7 Quick Tips and Recipes for Canning Cauliflower (2024)

Canning cauliflower at home is a simple and cost-effective way to enjoy this nutritious vegetable all year round.

Here’s how to do it:

• Start by selecting fresh, creamy-white cauliflower heads that feel heavy for their size.
• Wash the cauliflower thoroughly and cut into florets, and if desired, blanch them in boiling water before an ice bath.
• Sterilize your canning jars and lids by boiling them for ten minutes.
• Pack the clean jars with cauliflower, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top.
• Cover the florets with boiling water or pickling brine, then seal and process the jars in a canner.

To ensure the safe and successful canning of cauliflower, proper sterilization of jars and lids is key to preventing bacterial growth. Begin by filling a large pot with water, bringing it to a boil, and placing your jars and lids inside for at least ten minutes. Carefully remove them and lay them on a clean towel to dry.

Next, prepare your cauliflower. After washing and cutting into florets, you may choose to blanch them to help preserve the crispness and color. To blanch, drop the florets into boiling water for a few minutes before plunging them into ice water to halt the cooking process.

Now, fill your hot jars with the cauliflower. Make sure to leave appropriate headspace to accommodate liquid and expansion. If you’re adding a brine, prepare it according to your recipe, then pour it over the florets, ensuring they are covered but still respecting the necessary headspace.

Finally, process the jars in a canner, either in a water bath or pressure canner, depending on your recipe and preference. Process for the recommended amount of time, then carefully remove the jars using a jar lifter and allow them to cool on a towel. Once cooled, check the seals, ensure they’re tight, and then store your canned cauliflower in a cool, dry place, ready to be enjoyed whenever you like.

Whenever we’re looking for the best way to preserve our favorite foods, canning is one of our top choices. Canning cauliflower is straightforward, and once you make canned cauliflower, you’ll know how to do it for the rest of your life.

The great thing about preserving this veggie with canning recipes is that there are endless ingredients and spices that cauliflower florets pair nicely with. Stella Hatfield, a seasoned authority in food storage and preservation, advises, “My go-to tip is to get creative with spices when canning cauliflower to enhance its flavor profile.”

Whether adding celery seed, bell pepper, or jalapeños, you can change up the flavor in a significant way that makes it so much more enjoyable to eat than traditional canned cauliflower without much seasoning or deep flavors.

Knowing how to can cauliflower isn’t only for taste. Keeping canned cauliflower stored in your house is nice during long, cold winters. It’s so much easier to walk to the pantry and open a jar than hike to the nearest store.

Like all other fruits and veggies, cauliflower also has a time when it’s in season. If you know how to can cauliflower, you preserve the veggies at peak freshness and get the most significant health benefits out of them to feed your family.

What I Know About Canning Cauliflower

Cauliflower is a cool-weather crop but is available year-round at your local grocer. While high temperatures and lots of sunshine make the veggie taste bitter, the cold weather brings out the sweetness of the florets.

You may wonder can you freeze raw cauliflower? Yes, freezing is an excellent storage option. Here in this article, though, we concentrate on the different ways to can this popular veggie.

Buy veggies in bulk if you plan on canning cauliflower so that you’re bringing home the best produce possible and can save them for the year.

When purchasing cauliflower for canning, look for creamy-white florets. The cauliflower’s entire head should feel heavy for its size, and the green leaves and base should look fresh and free from wilting or discolorations.

Storing My Cauliflower

Although most people take care of storing fresh cauliflower in the fridge, this isn’t always the best option. Just because you put your veggies in a cold place doesn’t mean they’ll last until you’re ready to cook them.

Unless you’re cooking the cauliflower that day, don’t store it at room temperature. If keeping it in the fridge, dampen paper towel in cold water and wrap it around the entire head.

Put the wrapped cauliflower in a plastic bag with holes poked in it and press out the extra air before sealing. How long does cauliflower last in the fridge? The cauliflower stays fresh for up to seven days. Signs of rotting include brown, mushy spots.

How I Can My Cauliflower

Fresh cauliflower is one of our favorite foods to can. Choose between pressure canning cauliflower or water bath canning cauliflower based on your preferences.

Some vegetables specifically require either pressure or water bath canning. For example, pressure canning cabbage and water bath canning zucchini are the best ways to can these veggies.

Canning sauerkraut without fermenting is also possible. You have a variety of options for canning your favorite vegetables to eat when harvest season has long passed. Improper home canning is unsafe and increases the chance of botulism.

Wash and prep all vegetables before canning. Also, be sure to start with sterilizing canning lids and quart or pint jars to prevent the growth of bacteria and other germs.

Just as you do for the way to can celery and other fresh veggies, wash the cauliflower under running, cold water. Cut the head into individual florets and thoroughly dry them with a paper towel. If desired, blanch the florets in boiling water for several minutes, and finish them off in an ice water bath.

Fill the clean, hot jars with the florets so that there is an inch of headspace left at the top. Once filled, add the final seasonings, a few cups of water, and remove any remaining air bubbles in the jars before setting them in the canner of your choice to process.

How I Sterilize My Canning Jars

Sterilized canning jars and lids are essential for safe food storage. Fill a large pot with boiling water and boil all the jars and lids for ten minutes before you’re going to use them.

Remove the jars and rings from the boiling water and set them on a clean kitchen towel to dry.

My Canned Cauliflower Recipes

Although canned cauliflower is one of our favorites, there are many vegetables you can can that all follow similar instructions and recipes.

If a recipe works well on cauliflower, try it on other similar veggies, like broccoli or cabbage, and see how you like it. These vegetables are low-acid foods, meaning they must be canned if you choose not to pickle them.

My Canned Soup Recipe

Making cauliflower into soup is one of the most flavor-packed canned cauliflower recipes. It makes for a quick dinner that only needs heating on the stove. Serve the soup with bread and a salad for a complete, hardy meal.

In a large soup pot, add cauliflower, carrot, celery, water, and bouillon cube. Simmer the ingredients over medium-high heat for 15 minutes. Use an immersion blender and blend for a minute until it is creamy with a few chunks.

In a separate pan, slowly melt the butter and begin whisking in the flour, salt, and pepper into the saucepan until smooth. Add the milk, slowly whisking until the consistency is smooth.

Turn off the heat and stir in the cheddar cheese. Add the cheese sauce to the cauliflower. You’re now ready to can the soup.

Place each jar in the pressure canner. Can the soup at ten pounds of pressure for one hour. Let the jars cool completely on the counter over 24 hours and ensure that the lids seal properly.

How long is cauliflower good for when made into canned soup? Store this yummy canned food in a cool, dry place for up to two years.

Pickling My Cauliflower

Vinegar is a magical ingredient. Adding cauliflower to this acidic liquid gives them a yummy flavor and makes it last longer than in the fridge.

Fill a large glass jar with cauliflower florets, jalapeños, garlic, hot pepper flakes, peppercorns, and lime juice. Set the jar aside. Combine vinegar, salt, and honey in a pot. Bring to a boil and stir the liquid so the salt dissolves.

Pour the pickling brine into the Mason jar. Once the jar is full, and the florets are covered, seal and shake the jar to combine all of the ingredients. Refrigerate the pickles for 24 hours and enjoy this snack full of vitamin C for up to three weeks.

My Turmeric Pickled Cauliflower

Remember when we said not to be afraid to experiment? Adding turmeric to canned cauliflower turns the white florets into bright-colored bites with extra flavor.

These pickles pair well with Indian food. Drain or remove the florets from their liquid and serve them in a bowl or on a platter for people to grab quickly.

Heat a pot over medium or medium-low heat with the vinegar, sugar, onions, bell pepper, turmeric, and mustard seeds inside. Boil the ingredients for five minutes and then turn off the heat.

Use a slotted spoon to remove the bell pepper and onion and toss them with your blanched florets. Pack the veggies into five separate pint jars and pour the pickling brine over the top so that there is still headspace.

Put on the seals and lids and process them in a boiling water bath canner for ten minutes. Remove the sealed jars with a jar lifter and allow them to cool on the counter for at least six hours before checking the seals.

How I Store My Canned Foods

Once you allow your canned cauliflower to cool and check all the seals, it’s time to store your new canned products. Unscrew the outer rings on the jars. These rings’ sole purpose is to hold the seals into place while they process.

Rinse the rings and store them for later use on other canned foods. Removing the rings also stops them from rusting onto the jars and makes it easy to remove and rust-free for the future. It’s also faster to check that they sealed all the way when you remove the rings.

Canning cauliflower and other foods has been around for centuries. This food storage method is famous for a reason and helps us keep healthy foods inside our home for quick and effortless access. Let’s not forget that canned cauliflower is delicious and fun to make, too.

If you made some healthy meals by canning cauliflower, share this step-by-step guide on how to can cauliflower on Facebook and Pinterest.