Mashed cauliflower is a delicious, comforting side that comes together in under 30 minutes with just a few simple ingredients. I use an immersion blender along with mayo, butter, and Parmesan cheese for an extra smooth, indulgent texture. Perfect for both easy weeknight dinners and elegant holiday meals.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
If you’re craving comfort food but want something lighter, this mashed cauliflower will totally surprise you.
It’s creamy, buttery, and full of flavor, all the cozy goodness of mashed potatoes but with a lighter, veggie-forward twist.
After testing this recipe a few times, I found the combo of butter, mayo, and Parmesan makes it ultra-smooth and indulgent without feeling heavy.
It’s easy enough for weeknights yet elegant enough for your holiday table. Plus, it pairs beautifully with roasted meats, grilled fish, or even as a base for saucy dishes.
Cauliflower: The star of this recipe! After testing this dish with both fresh and frozen cauliflower, I’ve found that fresh gives a smoother, creamier mash with better flavor. Frozen cauliflower tends to hold more water, which can make the texture a bit loose.
Butter: I’ve made this recipe using different fats, and butter always gives the richest flavor and that classic, cozy taste you expect from a mash. Olive oil and ghee both work, but butter makes the texture silkier and the flavor deeper.
Mayonnaise: After testing a few variations, I’ve found that mayo is the secret to getting an ultra-creamy consistency without adding extra liquid. I’ve tried Greek yogurt and sour cream too, but mayo creates the smoothest, most luxurious texture.
Parmesan Cheese: I prefer to use freshly grated Parmesan because and fresh cheese melts evenly and adds a nutty, savory note that ties all the flavors together. The perfect finishing touch for this comforting side.
How to Make Mashed Cauliflower:
Steam cauliflower:
- Fill a large pot with roughly 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
- While the water boils, wash and chop your cauliflower into individual florets.
- Place a steamer basket in the bottom of your large pot and then add the cauliflower florets.
- Cover and steam for 6-8 minutes until the cauliflower is fork tender. To avoid soggy cauliflower florets, do not steam for more than 8 minutes.
Cool:
- Take your steamed cauliflower off of the stove and remove the lid to your pot. This step is important to make sure that you do not continue to steam and overcook your cauliflower.
- Let cool uncovered for 5 minutes.
Mash the cauliflower:
- Place the cooled steamed cauliflower in a large bowl and cover with a layer of plastic film. Leave a small space in the plastic film for the immersion blender. This technique helps prevent splatters and other messes.
- Slowly start to mash the cauliflower with the immersion blender. It may be a little difficult to get started, but after a few seconds, the cauliflower will release a bit of liquid and become much easier to work with. It is important not to add any extra liquid during this step, or you will end up with a watery mashed cauliflower.
- Mash with the immersion blender or a potato masher until smooth and creamy.
Season:
- Once your cauliflower puree is nice and smooth, add the butter, mayo, garlic powder, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
- Stir well to combine, then taste to adjust the seasonings to your preference.
Garnish and serve:
- Garnish with a drizzle of olive oil, black pepper, and fresh parsley, then serve and enjoy!
- The Main Dish: Pair this mashed cauliflower recipe with your favorite protein for a quick weeknight meal that is easy and delicious. Try it with my garlic butter baked chicken breast, easy turkey meatloaf, baked pork chops or pan-seared salmon.
- Gravy, of course! Top this comfort food with a rich, savory gravy or sauce.
- Make it a meal: Mashed cauliflower shines on its own as a side dish, but with just a few additional ingredients, you can make several delicious and easy meals that your family will love. Try it with my Mashed Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie, Turkey Meatballs with Mashed Cauliflower or Shrimp Cauliflower Mash Bowl recipes.
Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
- ¼ cup mayo
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp Olive oil and fresh parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- First, fill a large pot with about 2 cups of water and bring it to a boil.
- Then, place a steamer basket in the bottom of the pot.
- Add the cauliflower florets into the steamer basket.
- Cover the pot and steam until the cauliflower is fork tender (6-8 minutes). Please do not steam for more than 8 minutes otherwise the florets will become very soggy.
- Remove from the heat, uncover the pot (this step is important) and let the cauliflower cool down for 5 minutes.
- Place the steamed cauliflower in bowl and cover with a plastic film leaving a small space to place the immersion blender. Slowly start to mash the cauliflower. At the beginning it will be a little hard to mash but after a few seconds it will be easy. Do not add any liquid like warm water or chicken broth while you are mashing the steamed cauliflower. Eventually it will release a bit of liquid and the mashing process will become easier. If you add more liquid your mashed cauliflower will become very watery at the end of the process.
- When the cauliflower is completely smooth add butter, mayo, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt, ground black pepper and stir well to combine.
- Taste to adjust the seasoning.
- Garnish with black pepper, olive oil and fresh parsley.
Notes
- When buying the cauliflower, make sure the head is firm, tight, and does not have yellow patches.
- If desired, you can buy pre-chopped cauliflower florets to save time.
- Season the cauliflower generously as there isn’t much flavor from the cauliflower.
- You can add rosemary, thyme, or Italian seasoning for some extra herby flavor.
- To serve: Serve a big scoop of mashed cauliflower with turkey, fish, roasted chicken, or meat.
- To store: Place leftover mashed cauliflower in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat: I like to reheat the mash in the microwave or stovetop with a splash of liquid to help loosen it up.
- To freeze: Freeze mashed cauliflower in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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That’s so nice Olivia that you tried all these methods and was able to find something that worked! It looks amazing for sure, I will try this too!
Thank you so much. You’ll love it 😉
I hate watery cauliflower mash. Can’t wait to try your method. My only question is by the time all ingredients are added and mashed the cauliflower is no longer warm (and even cold.). Do you reheat before serving?
Yes, I do on the microwave for 1 or 2 minutes 😉
I am super sensitive to sodium and would like to know why it’s so high (875) in this recipe. Also I often substitute plain yogurt for mayo. What do you think?
It’s because I used about 1 tsp of salt plus the parmesan cheese, which is salty. But you can reduce the amount of salt and parmesan cheese in this recipe to fit your diet. And yes you can replace yogurt for mayo 😉
I boil in salted water, but only for 9-10 minutes and keep the florets big, and also add a few cloves of garlic to the water which mashes with the cauliflower. It’s not too watery, but I think I’ll roast a head of garlic instead and try your steaming method instead.
I also use sour cream instead of mayo, and it comes out wonderfully. Add a bit of high quality truffle oil as well. I used to be on keto and ate a ton of this stuff, it’s so good I like it better than mashed potatoes. Fer realz.
Finally a stiff, not soupy/watery or too soft recipe. Just amazing. I stuck with my method of ricing then sauteing the cauliflower until soft and kinda flavorless. Can’t believe I didn’t think of using mayo instead of cream – thanks so much for this. Will be perfect for the holidays and comfort foods like shepherds pie. Thanks for sharing.
That’s amazing. I’m so so happy you enjoy this recipe. Yes it will be great for the holidays 😉
Loved it. Creamy, not watery, delicious. Added fresh thyme.
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Thanks. Can I have an address .. Email address where I can get regular assistance, please