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You are here: Home / Recipes / Buttery Mashed Cauliflower

By Karina 42 Comments Filed Under: Low Carb

Buttery Mashed Cauliflower

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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!

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

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.

Keto approved CREAMY Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic, Sour Cream and Parmesan is the low carb side dish!

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.

Keto approved CREAMY Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic, Sour Cream and Parmesan cheese

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

Keto approved CREAMY Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic, Sour Cream and Parmesan is the low carb side dish!

Mashed Cauliflower

Creamy, buttery Mashed Cauliflower with Garlic, Sour Cream and Parmesan is the low carb side dish of your dreams! Keto approved and 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!
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Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Serves: 8 serves as a side

Ingredients

  • 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets (about 3 pounds or 1 1/2 kg)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 6 cloves garlic divided
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  • Salt and black 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.

Notes

Save prep time and use cauliflower rice instead! Steam the rice or sauté in a pan with a little water until fork tender.

Nutrition

Calories: 59kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 61mg | Potassium: 54mg | Vitamin A: 165IU | Vitamin C: 7.2mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Michelle K says

    December 04, 2020 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    This is absolutely delicious!! It was simple and very flavorful. My husband loved it!! We were looking for a healthier version of mash potatoes and found this one. Thank you so so much for sharing. 🥰♥️

    Reply
  2. Gayle says

    October 03, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious!! I didn’t have sour cream so used full fat plain yogurt. Cut back butter and used 1 tbsp low-fat cream cheese. Love it!, Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Andrea Samayoa says

    June 17, 2020 at 11:35 am

    5 stars
    Yes!!! Absolutely amazing yo. Super easy. Bomb af!!!!

    Reply
  4. Erin Patterson says

    June 11, 2020 at 9:56 am

    Can you freeze the leftovers?

    Reply
  5. T says

    June 06, 2020 at 2:45 am

    Could I substitute Greek yogurt for the sour cream?

    Reply
    • Karina says

      June 06, 2020 at 12:42 pm

      You can definitely try it!

      Reply
  6. Tesa says

    January 24, 2020 at 11:01 am

    5 stars
    In the list of ingredients it calls for 6 cloves of garlic divided, but I only see them mentioned in one step. Is the sautéed garlic and butter supposed to be added to the cauliflower in the blender? Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Lina says

      April 13, 2020 at 6:30 am

      I THINK it means that, if you have to blend the cauliflower in batches, you should divide up the garlic among the batches.

      Reply
  7. Arthur says

    January 05, 2020 at 11:58 pm

    5 stars
    Tried this for the first time, tasted fine however mine was a bit lumpy, maybe i under cooked the cauliflower.I shall most definitely be making it again, they say practice makes perfect .

    Reply
  8. girl says

    December 22, 2019 at 11:33 am

    please tell us what the serving size is, thanks!

    Reply
    • Julie says

      January 03, 2020 at 8:01 am

      It says 8 on the recipe section.

      Reply
  9. Dan w Smieszny says

    December 20, 2019 at 2:22 am

    I love your site!!!!!!

    Reply
  10. Heidi Hofacker says

    November 30, 2019 at 1:53 am

    5 stars
    I’m doing low carb and made this for me instead of mashed potatoes. It was the first aide bowl emptied! Everyone loved it and raved about how delicious it was. Thank you for this awesome recipe! I see Shepherds pie in my future!

    Reply
    • Klaudia says

      March 27, 2020 at 8:19 pm

      I have no words to describe how superduperdelicious it was! And I never though I’d ever like cauliflower mash… I love your site, all your recipes I tried so far are unbelievable! So so soooooo good, thank you so much Karina!

      Reply
  11. MK says

    November 20, 2019 at 5:46 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe. My hubby haaates cauliflower but he LOVED this recipe! 5 stars

    Reply
  12. Peg Johnson says

    November 03, 2019 at 5:20 am

    Has anyone tried using Cauliflower Rice which was suggested in the notes?
    If so, how much did you use?

    Reply
  13. Vicky Daly says

    October 30, 2019 at 10:44 am

    5 stars
    This was the BEST caulimash I have tried to date and trust me, I have tried a lot. Be sure to drain the cauliflower and let it cool in a colander as Karina instructs. That way you won’t get that watery mush I’ve often associated with cauliflower mash. Can’t say it beats the real deal but it sure comes close and there is a lot less carbs involved. Thank you Karina!

    Reply
  14. Debbie says

    October 29, 2019 at 12:58 am

    5 stars
    Could you please share what the serving size is?

    Reply
  15. Lisa A Spencer says

    September 20, 2019 at 7:05 am

    Your instructions for the garlic are not clear

    Reply
  16. Brenda says

    July 27, 2019 at 7:43 am

    Can you use a stick blender instead of a food processor or regular blender?

    Reply
  17. Jennifer says

    July 13, 2019 at 4:45 am

    5 stars
    just wondering what the serving size is?

    Reply
  18. Jen says

    June 19, 2019 at 3:20 pm

    This was so easy and delicious. I can’t believe it actually tastes like mashed potatoes. What a great replacement. It’s also adaptable since you can add in whatever you like. I did add a bunch of chili to get it nice and spicy. Really loved this recipe and will be making it over and over!

    Reply
  19. Ali says

    June 03, 2019 at 1:44 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious. The first time, I cooked it using the head of cauliflower. Tonight, I’m going to try using cauliflower rice. Has any reader tried it with cauli rice?? If so, how did it go?

    Reply
    • Lind Ma says

      June 08, 2020 at 3:05 am

      Did you end up trying this with cauliflower rice? If so, any idea how much you used and how did it go? Thanks!

      Reply
  20. Annah Yokley says

    May 22, 2019 at 9:13 am

    5 stars
    Amazing, I love Mashed Potatoes, I will never miss them now! I steamed a small head of cauliflower. I out everything in the food processor, so easy. Wow! Thank you!

    Reply
  21. Diane E Camfield says

    April 25, 2019 at 12:45 am

    5 stars
    What is the serving size? I love it by the way.

    Reply
  22. Olga Ya says

    April 24, 2019 at 11:09 am

    5 stars
    I was surprised that the mashed cauliflower looked exactly like mashed potatoes and tasted very similar to it. Definitely a good “no guilt” substitution! Will be buying more cauliflower !! Thanks for the recipe

    Reply
  23. Bria says

    February 25, 2019 at 1:25 pm

    5 stars
    I tried putting this recipe into my fitness pal and its coming out with more carbs per serving? Something like 10.

    Reply
  24. Bria says

    February 25, 2019 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    How much is a serving?

    Reply
  25. Craig says

    February 20, 2019 at 12:05 pm

    5 stars
    Have made these twice now. Followed the recipie as written and they turned out perfect each time. Delicious and creamy!! Will be making into our regular rotation of dinner planning.

    Reply
  26. RObin M LAng says

    February 15, 2019 at 2:30 pm

    5 stars
    Garlicky deliciousness! Used 2cloves garlic, butter, 1/8 cup cream, Salt and pepper.

    Reply
  27. Paulette Stacey says

    February 05, 2019 at 11:41 am

    5 stars
    I just tried the mashed cauliflower recipe and it is a winner for sure. It was easy and so delicious. Thank You for posting this recipe.

    Reply
  28. Kim says

    February 05, 2019 at 11:28 am

    5 stars
    Really great, simple recipe!! I appreciate the ideas for add-ins and ways to customize flavors. Thanks!

    Reply
  29. Judy says

    January 21, 2019 at 12:52 am

    5 stars
    Hi Karina – I just tried this recipe for dinner to rave reviews among a mixed crowd including a teenager and grandparent people.
    I’ll be back.

    Reply
    • Karina says

      January 21, 2019 at 9:24 am

      That’s great Judy!

      Reply
  30. Joe says

    January 14, 2019 at 12:30 am

    5 stars
    Welp, after seeing a lot of recipes for cauliflower mashed potatoes, I finally decided to try making them.
    Of course I used your recipe because you’re my “go to” whenever I decide to cook. (I’m not much of a cook)
    The result was good considering the disaster the process was. I burnt some of the cauliflower because the water in the pot completely evaporated, I forgot to check it. Then once it was done steaming, I tried mashing the cauliflower the the way you would regular old potatoes, with my hand mixer. LOL cauliflower EVERYWHERE!! I was making the cajun steak bites at the same time, not a good idea for an inexperienced cook! Too much going on at on time LOL. Those steak bites are outta this world good!!! Overall, the meal turned out pretty dang good for someone who doesn’t cook. Keep those recipes coming Karina!

    Reply
  31. Carnation Luhman. says

    December 31, 2018 at 5:26 pm

    5 stars
    I tried the cauliflower mash and added thyme. I used an infision blender it worked our perfectly. I did add about 1\4 cup half and half. I will definitely make this again.Delicious.

    Reply
  32. Mary Ann Frank says

    November 19, 2018 at 12:59 am

    Dear Karina,
    Thank you for Cafe Delites! It is my ‘go to’ site when I am in search of a new recipe or a ‘change up’. Looking forward to many more posts from you!
    Mary Ann

    Reply
  33. Kat says

    November 19, 2018 at 12:32 am

    5 stars
    Karina, You have no idea how much I love seeing your recipes and ideas in my email box! My husband is type 1 diabetic and having you post nutrition facts makes it so much easier to calculate meals. Creamy Tuscan Chicken is one of our absolute favs! Mashed cauliflower is going to replace red potatoes this Thanksgiving and now he can have more to eat without the “bad carbs” side effects. Thank You!

    Reply
    • Karina says

      November 20, 2018 at 7:39 pm

      AW! Thank you so much! I really appreciate you following along with me! I am so glad that you have found some recipes that you love. Thank you for sharing with me! Happy Thanksgiving! XO

      Reply
  34. Christine says

    November 19, 2018 at 12:30 am

    5 stars
    Have you tried cooking a whole head of cauliflower in a pressure cooker? Just take the green parts off, place on the rack and steam for 4 minutes. This keeps the cauliflower out of the liquid which makes making the mash easier.

    Reply
    • Karina says

      November 22, 2018 at 1:46 am

      I have not! That sounds so much easier though. Thank you for sharing! XO

      Reply

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