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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.
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.
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.
Delicious! I’m dairy free, so I used Daisy cream cheese and it worked well!
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?
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!
can you freeze cauli-toes for several days? before you serve them?
I’m guessing they would get watery when thawed, but you’re welcome to try!
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. ???
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!
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!
Hi Alissa! Using freshly steamed cauliflower will definitely give you a smoother texture. 🙂
What kind of butter do you use?
I typically use salted butter – any brand.
For some strange reason, I cannot print out your wonderful recipes, but I’m enjoying making them !
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.
Have you tried these with frozen cauli?
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. 🙂
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.
*applause* I’m so glad!
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?
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.
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..
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.
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.
what a great thanksgiving side dish for those who are trying to go low carb!