The Best Creamy Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
This super delicious, creamy mashed cauliflower recipe is the best, ever! And I don’t use the word ‘best’ lightly. With a few simple tips you can also make this fluffy, buttery, creamy mashed cauliflower to rival any potato mash.
Keto Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
I never thought I could make cauliflower puree taste so good, but trust me this creamy cauliflower mashed potatoes is super creamy and delicious! I love cauliflower in curries like this Instant pot cauliflower coconut curry and I always thought boiled cauliflower would taste weird and I will dislike it. Not anymore!
You see, I love a good mash potatoes with a gravy but sometimes I want to indulge a little bit without worrying about the extra carbs. I once watched a chef prepare a mash potato recipe and follow it to a T till now. And it never disappointed. So I thought I’ll cook the cauliflower the same way and add more goodness to mask the cauli taste. Guess what, I loved it!
With the combination of cream cheese and sour cream, garlic, butter, salt and with freshly cracked black pepper this recipe is creamy, fluffy and a keeper!
This is an easy, one pot recipe. You’ll be making this under 30 minutes. And leftovers taste great the next day. I had it for three days in a row and loved every bite of it!
Why I love this cauliflower mashed potatoes
Low in carbs – Unlike potatoes, cauliflower is low in carbs. It’s a great keto, low carb side dish.
Easy to make – This recipe is so easy to make. Also, it’s a one pot dish if you don’t count the strainer. You can cook, drain and blend the mashed cauliflower all in one pot.
Quick – It’s super quick to make. Cauliflower cooks very fast. So this dish comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower – A large head of cauliflower. Fresh or frozen works.
- Garlic – I use three garlic cloves along with cauliflower. If you want a pronounced garlic flavor add a couple of cloves more.
- Cream Cheese and Sour Cream – Go for the full fat version. Thickens the mashed cauliflower and makes it creamy and delish!
- Butter – can be used straight from the fridge. The residual heat from the cooked cauliflower will melt the butter. Melted butter can be used to garnish.
- Salt, pepper
How to cook the cauliflower for the mash
I tried making cauliflower mash in many different ways but none tasted better than this simple way. You cook the cauliflower the same way you would cook potatoes for mashed potatoes.
Cut the cauliflower into florets.
Into a pan, add water, cauliflower florets, garlic and salt. Let it come to a boil. Cover and simmer the cauliflower until tender.
Once, the cauliflower is cooked, drain the water. You could use a strainer or drain from the pot itself.
It’s really important transfer the cauliflower back into the pot and keep it in a low heat to steam off extra moisture. This will make sure that we don’t end up with a watery cauliflower mash.
How to make the mashed cauliflower
After the cauliflower is nice and dry, add the butter, cream cheese, sour cream to the pan.
There are many ways to mash the cauliflower. You can use a stick blender, a food processor or a good old potato masher.
I like to use a stick blender to blend the cauliflower in the pot.
To blend in the food processer, transfer the cauliflower and all the ingredients to the food processor and blend until creamy.
If you don’t mind a chunky texture, use a potato masher. As for me, I don’t want to bite into bits of cauliflower so I avoid using this method.
Recipe Tips
- Boil the cauliflower in plenty of salted water and garlic until fork tender. This helps season the cauliflower well. I believe in using salt at the beginning of cooking rather than sprinkling in the end.
- After draining, bring the cauliflower back into the pan and cook in low heat to steam off extra moisture. This ensures we don’t end with a watery mash and helps thicken it.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan and using a stick blender, blend until nice and creamy for a tasty mashed cauliflower.
What to serve with mashed cauliflower
This creamy mash is a great side dish and goes well with any meat or poultry.
I like to serve it with my Air Fryer Chicken thighs or Chicken Curry.
FAQ
Yes, cauliflower is a healthy low carb vegetable. This mashed cauliflower recipe has butter, cream cheese, sour cream and garlic. It has 4 servings and each serving has 5 net carbs. Mashed cauliflower is a low carb healthy side dish.
Yes, frozen cauliflower can be used. Use about 24 oz. frozen cauliflower.
Even though it’s not a perfect match it comes close to mashed potatoes. I’d choose this over mashed potatoes any day.
The best way to make thick and creamy mashed cauliflower is boiling the cauliflower in plenty of salted water, drain and cook the boiled cauliflower in medium low heat to steam off any excess moisture.
Recipe
The Best Creamy Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Equipment
- Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp cream cheese
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- salt
Instructions
- In a large pot, add 2.5 cups of water, cauliflower, garlic, salt and bring to boil.
- Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. This would take about 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and bring the cauliflower back to the pot and keep in medium low heat to steam off the extra moisture.
- When the cauliflower is dry, turn off the heat and add butter, cream cheese, sour cream, salt and pepper to the pot.
- Blend with a stick blender until creamy and fluffy. Adjust seasoning to taste. Add more melted butter on top as a garnish.
Notes
- If using frozen cauliflower, use about 24 oz. Proceed with the recipe as with the fresh.
- Leftovers can kept, covered in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or the on the stove.
- I don’t think this will freeze well. Cooked and cooled cauliflower can be frozen. Reheat and mash with the rest of the ingredients.
