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Yes, I’m kind of posting a random side dish recipe in the middle of the week, but I have a reason. A very cool reason. *drumroll* It’s because I’m going to be posting a Thanksgiving meal menu recipe roundup thingy-ma-jig next week and I thought we need some mashed potatoes cauliflower for Thanksgiving. To sop up all that awesome gravy, ya know?
No, I’m not going to call these mashed potatoes. This is mashed cauliflower. It does not taste like potatoes. However, it is a wonderful healthy substitute for mashed potatoes to give you that creamy, gravy-filled goodness that you want.
I photographed these mashed caulitoes with fried fish one night. I’ve also enjoyed them with some beef and gravy I made in the crockpot. I haven’t posted either of those recipes yet, but hopefully someday I’ll get around to it.
This recipe is super simple and only takes five ingredients. I’d say that’s pretty doable. Enjoy!
You can find this recipe in my cookbook, Necessary Food.
- 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets and steamed until very soft
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- ½ tsp. crushed garlic (I used Trader Joe's brand)
- 4 oz. cream cheese (I used reduced fat)
- Steam the cauliflower until it's very soft. Drain the cauliflower very well and blend it with the other ingredients until completely smooth (I used my Ninja blender). You may need to scrape down the sides of the blender with a spatula on occasion. Reheat if desired. Serve and enjoy! If you want to be fancy, top with some melted butter and sprinkle with some dill weed.
- Serving information may vary according to the size of your head of cauliflower.
Charla says
Can I use garlic powder? If so, how much would be a good start? I know that I can tweak to my taste. Thanks for your recipes.
Briana Thomas Burkholder says
Sure. Maybe start with 1/4 teaspoon and increase from there if desired? All depends how much you like garlic. 😉 I don’t usually measure that kind of thing…just shake some in and taste.
Debra says
Delicious! I’m dairy free, so I used Daisy cream cheese and it worked well!
Rita says
We’ve made your Baked ‘Potato’ Soup several times in the past month and it keeps disappearing quickly. So when I saw this, I wondered–I always think mashed cauliflower on its own is quite bland and I’m wondering about adding cooked radishes for the peppery taste we like so much in the Baked Potato Soup.
Is that an outright NO? And if so, what would make that not work?
Briana Thomas says
No, it’s not an outright no! I don’t know if the texture would work or not, but it would be worth a try!
Bertha Klassen says
can you freeze cauli-toes for several days? before you serve them?
Briana Thomas says
I’m guessing they would get watery when thawed, but you’re welcome to try!
Siobhan Hiles says
I made this for my love on Valentines Day with Cornish game hen…I put a good amount of garlic (cause we love it!) and a bunch of chopped cilantro!!! It was devine❣️❣️ Creamy and tasty and a perfect side dish with no gravy… just salad ? Healthy for the win!! My cauliflower was fresh and I just drained in my colander and it was great. Thanks for the recipe. ???
Alissa says
Thank you! I was thinking that as well after I typed in that question lol. I already steamed the cauli but I think i will “re steam” for a little just to warm it up. Hopefully it will take. Happy wedding to you this coming weekend! Thank you for taking the time to respond even in the midst of your busy preparations 😉 Blessings!
Alissa says
I have a question ! Can i pre-steam the cauliflower the night before i make them into caulitoes? Or will processing them cold from the fridge not get the right smooth consistency? Thx!
Briana Thomas says
Hi Alissa! Using freshly steamed cauliflower will definitely give you a smoother texture. 🙂
Jamie says
What kind of butter do you use?
Briana Thomas says
I typically use salted butter – any brand.
Sherry says
For some strange reason, I cannot print out your wonderful recipes, but I’m enjoying making them !
Rick says
I wonder what it would be like to use Avacado as the cream ingredient. Healthier substitute but not sure about how it would change the taste profile.
Christen says
Have you tried these with frozen cauli?
Briana Thomas says
No, I don’t believe I have, but I’m guessing they would work as long as you drain it very well (and even press some of the liquid out of it) before blending. 🙂
Kathy says
Finally a mashed cauli that doesn’t look translucent or runny. I have had epic fail on all my tries till I tried this recipe. I did add a bit too much garlic and had no butter to make mine pretty but the consistency was spot on to taters. This will be a regular on those meals where mashed potatoes were a must have side. Thank you wise young lady.
Briana Thomas says
*applause* I’m so glad!
Susan Holder says
Several of THM recipes call for almond milk. The almond milk shoots my sugar levels dangerously high. So does cow milk. (cream doesn’t bother my sugar level) What can I use as a substitute?
Briana Thomas says
Hi Susan! First, are you using unsweetened almond milk? If you are and it still spikes your blood sugar, coconut milk from a carton is fairly similar in nutritional facts to unsweetened almond milk and can usually be substituted in its place.
Todd March says
Briana is right on the money. Draining–as in wringing out– the cauliflower very well is the key to making mashed cauliflower as fluffy, and potato like, as possible. A dish towel or cheese cloth works good, but what I have found the most effective is a good quality “Nut bag”; it allows you to drain the cauliflower superlatively. Nut bags are made of fine poly mesh, and are sold to drain home made almond milk (I also like to use it to drain smoothies out of the Vitamix, and make them into fruit juices).
If I really want to make the cauliflower pass as potatoes, I use butter and a splash of cream (I like cream cheese too, but it can accentuate the veggie taste of the cauliflower, but does add a great richnes) and a little extra salt. Breanna is also right in that the blender works much better than a food processor for making the cauliflower as fluffy as possible .
Adding cheddar ia also a nice, albeit rich, option. My family likes the cheddar mash with sausages and sautéed zucchini..
Briana Thomas says
Thanks for the suggestions. 🙂 I’m usually too lazy to drain the cauliflower with anything more than a colander, but I’m sure you’re right.
Sharon Heaps says
Yes when I drain my cauliflower I take the bottom of a pan and squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Frozen cauliflower seems to give creamer results. Also fresh is difficult to find this time of year.
Bethany @ Athletic Avocado says
what a great thanksgiving side dish for those who are trying to go low carb!