Healthy Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower is the best low-carb side dish recipe! You won’t even miss those starchy mashed potatoes once you learn how easy it is to make cauliflower super creamy with a quick boil and purée. Serve this comforting low-carb, keto, and vegan dish on a busy weeknight, or along with your holiday favorites.
With Fall in full swing here, it’s time for all things cozy, comforting, creamy, and secretly healthy?!… Yup, this cauliflower mashed potatoes recipe fits the bill.
I tell my husband all of the time how much Q4 (October-December, with a few extra days in September!) is my absolute favorite time of the year.
This time starts with my husbands birthday on September 23rd and ends with my birthday and New Year’s Eve.
However, one downside with these three months of the year is how much unhealthy food seems to surround us.
For some reason, much of our culture tends to associate comfort food with unhealthy food… but it doesn’t have to be that way!
This roasted garlic mashed cauliflower is the perfect example of how eating healthy can also make you feel all warm and cozy inside.
Not only is this side super creamy and delicious (I swear, it tastes just as good as these Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes!) but it’s also secretly low-carb, vegan, dairy-free, and Paleo!!
Ingredients
The simple ingredients you need to make mashed cauliflower include:
- Cauliflower. Make sure you get a LARGE head to have enough cauliflower florets for the recipe. You want to end up with about 5 cups of cauliflower florets. (Learn How to Cut Cauliflower if you don’t already know!)
- Roasted Garlic. This gives the dish SO much flavor! Learn How to Roast Garlic and prepare it up to 3 days in advance before making this recipe.
- Herbs. Fresh rosemary and thyme are used in this recipe, but you can also try adding sage or tarragon. Dried herbs may also be used, just make sure to use ⅓–½ the amount.
- Oil. A good quality olive oil will greatly contribute to the taste of this side dish.
- Milk. In order to get the right consistency, a touch of milk is needed. Regular, oat, almond, soy and cashew milk work great!
How to Make
The basic steps for making this roasted garlic mashed cauliflower recipe are simple to follow:
- Roast the garlic in the oven and remove the bulbs from the skin.
Lightly oil a head of garlic that has the end sliced off, sprinkle on some salt, wrap it in foil and then bake at 400° for 40-50 minutes. You can do this up to 3 days in advance.
- Cut the cauliflower into florets and boil the until tender, about 10-12 minutes. Drain the water and dry thoroughly.
Be sure to dry completely! Any extra water remaining and it will turn the mashed cauliflower soggy instead of fluffy.
- Add the cauliflower to a large food processor along with any seasoning ingredients.
A food processor is the best appliance to use, but a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix, also works great!
- Puree until JUST smooth. Be careful not to over purée or it will get too liquidy.
After you finish puréeing the cauliflower you will want to check the temperature of it. If it is not warm enough, add it back to the pot over Medium-Low heat and heat up to your desired temperature.
Meal Prep and Storage
- To Prep-Ahead: Roast the garlic, and wash and cut the cauliflower up to 3 days in advance. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.
- To Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Seal tightly in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 4-6 months.
- To Reheat: Warm on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through. Note that the cauliflower will begin to separate from the liquid and will need to be stirred before serving.
FAQs
Mashed cauliflower is healthier than mashed potatoes due to having fewer calories, less starch, and lower carbs. Plus, cauliflower packs in more nutrients.
Roasted cauliflower has a relatively mild taste and can be seasoned similarly to mashed potatoes. While the texture will be close, they will not taste exactly the same.
Make sure to drain all the excess liquid from the cauliflower before puréeing. You can also try roasting the cauliflower instead of boiling it for a firmer mash.
Mix in milk, cheese, butter, a vegan butter substitute, or sour cream to make it silky smooth.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Boil until tender. You definitely want the cauliflower to be soft so it blends well.
- Dry thoroughly. Extra moisture will make the consistency too runny.
- Roast it real good. The garlic should have a nice golden to dark brown hue for the most flavor. You can use fresh, but it will have a more pungent taste.
- Dress it up. Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of fresh herbs, and additional roasted garlic cloves.
- Change the flavor. Try a mix of different herbs and spices each time you make it.
More Cauliflower Recipes
If you are a fan of cauliflower, make sure to check out these other healthy recipes:
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Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- ¼ cup milk almond or cashew milk
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp. rosemary fresh
- 1 ½ tsp. thyme fresh
- 3-4 cloves roasted garlic
- ¾-1 tsp. salt to taste
- 1 pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Roast a head of garlic in the oven. Trim the ends, drizzle on 1 tablespoon of oil, sprinkle with salt, wrap in foil and then bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes. You can do this up to 3 days in advance and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil cauliflower for 10-12 minutes. Drain water and place cauliflower on a towel and dry cauliflower completely before proceeding.
- In the bowl of a food processor combine cauliflower, milk, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, roasted garlic cloves, salt, to taste, and a pinch of black pepper.
- Puree for 1-2 minutes or until mashed cauliflower is completely smooth. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl every 20-30 seconds to ensure even pureeing.
- If mashed cauliflower has cooled too much, return it to the pot and heat it to your desired temperature.
- Serve mashed cauliflower with a drizzle of olive oil and a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme and enjoy!
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Video
Notes
- Do NOT use a Vitamix or high-speed blender. You will end up with overly-blended and runny cauliflower mashed potatoes.
- To Store: Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days.
- To Freeze: Seal tightly in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 4-6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t have cloves of the garlic, could I use minced garlic ,and how should I roast that ?
You absolutely can, Sharon! Saute it in a skillet over medium heat for 30-60 seconds, or until it’s lightly browned and fragrant. You’ll want 1/2 teaspoon for every clove of garlic.
just made this recipe!!!! it is awesome very delicious !!!!! thank you!!!!!
Hurray! So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Ron! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
just made this recipe !!!!! very good!!!!!!
Yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Ron! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating!
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. It tastes so great with italian meatballs and marinara sauce.
Yay! So happy you enjoyed it, Leah – I bet that’s a delicious combo. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂
How is this vegan? Milk is not vegan…
You can use any milk alternative that you’d like – I use cashew milk and almond milk in this recipe and they both work great!
Thisrecipe is amaaaazing. Going in the heavy rotation. Even my husband who is a little averse to cauliflower mash looooved it. Thanks!
Oh that’s the best! It’s always a WIN when the hubby approves :). Thanks for your comment and rating!
So so so delicious
Yay! Happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe so much – thanks for the comment and rating!
I want to try this recipe tonight! However I don’t have fresh herbs, is it ok if I use dried herbs ?
Yes, Natalia! You absolutely can use dried instead of fresh. Just make sure to use about 1/3-1/2 of the amount suggested!