Cauliflower Fufu (also known as a cauliflower swallow) is a healthy, low carb version of African fufu. Made with cauliflower and loaded with fiber, you wouldn't even know the difference!
Fufu is a very popular and versatile West African dish eaten with a rich, thick soup and decorated with different types of meat (beef, goat, lamb, fish, you name it).
One of the things that made me nervous about starting a low carb diet was that I would have to give up my traditional African rice and fufu dishes. That was until I discovered this amazing cauliflower substitute which tastes so good, I have successfully gotten a few friends and family members eating this with glowing reviews and amazing results.
It has only 9 net carbs compared to 50 or even 100g in traditional fufu dishes. Imagine eating fufu and all your favorite African soups and not having any afternoon crashes while also losing weight? Count me in!
Ingredients
- Cauliflower or frozen florets: I like to use frozen florets to save time but you can use fresh cauliflower as well.
- Psyllium husk: This is what binds the cauliflower together and cannot be omitted.
- Palm oil: This is optional, but I add palm oil sometimes for variety.
Cauliflower nutrition
Cauliflower is very popular in the low carb/keto community and for good reason. It is highly versatile and used as a substitute for rice dishes, casseroles, soups, and even fufu.
Cauliflower is also very nutrient-dense and contains anti-oxidants. Its high fiber quantity makes it perfect for fufu dishes, as it makes you feel full very quickly.
How to Make Cauliflower Fufu
- Chop the cauliflower into medium-sized pieces. If using frozen florets, thaw them in the microwave for a few minutes.
- Blend in a blender with about 2 cups of water on high until the cauliflower is completely pureed.
- Pour into a cheesecloth or any semi-transparent cloth that will allow most of the water to pass through.
- Fold the cheesecloth over and squeeze to drain the water added during blending. You might have to squeeze more than once, but it's okay if some water is still left in the cauliflower.
- When done, it should look a bit like dough but will still be quite soft to the touch and will fall apart if you try to pick it up.
- Carefully pour the mixture from the cheesecloth into a pan on medium heat and stir for a few minutes until it begins to thicken. Add the psyllium husk and stir with a wooden paddle.
- If you wish, add the palm oil and stir some more. This step is completely optional.
- As you stir, mold the fufu into a roundish shape. When the texture is a bit firm but stretchy, the fufu is done. If you want a firmer consistency, refrigerate for an hour, or just eat it as is.
This creates 2 servings depending on how much you want to eat. You can, of course, eat it all in one go, but I assure you, that will be very hard as this dish is loaded with fiber and you will be full about halfway through.
Wrap in a plastic wrap and refrigerate. This will last 5 -7 days in the fridge.
What can I eat cauliflower fufu with?
Cauliflower fufu goes great with other African soups like:
Efo Riro (Nigerian Spinach Stew)
Other great low carb fufu alternatives include:
Cabbage Fufu
Coconut Fufu
Eggplant Amala Fufu
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Fufu (Swallow)
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower medium, or 16oz frozen florets
- 2 tablespoon psyllium husk
- 1 tablespoon palm oil optional
Instructions
- Cut one head of cauliflower into florets and wash.
- If using frozen cauliflower florets, microwave for a few minutes until tender.
- Put in blender and add water.
- Blend on high.
- Pour in cheesecloth and drain.
- Put in a pot on medium-low heat and stir.
- Add your psyllium husk and stir some more.
- If you want, add a tablespoon of palm oil and stir to your desired consistency.
- Refrigerate for one hour to harden up a bit.
- Serve with your soup of choice. Yum!
Notes
- For best results, use a blender and not a food processor to blend the cauliflower to ensure it is completely pureed.
- When you squeeze out the blended cauliflower with the cheesecloth, squeeze out as much as you can to prevent the cauliflower fufu from being too soft.
- To preserve your cheesecloth, soak in a little dishwashing liquid for a few minutes, hand wash gently, and rinse thoroughly. Leave it out to dry and do not place in a dryer to prevent snags.
Nutrition
Tayo Oredola is the founder of Low Carb Africa, where she shares healthy, low carb dishes with global flavors. She is passionate about teaching people how to cook drool-worthy dishes while losing weight and living their best lives. Tayo’s recipes have been featured on MSN, Women’s Health, Parade, Yahoo News, Pure Wow, Essence, and other online publications.
Woow! I just made this tonight and this is going to be a mainstay in our kitchen! Thank you so much for being so innovative! My husband says it tastes like mashed potatoes 🙂 6stars!!!!
I'm so glad you both enjoyed this, Chido!
Hi! Excited to use this recipe! Can the psyllium husk be replaced with xanthum gum?
Hi Cierrah, it is possible that it can be substituted since psyllium husk and xanthan gum have similar properties, but I have never tried it. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!
Hello Tayo! Thank you for sharing your gifting with us. I would like to know how much psyllium husk should I expect to use for a whole medium size cauliflower?
Hi Gayou, you will need roughly 2 tablespoons.
Hi Tayo, I don’t usually leave comments but I just wanted to thank you for this low carb substitute for Fufu. I was looking for a way to reduce my carbs and still eat my African diet and I stumbled on your site. I tried every other alternative as a binder even combining oat and cauliflower as well as trying cornstarch but you’re right nothing works as good as the psyllium husk. My only question is why is why is still 23grams of carbs If a whole cauliflower 5grams and the psyllium husk Is 4grams per tbsp?
Hi Nkechi, I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for calling my attention to the nutrition info. One cauliflower has roughly 29 carbs (depending on the size) but it also has 12g of fiber. The psyllium husk has 4g of carbs and 4g of fiber per tbsp. So for 2 servings, there are roughly 19g of carbs and 10g of fiber, which brings it to 9 net carbs. This has been fixed in the recipe card. Hope this helps!
This is very interesting. I agree with you without the psyllium husk it will not set.
I can not wait to receive mine.
Let me know how it turns out 🙂
I’ve created a gourmet fufu/swallow that is so over the top delicious... can’t keep it to myself!!!!
————————————————————-
➡️ puréed... SQUEEZED cauliflower to =
1 1/2 cups (of a dough-like texture)
2 cups clean water, boiling
6 tablespoons “resistant starch“
2-3 tablespoons cream cheese
1/8 - 1/4 tsp salt (prevents a flat taste)
2 Tablespoons ghee
➡️ Blend all the above, then microwave to 180°F. Beat in 1 TB fine textured white psyllium husk powder. Beat it well, to the desired texture. Too thick? Add a little water... not thick enough add a little more psyllium Powder, to your taste
Gourmet touch➡️ beat in six drops of truffle oil, which helps neutralize the cauliflower taste.
You can buy resistant starch on Amazon or Honeyville ...Terrasoul offers the finest texture, mildest flavor and whitest color psyllium powder!. Get it on Amazon as well
Thank you Nancy, it sounds delicious! I am not totally sure about the carb count of resistant starch but it's likely it will make the dish no longer low carb. So you might have to look out for that.
I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate this so much. Is there a way you could input the nutrients into the app carb manager? So, my story is that. I have been doing 5 miles walk/runs 5x a week and 3 days strength training. I have gained weight on my Liberian diet. Too much rice too much fufu. This time I was trying not to start an african exclusive diet because it was not sustainable. Normally, I lose 3-4 pounds per week with that regimen and an excluded diet. You made it possible for me to maintain the benefits from eating my food, but not pay the cost with the carbs. God bless.
Thank you for your kind words! I totally hear you on not wanting to give up your African foods on any diet. Our foods are part of our heritage. You can easily put in the nutrients in the carb manager app but adding the ingredients from the recipe. I usually specify exact measures (except for salt, sometimes) but the nutritional info should be really close to what is listed in the recipe. Hope this helps!
Can i make this with only cauliflower and palm oil and omit the psyllium husk? Thanks
Hi Sandra, the psyllium husk acts as a binder so you can't omit it, or the fufu won't stick together. Here's the one I use: https://amzn.to/2Ljd2d1. Let me know if you try this recipe!
Hello, thank you for this recipe! Does it matter which kind of psyllium husk you use? Wether whole husk or the powder form?
You're welcome, Regina! I noticed that different psyllium husk brands behave differently when making fufu. Some will clump up weirdly and not mix in properly. I tried 4 different brands before I settled on the one I use because it produced consistent results and mixed in smoothly. You might have to experiment and see what will work for you.
What brand did you settle on?
It's the Organic India Whole Husk brand. I linked to it in the recipe card. https://amzn.to/2VXePsa
Hi Tayo,
I"m greatly enjoying these two recipes, as I'm moving more towards a low-carb/keto diet. Abeg, keep them coming!! Thanks.
Hi Sika, glad you're enjoying my blog. I have a few recipes that will be posted in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!
Thanks a great deal
But what if I am in Cameroon which swallow should I use?
Hi Dorcas, this actually replaces your traditional corn flour swallow which is very rich in carbs. Use this cauliflower fufu as an alternative and eat it with your traditional soup.
Good morning Tayo. I am excited with all you’ve put together in this website. I have two questions.
1. While on keto diet, can I still be taking food supplements?
2. After achieving my desired weight, can I eat the other meals once in a while? Or switch back to them for a few months and only come back to keto when I gain more weight. Or once keto, always keto. Many thanks in advance.
Hi Janet, I can't give advice on supplements but I personally still take multivitamins. As for when you achieve your ideal weight, a lot of people switch to low carb, which allows for up to 50g of carbs, or they do some form of cyclical keto, where they have carbs during the weekend or every other week. Hope this helps!