This Instant Pot Cauliflower Au Gratin is sure to be a crowd pleaser! Even my kids who usually stick their noses straight up in the air when it comes to cauliflower will devour this loaded cauliflower casserole!

Plus this recipe is keto friendly! A lot of y’all have asked for more keto friendly Instant Pot recipes, so be prepared to see more keto recipes headed your way!

Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Casserole

The last couple of months I have been on the hunt for how to make cauliflower in the Instant Pot without it turning to mush…and actually save time.

So many recipes I have seen call for 6-8 minutes in the Instant Pot. Which, when you count the time that it takes for the pressure cooker to actually reach pressure you are looking at closer to 15 minutes.

Nonetheless, we gave that 7 minute mark a try and got a lovely side dish of mashed cauliflower, but not quite what I was going for. Not to mention I could have steamed them on the stove top in half the time.

Then the hubs gave me the crazy idea to try cooking cauliflower for only a minute in the Instant Pot.

So I did.

It was perfection. Soft yet still crisp cauliflower goodness.

Not only is the low cooking time a key factor in cooking the perfect cauliflower in the Instant Pot, using a steamer basket is vital too. We personally adore this one because it is double tier. While a double tier steaming basket is not necessary for this recipe, I can tell you it definitely comes in handy for one pot Instant Pot meals!

Alrighty y’all, let’s get cooking!

Yield: 4-6

Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Au Gratin

Prep Time 5 minutesCook Time 5 minutesTotal Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 medium to large cauliflower
• 6 oz. cream cheese, cut into chunks
• ¼ c. heavy cream
• 3 T. unsalted butter, softened
• ¼ t. garlic powder
• ½ t. dried dill
• Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1½ c. Italian cheese blend, shredded
• 4 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 1 T. fresh chives, chopped
• 1 c. water
• 1-2 T. cooking oil

Instructions

1. Use one medium to large sized cauliflower head, wash it.
2. Remove the leaves and cut the cauliflower into chunks. Big chunks are ok.
3. Place cauliflower into a steamer basket that will fit the Instant Pot. Place the steamer basket into the pressure cooker.
4. Add 1 cup of water below the steamer basket.
5. Lock the lid on the Instant Pot and close the vent.
6. Pressure cook on “High/Manual” for one minute.
7. After a minute cook time, quick release the pressure and remove the cauliflower to prevent further cooking.
8. Empty the water from the pressure cooker.
9. In a bowl mix the steamed cauliflower, cream cheese, bacon crumbles, cheese, heavy cream, butter, garlic powder, and dried dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste and combine.
10. Switch the Instant Pot to sauté. Allow the pan to heat up if it is not already hot.
11. Add in 1-2 tbsp. of cold oil. I use coconut oil but any cooking oil will work.
12. Add the steamed cauliflower mix in. Sauté (and stir) until cheese is melted.
13. Transfer to a serving dish and top with chives.
14. Enjoy!

Notes

For a toasted cheese look you can bake the loaded cauliflower au gratin in the oven at 400 degrees until the cheese is melted instead of sautéing in the Instant Pot.

Cook bacon on the stove top or use bacon crumbles. I have heard that you can cook bacon in the Instant Pot on sauté but have not personally tried it myself. If you would like to give that a try, do that after you have steamed the cauliflower. Then drain the bacon grease from the pan and skip the cooking oil (as the pan is already greased).

Nutrition Information

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 5738Total Fat 518gSaturated Fat 221gCholesterol 963mgSodium 9327mgCarbohydrates 41gSugar 10gProtein 284g

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