This creamy mashed cauliflower is made with butter, garlic, and parmesan. It's ready in 20 minutes, tastes amazing, and you can make it in your food processor. You won't miss the potatoes!
Cauliflower has a nearly neutral flavor that readily absorbs fats and seasonings, and this mashed cauliflower is a great example. It's creamy and delicious - a great substitute for mashed potatoes, and my husband argues it's even better thanks to the added flavor from garlic and parmesan.
Ingredients and Substitutions
See the recipe card for exact measurements. Here are my comments on some of the ingredients.
- Cauliflower: You can buy a cauliflower head and cut it into florets or use a bag of pre-washed cauliflower florets.
- Butter: I use unsalted butter. You can use a fat other than butter. I sometimes make this recipe with softened cream cheese.
- Minced garlic: It's OK to use jarred minced garlic, but freshly minced is best. You can also use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder as a substitute for fresh garlic. Fresh garlic tastes better, but the powder is an acceptable substitute.
- Grated parmesan: I use finely grated parmesan, not coarsely shredded.
- To season: Kosher salt and black pepper.
Instructions
The detailed instructions and step-by-step photos are included in the recipe card. Here's a quick overview.
Steam the cauliflower in the microwave and drain it well. Place butter, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper in your food processor bowl. Add the hot cauliflower.
Process these ingredients into a wonderfully creamy mash. This should take 1-2 minutes. Stop once or twice and use a spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl. Serve immediately.
Fresh vs. Frozen Cauliflower
It's perfectly acceptable to use frozen cauliflower in this recipe. I typically use fresh cauliflower, but I recently experimented with using frozen. This is what the florets looked like out of the package:
And here they are after a 10-minute session in the microwave:
I prepared them the same way as fresh cauliflower, and the mash turned out delicious, just as good as a mash made from fresh cauliflower. Here's a photo of the finished recipe:
I was blown away with this recipe! I have tried so many and this is the first one that actually tastes good. The consistency is perfect! I made a double batch and I can eat it over the next few days. Thank you for creating such a wonderful and perfect cauliflower recipe!
Jenn
Read more comments
I was blown away with this recipe! I have tried so many and this is the first one that actually tastes good. The consistency is perfect! I made a double batch and I can eat it over the next few days. Thank you for creating such a wonderful and perfect cauliflower recipe!Recipe Tips
- Microwaving the cauliflower is easy. You can steam it in a steamer basket on the stovetop or roast the cauliflower, but the microwave is the easiest and quickest method. In fact, I often serve microwave cauliflower as a delicious side dish!
- Don't undercook the cauliflower. I typically steam cauliflower florets for about 5 minutes, but for a mash, we want them extra tender, so we steam them for 10 minutes. Undercooked cauliflower will result in a grainy mash.
- Drain the cauliflower well after steaming it. The less water it contains, the thicker the mash will be. If you leave too much water behind, the mash could become watery.
- There's no need to add cornstarch, although it can help thicken the mash. Draining the cauliflower well and adding grated parmesan is enough to ensure a thick and creamy mash.
- Storage: You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Unlike mashed potatoes, which don't keep well, this mash tastes good even after a few days in the fridge. Gently reheat the leftovers in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve mashed cauliflower with almost anything. It's perfect when you make a saucy dish and want to serve it on something that would absorb the juices. So, I often serve it with one of the following saucy dishes:
It's delicious when topped with roasted garlic! You can also serve it with any dish traditionally served with mashed potatoes, such as ribeye roast, pork roast, or beef tenderloin roast. Here's a photo of a recent family dinner - I served the mash as a side dish to flat iron steak:
And here's another family dinner where I served it with salmon steak (this mash was made with frozen cauliflower, by the way):
Recipe Card
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower head - medium, trimmed, 1 pound
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter - soft
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic - minced
- ¼ cup parmesan - grated, not shredded
- 1 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt - or ½ teaspoon of any other salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
Instructions
- Wash the cauliflower, towel dry, trim the outer leaves, and cut it into florets or chunks.
- Place the cauliflower florets in a microwave-safe bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of water to the bottom of the bowl, cover it with a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high for about 10 minutes, until very tender.
- Meanwhile, place the butter, garlic, parmesan, salt, and pepper in your food processor's bowl.
- When the cauliflower is cooked, carefully drain it (the bowl and plate will be hot, and steam will escape) and transfer it to the food processor.
- Process until very smooth, 1-2 minutes, stopping once or twice to scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Serve immediately.
Notes
- It's perfectly acceptable to use frozen cauliflower florets in this recipe. The instructions are the same as using fresh cauliflower.
- Don't undercook the cauliflower. For this recipe, you want it to be very soft, not tender-crisp.
- Drain the cauliflower well after steaming it. The less water it contains, the thicker the mash will be.
- Make sure you add dry-grated parmesan. Its texture nicely thickens the mash.
- You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 3-4 days. Gently reheat them in the microwave, covered, at 50% power.
Nutrition per Serving
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Disclaimers
Most recipes are low-carb and gluten-free, but some are not. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate. Please verify it independently. The carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Please read these Terms of Use before using any of my recipes.
Doreen says
Great recipe! I added a bit of sour cream as well - but it doesn't really need it!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Doreen! Thank you very much for the review.
Jenn says
BEST MASHED CAULIFLOWER!!
I was blown away with this recipe! I have tried so many and this is the first one that actually tastes good!
The consistency is perfect! I made a double batch and I can eat it over the next few days.
Thank you for creating such a wonderful and perfect cauliflower recipe!
Vered DeLeeuw says
You're very welcome, Jenn! I'm so glad this was such a huge success.
Heather Ayers says
This was so easy and delish! You honestly don't miss the potatoes. I added chives on top before serving - a nice burst of fresh herbs!
Vered DeLeeuw says
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Heather! I love the idea of adding chives.
Homer says
Hi Vered can I use cauliflower rice the same way ?
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Homer,
Yes, I think that should work!
Pat Rook says
This was delicious! I didn't have heavy cream so I used ricotta cheese, about a 1/2 a cup, and milk, and I used frozen cauliflower. Other than that, I used everything else that was in this recipe and it was wonderful. I will certainly make it again.
Vered DeLeeuw says
Hi Pat,
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for reviewing it and for sharing your tweaks.
Karen A McArthur says
This was perfect!
Vered DeLeeuw says
Glad you liked it, Karen!