Steaming a whole cauliflower in the Thermomix® Varoma® takes just 35 to 45 minutes. Here is how: add 600 g water and 1 tsp salt to the mixing bowl, place the trimmed whole head (approx. 900 g) in the Varoma® and cook on Varoma® / speed 1. After 40 minutes, insert a knife into the stalk. If it goes through without resistance, the head is done. This makes 4 servings with only 56 kcal each.
We always cook cauliflower in one piece when it is going straight to the table rather than disappearing into a pan. A whole head looks far more impressive on the platter than a pile of florets, and in the Varoma® it cooks evenly all the way through without any stirring or turning. Served with a Hollandaise sauce made in the Thermomix®, it becomes a side dish that looks like a lot of effort, all in under an hour.
Whole Steamed Cauliflower with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 3 ✓
- 600 g water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cauliflower whole head, approx. 900 g
Instructions 0 / 2
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1
Cook the cauliflower.
Add the water and salt to the mixing bowl. Wash the cauliflower, remove the stalk and leaves, place it in the Varoma® and cook for 35 to 45 minutes / Varoma® / speed 1.
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2
Serving.
Pierce the cauliflower after 40 minutes to check whether it is tender enough for you.
Video
Nutrition per serving
Whole head instead of florets: why the stalk trick matters
We deliberately leave the cauliflower as a whole head in the Varoma® so that the dense stalk softens from the inside while the florets stay perfectly tender on the outside. For 800 to 1,000 g we allow 35 to 45 minutes on Varoma® / speed 1. Florets would be ready in 25 minutes, but they fall apart easily and look like leftovers on the plate.
Our most important preparation step: cut a cross into the stalk about 2 cm deep before steaming. This lets the steam reach right into the dense centre so the middle cooks evenly alongside the outer florets. Without this cut the florets on the outside are already soft while the stalk inside is still hard and glassy. This is exactly where the Varoma® has the edge over a saucepan: the steam surrounds the whole head from every side instead of cooking it from below in water. With 600 g water in the mixing bowl, a single filling is enough for the full cooking time, so there is no need to top up.
If you want to finish the head in the oven afterwards, rub it before steaming with a paste of 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 garlic clove and 1 tsp cumin, then pop it in the oven at 220 °C for 8 to 10 minutes after the Varoma® step. With tahini yoghurt and pomegranate seeds it becomes a modern main course rather than a classic side dish.
Water, salt and cooking time: the three variables for the Varoma®
Three values determine whether the head turns out perfectly: the amount of water in the mixing bowl, the salt and the time. We use 600 g water and 1 tsp salt. The salt can go straight into the cooking water, as the rising steam carries some of it along and gently seasons the cauliflower from the inside. If you prefer a stronger flavour, season the finished head again just before serving.
Cooking time depends mainly on the size of the head. Here are our figures from many a Sunday:
- Up to 800 g: 35 minutes / Varoma® / speed 1
- 800 to 1,000 g: 40 minutes / Varoma® / speed 1
- Over 1,000 g: up to 45 minutes / Varoma® / speed 1
Do not skip the skewer test: after 40 minutes, insert a thin knife right into the centre of the stalk. If it goes through without resistance, the head is done. If you still feel a firm core, give it another 5 minutes. It is better to check once more than to risk a mushy outer edge with a raw centre.
Common pitfalls that can ruin your whole head
The head is soft on the outside but still raw inside
The most common frustration with a whole cauliflower: the florets are already falling off, but the stalk still crunches. Our fix: cut a cross 2 cm deep into the stalk and place the head stalk-side down in the Varoma®. This way the densest part cooks first and everything finishes at the same time.
The steam cannot get through
If the entire base of the Varoma® is covered by leaves and trimmed stalk pieces, the steam backs up and the head takes forever to cook. Our fix: remove the wilted outer leaves, but leave a few tender inner ones attached (they look attractive and protect the florets). Position the head so that several steam slots remain clear.
The cauliflower turns grey instead of staying white
Overcooking causes cauliflower to turn grey and sulphurous. Our fix: do not go beyond 45 minutes and test with a knife in good time. A squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of milk in the cooking water helps keep the florets brighter, but this is cosmetic, not essential.
Hot steam escapes when opening the Varoma®
After 40 minutes of cooking, the Varoma® holds a great deal of hot steam. Our fix: always open the lid away from your body and wait a moment for the first burst of steam to escape. Steam burns just as quickly as boiling water, which many people underestimate.
From steaming to a feast: three ways to take it further
The steamed head is the base. Here is what we do with it depending on the occasion:
- Classic gratin (our second recipe below): chop 30 g Parmesan in the mixing bowl for 10 seconds / speed 10, mix with 2 tbsp breadcrumbs, scatter over the steamed head along with 30 g Black Forest ham, dot with 20 g butter flakes and bake at 170 °C fan for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Brown butter coating: melt 50 g butter in a frying pan until golden brown, toast a handful of flaked almonds in it and pour over the finished head. Nutty and no oven needed.
- Veggie main course: roast the seasoned head at 220 °C for 10 minutes after the Varoma® step and serve with tahini yoghurt, pomegranate seeds and parsley.
Whole or in florets is ultimately a matter of occasion. We go for the whole head for Sunday lunch when it needs to make an impression. For a quick weeknight dish, florets are the way to go: they cook in 25 minutes, which we cover in full in our floret-steaming recipe.
Sauces and sides that go well with the whole head
A whole steamed cauliflower is mild and needs a bold partner on the plate. We love serving it with a Hollandaise sauce made in the Thermomix®, which comes together in minutes and will not split. Boiled potatoes or a piece of pan-fried meat complete the plate.
If you enjoy cauliflower, we have more ideas: it goes crispy as a low-carb cauliflower pizza, filling as low-carb cauliflower rice, warming as a cauliflower soup and rich as a cauliflower gratin, all made with the Thermomix®. If you want to get more from your Varoma®, our Varoma® guide is the place to start.
How to store steamed cauliflower
Once cooked, cauliflower keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge before it starts to break into individual florets. We store it in a sealed container and eat the leftovers cold with a vinaigrette as a salad or warmed through. To reheat, 2 minutes in the microwave or 10 minutes at 150 °C in the oven covered with foil is enough to prevent it drying out.
Goes well with: ham and mashed potatoes.
Also worth trying: savoy cabbage steamed in the Thermomix® Varoma®.
Freezing is possible but not our preferred option: once defrosted, the steamed head turns soft and loses its bite. When we cook ahead, we prefer to blanch the cauliflower briefly and freeze it in florets, then steam it fresh later. The gratin version should always come straight from the oven as the topping goes soggy when reheated.
