Kohlrabi in cream sauce with the Thermomix® takes 40 minutes and steams the kohlrabi in the Varoma while the white sauce comes together in the mixing bowl. That keeps the vitamins in the kohlrabi, and the sauce gets its creaminess from double cream plus the cooking liquid, not from milk alone.
We have been making kohlrabi in cream sauce for years as a side dish to meatballs, hamburgers or smoked pork. The secret is the combination of Varoma steam and the white sauce roux in the same bowl. No decanting, no second pot, and the sauce gets its flavour from the reserved kohlrabi cooking liquid.
Kohlrabi in Cream Sauce with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 10 ✓
- 900 g kohlrabi
- 500 g water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vegetable stock powder
- 50 g butter
- 50 g flour
- 100 g double cream
- 1 splash lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 3 tsp mixed herbs frozen
Instructions 0 / 4
-
1
Trim and peel the kohlrabi.
Peel the kohlrabi, cut into pieces and place in the Varoma.
-
2
Steam the kohlrabi.
Add water, salt and vegetable stock powder to the mixing bowl, place the Varoma on top and cook for 20 min / Varoma / speed 1.
-
3
Make the sauce.
Empty the mixing bowl and reserve the cooking liquid. Add butter to the mixing bowl and melt for 30 sec / 90°C / speed 1. Add flour and cook for 3 min / Varoma / speed 2. Add 500 g of the reserved cooking liquid, double cream, lemon juice, pepper and herbs and cook for 5 min / 100°C / speed 2.
-
4
Finish cooking and serve.
Add the kohlrabi and cook for 10 min / 100°C / reverse direction / speed 1.
Tip: Instead of double cream you can also use a cooking cream alternative or cream cheese.
Nutrition per serving
Why Varoma steam, not boiling in water
Kohlrabi boiled in water loses up to 40 per cent of its vitamin C into the cooking water (German Federal Centre for Nutrition, 2024). In the Varoma, the cubes cook above the steam, so the vitamin stays in the vegetable. At the same time the stock with salt and vegetable stock powder is already simmering in the mixing bowl, and its steam seasons the kohlrabi as it cooks.
20 minutes at Varoma speed 1 is enough for 900 g of kohlrabi cut into 2 cm cubes. Larger pieces need 5 extra minutes. With smaller cubes, reduce by 3 minutes, otherwise they will fall apart.
White sauce roux: butter first, flour second
The white sauce is based on a classic roux. Melt 50 g of butter first for 30 seconds at 90°C on speed 1. Then add 50 g of flour and cook for 3 minutes on speed 2 at Varoma temperature. These two steps are not optional. If you add the flour directly to cold butter, you will get lumps that will not smooth out later.
The flour is lightly toasted during the cooking stage. This removes the raw flour taste and makes the sauce smooth rather than stodgy. If you skip the roux and add double cream straight to the kohlrabi, you will end up with a thin sauce that runs all over the plate.
500 g cooking liquid plus 100 g double cream: the right ratio
After steaming, collect 500 g of the cooking liquid and pour it into the roux together with 100 g of double cream. The 5:1 ratio of cooking liquid to cream gives a sauce that is creamy without overpowering the kohlrabi flavour. More cream (200 g, as some recipes suggest) makes the sauce too heavy and masks the vegetable.
A splash of lemon juice lifts the freshness. That is the detail that sets our recipe apart from a standard cream sauce. Acid makes the fat from the cream taste noticeably lighter. The 3 tsp of mixed herbs (parsley, chives, chervil) go in at the end, otherwise they lose their colour.
Kohlrabi with potatoes, ham or vegan
For a complete meal, add 500 g of diced potatoes to the Varoma. They need the same 20 minutes and absorb the sauce beautifully. With potatoes, the side dish becomes a main course for 4, and the sauce quantity stays the same.
For a hearty variation, stir in 80 g of diced cooked ham during the last 5 minutes of the sauce. For a vegan version, replace butter with margarine and double cream with oat cream in a 1:1 ratio. The consistency stays the same and the flavour becomes slightly more neutral.
What to serve with kohlrabi in cream sauce
Classic pairings: meatballs, hamburgers, smoked pork, schnitzel, bratwurst, cooked ham. As a vegetarian main with mashed potatoes or boiled potatoes. If you peel kohlrabi and have leaves left over, the young green tops are edible like parsley and can be stirred into a herb quark.
Kohlrabi in cream sauce keeps for 3 days, do not freeze
Kohlrabi in cream sauce keeps in a sealed container in the fridge for 3 days. Before reheating, add a splash of milk or cream because the roux thickens as it stands. Reheat over a medium heat, stirring, and not in the microwave as the sauce will split.
Freezing does not work well. The roux separates when thawed and the kohlrabi goes watery. If you do freeze it, freeze the cooked kohlrabi alone without the sauce, then make the sauce fresh.
Goes well with: Mashed Potatoes, Schnitzel and Meatballs.
Also worth a look: Steamed Kohlrabi in the Thermomix® Varoma.
