Learn how to make the easy and the most flavorful Mashed Cauliflower and Potatoes. The silky smooth buttery puree is healthy, without heavy cream or cream cheese, and a hint of garlic. The best side dish for any steak!
You will be surprised how easy it is! Make this creamy puree with both cauliflower and potatoes or choose just one of these. Either way, both are a delicious side dish.
There is a skip-to-recipe button in the top left corner along with a clickable table of contents list (just below) that will quickly take you to the part you are more interested in. Enjoy!
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Why It's Yummy
- Buttery and ultra-creamy smooth texture!
- All-natural, no high-calorie ingredients, pure natural; flavors without any addition of cream cheese, heavy cream, or sour cream.
- Serve it with Pork Tenderloin, Shrimp Scampi (my favorite choice!), Meatballs, Asparagus, and Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast. Or any other meal you’d normally serve with mashed potatoes!
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Ingredients
My few comments on the ingredients + don't forget to read the Tips section!
The full recipe and ingredients can be found in the recipe card below this post.
- Potatoes - white or yellow potatoes. Any potato that has higher starch content such as Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Like with any mashed potato recipe these are the best to choose and will result in smooth, most flavored potato mash.
- Cauliflower - typically you’ll find pre-cut and packaged cauliflower florets in the store which is great to save up some prep time. Use it or get a whole cauliflower head instead (cheaper but more work involved).
- Milk - any fat % milk will work here, as you only need a little here. Non-dairy milk options work very well as well, on different occasions I’ve used oat milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk (just make sure they have no added sugar!).
- Butter - unsalted or salted is your choice and you may not need to add extra salt at all. Although I love my cauliflower properly salted!
- Vegetable stock powder/Vegeta - makes a difference to the final flavor so don’t skip this! Increase to 1 teaspoon if you’re loving the taste. Just be careful not to overseason things as this ‘’spice blend’’ usually comes with added salt in it.
- Garlic - just like my Garlic Mashed Potatoes With Cream Cheese I love adding enough garlic to any vegetable mash I’d make. Properly salted with enough garlic and butter you’ll always have the perfect mashed puree that everyone will love!
Instructions
Cut the larger florets in half or quarter so they're all about the same size.
There are two ways you can make this recipe - boil or steam the veggies.
Steaming does give better results in terms of flavor and more nutrients remain in the veggies this way.
Method 1 - Boil them. Add them to a medium pot with boiling water along with chopped potatoes.
Tip: Try to cut the potatoes slightly smaller than florets or at least the same size so they cook evenly. Cauliflower cooks faster than potatoes so cutting potatoes smaller makes up for this and helps them cook about the same amount of time.
Cook for 8-10 minutes until soft. Vegetables are ready when you can pierce a knife in easily and without resistance.
Method 2 - Steam them. If you have a steamer just follow the manufacturer's instructions for steaming the veggies.
With most brands, it usually takes about 20 minutes. Continue with the instructions below.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add garlic. Saute for half or a minute until fragrant.
Melt in the remaining butter, add milk, Vegeta seasoning, with salt. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
When vegetables are cooked through, drain them well and let steam for at least 5 minutes (this will also help to avoid watery texture).
Transfer vegetables to a food processor or a large bowl (if using a handheld immersion blender.)
Add milk mixture gradually and blend until the vegetables turn into smooth and silky puree. You may not need to use all of the milk.
Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with melted butter or oil and garnish with parsley, black pepper.
Serve as a side dish with anything!
Serving Suggestions
Optional add ons and garnish ideas:
- Parmesan
- Flavored oil with herbs and spices
- Fresh herbs - rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley or a combination of all of these!
- Chives, green onions
- Ground Turmeric
- Crispy bacon
My recommendations for main course. Here's what you can serve with mashed potatoes and cauliflower:
JULIA'S TIP For an extra hearty meal, we like to serve this mash with lazy Cabbage Roll Casserole or my unstuffed Ukrainian Cabbage Rolls.
ALL DINNER recipes.
Tips
- Make it healthy - use more cauliflower instead of potatoes. Not only it is healthier but cauliflower has more fiber and is low in calories. The cooking process also matters.
- Boiling vegetables is better than frying however it can’t be compared with steaming them. Steam the cauliflower and potatoes (skin on even better) as this helps to reduce the loss of minerals and vitamins.
- Equipment – For the creamiest silky smooth puree, use a good food processor or blender. Depending on the size of your kitchen tool you may need to do this in batches.
Freezing And Storing Instructions
Store the mashed cauliflower and potatoes in a glass airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
Reheat in a small saucepot or microwave with extra milk, butter, or oil to get the initial creamy consistency back.
Even though I don't recommend freezing this as the flavor will change but if you need to, freeze in a zip lock bag for up to 2-3 months. Reheat the same way as described above.
FAQ
Why is my cauliflower mash watery?
Your cauliflower mash may become watery if you have not drained the cooked cauliflower properly and blended it right away without allowing it to steam for at least 5 minutes.
Also, add your liquid (such as milk) gradually when blending the cauliflower, remember, you may not need to use all milk that the recipe calls for.
For a good potato mash, you’ll need to choose starchy potatoes such as Yukon or Russets. Avoid using red and ‘’waxy’’ potatoes for a puree as they are more firm and hard to mash and will not give the creamy, fluffy result.
This usually happens when you have overmixed your potatoes with a hand mixer or food processor. There is a very small chance of this happening if you have used an old-school potato masher.
Great news, you can probably still fix this. Add in melted butter (or olive oil) in batches, about 1 tablespoon at a time. Fold in gently into the potatoes and see if you need to repeat the process.
In case you have overmixed your potatoes or used the wrong ratios and now need to thicken your mashed potatoes, there is a solution. You can either continue to cook the watery mash in a pot, where the heat will help the excess moisture to evaporate.
Although it is a little risky move as you can burn your mash and make the potatoes gummy instead. Another option with very watery potatoes is to thicken them with either flour, cornstarch, or powdered milk. Start with 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring it into the potatoes mixture.
I hope you'll enjoy this utterly creamy mashed cauliflower and potatoes and if you make this recipe, please let me know down below in the comments or by tagging @theyummy_bowl under your picture on Instagram.
Thank you for reading,
Love,
Julia
Gluten Free Side Dish Recipes
- Mashed Potatoes With Cream Cheese And Garlic
- Cheesy Green Bean Casserole With Bacon
- Homemade Gluten Free Tater Tots
- Avocado Corn Salad
- Cajun Corn On The Cob
- Easy Asparagus With Cheese And Tomatoes
Easy Potato Recipes
ALL SIDE DISH recipes.
Creamy Mashed Cauliflower And Potatoes
INGREDIENTS
- 1 head of cauliflower (trimmed and cut into florets (about 4 cups))
- 2 medium potatoes (Yukon or Russet, chopped)
- 4 tablespoon butter (unsalted or salted)
- 2 medium garlic cloves (minced)
- ½ teaspoon vegetable stock powder or Vegeta
- ¼ cup - ½ cup milk (I used oat milk)
- Salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the larger florets in half or quarter so they're all about the same size. Tip: Try to cut the potatoes slightly smaller than florets or at least the same size so they cook evenly. Cauliflower cooks faster than potatoes so cutting potatoes smaller makes up for this and helps them cook about the same amount of time.
- There are two ways you can make this recipe - boil or steam the veggies. Steaming does give better results in terms of flavor and more nutrients remain in the veggies this way.
- Method 1 - Boil them. Add them to a medium pot with boiling water along with chopped potatoes.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until soft. Vegetables are ready when you can pierce a knife in easily and without resistance.
- Method 2 - Steam them. If you have a steamer just follow the manufacturer's instructions for steaming the veggies. With most brands, it usually takes about 20 minutes. Continue with the instructions below.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add garlic. Saute for half or a minute until fragrant.
- Melt in the remaining butter, add milk, Vegeta seasoning, with salt. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
- When vegetables are cooked through, drain them well and let steam for at least 5 minutes (this will also help to avoid watery texture).
- Transfer vegetables to a food processor or a large bowl (if using a handheld immersion blender.)
- Add milk mixture gradually and blend until the vegetables turn into smooth and silky puree. You may not need to use all of the milk.
- Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer to a serving bowl, drizzle with melted butter or oil and garnish with parsley, black pepper.
- Serve as a side dish with anything!
NOTES
- Potatoes - white or yellow potatoes. Any potato that has higher starch content such as Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes. Like with any mashed potato recipe these are the best to choose and will result in smooth, most flavored potato mash.
- Cauliflower - typically you’ll find pre-cut and packaged cauliflower florets in the store which is great to save up some prep time. Use it or get a whole cauliflower head instead (cheaper but more work involved).
-
Why is my cauliflower mash watery?
Your cauliflower mash may become watery if you have not drained the cooked cauliflower properly and blended it right away without allowing it to steam for at least 5 minutes. Also, add your liquid (such as milk) gradually when blending the cauliflower, remember, you may not need to use all milk that the recipe calls for. -
What potatoes are not good for mashing?
For a good potato mash, you’ll need to choose starchy potatoes such as Yukon or Russets. Avoid using red and ‘’waxy’’ potatoes for a puree as they are more firm and hard to mash and will not give the creamy, fluffy result.
PRIVATE NOTES
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)
Julia | The Yummy Bowl
The best alternative for creamy mashed potatoes!