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Home » Dietary » Gluten-Free » Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

February 29, 2020 by Joanie Simon Leave a Comment

Mashed cauliflower is a tasty low-carb or keto alternative for mashed potatoes. This version is extra flavorful because everything is roasted in the oven. It only takes 5 ingredients for a healthy, delicious side dish!

It’s naturally gluten free and using your favorite non-dairy milk, it can also be easily made vegan.

overhead view of a dish full of mashed cauliflower with pools of butter

I love making this with weeknight dinners because cauliflower is high in fiber and a great source of antioxidants.

My preferred way to prepare most vegetables is roasting. I put them on a sheet tray in the oven at 400F for 20 minutes which roasts them. Roasting adds extra flavor because it caramelizes the natural sugars in the vegetables. Roasting also pulls out water from the veggies which can many times improve the texture.

overhead view of a baking pan with cauliflower florets tossed in olive oil and salt
chop up your cauliflower and prep it for the oven to roast
overhead view of a pan of roasted cauliflower from the oven
roasted cauliflower from the oven

This same method of roasting is what I use to make this creamy mashed cauliflower side dish. Most mashed cauliflower recipes have you boil the cauliflower. But, boiling adds water to the vegetables so when you go to mash them, they can be more watery or grainy.

Roasting means we’re extracting water and we can get a super light and fluffy mash that’s just like regular mashed potatoes.

I also add a clove of garlic to the roasting pan which adds so much depth and flavor to the mashed cauliflower.

side view of a dish of cauliflower with pools of butter

After you’ve roasted the cauliflower, because it’s pretty delicious on its own, we don’t need to add a lot of extra ingredients. Salt, milk (or your favorite milk substitute), and a little bit of olive oil are all you need to finish this dish.

I use a food processor to blend up the cauliflower. Generally, I’ll have to scrape down the sides a few times to get everything evenly blended.

overhead view of a food processor with cauliflower mash inside
add your cauliflower, garlic and milk to a food processor and blend until smooth

I use macadamia nut milk for the milk, but you can use any milk or cream you’d like based on your dietary needs and preferences.

overhead view of a dish full of mashed cauliflower with pools of butter
the perfect side
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overhead view of a dish full of mashed cauliflower with pools of butter

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

  • Author: Joanie Simon
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 – 6 servings 1x
  • Category: side dish
  • Method: roasting
  • Cuisine: American
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Description

Mashed cauliflower is a tasty low-carb or keto alternative for mashed potatoes. This version is extra flavorful because everything is roasted in the oven. It only takes 5 ingredients for a healthy, delicious side dish!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 heads of cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 clove of garlic with skins removed
  • 1/4 cup oil (I use avocado), divided
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup milk (I use macadamia nut milk)
  • butter for melting on top, optional

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400F
  • Place the chopped cauliflower and clove of garlic onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and toss with half of the oil (approx 1/8th cup) and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.
  • Put the pan of cauliflower into the oven at 400F for 20 – 25 minutes until the cauliflower is softened and just a little browned on top.
  • Remove the cauliflower and garlic on the sheet tray from the oven and transfer to a food processor.  Add the remaining 1/8 cup oil and the 1/4 cup of milk to the processor and blend until the desired consistency is reached. You may need to take off the lid of the processor and scrape down the sides a few time to get all of the larger pieces processed.
  • Add additional salt to the mashed cauliflower to taste.
  • Transfer the mashed cauliflower to a serving dish and top with pats of butter and cracked black pepper if you’d like.

Keywords: mashed cauliflower, cauliflower, garlic, roasting

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Filed Under: Dietary, Gluten-Free, Keto, Side Dishes, Vegan

Joanie Simon is a food photographer and stylist and family recipe keeper. In addition to The Dinner Bell, Joanie shares photography education at TheBiteShot.com.

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