliflower 101
How long is frozen cauliflower good for? If you are careful about draining off as much water as you can, and remove as much air as possible from the freezer bag, your cauliflower will be good in the freezer for up to 1 year!
Does frozen cauliflower need to be cooked? Since we just blanched the cauliflower, it is not cooked through. I recommend cooking it before serving, either with a quick sautee, by roasting in the oven, or even grilling! Since the cauliflower has been blanched, and it softens during the thaw process, you will not need to cook as long as fresh cauliflower.
Can you rice frozen cauliflower? You could certainly try, however I guarantee it will be much mushier than freshly riced cauliflower. A better way to do it is to rice the cauliflower before freezing. Stay tuned for a whole post on this!
Equipment:
- I highly recommend these baker’s half sheets
- pictured in this post are these reusable silicone freezer bags
, however you could also use a heavy duty freezer bag - a sharpie for labelling bags
, however you could also use a heavy duty freezer bag
for labelling bags
How to Freeze Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
Instructions
- Wash cauliflower under tap water.
- Pick off leaves, and cut into bite size pieces; consider what you might use the cauliflower for, egg muffins or egg casserole require small pieces, soups, stir fries or sautees do not. Stems are perfectly fine to use as well as the florets.
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Working in batches, blanch the cauliflower: simmer for 1 1/2 minutes, then remove from the pot using a slotted spoon and transfer immediately to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Repeat with remaining cauliflower.
- Drain well.
- Arrange on a large baking sheet. I love these baker's half sheets.
- Freeze for 4 hours- overnight.
- Transfer to a freezer bag, labelled with the contents & date. Pictured in this post are these reusable silicone freezer bags.
- Freeze for up to 1 year!
WYN
WILL THIS METHOD WORK FOR SLICED CAULIFLOWER CUT 1/4″ TO 1/2 INCH?
Denise Bustard
Yes, it should work.
Julianne
When you say “cook 1.5 min…” does that mean after waiting for water to return to a boil or does that mean from as soon as you dump the cauliflower into the water? Thank you for clarifying!
Denise Bustard
Hi Julianne! I start the timer as soon as the cauliflower hits the water.
Lois Williams
can i freeze a whole cauliflower head without cutting into florets? I am wanting to roast it whole..
Denise
Hi Lois! That’s a great question, and I haven’t tried it. You would definitely want to steam it first, but I’m not sure how long. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it works out for you!