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    🏠Home » Recipes » Low Carb/Keto Recipes

    Creamy Mashed Cauliflower—Fresh or Frozen

    May 4, 2021 · Modified: Oct 28, 2022 by Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan · Leave a Comment

    Recipe Table of Contents    
    4.34 from 6 votes

    This creamy mashed cauliflower recipe is quick and easy with either fresh or frozen cauliflower. It is great for any low-caloric or low-carb diet with excellent taste and texture.

    mashed cauliflower on plate

    Jump To:
    • 👨‍🍳How to make this recipe
    • The Cauliflower
    • 🥘Make It Special
    • FAQs
    • 📖Cauliflower Recipes
    • 🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
    • 📝Recipe

    Blue ribbon divider used for visual effect

    Introduction

    The secret to great-tasting mashed cauliflower lies in how you flavor them. Some butter, garlic, and sour cream go a long way in making you forget mashed potatoes.

    Cauliflower is a great way to cut down carbs but also calories. Just cooked raw potato vs. cauliflower is about a 4:1 ratio in calories. But considering what you then do to them with butter, heavy cream, and other things, your nutritional savings will vary by what you are comparing.

    I can't tell it from real garlic mashed potatoes, and really good ones at that — a good and very healthy side dish. Maybe you should cut the butter a little to call it healthy.

    👨‍🍳How to make this recipe

    1. Use fresh trimmed cauliflower or thawed frozen cauliflower.
    2. Cook the cauliflower to be tender with a fork. For fresh, you can boil or steam for about 15 minutes. Or microwave covered with a bit of water for 4-5 minutes. For frozen, cook according to package instructions but usually for 4-5 minutes in the microwave.
    3. While cooking cauliflower, put all remaining ingredients in the large food processor. Place hot cauliflower in the processor and puree. Open and occasionally check to be sure the stems are incorporated.
    4. Serve hot.

    The Cauliflower

    You can get your cauliflower any way you want. Frozen, fresh, or riced.

    If using fresh cauliflower, one medium head will weigh about 1 ½ to 2 pounds and yield about 75% of that weight after trimming and cooking. So adjust accordingly. I think it is about the same as two 12 oz frozen packages.

    You may steam the fresh cauliflower for about 15 minutes or boil it for about 10 minutes. You need to get to tender by fork so that it will vary. You can also microwave with a bit of water, usually for 4-5 minutes.

    Frozen Cauliflower is very convenient for me. The packages were 1 pound, but now in 2021 are usually only 12 oz. Cook according to package instructions and can vary a bit due to microwave strength. Again you are looking for tender.

    There are also proceeded types of cauliflower now available and cook according to their instructions.

    🥘Make It Special

    I think a little dairy is needed. In mashed potatoes, I add milk and butter. You can do that here, also.

    But I feel that the cauliflower needs a bit more flavor. For a special touch, you need some garlic, more butter, a touch of sour cream, and perhaps some cheese of your choice.

    The garlic is somewhat of a to-taste thing like the salt. I suggest two cloves of minced or crushed garlic /pound of cauliflower, but my wife will double that amount.

    You can add some Parmesan cheese for a special taste. 2-3 tablespoons grated per pound of cauliflower. Or a half teaspoon of thyme or rosemary.

    FAQs

    Can I use a hand mixer, or is a food processor required?

    The better mixed the cauliflower is, the creamier it will be. The food processor is needed for that. If you don't mind some chunkiness, a hand mixer will do but it will not process stems well.

    How to store mashed cauliflower.

    Mashed cauliflower stores so well it is perfect for making ahead and reheating.

    Refrigerated should be good for 3-4 days and frozen for several months.

    📖Cauliflower Recipes

    Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole A personal favorite of ours. This is my version of Crack Mashed Cauliflower.

    Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

    This recipe is listed in these categories. See them for more similar recipes.

    Low Carb/Keto Recipes, Side Dish Recipes
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    🖼️Step-by-Step Photo Instructions

    trimmed cauliflower on a black board

    Get your cauliflower either by trimming a medium head or frozen. A bag of frozen is about ¾ pounds now, and a trimmed medium head of raw cauliflower will be approximately 1 ½ pounds.

    putting cauliflower into microwave

    Cook the cauliflower to be tender with a fork. For fresh, you can boil or steam for about 15 minutes. Or microwave covered with a bit of water for 4-5 minutes. For frozen, cook according to package instructions but usually for 4-5 minutes in the microwave.

    cauliflower in the food processor

    Put all remaining ingredients in the large food processor. Place hot cauliflower in the processor and puree. Open occasionally and check to be sure the stems are incorporated.

    mashed cauliflower in a bowl
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    📝Recipe

    mashed cauliflower on plate

    Creamy Mashed Cauliflower—Fresh or Frozen

    From Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
    Your keto diet just got a lot easier with this wonderful mashed cauliflower recipe. Great for any low-carb diet. So quick and easy with a microwave and these step by step photo instructions.
    Tap to leave a Rating
    4.34 from 6 votes
    Print Email CollectionCollected
    Prep Time: 6 minutes
    Cook Time: 8 minutes
    Total Time: 14 minutes
    Servings #/Adjust if desired 4

    Ingredients

    • ¾ lb cauliflower
    • 1 tablespoon sour cream
    • 2 tablespoons butter - decrease if you want lower fat
    • 2 cloves garlic - minced or crushed
    • ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt - to taste
    • pepper - to taste
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    Instructions

    • Get your cauliflower either by trimming a medium head or frozen. A bag of frozen is about ¾ pounds now and a trimmed medium head of raw cauliflower will be about 1 ½ pounds. Adjust the ingredients to compensate
      trimmed cauliflower on a black board
    • Cook the cauliflower to being tender by a fork. For fresh, you can boil, or steam for about 15 minutes. Or microwave covered with a bit of water for 4-5 minutes. For frozen, cook according to package instructions but usually 4-5 minutes in the microwave.
      putting cauliflower into microwave
    • While cauliflower is cooking, put all remaining ingredients in the large food processor. Place hot cauliflower in the processor and puree. Open and occasionally check to be sure the stems are incorporated.
      cauliflower in the food processor
    • Serve hot.
      mashed cauliflower in a bowl
    See the step-by-step photos in the post. Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print.

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    Recipe Notes

    Pro tips:

    1. A food blender is required to get this right.
    2. This is written for ¾ pound (one frozen bag) of cauliflower. If using a medium head of fresh cauliflower, it will be close to 1 ½ pounds, so double the there ingredients.
    3. You can vary the other ingredients for taste, Grated Parmesan about 2-3 tablespoons, a half teaspoon of thyme or rosemary if that is your taste.
    4. Good in refrigerator for 3-4 days and may be frozen for several months.
     

    To adjust the recipe size:

    You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

    Nutrition Estimate

    Nutrition Facts
    Creamy Mashed Cauliflower—Fresh or Frozen
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 77 Calories from Fat 54
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 6g9%
    Saturated Fat 3g15%
    Trans Fat 0g
    Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
    Monounsaturated Fat 0g
    Cholesterol 16mg5%
    Sodium 147mg6%
    Potassium 254mg7%
    Carbohydrates 4g1%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 1g1%
    Protein 1g2%
    Vitamin A 175IU4%
    Vitamin C 41.5mg50%
    Calcium 26mg3%
    Iron 0.4mg2%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
    Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.
    Course : Vegetables
    Cuisine : American

    © 101 Cooking for Two, LLC. All content and photographs are copyright protected by us or our vendors. While we appreciate your sharing our recipes, please realize copying, pasting, or duplicating full recipes to any social media, website, or electronic/printed media is strictly prohibited and a violation of our copyrights.

    Editor's Note: Originally posted May 5, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.

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