Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower is comfort food in a bowl! This recipe is easy to make, delicious, and guaranteed to please a crowd. Weight Watchers friendly- 1 SmartPoint!

 

Creamy mashed cauliflower mixed with light sour cream, salt, and pepper topped with grated parmesan cheese.

 

Mashed potatoes are comfort in a bowl to me.  I could eat mashed potatoes probably every day, but it really isn’t smart for my waist line.  Whoever thought of replacing cauliflower with potatoes to make mashed “potatoes” is a genius!  I’ve made mashed cauliflower a ton of ways, but the best way I’ve found is without using milk.  That’s right, without milk!  My Garlic Mashed Cauliflower recipe will be sure to satisfy your comfort food craving and it’s only 1 SmartPoint per serving.

 

Cauliflower is so underrated!  Seriously, it tastes just like mashed potatoes and it’s SO MUCH BETTER FOR YOU!  Cauliflower helps with weight loss, improves digestion, and so much more!  There are tons of ways to swap in cauliflower into recipes and once you read more about how great and healthy cauliflower is for you, you’ll  be using it a lot more!

 

I’ve made mashed cauliflower so many times but I was never able to really get the consistency the way I really wanted.  After a few tries, I decided to only use sour cream and butter in the cauliflower and ditched the milk.  It worked!  The consistency is creamy, but not runny.

 

Another trick to making the cauliflower perfect is to use either a food processor or blender.  Hand mixers and immersion blenders just don’t work!  Trust me on this!

   

 

Creamy mashed cauliflower mixed with light sour cream, salt, and pepper.

 

Comfort food in a bowl! A healthy yet delicious alternative to mashed potatoes.  Creamy mashed cauliflower mixed with light sour cream, salt, and pepper topped with grated parmesan cheese.  Low fat and low carb!

 

Creamy mashed cauliflower mixed with light sour cream, salt, and pepper topped with grated parmesan cheese.

 

I hope you enjoy these bites of flavor!

 

Watch this 60 second video for how to make Garlic Mashed Cauliflower:

 

 

Creamy mashed cauliflower mixed with light sour cream, salt, and pepper topped with grated parmesan cheese.

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Comfort food in a bowl! This recipe is easy to make, delicious, and guaranteed to please a crowd. Healthy and the perfect side dish for any meal.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 25 mins
Total Time 35 mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Large Head of cauliflower
  • 1 Tablespoon Light Butter, ( I use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter or Smart Balance)
  • 1 Tablespoon Light Sour Cream
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 2 Teaspoons Salt, To taste
  • 1 Teaspoon Pepper, To taste
  • 1 Tablespoon Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 Tablespoon Parsley

Instructions
 

  • Clean cauliflower and cut the center bottom to remove the stem and leaf parts.
  • Dice cauliflower into chunks and put into a large pot. Fill pot with water to cover the cauliflower.
  • Top with fresh cracked salt and pepper.
  • Cover pot with lid and boil cauliflower for about 25 minutes until tender.
  • Drain in a colander.
  • Add cauliflower, light butter, light sour cream, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor (or blender).
  • Mix until all ingredients are combined and cauliflower is a creamy texture.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley.

Notes

**I prefer to use add fresh garlic to the cauliflower. If you do not like the taste of fresh garlic, you can sauté the minced garlic for a minute in a skillet with 1 teaspoon olive oil then add to the cauliflower in step 6.
**If you use "riced" or already shredded cauliflower, make sure you let the cauliflower drain really well after boiling, otherwise the cauliflower mash will come out watery.

Nutrition is based on the Weight Watchers Freestyle Program guidelines. Nutrition calculated using Weight Watchers calculator.
NUTRITION: Serves 4, 1 Cup Per Serving- (1 SmartPoint Per Serving) CALORIES: 19 FAT: 1.7 SATURATED FAT: 0.7 CARBS: 0.3 FIBER: 0 SUGARS: 0 PROTEIN: 0.6

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56 Comments

  • Reply
    Ann-Marie
    August 11, 2016 at 1:19 am Can you mix the ingredients in a blender? I don't have a food processor.
    • Reply
      Kristine
      August 11, 2016 at 8:18 am Great question Ann-Marie! Yes, you can definitely use a blender for this recipe. I wouldn't recommend using a hand mixer though. The hand mixer doesn't break down the cauliflower that well. A blender totally will!! Thanks for commenting and I hope you enjoy the recipe!
  • Reply
    Yum Girl
    August 25, 2016 at 9:48 pm Welcome to Yum Goggle! We are following you on all your social media and hope you will follow us back. We will try our best to tag you each time we promote your posts. Kelli at YG!
  • Reply
    Scott Groth
    October 5, 2016 at 7:05 pm This looks delicious, will definitely have to try! Thanks for sharing.
    • Reply
      Kristine
      October 6, 2016 at 9:29 am Let me know how it comes out Scott... you'll LOVE it! Thank you for commenting Scott!
  • Reply
    Chris
    October 16, 2016 at 11:12 pm I made this tonight, the consistency was perfect as you said!! However there's one step I should have done (I also did not see it in the recipe). COOK the garlic before putting in food processor with all ingredients. If not you will have extremely strong (pungent) taste of raw garlic in your dish. I'm DEFINITELY making this again with the modification!
    • Reply
      Kristine
      October 17, 2016 at 9:38 am Great point Chris! I tend to like a garlicy flavor so I've always used raw garlic, but it can be overpowering. I'm glad you made it and liked the consistency! Thank you for commenting!
  • Reply
    Karol
    October 29, 2016 at 1:47 pm Would I be able to use a hand mixer? I do not have a food processor.
    • Reply
      Kristine
      October 30, 2016 at 2:47 pm Yes, you can definitely use a hand mixer. I would recommend letting the cauliflower boil for a little bit longer just so it is super soft when blending using a hand mixer. Thank you for commenting Karol!
  • Reply
    Danielle @ Follow My Gut
    November 22, 2016 at 11:52 am I love potatoes so much that I would be insulted if someone replaced them with cauliflower. HOWEVER, I was so shocked to see just how good these looked and the way you describe your love for them made me think that I could do without the potatoes. Now that's crazy!!!! You seriously won me over with this recipe, nice job!!! Danielle | FollowMyGut.com <3
    • Reply
      Kristine
      November 23, 2016 at 10:00 am WOW! I'm so happy to hear this!!!! I am telling you that these taste just as good and you won't feel guilty for eating more than one serving.... which is what happens every time I make these. I hope you try this recipe out soon :) Thanks so much for commenting Danielle!
  • Reply
    kirsty-rose
    December 7, 2016 at 10:36 am I absolutely love potatoes and I know they are not the healthiest choice! I'll definitely be trying this as we always have cauliflower at home! Thank you for sharing x
    • Reply
      Kristine
      December 7, 2016 at 3:46 pm They taste just like potatoes!! Thanks for commenting!
  • Reply
    Sheila St John
    January 12, 2017 at 10:34 pm Omg!!!!! These are totally the bomb.... one thing if you LOVE lots of garlic then use 2 cloves, next time I will start with half a clove.... but I couldn't believe how they smelled like mashed taters ?... This IS a MUST try!!!
    • Reply
      Kristine
      January 13, 2017 at 5:45 pm Oh wow Sheial I'm so glad you made this recipe! I wish I had some of this right now :)
  • Reply
    Jessica
    January 23, 2017 at 8:33 pm How would you recommend to reheat after blending so they stay hot.
    • Reply
      Kristine
      January 24, 2017 at 2:27 pm Great question! I usually reheat them in the microwave or oven. Transfer to an oven safe dish. For microwave, just heat on 50% power for 2-4 minutes until they are warm. For the oven, cover the dish and cook on 300 degrees for 10 minutes. Thanks Jessica!
  • Reply
    Jori L.
    February 24, 2017 at 2:00 pm Can I skip sour cream?
    • Reply
      Kristine
      February 24, 2017 at 3:41 pm Sometimes I use fat free plain Greek yogurt and get the same result as if I would have used sour cream. I haven't made this recipe sour cream/Greek yogurt, but I'm sure it would be ok! The sour cream/Greek yogurt adds a bit of creaminess to the dish. Let me know how it turns out Jori!
  • Reply
    Nicole
    March 22, 2017 at 11:52 am I usually make my mashed potatoes with sour cream. This looks so good! I wonder if I could make this work on a shepherds pie... Nicole recently posted...Virtues of a bowl of oatmeal porridgeMy Profile
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 23, 2017 at 8:57 am I love adding sour cream to this and to mashed potatoes! You can totally use this for Shepherd's Pie. In fact, I have a recipe for Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd's Pie!
  • Reply
    Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
    March 22, 2017 at 5:05 pm We all love cauliflower in this house. Roasted, grilled, cauliflower rice, puree...and this mashed cauliflower adds to the list too. Perfect sub for potatoes. Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy recently posted...Easy Classic Pickled Eggs Recipe Done My WayMy Profile
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 23, 2017 at 8:56 am I love subbing cauliflower for anything I can! Thanks Gloria!
  • Reply
    Fred
    March 22, 2017 at 6:27 pm When we were kids my mom will try endless times to get us to eat cauliflower but to no avail. Now I love cauliflower and your recipe looks simple and delicious. Thanks for sharing!
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 23, 2017 at 8:56 am Thank you so much Fred!
  • Reply
    Aish Das-Padihari
    March 23, 2017 at 5:01 pm For me potatoes are comfort food and I can eat potatoes day in and day out. Your pics are tempting me now. Aish Das-Padihari recently posted...Mixed Berry Mint JulepMy Profile
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 24, 2017 at 11:37 am I love potatoes too! Thanks Aish!
  • Reply
    Sarah James @ Tales From The Kitchen Shed
    March 24, 2017 at 7:35 am What a great idea, I love cauliflower and your mash looks delicious. I like the tip to cook the garlic beforehand. Thanks for sharing :-)
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 24, 2017 at 11:31 am Thanks Sarah! I hope you give this recipe a try soon :)
  • Reply
    Mark S.
    March 24, 2017 at 4:24 pm I'm a big fan of anything "cauliflower." This cauliflower mash recipe looks delicious. I'm adding it to my "to-make" list.
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 28, 2017 at 11:06 am I hope you try this soon Mark!!
  • Reply
    Jacqueline Piper | PiperCooks.com
    March 24, 2017 at 6:29 pm Great recipe, I love cauliflower (and mashed cauliflower and cauliflower "rice"). I sometimes add a sweet potato in with mine or even a regular potato. I'll try this out! Jacqueline Piper | PiperCooks.com recently posted...Cara Cara Orange Cake with Orange Cream Cheese IcingMy Profile
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 28, 2017 at 10:49 am OH, a sweet potato added would be delicious!! Thanks for checking this recipe out Jacqueline!
  • Reply
    Margot
    March 24, 2017 at 7:46 pm This is brilliant idea! We love cauliflower but never crossed my mind I could use it instead of old, good mashed potatoes. I think I will try this trick on my husband as well as we all need to loose some weight before summer. Margot recently posted...DIY Paper Plate Bake Sale BoxesMy Profile
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 28, 2017 at 10:49 am Yes, you should totally try this instead of mashed potatoes! I love mashed potatoes but feel guilty eating them at home... mashed cauliflower is perfect to cure my craving! I hope you try this recipe soon Margot!
  • Reply
    Amy
    March 27, 2017 at 2:54 pm Oh I'm sure this is definitely yum! Cauliflower is one of my favorite vegetables and I use it all the time for cauliflower rice, but I have never done them mashed before! I'm going to have to give it a try!
    • Reply
      Kristine
      March 28, 2017 at 10:21 am Oh you would LOVE them mashed! I make this recipe all the time now. So good! Thanks Amy!
  • Reply
    Katie
    April 27, 2017 at 11:15 am Can you use frozen cauliflower instead?
    • Reply
      Kristine
      April 27, 2017 at 1:24 pm Yes! The cauliflower doesn't need to be thawed, just cook as you would if you were using fresh cauliflower.
  • Reply
    Tina
    May 11, 2017 at 7:46 pm This recipe was oneof the best ever. I loved it!!!!!!
    • Reply
      Kristine
      May 12, 2017 at 11:46 am Oh I'm so glad to hear Tina! I make this all the time :)!!
  • Reply
    Suzi Mireau
    July 24, 2017 at 6:03 pm I would love to make this, but am curious about the sodium. My husband had a heart attack and I am carefully watching sodium on ALL recipes. How can there be 0 sodium with 2 teaspoons of salt?
    • Reply
      Kristine
      July 25, 2017 at 10:06 am Hi Suzi, Great question! I have calculated the total sodium for 1 serving (1 cup) of Garlic Mashed Cauliflower and the total sodium is 675mg. If you are watching sodium intake, reduce the salt amount in the recipe, or substitute for low sodium salt. 2 teaspoons of salt is 2325mg sodium!
  • Reply
    Susan Jablonski
    September 23, 2017 at 8:22 pm I made this tonight, along with lemon garlic shrimp and quinoa. I LOVED them. I loved the mash so much, I'll never make mashed POTATOES ever again. I bought the fresh cauliflower crumbles, and microwaved steamed them for 4.5 minutes. Then followed your directions. Also I sautéed the garlic in a little extra virgin olive oil and added that right into the food processor. The mash came out SO smooth and buttery. I can't sing my praise enough! Thank you!!!
    • Reply
      Kristine
      September 25, 2017 at 6:04 pm I'm SO happy to read this Susan! I never make mashed potatoes anymore either. I'm so glad the consistency came out the way you wanted. Next time, I'm definitely going to try the fresh cauliflower crumbles... great time saver!!
  • Reply
    Brian Cumming
    May 29, 2018 at 5:56 pm Hi every time I try to make the mashed Cauliflower it always turns out a little watery. My Wife is celiac so we have to use Ghee instead of butter. What can I do to make the mash more like creamy potatoes
    • Reply
      Kristine
      August 6, 2018 at 10:19 am Sorry to hear that! Make sure that you let the cauliflower drain properly after it has been boiled; I usually let my cauliflower drain for 5 minutes or so to make sure it's dried out a little bit. I would recommend blending the cauliflower first, then adding in butter and sour cream so that you can control the consistency. I hope this helps!
  • Reply
    Sharon Hendry
    October 8, 2018 at 5:11 am What can I use if I’m vegan and don’t want sour cream in anything?
    • Reply
      Kristine
      October 10, 2018 at 11:57 am Hi Sharon, Quite often I use Greek Yogurt in place of sour cream. I would recommend that you try to use a plain vegan greek yogurt, maybe an almond milk yogurt!
  • Reply
    Ximena
    October 14, 2018 at 4:29 pm I just made this and WOW! It’s delicious! Thank you for sharing! :)
    • Reply
      Kristine
      October 22, 2018 at 9:46 pm I'm so glad you liked this recipe!!
  • Reply
    Janice
    November 5, 2018 at 1:41 pm I've just started weight watchers and trying not to get bored eating the same thing, when someone mentioned cauliflower instead of potatoes. Can't wait to try this. Your blog confused me a little when you said "swamp," I thought you were talking about drowning it in liquid, then I realized you were swapping, or trading the ingredients. Probably a spell-check thing. Looking for more ideas. Thanks.
    • Reply
      Kristine
      November 12, 2018 at 10:21 am Oh good catch on that typo! It should say swap! I hope you like this recipe... I make it all the time when I'm craving mashed potatoes.
  • Reply
    Ripon hassan
    December 24, 2020 at 4:47 pm Everything is so nicely described that really helped me. Truly appreciate and enjoyed this beautiful recipe. Looking forward for more such recipes in future too. Ripon hassan recently posted...Tandoori roti recipeMy Profile
  • Reply
    Eva Henry
    July 8, 2021 at 4:24 am Garlic mashed cauliflower! It sounds healthier and also looks yummy! As I am a cooking lover, I always like to try something new. You did a great job by sharing this recipe. I'll definitely try this recipe. Many thanks! Eva Eva Henry recently posted...Stock Trading on Cash App: Steps for Trading Stocks on Cash AppMy Profile
  • Reply
    Expert Guides
    May 15, 2023 at 3:29 am Amazing recipe. It was so yummy, everyone in the family loved it. Expert Guides recently posted...How to Make Creamy Chicken Paprikash Soup in 30 MinutesMy Profile

    5 stars

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