Cauliflower mashed potatoes are a healthier twist on classic mashed potatoes. The recipe is as creamy and delicious as the traditional mash, but cauliflower is swapped for half of the potatoes.
The result is a creamy, light, and comforting potato cauliflower mash, excellent for a delicious side dish for special holiday meals or a cozy family dinner.
This recipe is suitable for meal prep, and you can make it beforehand.
Table of Contents
Dietary Note: This recipe is suitable for a vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diet.
You’ll love cauliflower mashed potatoes because it is as creamy and delicious as traditional mashed potatoes but is lighter, making you feel great after eating it.
You can expect a familiar, comforting flavor with cheesy notes and a mild cauliflower taste.
Subbing the cauliflower for some of the potatoes changes the nutritional profile of the potato cauliflower mash, reducing starchy carbs for complex non-starchy carbs with plenty of fiber (remember that cauliflower is a carb like all veggies) and low amounts of natural sugar.
The best way to make it is to steam or boil the cauliflower, blend it with flavoring ingredients, and whisk it with boiled potatoes.
If you want a familiar yet lighter side dish for your next dinner, this cauliflower mashed potatoes will deliver!
Cauliflower mashed potatoes video
Ingredients & Substitutions
Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
Potatoes
We use generic yellow potatoes (Yukon Gold).
Substitute red potatoes or russet potatoes for Yukon gold.
Peel the potatoes for a smooth potato cauliflower mash. For a more rustic mash, keep the skin on.
Cauliflower
A fresh head of cauliflower is recommended here.
You can substitute frozen cauliflower florets for fresh. However, we noticed the mash turns out more watery with frozen cauliflower.
If you use fresh cauliflower, you can use the stem, florets, and even the outer leaves since we blend everything before mixing it with the potatoes.
Milk
Most types of milk work for cauliflower mashed potatoes.
We use unsweetened soy milk.
Excellent alternatives are regular, unsweetened oats, almonds, cashews, and rice milk.
Olive oil
Extra virgin olive oil is our fat of choice.
Substitute butter or dairy-free butter for olive oil.
Parmesan cheese
Parmesan, potatoes, and cauliflower are delicious, so we recommend adding some grated parmesan cheese to this recipe.
If you are vegan, you can use dairy-free cheese instead.
We also tried sour cream, cream cheese, greek yogurt, and cheddar cheese. They all work well, but nothing compares to the rich flavor of parmesan.
Nutmeg
Grated nutmeg is optional, but we always add a pinch because it’s perfect with parmesan, potatoes, and cauliflower.
If you haven’t tried cauliflower mashed potatoes with nutmeg yet, you are in for a treat.
Salt and pepper
We use sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Optionally, you can add a teaspoon of garlic powder.
Chives
Fresh chives, finely chopped, are delicious with potato cauliflower mash.
Flat-leaf parsley, green onions, and dill are other fresh herbs that work well.
How to make cauliflower mashed potatoes
Prepare the potatoes
Wash, peel, and chop the potatoes into large chunks of similar size.
Add the potatoes to a large pot with cold water, add one teaspoon of salt, and cook for about 30 minutes or until fork tender.
Tip: cooking the potatoes starting with cold water allows them to cook more evenly without falling apart.
Drain the potatoes and let them cool down for 5 minutes.
This will allow excess steam to escape, making richer and less watery mashed potatoes.
Tip: while the potatoes cook, you can steam the cauliflower.
Transfer boiled potatoes into a large pot or Dutch oven and beat until fluffy with a hand mixer.
You can also mash them with a potato ricer or potato masher.
Prepare the cauliflower
Rinse the cauliflower and chop it into pieces. Steam or boil until fork tender.
We use a steamer basket and let it steam for 20 minutes.
Tip: steaming preserves more flavor and nutrition and makes the mash more creamy and less watery.
Add the steamed cauliflower to a food processor with grated parmesan cheese (or non-dairy cheese), extra virgin olive oil, your milk of choice, grated nutmeg, salt, and black pepper.
Blend until creamy.
Note: you can also do this in a bowl with an immersion or standing blender.
Mix cauliflower and potatoes
Add the cauliflower puree to the mashed potatoes.
Turn the heat to medium, and whisk until the mixture is hot and well combined – about 5 minutes.
You should add more milk if necessary and adjust the texture of the potato cauliflower mash to your liking.
Once you are happy with the texture, taste and adjust for salt, pepper, and parmesan.
Tip: if your cauliflower mashed potatoes are grainy, it’s because the potatoes or the cauliflower haven’t cooked enough. If so, you can use an immersion blender to smoothen the mash.
Serve with finely chopped chives. You can stir the chives in or use them as a garnish on top with a knob of butter or a drizzle of olive oil.
Serving suggestions
Cauliflower mashed potatoes can be part of a delicious holiday meal. Try it with our stuffed butternut squash and baked grape as a side dish.
It’s also excellent with our mushroom wellington or lentil loaf, with a good spoonful of mushroom gravy on top and a side of sautéed green beans.
Other side dishes that go well with potato cauliflower mash are:
- Fennel salad with orange wedges and pomegranate seeds.
- Roasted Brussels sprouts drizzled with maple syrup vinaigrette.
- Green bean salad with tomatoes and crumbled feta.
- Carrot salad with cumin parsley dressing.
- Roasted caramelized carrots with cumin and three tasty topping ideas.
- Rainbow kale salad
Variations
Mashed Potatoes
Homemade mashed potatoes is a classic side dish everyone loves! Our recipe is easy to make, creamy, fluffy, and delicious.
Try it with our mushroom gravy to turn it into one of the best side dishes ever.
Check out our mashed potatoes recipe.
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Mashed sweet potatoes are an excellent side dish you can make sweet or savory. We will show you how to make both variations.
Check out our sweet potato mash recipe.
Questions
Our cauliflower mashed potatoes still taste like classic mashed potatoes with a mild cauliflower flavor.
Thanks to the cauliflower, the texture is creamy yet much lighter than regular mashed potatoes.
First, steam the cauliflower instead of boiling it. Boiling fills up the cauliflower with water, resulting in a watery mash.
Also, you can cook the cauliflower mashed potatoes on medium-low heat while stirring to thicken it up.
Storage
Make-Ahead: cauliflower mashed potatoes is an excellent meal prep recipe, and you can make it up to 3 days ahead or freeze it for months.
Refrigerator: cool down completely at room temperature, then store the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: cool down completely at room temperature, then transfer into a freezer-friendly container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Thaw: thaw overnight in the fridge or the microwave with a thawing function.
Reheat: reheat potato cauliflower mash in the microwave for 2 minutes. Alternatively, transfer it into a saucepan, add two tablespoons of milk, and reheat on the stove while whisking for 5 minutes. Add more cheese, milk, and fresh herbs to improve taste and texture.
More Cauliflower Recipes
If you love cooking with cauliflower, get new ideas from tasty and wholesome cauliflower recipes:
- Cauliflower lentil salad with a creamy cumin dressing.
- Easy cauliflower soup: velvety, creamy, and easy soup.
- Creamy cauliflower curry with Indian-inspired spice mix and chickpeas.
- Whole roasted cauliflower: beautiful and delicious!
- Roasted cauliflower: an easy way to cook cauliflower with lemon and fresh herbs.
- Cauliflower rice: easy to make with lime and parsley.
- 15 easy cauliflower recipes: the best and brightest of cauliflower meals
More Thanksgiving Recipes
These are some of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes and enjoy a memorable holiday meal:
For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
Equipment
- Hand mixer or potato ricer / masher
- Food processor or blender
Ingredients
- 2 pounds potatoes Yukon Gold, peeled and cut into chunks + 1 teaspoon salt
- 1½ pounds cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or 3 tablespoons of butter
- 1 cup milk we use unsweetened soy milk. Add more based on your preference.
- ¾ cup parmesan grated, or dairy-free cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg grated
- 1½ teaspoons salt or more to taste
- 2 twists black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chives chopped
Instructions
- Peel and chop 2 pounds potatoes into chunks.Put them in a large pot with cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for about 30 minutes or until fork tender. Drain them and let cool down for 5 minutes.
- Chop 1½ pounds cauliflower into pieces and steam or boil for about 20 minutes or until fork tender.
- Transfer boiled potatoes into a dutch oven and beat until fluffy with a hand mixer.You can also mash them with a potato ricer or potato masher.
- Add the steamed cauliflower to a food processor with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil , 1 cup milk, ¾ cup parmesan, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, 1½ teaspoons salt, and 2 twists black pepper. Blend until creamy.
- Add blended cauliflower mixture to mashed potatoes, and whisk on medium heat until the mixture is hot and well combined – about 5 minutes. You should add more milk if necessary and adjust the texture to your liking. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper, and parmesan.
- Serve with 1 tablespoon chives, finely chopped.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this cauliflower mashed potatoes, you might also like the following:
Simply amazing and easygoing make.
Thank you !🙏
Hi Maria, I’m super happy you liked the cauliflower mashed potatoes 🙂
Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment.
All the best, Louise