How To Make Fermented Cauliflower

If your taste buds are like mine, anyway… Fermented cauliflower (basically, cauliflower pickles) is hands down my favorite ferment! Loaded with probiotics, the fermenting process expounds the benefits of this powerhouse of nutrition and delights your tastebuds all the while.

Why You Should Make Fermented Cauliflower:

Raw cauliflower is loaded with nutrients like vitamin C, folate, and vitamin K. Between its high levels antioxidants, choline and sulforaphane, it is a key player in fighting most all chronic diseases. However, fresh cauliflower also has its downsides. It is hard to get down, often causes gas, and carries the anti-nutrient glucosinolate, which inhibits the thyroid’s ability to release iodine. (source)

But the MAGIC of fermenting changes all of that. Fermenting actually boosts the nutrients in its raw state, (source) creates new nutrients (vitamin b12 is typically only found in animal products and ferments) and counters its anti nutrients. On top of all that, it changes the flavor and texture into the most crave-inducing snack that my family can’t get enough of.

Why You Need to Time it Right to Make Fermented Cauliflower:

A jar of cauliflower sitting out stinks. SO BAD. Obviously, I deal with it. But I do try to time it when I won’t have people over (who aren’t fermenting enthusiasts, anyway). There’s no way around it. Be forewarned: it does smell bad. But there are a few things you can do to keep it at bay:

• Keep it in a flip top jar with a gasket so you can “burp” it. Make sure to take it outside to do that— it releases its smell, and it’s enough to clear the room if you do it inside. Also, you have to stay on top of burping it twice a day so it doesn’t explode and baptize your kitchen with the aroma!
• Use a “starter”—the salty brine from a previous ferment to reduce the amount of time it has to be sitting out on your counter. (From any vegetable, not just cauliflower. My favorite is kimchi because of the faint flavor it adds!) This batch was done in 3 days with the help of a brine, but you can expect it to take anywhere from 3-5 days or longer.

Regardless of the smell, I PROMISE IT’S WORTH IT!!!

How to Enjoy Fermented Cauliflower:

I love this lacto-fermented cauliflower any time of day. This morning, I had pancakes for breakfast, then capped it off with a little dish of cauliflower. Ha ha! It’s so good to have this healthy snack when a craving hits, or you know you want something… let this be your first option! Try it out, wait 10-15 minutes, and see if you still want whatever naughty thing you were poking around for in the fridge! 9/10 times a ferment satisfies (especially if I pair it with a slice of cheese).

I love “finger food” ferments when I make a charcuterie board. Fermented carrot spears and cauliflower are a perfect side to cheese and crackers.

Top any salad or prepared veggie with fermented cauliflower. Just be sure not to heat it and kill all of the beneficial bacteria.

How to Make Fermented Cauliflower:

In a quart jar, dissolve 1 TBS (20 grams) of fine sea salt with 1/2 cup super hot filtered water. You for sure don’t want any chlorine in the water you use. Once the salt is completely dissolved, fill to the rim of the jar with cold or room temperature water. You want four cups of brine. Set aside to cool while chopping up one head of white cauliflower. Purple cauliflowers work, too.

Start with fresh cauliflower. Any time I’ve had a ferment go south, it’s because I’m using something that’s been sitting in my fridge for a week. Go to the store the day, maybe the day before, you want to prepare this. Cut it into the size of pieces you’ll want to eat.

Pack cauliflower into the fermentation vessel of your choice. I love these half gallon flip top jars, but regular mason jars work. Optional: stuff some smashed and peeled garlic in with the cauliflower. We love it this way! Be creative with whatever flavors you want to try. Curry powder, bay leaves, and coriander seeds are all delicious additions. When Charlie makes it, he puts every spice and herb in it…which gets me craving a batch of simple ingredients!

Pour salt water over it (making more if necessary). Top off with a few tablespoons of starter/liquid from another ferment, if you have it. (That’s the pink in the picture above. It’s brine from purple sauerkraut.) It speeds up the process by several days, so every time I finish off a ferment, I save a few ounces of the liquid in the fridge for a future probiotic adventure!

Use a weight of some sort to make sure that all the cauliflower is under the liquid. This prevents bad bacteria an mold and gives your ferments the best chance at turning out.

They make fancy fermenting lids that I’ve never tried. If you have them, use them! For most ferments, I prefer flip top jars without the gasket in them so they can breathe and I don’t have to be on top of burping them. (Aside from things like kombucha and water kefir where you want pressure to build.) But I use the gasket on cauliflower because it smells so bad. And the smell spreads and infiltrates the whole house! The way to do it is using the burping method, and doing it outside! You’ll need to do this twice a day to ensure it doesn’t ever explode.

How to Know When It’s Done:

After 3-5 few days, give it a taste to know how much longer to go. There is no right answer here—you get to decide when it’s done! It will be quite salty if it’s not really fermented, and as time goes on, the tang of the ferment replaces the over-saltiness. It takes longer in a cool house than it does in a warmer one.

This is the most delicious ferment!

I hope you’re willing to give it a try, despite all my smell warnings. I promise it is 100% worth it!! My kids seriously eat it like popcorn!

Comment below and let me know how it goes for you! Do you like it pretty simple, or did you add all kinds of spices? Let us know! And don’t forget to pin this for easy access to come back to time again!