Imagine having a big serving of mashed potatoes but with a quarter of the calories. Now you can with creamy garlic mashed cauliflower. That's right, cauliflower. This easy side dish is buttery, garlicky, and so flavourful. It's pure comfort food but so much healthier. The best part? It comes together in just 20 minutes with only a handful of simple ingredients. So perfect on any night of the week.
Mashed Cauliflower vs. Mashed Potatoes
Ok, so you may be thinking, hold on. You cannot serve mashed cauliflower and call it mashed potatoes. Well let me tell you. I had heard and read about cauliflower "mashed potatoes" for a while before I decided to attempt to make it myself. And believe me, I was the biggest skeptic of all. How is it possible that a vegetable such as a cauliflower could live up to the delicious potato in its amazing creamy mashed form? Well, it does. It just does. And here is how:
- Aesthetics: Let's start off with the aesthetics. It looks identical to mashed potatoes.
- Texture: Silky, velvety, creamy. Yup, just like mashed potatoes.
- Taste: Obviously, this is the main question. Well, you will be pleasantly surprised that when taking a bite, you'll barely be able to tell the difference. Of course, it is slightly different but the difference is minuscule enough to pass for the real thing.
So what is the point of using cauliflower instead of potatoes? Well cauliflower is way healthier for you. Potatoes are starchy and full of carbs and contain 4 times the amount of calories than what you will find in the same serving of cauliflower. Also, unlike potatoes, cauliflower cooks really fast. Which explains how you can have this side dish ready to serve (including prep) in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients in Garlic Cauliflower Mash
Here is the few ingredients that you will need to gather in order to make this dish:
- cauliflower - 1 medium head of cauliflower cut into florets.
- butter - adds flavour and helps give this cauliflower mash super silky and velvety.
- garlic
- milk - adds a creamy and velvety texture.
- Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper
- fresh herbs - optional, for garnish. Some great options are chopped parsley, chives or rosemary.
You will also need a large cooking pot, colander, skillet and food processor.
How to Make the Best Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Watch this short 1-minute video to see how quick and easy it is to prepare this creamy garlic mashed cauliflower, and follow along the detailed steps below.
To summarize, here are the steps you need to take in order to make this delicious side dish:
- Cook the cauliflower: Bring a large cooking pot of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower florets and turn the heat down to medium. Cover and cook for for 15 minutes until cauliflower is soft and tender. When the cauliflower is ready, remove from heat and drain in a colander.
- Sauté the garlic: While the cauliflower is cooking, melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 2 minutes until fragrant and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
- NOTE: You could skip this sautéing step and add the butter and raw garlic directly into your food processor in the next step. However, I highly recommend sautéing. When you sauté the garlic, it brings out an amazing flavour that you just don't get when it is raw. It also infuses the garlic flavour into the butter which takes it to a whole different level.
- Puree: In a food processor, add the cooked cauliflower, sautéed garlic with the butter it was cooked in, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Puree on high until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Serve: Serve hot and sprinkle some fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives or rosemary) on top.
Storing Tips
- How to store and make ahead: This quick and easy recipe can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- How to reheat: To reheat, transfer to a skillet or cooking pot and heat on low heat until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave.
How to Serve Mashed Cauliflower
Creamy garlic mashed cauliflower are the perfect side dish to pretty much any meal that you can think of. It goes really well with roast chicken, steak, roast lamb, baked salmon or turkey.
It is also the perfect side to serve during the holidays for Thanksgiving dinner. Serve it with a juicy whole roast turkey or an easy juicy roasted turkey breast. Browse through some of my other favourite sides to pair it with during the holidays:
More Cauliflower Recipes
- Easy Roasted Cauliflower
- Roasted Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Soup
- Spinach and Feta Quiche with Cauliflower Crust
- Creamy Cauliflower and Garlic Soup
- Quinoa Cauliflower and Chickpea Vegetarian Meatballs
This post was originally posted in 2016. It has been completely updated with new photos, recipe video and helpful tips.
PrintRecipe
Creamy Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Craving a big serving of mashed potatoes but with a quarter of the calories? Now you can with creamy garlic mashed cauliflower. Ready in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower (2 pounds), cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- fresh herbs (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a large cooking pot of salted water to boil. Add the cauliflower florets and turn the heat down to medium. Cook covered for 15 minutes until cauliflower is soft and tender. When the cauliflower is ready, remove from heat and drain.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, melt butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic for about 2 minutes until fragrant and soft. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a food processor, add the cooked cauliflower, sautéed garlic with the butter it was cooked in, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Puree on high until smooth, about 1 minute.
- Serve hot and sprinkle some fresh herbs (such as parsley, chives or rosemary) and freshly cracked black pepper on top.
Notes
Equipment used: large cooking pot, colander, skillet and food processor.
Recipe video: Watch the quick video tutorial in the blog post to see how easy it is to make creamy garlic mashed cauliflower.
How to store: This quick and easy recipe can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
How to reheat: To reheat, transfer to a skillet or cooking pot and heat on low heat until warmed through, about 1-2 minutes. You can also reheat in the microwave.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Blender
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: mashed cauliflower, cauliflower mash, garlic mashed cauliflower, cauliflower recipes
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Chad says
Made this tonight for my family, exactly as described. I was surprised at just how great this tasted. I'm a huge mashed potato lover, as well as my 9 year old. Let's just say, I could barely tell the difference! I didn't even tell my daughter. With brown gravy added on top, she still thinks she ate mashed potatoes. Super delicious and so easy to make!
Thank you for this!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks for the feedback!! So glad you and your daughter enjoyed the recipe! See, I told you, you can fool anyone with this recipe 🙂
Abby says
Great recipe! We used riced cauliflower in a steam bag and followed the remaining directions and put in the vitamix. Recipe took 8 min total to make.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Thanks, Abby! So glad you liked the recipe. I have never tried it with riced cauliflower, so thanks for sharing! 🙂
chi says
would you happen to know about how many calories this has i know it says low calorie but doesn't give a roundabout?
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
I don't have the calorie count on hand, but you can easily plug in the ingredients into a calorie counter online and get the amount. I know that a full medium head of cauliflower has about 150 calories, while a single medium russet potato has about 170 (you would probably need 3-4 potatoes to get the same amount of servings that you would in a head of cauliflower). Hope that helps! 🙂
Kelsey says
Would these still be good without garlic?
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
I always use garlic and have never made this without it, so cannot say for sure... I would have to experiment with it
Andrea says
This is super delicious. I was really sceptical at first but wanted to try it because my husband is on the keto diet. Needless to say I ate half the bowl (you know,taste tasting 😋) before dinner. This is a keeper!
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
That's great to hear! So glad you liked the recipe, Andrea 🙂
Tiffany says
If you like denser (though admittedly less healthy) options, cream cheese works as a replacement for milk. Makes the concoction even thicker!
★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Great tip Tiffany, thank you!! 😀
Jeanette says
How much cream cheese did you use?
Julie M says
Made this for myself with cauliflower from my parent's garden. HOLY DELICIOUSNESS!!! I sampled some straight from the food processor and then proceeded to eat almost the entire amount because I couldn't stop! I love mashed potatoes, but given the choice, I would absolutely choose this cauliflower now. I know I should save some for my parents but there's no way there will be any left.
★★★★★
Sam | Ahead of Thyme says
Haha, so glad you liked the recipe! I guess you just need to double it next time so there is enough to share 😀