Swap potatoes for cauliflower to create this 6-ingredient healthy mashed cauliflower side dish that tastes just like creamy mashed potatoes but with half the calories and one-third of the carbs! This post is sponsored by Kroger. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Cauliflower is a healthy-eater’s best friend. Especially when you’re looking for a healthy way to indulge in “carby” things like bread, rice, pizza and potatoes. It’s amazingly versatile and even surprises me sometimes with how well it can transform from a simple veggie into something like a pizza crust, kettle corn or an alfredo sauce.
So when thinking of holiday recipes to share this year I knew I wanted to showcase cauliflower and immediately thought it would be fun to do a mashed cauliflower side dish. The texture is silky smooth, just like regular mashed potatoes. You can taste the cauliflower flavor, but with a little butter (we used ghee) and a bit of parmesan, garlic and fresh chives, this mashed cauliflower is totally delicious and makes a great low-carb, low-cal swap for mashed potatoes.
I know that I’ll be making a batch of this mashed cauliflower for Thanksgiving, but I can also see myself making it for other holidays and even weeknight meals. It’s an easy and healthy side dish, but also makes a great base for bowl meals. I made bowls using this cauli mash as the base with a little ground turkey and roasted root vegetables on top.
Ingredients in Mashed Cauliflower
cauliflower
garlic
ghee or butter – to make this dish vegan swap the ghee for vegan butter or butter flavored coconut oil
parmesan cheese – for a vegan option use this hemp parmesan
salt and pepper
fresh chives
Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Make the most delicious side dish in less than 30 minutes! Start by breaking or chopping the head of cauliflower into cauliflower florets and placing in a large pot. Cover the cauliflower with water and heat until the water is boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower is tender – about 12 minutes.
While the cauliflower is cooking, heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the butter or ghee, minced garlic and a pinch of salt. Sauté until the garlic is tender and fragrant, stirring frequently so the garlic doesn’t burn!
After the cauliflower is cooked, drain the water and carefully place in a large food processor with the sautéd garlic, additional ghee, parmesan cheese, chives, salt and pepper. Process until cauliflower is smooth. If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash the cauliflower using a stand mixer or a handheld potato masher. Top with extra chives and serve!
If you make this 6-ingredient healthy mashed cauliflower be sure to leave a comment and star rating below. Your feedback means the world to me and is so helpful for other EBF readers who are thinking about making the recipe!
Swap potatoes for cauliflower to create this 6-ingredient healthy mashed cauliflower side dish that tastes just like creamy mashed potatoes but with half the calories and one-third of the carbs!
Ingredients
1 medium-large head of cauliflower (about 10 cups cauliflower florets)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ghee or butter
pinch of salt
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/2 Tablespoon ghee or butter
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon fresh chives, chopped + more for topping
Instructions
Break cauliflower into florets and place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the cauliflower and heat until water is boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 12 minutes.
While cauliflower is cooking, heat a small pan over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon ghee, minced garlic and a pinch of sea salt. Sauté until garlic is tender and fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
Drain cauliflower and carefully place in a large food processor with sautéd garlic, 1/2 Tablespoon ghee, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper and chives. Process until cauliflower is smooth. Transfer to a bowl, top with chives and serve.
Notes
If you don’t have a food processor, you can mash the cauliflower using a stand mixer, blender or a handheld potato masher — the consistency just won’t be as smooth. If needed, you can reheat the mashed cauliflower in a small saucepan before serving.
To make this dish vegan swap the ghee for butter flavored coconut oil and use this hemp parmesan.
I’m all about easy and quick so I’ll be buying my cauliflower frozen pre-mashed due to my arthritis. How big a bag would compensate for 10 cups of florets?
Totally obsessed with cauliflower! Bummer is my husband draws a line at replacing food with cauliflower, so he wouldn’t be a fan of this but I’d love it! My favorite is just simply roasted cauliflower.
This looks amazing! Definitely will be making this. Do you think it would hold well by any chance? I’m the only plant-based eater in the family so I make my own dishes and my family prefers me not to be in the way morning of. Thanks!
Yup! I made one batch and ate it over the course of a couple days. Once you make it just let it cool and store in the fridge. Simply reheat (on the stove top or microwave) when you’re ready to eat it. Also, if you want to make this vegan you can use coconut oil instead of the ghee and hemp parm instead of the parmesan cheese. 🙂
Leave a Comment
I’m all about easy and quick so I’ll be buying my cauliflower frozen pre-mashed due to my arthritis. How big a bag would compensate for 10 cups of florets?
The recipe yields about 4 cups of mashed cauliflower, so if you’re using pre-mashed frozen cauli you’d want around 4 cups.
I’ve made this so many times using a different steaming method. Love yours more!
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Hello, about how many grams or ounces would the total amount of cauliflower be?
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Hi Nicole, 10 cups would be equal to about 80 ounces. 🙂
looks amazing! I don’t have a food processor, do you think I could mash by hand?
This looks so good! I’m Canadian so we already celebrated our Thanksgiving last month, but this would be an awesome side dish for Christmas too!
Yes! I was thinking the same thing. Can’t wait to make them for Christmas this year. 🙂
I need to make this so I can indulge in all the other goodies — but this would distract me, too! It looks really great!
I like your thinking! 🙂
Totally obsessed with cauliflower! Bummer is my husband draws a line at replacing food with cauliflower, so he wouldn’t be a fan of this but I’d love it! My favorite is just simply roasted cauliflower.
This looks amazing! Definitely will be making this. Do you think it would hold well by any chance? I’m the only plant-based eater in the family so I make my own dishes and my family prefers me not to be in the way morning of. Thanks!
Yup! I made one batch and ate it over the course of a couple days. Once you make it just let it cool and store in the fridge. Simply reheat (on the stove top or microwave) when you’re ready to eat it. Also, if you want to make this vegan you can use coconut oil instead of the ghee and hemp parm instead of the parmesan cheese. 🙂
Sounds delish! I’m not cooking for Thanksgiving this year, but I could see this as a good Christmas side dish too. Thanks!! 🙂
This looks delicious, a great alternative to the traditional mashed potatoes!
Thanks Marye! I hope you get a chance to try it. 🙂