Sous Vide Shrimp With Cauliflower Mash (30 Min)
This quick and easy combo of sous vide shrimp with cauliflower mash features simple ingredients, an elegant presentation, perfectly cooked flavorful shrimp, and contrasting textures. Not bad for a single meal!
In about 30 minutes, you can whip up a delicious company-worthy or weeknight dinner.

What to expect
Once you experiment to find your ideal shrimp texture and perfect temperature, you can expect flawlessly cooked shrimp every time with the sous vide cooking method. No worries about rubbery or overcooked shrimp! My sweet spot is 138F/59C. See other options in the recipe notes.
Another great thing about the sous vide method for shrimp is the flavor infusion that happens during the cooking process. The result is buttery-rich shrimp with a delicious lemony pop.
I pair the shrimp with a creamy mashed cauliflower blended with spinach, Parmesan cheese, butter and green onions. It’s both light and luxurious when puréed, though you can also mash it by hand.
Bottom line: The plump, succulent shrimp over the cauliflower mash is a great combination of texture, taste and color. And pretty low carb and low calorie to boot. Be sure to check out the other serving options too.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste


Shrimp: Buy frozen jumbo shrimp. Look for 16-20 on the package which means there will be 16-20 shrimp per pound (450 grams). The smaller 21-25 per pound is fine too.
Shrimp seasonings: In this sous vide recipe, the shrimp become wonderfully flavorful with butter and lemon zest, along with salt, pepper, and a touch of garlic powder. I add a small amount of baking soda, recommended by chef Kenji Lopez-Alt, which helps firm up the shrimp.
Cauliflower Mash: Cauliflower and spinach are pureed with garlic, Parmesan cheese and butter to a creamy texture.
Garnish: I like to garnish the shrimp with lemon zest, parsley and a drizzle of sweet Thai chili sauce. As always, you have options 🙂
Variations:
- Shrimp: You can customize the seasoning to suit your taste. For example, use olive oil instead of butter (or neither). Try fajita seasonings or smoked paprika or herbs like thyme or tarragon.
- Cauliflower mash:
- Feel free to leave out the spinach. I just love the color contrast it creates and the extra nutrition.
- Substitute Gruyère or a strong white cheddar for the Parmesan if you like.
- Consider spicing it up with red pepper flakes since the shrimp are mild.
- Garnish: Other good options are mango or peach salsa, sundried tomatoes, capers, or a drizzle of pesto or balsamic glaze.
Step by step instructions








Tips
- Shrimp buying and prepping tips:
- To save time, buy shrimp already peeled and deveined – more expensive but very convenient. If you don’t, here is a video on how to peel and devein shrimp by Epicurious.
- If you buy shrimp with shells, try to get ‘zipper back’ where the shell is pre-split and very easy to remove. Just pinch the legs underneath and pull out the raw shrimp in one easy step.
- If keeping the shrimp tails on, make sure they don’t pierce the bag before cooking sous vide. I did this once! 🙁
- The baking soda trick
- I learned this trick from the experts at Serious Eats: add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per pound (450 grams) of shrimp for a plump, firmer texture. It works. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes if you have time.
Shortcuts
- Microwave the cauliflower and spinach to cut the cooking time in half.
- Buy peeled, deveined shrimp.
- Buy cauliflower florets to save on cutting/chopping.
- Skip the cauliflower mash and serve the sous vide shrimp another way (see options below). This will save you effort and a small amount of time.
Make ahead
The best way to reheat shrimp made earlier or the day before is in a sous vide water bath for 10-15 minutes at 130F/54C. This avoids overcooking. I have, however, gently reheated shrimp in the microwave on medium for a few minutes.
The cooked cauliflower mash can be made several days ahead and warmed in the microwave without compromising taste and texture (love that!). Leftovers make a delicious side dish for any protein.
More ways to serve shrimp sous vide
Since the star of the show is the flavorful, juicy sous vide shrimp, here are a few other ways to serve it (instead of the cauliflower mash). Just replace the shrimp in the recipe with the shrimp cooked sous vide.
- As a topping for asparagus risotto (instant pot)
- Tossed with grilled potatoes and vegetables
- As the start of a decadent lemon garlic shrimp pasta
- Added to our lemon orzo salad with grilled (or roasted) vegetables
- As a filler for shrimp tacos with a spicy coconut drizzle
- Over cauliflower rice – another light option
- Topping coconut jasmine rice with chili crisp
- Use for shrimp cocktail – with a cocktail sauce or the garnishes in this recipe.
Recipe FAQs
It’s safest to buy frozen shrimp which are frozen right after they are fished. Shrimp that are sold as ‘fresh’ are often just defrosted and it’s difficult to know how long they have been sitting there.
Suppose you don’t have time to defrost the shrimp overnight in the fridge (ideal). In that case, you can: 1) run them under cold water in a colander for 8-10 minutes 2) place them in a bowl of COLD water for about 15 minutes, breaking them up halfway through, or 3) place them in a sealed bag in cold water for about 45 minutes (the FDA preferred method).
You can leave or remove the vein underneath the shrimp – it is not harmful. However, the vein on top of the shrimp contains intestinal material which can be unpleasant and gritty. Most chefs remove it. Watch how to peel and devein shrimp.
Drain the cauliflower well, place it back in the pot, and heat it over medium heat, shaking the pan back and forth for a minute to evaporate excess water.

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Sous Vide Shrimp With Cauliflower Mash (30 Min)
Equipment
- sous vide machine (immersion circulator or oven-type)
- sous vide bath (pot or plastic container large enough to hold shrimp)
Ingredients
For sous vide shrimp
- 1 pound raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined, Note 2 (keep tails on or off, as you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces (salted or unsalted)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from 1/2 lemon)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or less if using salted butter)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch garlic powder
Cauliflower mash
- 1 medium head of cauliflower (about 6 cups/740 grams florets)
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach (or 1/3 cup/50 grams/2 oz. frozen)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or to taste) (if store-bought, use 1/2-3/4 cup)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper (or more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1/2 tsp granulated garlic)
- optional: 1/3 cup (33g) chopped green onions
Garnish (optional)
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, 1 tablespoon sweet Thai chili sauce.
Instructions
- PREPARE: °Shrimp: Mix shrimp ingredients together to distribute evenly. Let them sit while water heats. Heat sous vide bath to desired temperature, Note 3. I prefer 138F/59C. °Cauliflower mash: Boil water in a medium-large pot. Remove large ribs and stems from cauliflower, cut florets into small pieces (size doesn't really matter as long as pieces are more or less the same size for even cooking – larger pieces will take longer to cook of course).
- SOUS VIDE SHRIMP: For water displacement method: place shrimp in freezer bag or heavy duty zipper-lock bag. Press down shrimp to flatten into a single layer. Lower bag into preheated water bath, unsealed, until top of the bag is just above water level. Then seal bag once as much air as possible is pressed out by the water. For vacuum seal method: place shrimp in vacuum bag. Seal bag with vacuum sealer. Lower bag into water. Cook jumbo shrimp for 20 minutes (15 minutes is fine for smaller ones) and up to a maximum time of 45 minutes.
- MAKE CAULIFLOWER MASH: Place cauliflower and spinach into boiling water. (Note 4 for microwave option). Reduce to medium and boil until tender about 8-10 minutes depending how large pieces are. Drain in colander, return to pot and shake pot over medium heat for 1 minute until excess water has evaporated. Add MOST of cheese and seasonings. Blend with an immersion blender, food processor, blender or potato masher (by hand). Taste and add more cheese and seasonings to your taste.
- SERVE: Spoon cauliflower puree/mash onto a large plate. Pile shrimp on top and garnish as you like. I sprinkle on lemon zest, parsley and a drizzle of sweet Thai chili sauce. See Note 5 for other garnish options.
Recipe Notes
- General measurement notes:
- For shrimp, feel free to make more – cooking time and temperature don’t change – just add a little more seasonings.
- For cauliflower mash, you can add more spinach if you like. Also, it’s best to start with less seasonings and cheese, keep tasting and add more to your taste when mashing.
- Shrimp notes:
- It’s safest to buy frozen shrimp unless you know your fish monger well. Look for 16-20 on the package which means there will be 16-20 shrimp per pound (450 grams) or the smaller 21-25 per pound if you prefer.
- If you don’t buy pre-peeled and deveined shrimp (very convenient, but more expensive) here is a video on how to peel and devein shrimp by Epicurious. Alternatively, buy ‘zipper back’ where the shell is pre-split and very easy to remove. Just pinch the legs underneath and pull out the raw shrimp in one easy step.
- You can sous vide shell-on shrimp if you prefer, but you or the diners will have to remove them afterward.
- Choose your preferred temperature for shrimp:
- 135F/57C – borderline opaque, juicy
- 138F/58.9C – more opaque, juicy, tender (my preference)
- 140F/60C – traditional-like texture, firmer, juicy, crisp bite
- To microwave cauliflower instead of boiling it: Place cauliflower and spinach in microwavable dish. Cover. Microwave on high about 5-6 minutes or until very soft. Drain and pat dry with paper towels.
- Variations
- Shrimp: Change the seasonings. Use oil instead of butter (or neither), fajita seasoning, smoked paprika or fresh or dried herbs like thyme or tarragon.
- Cheesy cauliflower mash:
- Leave out the spinach if you like
- Substitute Gruyère or a strong white cheddar cheese for the Parmesan
- Consider adding red pepper flakes to the mash to spice it up.
- Garnish options: mango or peach salsa, sundried tomatoes, capers, other fresh herbs, or a drizzle of pesto or balsamic glaze
- Make ahead: Cauliflower mash can be made 3-4 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat for 2-3 minutes in the microwave. Shrimp are best when made fresh, but if needed, make them ahead, store in the ziplock bag with their juices in the fridge for up to 2 days, then warm them in a sous vide bath at 130F/54C for 15 minutes. Another option (a bit riskier as they are easy to overcook) is to warm them in the microwave on medium for 2-3 minutes.