Mashed Cauliflower

A bowl of mashed potatoes topped with a pat of melting butter, chopped chives, and cracked black pepper.

5 from 2 votes

💛🎉 Creamy cauliflower mash with garlic butter is the low carb side dish to keep you from missing mashed potatoes! You can doctor it up with sour cream, Parmesan cheese, or chives for richer flavor. Serve it at Thanksgiving, holiday celebrations, or at weeknight dinners because it's EASY and ready in 25 minutes! Serves 4 to 6 but you can easily double the recipe.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Side Dish, Sides, Sides, Salads & Vegetables

Cuisine: Sides

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: cauliflower mash, mashed cauliflower

Servings:

Calories: 154cal

Equipment

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower trimmed and cut into florets (approximately 2 pounds which yields about 5-6 cups florets)
2 to 3 tablespoons butter (I like salted butter but unsalted is fine; or a vegan buttery substitute)
3 cloves garlic peeled and finely minced
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
¼ cup sour cream optional and to taste (lite may be used, or thick Greek yogurt may be substituted, or 2 ounces brick-style cream cheese)
⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese optional and to taste
Garnishes optional and to taste (finely minced chives, green onions, parsley, bacon bits, olive oil, extra butter on top, etc.)

Instructions

Cook Cauliflower: To a large stockpot, add water until nearly full, bring to a boil over high heat, drop in the cauliflower in when the water is boiling, and allow it to boil for about 10-12 minutes, or until very tender.
Alternatively, you can steam it by placing a steamer basket inside a large pot filled with water, bring the water to boil over high heat, add the cauliflower, reduce the heat to medium-high or medium, and cover, and allow the cauliflower to steam for about 10-15 minutes, or until very tender. Steaming prevents the cauliflower from directly touching water, which some say prevents a watery mash; although in reality I don't find one method of cooking the cauliflower to better than the other. Do what's easier for you.
While the cauliflower is cooking, move on to the next step.
Sautéing Garlic: To a large skillet, add the butter, garlic, cook over medium-high heat for about 1 minute, just enough to melt the butter and lightly cook the garlic; stir the entire time so you don't burn either. When done, turn off the burner and set aside.
Drain: Reserve 1 cup of the water used to cook the cauliflower just in case you need it later (doubtful) and then drain the cauliflower very well in a colander.
Combine: If you're going to use an immersion blender, to a large skillet (same one you used for the garlic butter is fine), add the cooked cauliflower, salt, pepper, sour cream and/or Parmesan as desired. (Or like I do, an extra couple pats of butter too.)
Alternatively, if you're going to use a food processor, place all the ingredients into the canister of a food processor.
Blend: Either with an immersion blender or food processor, blend until the desired consistency is reached. Tip - Don’t worry about over-mixing. Cauliflower contains no starch, so unlike potatoes, it won't turn gummy so you can blend until your heart's content!
Taste and Garnish: Taste the mash and make any necessary flavor adjustments, as desired.
Flavor and Consistency Tips - I always add more salt and if it tastes at all flat or boring, it will likely benefit from additional salt. I like to use sour cream for a creamier mash. If the mixture is too dry, you can either add a bit of sour cream or some of the reserved cooking water, a few tablespoons at a time, blending after each addition. If it's too wet/moist, adding Parmesan cheese will help bind it and tighten up the consistency.

Notes

Make-Ahead: Mashed cauliflower reheats very well and you don't have to worry about the gummy/tacky factor like you do with reheated mashed potatoes because there's no starch. You can feel confident making this 24-36 hours in advance of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or other events and keep it airtight in the fridge.

Storage: Recipe will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days. I've never frozen it but it will probably be fine. Reheating it in the microwave is what I do for ease but you could do it on the stove or in a casserole dish in the oven.

Nutrition