Cauliflower Mash Potatoes Creamy Light Recipe

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.

Cauliflower mashed potatoes video

Ingredients & Substitutions

How to make cauliflower mashed potatoes

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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!

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. 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. 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.

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Mushroom Gravy

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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. 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.

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