Name: Easy Mashed Cauliflower
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets; 3 Tbsp cream cheese; 2 Tbsp butter; 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese; 3 Tbsp milk of choice (feel free to add more if needed for desired consistency); 1/2 tsp salt; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper; Garnish with fresh chives and parsley, optional

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This EASY Mashed Cauliflower is creamy, delicious, and makes the perfect low carb, keto-friendly side dish easily made in under 15 minutes!

This EASY Mashed Cauliflower is creamy, delicious, and makes the perfect low carb, keto-friendly side dish easily made in under 15 minutes! #keto

Move aside starchy mashed potatoes! This EASY Mashed Cauliflower recipe is my family’s favorite go-to low carb side dish that we literally make every week. No exaggeration here. This cauliflower mash is the perfect substitute for mashed potatoes, is deliciously creamy, and easily made right in your food processor or blender! I like to serve this with steak, chicken, or meatloaf and some fresh veggies, but this mash really goes with anything!

As most of you know, my husband lost over 60 pounds this past year doing a low carb (keto) lifestyle and I’ve been tryin to share all his favorite meals and dishes that really helped with his success. My husband and I both grew up on “meat and potatoes” so finding a replacement for that beloved side dish was a must. I have served this to so many picky eaters in my family (who thought I was serving mashed potatoes) as well as friends who immediately ask for the recipe, and they’re just shocked how simple it is!

Cauliflower > Potatoes

I love substituting mashed cauliflower over mashed potatoes not only for the nutritional benefits, but cauliflower just doesn’t leave you feeling overly stuffed like starchy potatoes and is a great way to sneak in veggies for your kids. My two year old daughter is obsessed with this recipe! You also don’t have to spend all that time peeling potatoes and I love that cauliflower cooks so much quicker!

This EASY Mashed Cauliflower is creamy, delicious, and makes the perfect low carb, keto-friendly side dish easily made in under 15 minutes! #keto

Here’s What You’ll Need

Cauliflower – I used one large head of cauliflower for this and chopped it up into florets, but you could also use frozen florets or even riced cauliflower if that’s all you have. I do want to note thought that I have made this hundreds of times over the years and swear by using a fresh head of cauliflower for the best texture and flavor!
Cream cheese – this helps make the mashed cauliflower perfectly creamy and tastes delicious. You could also substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt, but the Greek yogurt will unfortunately add more carbs
Butter – I add just two tablespoons to this because I truly don’t think you can enjoy a good mash without a little butter! When making low carb/keto dishes, I do cook with more grass-fed butter for added fat and flavor, but you could also substitute the butter with ghee
Milk – this helps to thin out the consistency and enhance that creamy texture. I used unsweetened almond milk, but any type of milk will work and you could even use half and half or heavy cream to make this even creamier
Parmesan cheese – adds extra creaminess and flavor! Feel free to try a variety of cheese in this like cheddar or goat cheese
Salt and pepper – to make all these flavors pop!
Fresh herbs – I like to top this mash off with chopped fresh chives and a little parsley, but you could also add fresh dill, thyme or even rosemary like I did in this rosemary and garlic mashed cauliflower

This EASY Mashed Cauliflower is creamy, delicious, and makes the perfect low carb, keto-friendly side dish easily made in under 15 minutes! #keto

How to Make Mashed Cauliflower

One thing I love about this recipe (other than how delicious it is) is how truly EASY this is to make! Just follow these three simple steps to getting perfectly creamy mashed cauliflower!

Chop, chop, chop! I like to use one large head of cauliflower that I chop into florets because the taste and texture comes out perfect every time! You can also use a bag of frozen florets or even riced cauliflower, but the texture wont turn out as thick and creamy. Trust me, it makes a difference!
Steam the cauliflower. I’ve been making this recipe for years now and have tried every method of cooking the cauliflower and hands down just prefer the consistency of this mash when steaming the cauliflower. Simply fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower florets to a steamer basket and place that on top of the pot of boiling water. Steam the cauliflower for about 10 to 12 minutes, until fork tender and soft. You could also boil or roast the cauliflower and I’ll share below the timing for those methods as well.
Blend everything up! Add the steaming cauliflower to the bowl of your food processor or blender along with the rest of the ingredients (except for the herbs). Blend everything until cauliflower mash is nice and creamy, and that’s it! Top with fresh herbs, a little extra butter (if desired) and serve mash while it’s nice and hot.

Other Methods for Cooking Cauliflower

Roasting – this adds a great, smoky flavor to the cauliflower mash, but unfortunately will more than double the time it takes to make this recipe. To roast the cauliflower, simply toss cauliflower florets with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and spread out evenly onto a baking sheet. Roast in the oven for about 25 to 30 minutes, tossing the cauliflower halfway through. Then just add the roasted cauliflower to the bowl of your food processor (or blender) and make as directed.
Boiling – I also really like boiling the cauliflower because it’s just so easy and quick, although I’ve found that the cauliflower can get a bit watery using this method. To boil the cauliflower, just add the florets to a large pot of boiling water, season with a little salt and pepper and boil for about 6 to 8 minutes until fork tender. Then just drain in a colander and add to the bowl of your food processor.
Sautéing – I don’t really recommend sautéing for this recipe since we really need soft, tender cauliflower to make this mash, but this is of course another option. Just drizzle a little olive oil in a large skillet, add cauliflower and sauté for about 6 minutes. Add about 2 tablespoons of water to the pan, cover and cook about 3 to 4 more minutes until cauliflower is tender. Remove the lid and continue sautéing for about 2 more minutes until there is no more water in the pan and the cauliflower is golden in color.

This EASY Mashed Cauliflower is creamy, delicious, and makes the perfect low carb, keto-friendly side dish easily made in under 15 minutes! #keto

Why Cauliflower is the BEST!

I swear cauliflower seems to just be the universal healthy ingredient for substituting your favorite indulgent dishes. Not only is cauliflower a great substitute for potatoes in this recipe, but you can blend it up (or grate it) to make cauliflower “rice”, make it into a dough for cauliflower pizza crust, or even air fry breaded cauliflower florets and lather them in buffalo sauce for some delicious cauliflower “wings”. The possibilities are endless and really makes eating healthy enjoyable!

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