This is the BEST mashed cauliflower, dare we say its even better than potatoes 😱 ?! We'll show you how to make it with just one pot and a handful of simple ingredients. This great recipe is perfect for the keto diet as a low carb alternative to potatoes!
This is the BEST mashed cauliflower, dare we say its even better than potatoes 😱 ?! We'll show you how to make it with just one pot and a handful of simple ingredients. This great recipe is perfect for the keto diet as a low carb alternative to potatoes!
We've been obsessed with mashed cauliflower since we perfected the creamy mashed cauliflower recipe that we published in our cookbook in the Meatless Monday chapter. This recipe is even more delicious as it's the perfect base for roasted veggies or sautéed mushrooms as in the recipe in the cookbook.
With just a few simple ingredients, you can have this luscious whipped cauliflower too. We start with our roasted garlic, some butter, cauliflower, and unsweetened plain almond milk. With some salt and pepper thrown in, this is a very simple recipe that tastes like a million bucks. No need for cream cheese, parmesan cheese, sour cream, or any other ingredients, while those may be delicious, we wanted to keep this mashed cauliflower recipe super simple as sometimes less is indeed more.
Making cauliflower taste like potatoes doesn't take much effort and the best part is that there's no peeling involved!
We swear you'll prefer this mashed cauliflower over regular mashed potatoes, it's like magic. The first time we made mashed cauliflower way back when, we were shocked at how good it was. We've made some different varieties over the years like the recipe that's in our cookbook, or the one with this blue-cheese-crusted filet.
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The #1 mistake when making mashed cauliflower
Boiling the cauliflower is the #1 mistake folks make when making mashed cauliflower. Solution? We don't boil the cauliflower - boiling the cauliflower in a large pot of salted water is the WORST thing you could do to make cauliflower taste like potatoes. Boiling the cauliflower makes it mushy and breaks down the little starch that's in the cauliflower leading to a watery mash, #nothankyou.
Some folks also use a steamer basket but that also pushes water into the cauliflower and doesn't lead to the best flavor or texture.
You'll also want to mash it the right way. Using a potato masher leaves chunky bits of cauliflower that, in our opinion, aren't great so we like to use a food processor or immersion blender to get a silky smooth mash that's light and airy. A high powered blender isn't necessary and sometimes makes the mash a little too smooth, there's a happy medium.
Ingredients:
- roasted garlic - you can make an entire batch as in our roasted garlic recipe, or you can simply make a small batch via the method below. You can also skip roasting the garlic and just use minced fresh garlic instead. It won't have as rich of a garlic flavor but it's perfect if you're short on time and don't have roasted garlic already on hand.
- butter - you can use regular, ghee, or a vegan butter replacement
- cauliflower - we've made this with a whole head of cauliflower, pre-prepared cauliflower florets, frozen florets, and even frozen cauliflower rice. When using frozen cauliflower, you'll need a touch less cooking time and you'll be leftover with more liquid than if you're using fresh. No worries though, just make sure to blend the cauliflower alone first then add in the reserved liquid a bit at a time to reach your desired consistency.
- almond milk - we like that unsweetened plain almond milk is very neutral. If you're not dairy-free you can use heavy cream.
- salt - we always use high-quality sea salt. This Trapani Sea Salt from Jacobsen Salt Co. is our favorite. You can also use Kosher salt.
- pepper - we use freshly cracked black pepper. Our favorite is Aranya Black Pepper from our favorite spice company, Diaspora Co. If you're not using freshly cracked black pepper in all of your recipes, you're truly missing out. Grab a pepper mill, and some whole peppercorns, and you'll never go back.
See recipe card for amounts
How to make keto mashed cauliflower
Melt the butter in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute until dissolved and fragrant.
Transfer the cauliflower minus any leftover liquid to a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth, add in a bit of the leftover liquid to thin it to your desired consistency.
Season liberally with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Add the cauliflower and almond milk. Reduce to low heat to maintain a slow simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is very soft.
To serve, top with additional roasted garlic or a little butter with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt and a fresh crack of black pepper.
How to roast garlic
- Place a few garlic cloves in a small cast iron skillet (or heat-proof ramekin) and cover with olive oil.
- Roast at 325° for about 45 minutes -1 hour until very soft and golden brown.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating
You can simply reheat in the microwave or place the leftovers back into a pot over medium low heat and cook until warm, you may want to add an extra splash of almond milk and/or butter if the creamy cauliflower puree seems a bit dry.
What to serve with mashed cauliflower
This keto cauliflower mash is the perfect side dish for a variety of meals! We love it with our filet that we linked above, our Keto Bangers and Mash, these easy Balsamic Mushrooms, and this Pecan and Gouda Crusted Salmon 😍 We also have a great Keto Gravy recipe that's perfect for drizzling over the mash. Oh! It's also perfect with our Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops, yum!
This is by far our favorite way to use cauliflower, you're going to love this great alternative to traditional mashed potatoes!
FAQ
Here are a few questions readers have sent us:
As always, you can find the full nutritional breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) at the bottom of the recipe card and you can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your specific ingredients because different brands' ingredients may have different values. This is the best cauliflower mash that's a healthier alternative to potatoes for a low carb lifestyle.
You can!
Fresh chives are a great topping option as is a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese. We don't like adding yogurt to the cooked cauliflower, the almond milk and butter make the mash creamy enough.
📖 Recipe
Roasted Garlic Keto Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter dairy-free if plant-based, we use Miyokos
- 4 cloves roasted garlic
- 20 ounces diced cauliflower florets
- 1 cup unsweetened plain almond milk
- Sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute until dissolved and fragrant. Add the cauliflower and almond milk.
- Cover and cook for 15 minutes until the cauliflower is very soft.
- Transfer the cauliflower minus any leftover liquid to a blender or food processor or use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth, add in a bit of the leftover liquid to thin to your desired consistency. Season liberally with sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
Brenda says
These were the BEST cauliflower mashed potatoes we have ever had!! They are creamy and the roasted garlic brings the flavor flave!!!! Simple to make and such a close texture to the real thing....I thought they were like a delicious puree under our pork roast. The only thing I would watch is when you cover thepot to let themcook in the milk, keep an eye on it bc the bottom of ours burnt a bit. Next time I will cover, but stir every 5 minutes or so. THANKS for an amzing recipe and I will be subscribing and trying more:)