Creamy, buttery Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic, Sour Cream and Parmesan is the low carb side dish of your dreams! Keto approved!
Mashed Cauliflower may be low in carbs BUT they taste just as good as regular Mashed Potatoes. The secret lies in flavouring them with just the right ingredients to take them from bland to mouthwatering. If you haven’t tried this before, you will fall in love with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes!
MASHED CAULIFLOWER
Easier than mashed potatoes with less prep time and no peeling necessary, our mashed cauliflower recipe is light, buttery and smooth. Full-flavoured and creamy in every single mouthful, you won’t miss potatoes! Especially if you’ve removed them from your diet — this is the BEST alternative!
With all of the sides appearing on this blog in time for your Thanksgiving planning, many of our readers have been asking for low carb alternatives. Our Mashed Cauliflower Recipe is not only perfect for the holidays, but for any time of the year. A low carb side dish to please everyone.
Serve it with Beef Bourguignon, Coq Au Vin, Meatloaf, or any other meal you’d normally serve with mashed potatoes!
HOW DO YOU COOK CAULIFLOWER TO TASTE LIKE MASHED POTATOES?
After years of trying every diet under the sun, the one recipe I always fall back on in mashed cauliflower. Not for dieting purposes but more so because I LOVE the flavour of them, making them taste very similar to mashed potatoes.
I believe the secret lies in using the same ingredients you would normally use in your mashed potatoes.
Here, we use:
- Unsalted butter — a preference to give you more control over how salty you want them to taste.
- Garlic — sautéed in butter first to release flavour into your buttery mash.
- Sour cream (or substitute with cream cheese).
- Parmesan cheese — fresh and shredded. You can also add other cheese, like Cheddar, Provolone, or Romano.
HOW TO MAKE CAULIFLOWER MASH
Most stores sell riced cauliflower, or cauliflower pre-cut into florets. If you’re lucky enough to find it prepped for you in your store, use it! Prep and cook time will be mush faster for you, which is especially handy when cooking over the holidays.
Keep in mind that cauliflower cooks mush faster than potatoes. You can either steam them for 15 minutes or boil them for 10. Cauliflower is cooked when you can pierce it easily with a fork.
MAKE IT CREAMY
After boiling, and draining, you’re going to cover them with a lid or foil. I drain ours in a colander in my clean kitchen sink and let them sit there while sautéing the garlic in the same pot. Less pots = quicker clean up.
Allowing the cooked cauliflower stand before mashing straight away lets it retain heat and continue to steam, so any excess moisture will reabsorb back into it. Not doing this may result in a watery mash.
FOOD PROCESSOR, BLENDER OR POTATO MASHER?
For the creamiest mash, use a good food processor or blender. Depending on the size of your machines, you may need to do this in batches of two or three, throwing the cauliflower back into the pot after blending each batch. When you’re finished, give it a good mix through along with your other ingredients — taste test — and season your cauliflower mash with a little extra salt and pepper if needed.
If you prefer a textured mash, use a humble potato masher instead. Less equipment means less washing up also.
Optional Additional Ingredients
Our mashed cauliflower recipe uses simple ingredients. However, you can add your favourite ingredients to customise it to your tastes!
Sliced green onions
Oil — Olive, garlic or chili!
Herbs — Thyme, rosemary and parsley.
Chives
Curry powder
Diced bacon
Love Cauliflower? Try these recipes!
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower Hash Brown Egg Cups
Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower cut into florets, about 3 pounds or 1 ½ kg
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 6 cloves garlic divided
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 1 pinch salt to taste
- 1 pinch pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place cauliflower in a steamer over a large pot of boiling water. Steam for 15 minutes until tender. Alternatively, boil cauliflower in salted water for 10 minutes or until fork tender. Remove and drain. Cover with a lid and set aside.
- In the same pot, heat the butter over medium high heat. Sauté garlic until fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Blend cauliflower and garlic in a food processor on high setting until smooth. You may need to do this in batches of two or three, depending on the size of your processor.
- Transfer blended cauliflower into the pot with the garlic. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, sour cream and season with salt and pepper.
Lisa Valade says
I added garlic infused olive oil and cream cheese. It was absolutely delicious. I may never have mashed potatoes again.
James R says
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times and it’s always a hit. On my first attempt I almost burned the butter (created BROWN BUTTER) and it was even better. LOL!
sam says
I replaced the sour cream with tzatziki and it was delicious!
Saji Cooray says
I was looking for healthier option rather than potato, This recipe sounds amazing.. Making tonight with sticky BBQ ribs and steam beans
Kelly says
DELICIOUS! I used light cream cheese instead of sour cream but it still tasted good. I added some fresh lemon juice for more flavour, which worked perfectly. It’s a great alternative to mash potato. Thanks for this easy, delicious recipe!
Jenny says
My brother in law who “hates” cauliflower said this is a keeper. He really liked it. He said he just thought I’d added something new to my potatoes. I used an emulsion blender and the consistency was perfect!
Jenn C. says
Love this! I was looking for a delicious mashed cauliflower recipe and when the search returned a recipe from you, of course I chose it. Your recipes have always been a hit with my family, so I knew this would be a winner. Thanks so much for sharing and creating!
Palina Scott says
I’ve never ever posted a comment on a recipe site and I’ve had SO many delicious outcomes, I’m sorry 🙁 I HAD to say something about this recipe. It’s SOOOOOO good. My husband loooves it and we are on our way to weight loss! I will make this for my whole family over and over again. It taste just like mashed potatoes and it satisfies all my carb cravings. Thank you!
Jaclyn says
Your recipes are a never miss for me. I love this. Thank you thank you thank you!