This creamy mashed cauliflower is made with butter, garlic, and parmesan. It tastes amazing!
This lovely mash is ready in just 20 minutes, and you can make it in your food processor. You won't miss the potatoes!
Cauliflower is highly versatile, making it an excellent substitute for potatoes. I use it in several recipes, including cauliflower steak and roasted cauliflower. It has a nearly neutral flavor that readily absorbs fats and seasonings.
This mashed cauliflower is creamy and delicious. My husband prefers it to mashed potatoes! The addition of garlic and parmesan makes it delightfully flavorful.
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Ingredients
You'll only need six ingredients to make this recipe. The exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
- 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. I love using creamy European butter, but any butter will be good.
- Minced garlic: It's OK to use jarred minced garlic, but freshly minced is best.
- Grated parmesan: Make sure you use finely grated parmesan, not coarsely shredded.
- Kosher salt and black pepper: I use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Variations
- You can use a fat other than butter. I sometimes make this recipe with softened cream cheese, and it's excellent.
- You can use ½ teaspoon of garlic powder instead of fresh garlic. Fresh garlic tastes better, but in my experience, the powder is an acceptable substitute.
- Use more spices. I typically use salt, pepper, and fresh garlic. But you can add a pinch of onion powder and dried thyme. Sometimes, I add a pinch of cayenne.
Instructions
The recipe card below lists the detailed instructions for making this recipe. Here are the basic steps:
Steam the cauliflower in the microwave and drain it well. 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 side dish!
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.
Fresh vs. Frozen Cauliflower
It's perfectly acceptable to use frozen cauliflower in this recipe. I typically make this recipe with fresh cauliflower, but I recently experimented with using frozen cauliflower florets that I got at the local supermarket.
This is the bag I used:
This is what the florets look like when frozen:
And here they are after a 10-minute session in the microwave:
I made it the same way as fresh cauliflower, and the mash turned out excellent. It is just as good as a mash made from fresh cauliflower. So this is certainly an option.
Expert Tips
To ensure the mash is thick and creamy:
- Don't undercook the cauliflower. I typically steam cauliflower florets for about 5 minutes, but we want them extra tender for a mash, so we steam them for 10 minutes.
- Drain the cauliflower well after steaming it. The less water it contains, the thicker the mash will be.
- Add grated parmesan. Its texture thickens the mash.
- There's no need to add cornstarch, although it can help thicken the mash. But in my experience, draining the cauliflower well and adding grated parmesan is enough to ensure a thick and creamy mash.
Recipe FAQs
No, but it's surprisingly close. The garlic and parmesan greatly enhance this mash and mask the flavor of the cauliflower. The parmesan also thickens it.
You probably undercooked the cauliflower. While we're usually careful not to overcook vegetables, leaving them tender-crisp, in this case, we want the cauliflower to be very soft. This ensures a smooth mash.
This can be caused by one of two things:
1. You didn't drain the cauliflower florets thoroughly.
2. You added liquids, such as milk or heavy cream, to the mash.
You can. However, the butter, garlic, and parmesan mask the cauliflower's natural flavor. So, even if you're not a fan of this vegetable, you might still find this mash palatable.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve mashed cauliflower with almost anything. It's excellent 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:
I also use it to top my low-carb shepherd's pie. It's lovely 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):
Storing Leftovers
You can keep the leftovers in the fridge, in an airtight container, 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.
More Cauliflower Recipes
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Recipe Card
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
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.
Video
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
Disclaimers
Cup measurements refer to the standard American cup, which is 240 milliliters. Most of my recipes are low-carb (or keto) and gluten-free, but some are not. Please verify that a recipe fits your needs before using it. Recommended and linked products are not guaranteed to be gluten-free. Nutrition info is approximate, and the carb count excludes non-nutritive sweeteners. Nutrition info may contain errors, so please verify it independently. Recipes may contain errors, so please use your common sense when following them. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before using any of my recipes.
Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living. 
Jenn
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
You're very welcome, Jenn! I'm so glad this was such a huge success.
Heather Ayers
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
I'm glad you enjoyed this recipe, Heather! I love the idea of adding chives.
Homer
Hi Vered can I use cauliflower rice the same way ?
Vered DeLeeuw
Hi Homer,
Yes, I think that should work!
Pat Rook
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
Hi Pat,
I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for reviewing it and for sharing your tweaks.
Karen A McArthur
This was perfect!
Vered DeLeeuw
Glad you liked it, Karen!