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Cauliflower Yield: Florets per Head and per Pound

A pound of trimmed whole cauliflower gives about 0.62 lb of florets ready to cook or serve raw, and about 0.61 lb cooked (USDA Food Buying Guide), which puts a medium head at about 6 cups of florets. Bought untrimmed with its leaves, cauliflower yields much less: USDA’s nutrient database counts 61% as leaf stalks, cores and trimmings.

USDA yields for cauliflower

From the USDA Food Buying Guide: how much ready-to-use or cooked product one pound as purchased gives. The figures work the same in metric: 0.62 lb per pound is 0.62 kg per kilogram.

As purchased (USDA description)Result, as USDA states itYieldSource
Cauliflower, fresh; Whole, Trimmed1 lb AP = 0.62 lb ready-to-cook or -serve raw cauliflower (ready to use, raw)62%FBG table
Cauliflower, fresh; Whole, Trimmed1 lb AP = 0.61 lb cooked cauliflower (cooked)61%FBG table

How much is waste

USDA’s nutrient database (SR28, NDB 11135) lists 61% of “Cauliflower, raw” as refuse: leaf stalks, cores and trimmings.

How much to buy

At 62% (raw florets, ready to cook):

Ready to useBuy as purchased
1.00 lb (0.45 kg)1.61 lb (0.73 kg)
5.00 lb (2.27 kg)8.06 lb (3.66 kg)
10.0 lb (4.54 kg)16.1 lb (7.32 kg)
25.0 lb (11.3 kg)40.3 lb (18.3 kg)

Cost per usable pound

At 62%, the price as purchased becomes, per pound and per kilogram:

Price as purchasedCost per usable pound
$1.50/lb ($3.31/kg)$2.42/lb ($5.33/kg)
$2.00/lb ($4.41/kg)$3.23/lb ($7.11/kg)
$2.50/lb ($5.51/kg)$4.03/lb ($8.89/kg)

Example prices. Put yours in the food yield calculator.

The MiseKit app

USDA says 62% for cauliflower. What does your last case say?

Book yields are averages. Your supplier, your cutter and your spec decide the real one. Run a yield test in MiseKit and it keeps every result, flags the cases that come in under your standard and costs each cut from what you actually got.

  • Every test kept, by supplier and date
  • Short cases flagged in dollars, not just percent
  • Cut costs flow straight into recipe costs
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Run your own numbers

Good to know

  • The Food Buying Guide figure starts from a trimmed head with the outer leaves already off; heads with leaves lose more, as the 61% refuse in the nutrient database shows.

FAQ

How many florets are in a head of cauliflower?

About 6 cups from a medium head, per the USDA Food Buying Guide.

How much cauliflower do I need for 10 lb of florets?

About 16.1 lb of trimmed whole heads (10 ÷ 0.62).

Does cauliflower shrink when cooked?

Very little beyond trimming: a pound of trimmed heads gives 0.62 lb raw and 0.61 lb cooked in the Food Buying Guide.

Sources

USDA figures are averages; size, grade, trim, ripeness and cooking change them. Weigh your own main items before you cost a menu on them.

Last reviewed October 11, 2026.

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