How to Cook Cauliflower – Oma's Blumenkohl mit Butterbröseln

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

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This way how to cook cauliflower, aka Blumenkohl, is one of the easiest ways to make one of the traditional German vegetables. Such a great side to any meal!

This way how to cook cauliflower, aka Blumenkohl, is one of the easiest ways to make one of the traditional German vegetables. Topped with buttered bread crumbs, it's a great addition to almost any meal. 

This is the way my Mutti made cauliflower for us. Actually, it was the only way she made it, as I recall.

If I'm thinking a traditional German meal, I'll do the cauliflower in this traditional way. It brings back such wonderful memories of Mutti's kitchen! Wunderbar!

Cauliflower Cooking Tips

• The buttered bread crumbs were essential! They are what made this dish wunderbar!
• In this easy way how to cook cauliflower you can always keep the cooking liquid and the rests of the cauliflower (such as the stalk and leaves) and use this to add to almost any soup you make. That way you're not throwing out valuable nutrients and you're adding an extra layer of flavor to your soups.
• Now-a-days, I'll often roast my cauliflower in the oven. So easy that way. Just slice the cauliflower and roast the pieces just like Brussels Sprouts!
• Another amazing cauliflower recipe is the Baked Cauliflower Bomb! You may wonder what this could be. Let me show you ...

Baked Cauliflower Bomb ~ Blumenkohl-Bombe

And just exactly what is a Cauliflower Bomb, known as Blumenkohl-Bombe in Germany? It's a whole cauliflower in the middle, surrounded with a meatloaf mixture and then enclosed in a crispy bacon shell.

And ... it is SO good! It makes an amazing presentation to a dinner and would look awesome on a dinner buffet. Try it. I think you'll really like it.

• and one other very interesting cauliflower recipe I learned from my granddaughter: Buffalo Cauliflower Bites! At first I wondered about these, but then I tried them. Totally not German, but totally lecker!

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Why does Cauliflower change color When Cooking?

Depending on the type of pot you use, the cauliflower may change color slightly as you cook it due to the chemical compounds in the cauliflower.

Using an aluminum pot may  turn the cauliflower yellow and an iron pot, may turn it a blue-green or brownish color. Both are still good to eat.

Oma says,

You can add 1 cup of milk to the cooking water when cooking the cauliflower. This will help keep the cauliflower white. 

Instead of the milk, you can add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. 

Personally, I just use water and don't have any problems since my pots are stainless steel. If you overcook the cauliflower, it may turn dark, so just be careful to only cook until tender.

What are buttered Breadcrumbs?

Buttered breadcrumbs are just plain breadcrumbs that you've browned in butter. Simple, but so amazing when added on top of vegetables, especially cauliflower.

Cauliflower ready to be covered in buttered breadcrumbs

It's really just a matter of browning the breadcrumbs in butter, being really careful not to burn them. You need to continually stir them and the moment they get nicely browned, you need to remove them immediately from the heat and put them into a bowl to cool. Keeping them in the hot fry pan will keep them cooking and perhaps starting to burn.

You can serve these buttered breadcrumbs on the side instead of sprinkling them over the cauliflower. That way, people who are dieting will be happy and it keeps extra available for all of us who love this as a special treat.

Ready to cook Oma's Cauliflower?

Print Recipe

How to Cook Cauliflower – Oma's Blumenkohl mit Butterbröseln

This way how to cook cauliflower, aka Blumenkohl, is one of the easiest ways to make one of the traditional German vegetables. Topped with buttered bread crumbs, it's a great addition to almost any meal.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 17 minutes

Servings:

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon (6 grams) salt
• 2 pounds (908 grams) cauliflower, cut into florets
• 4 tablespoons (60 grams) butter
• ½ cup (60 grams) breadcrumbs

Instructions:

1. Add about 2 inches of water and the salt to a large pot. Bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook until fork-tender, about 10 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the breadcrumbs and stir. Continue frying and stirring until the breadcrumbs are nicely browned. BE CAREFUL, the crumbs can quickly turn black.
3. Remove them to a bowl immediately to stop the browning.
4. Serve the cauliflower with the buttered breadcrumbs sprinkled on top.

Notes/Hints:

• This goes really well with almost any German meat recipe, but especially with rouladen or schnitzel.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

05.07.2023 revision update

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.