Creamy and comforting, this mashed cauliflower recipe can easily replace mashed potatoes on your weeknight dinner. It's also fancy enough to serve it a your Thanksgiving table! And the hearty herbed chestnut topping adds a wonderful punch of flavor. Save on carbs and still serve your family exactly what they crave.
Mashed cauliflower has become a popular replacement for mashed potatoes and the fashionable lower-calorie dish will find its place at many Thanksgiving tables this year. We decided to take our mashed cauliflower dish up a notch with toothsome roasted chestnuts sprinkled with Herbes de Provence.
Ingredients for Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
- Cauliflower Florets. Save time and buy the ones already prepped at your grocery store. If you have time, buying a head of cauliflower and chopping it will save you money. You can also use frozen.
- Garlic. You will need a full head of garlic peeled and separated into cloves.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil. In place of butter.
- Unsweetened Non-Dairy Milk. We used almond-coconut milk, use your favorite plant-based milk, just make sure it is unsweetened and not vanilla-flavored
- Roasted Chestnuts. See our recipe for a beautiful and delicious garnish.
Ingredients for Roasted Chestnuts
How to Make Mashed Cauliflower
Our method for making cauliflower puree is much simpler than bringing it all to a boil in a pot. We just throw the fresh cauliflower and garlic cloves on a sheet pan, roast it until soft, let it cool, and then throw it in the bowl of a food processor with unsweetened almond-coconut milk and pulse until pureed. Salt and pepper to taste, and it is good to go!
Make the chestnuts separately and add them as a garnish. We use packaged roasted and peeled chestnuts, chopped and sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with savory Herbes de Provence. It is an incredibly decadent and rich dish; no one will ever believe it is low-carb.
Why You'll Love Our Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Our mashed cauliflower with herbed chestnuts has a creamy and velvety smooth texture. Savory Herbes de Provence (savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, oregano, and lavender) gives the dish a wonderful floral taste that brightens the richly-flavored chestnuts. If you prefer a less floral taste, use a spice blend with less lavender.
Cooking with Herbes de Provence is an easy way to impart a healthy zing to vegetables, tofu, soups, and stews. The mixture of dried herbs is a mixture of the most popular flavorings of southern France’s Provence region. The spice gained popularity in the U.S. during the 1970s when French-style brasseries became trendy, serving soups, omelets, and ratatouille. Try using just a small amount of Herbes de Provence if you haven’t used the spice blend before. Though delicious, its herbal and floral notes can be strong.
What to Serve with Mashed Cauliflower
Serve our dairy-free cauliflower mashed potatoes recipe with our other Thanksgiving favorites like Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, Pretzel and Cashew Crusted Tofu, or our delicious and elegant Tempeh Wellington.
Tips to Make the Best Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
- If you do not have a food processor, you can try an immersion blender or a potato masher.
- Make the chestnuts while your cauliflower cooks in the oven. This will allow you to time the dish perfectly.
- The cauliflower must be fork tender, which will take about 45 minutes.
- Change up your mashed cauliflower recipe with tempeh bacon, vegan parmesan cheese, vegan cream cheese, or vegan cheddar. A sprinkling of chives is also a great variation.
- If you don't have a head of garlic, you can substitute with jarred minced garlic. Make sure it is drained well because it can leave a bitter taste in your food.
Storage Instructions
How do I keep leftovers of mashed cauliflower?
This delicious side dish will stay in the refrigerator for three or four days if you store it in an airtight container.
Can I freeze leftover cauliflower mashed potatoes?
Yes! Since this is just straight-up cauliflower, it freezes incredibly well compared to mashed potatoes. Simply separate it into individual portions, place it in air-tight containers, and freeze it for up to three months. Reheat in the microwave and serve!
How do I reheat cauliflower mashed potatoes?
If your mashed cauliflower is in the refrigerator, stir it before reheating a serving in the microwave for thirty seconds at a time, continuing until it is heated through. If you are starting with frozen leftovers, microwave the container for two minutes, then stir it and chop it up with a spoon so it will thaw faster. Then continue in two-minute increments until it is ready to serve.
FAQ
Is mashed cauliflower healthier than mashed potatoes?
Yes! This dish is low-carb and full of vitamins and minerals.
How do you make mashed cauliflower less watery?
Because our cauliflower is not boiled for this recipe, you will have no issues with a watery dish. This issue comes from not draining the boiled vegetables well.
How do I make mashed cauliflower from frozen florets?
Use the exact same method! It will still work even if you are starting from frozen.
Other Delicious Cauliflower Recipes
- Black Eyed Peas Recipe with Swiss Chard Over Mashed Cauliflower
- How to Make Cauliflower Rice
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust
- Cauliflower Gratin
- Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos
DID YOU LIKE OUR CREAMY MASHED CAULIFLOWER RECIPE?
If you enjoyed this recipe, it would help us tremendously if you left us a star rating in the comments below or on the recipe card. Do you have any questions about the recipe? Do you need a swap for any of the ingredients? We are here to help, just leave us a question in the comments below.
Thanksgiving Mashed Cauliflower with Herbed Chestnuts
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings
Description
Creamy and comforting, this mashed cauliflower recipe can easily replace mashed potatoes on your Thanksgiving table! And the hearty herbed chestnut topping adds a wonderful punch of flavor.
Ingredients
- FOR THE MASHED CAULIFLOWER
- 4lbs cauliflower florets ( fresh or frozen)
- 1 head of garlic, peeled and cloves separated
- 3-4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ⅛-1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper ( to taste)
- 1 cup plain unsweetened non-dairy milk (we used almond-coconut) (See Note 1)
- FOR THE HERBED CHESTNUTS
- 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
- 10.5oz peeled and roasted chestnuts, sliced in half (See Note 2)
- 2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
FOR THE MASHED CAULIFLOWER
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange the cauliflower florets and the garlic (it's important not to crowd the baking sheets). Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive and bake for 45 minutes or until tender (depending on the size of the cauliflower florets, baking may take longer. Fresh cauliflower will take longer to bake as well)
- Remove the cauliflower and garlic from the oven, let it cool slightly and transfer to a food processor. Add the remaining 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and non-dairy milk. Process until smooth. (you might need to add more non-dairy milk to the cauliflower until the desired consistency is achieved). Adjust salt, pepper, and olive oil to taste
FOR THE HERBED CHESTNUTS
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the chestnuts, Herbes de Provence and salt and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, stirring often
Place the mashed cauliflower in an oven-safe baking dish and top with herbed chestnuts. To reheat, cover with aluminum foil at 250F, until warm
Notes
- In this recipe use a plain (not vanilla) unsweetened almond-coconut milk.
- You can easily find peeled chestnuts during Thanksgiving in most supermarkets. You can also find them in the kosher section of your supermarket or online
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American / Thanksgiving / Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ½ cup
- Calories: 230
- Sugar: 8.3
- Sodium: 456
- Fat: 10
- Saturated Fat: 1.6
- Unsaturated Fat: 7.8
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 32.7
- Fiber: 6.5
- Protein: 6
- Cholesterol: 0
Just Keto Diet
hello!,I really like your writing so so much! and your recipes too
Allyson
Super tasty and great Thanksgiving side dish!
Debbie
Can you please tell me how your recipes are translated from 1X, 2X, 3X to how many portions that is, if a portion is 1/2 cup.
Thank you!
Vicky and Ruth
Hi Debbie, thank you for reaching out. The serving portion for this recipe is 1/2 cup and the recipe makes about 4 cups, which is 8 servings. When you click 2X you are making 16 servings, if you clcik 3X you are making 24 servings.
Let me know if you have any other questions.