Perfect Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Tired of making watery mashed cauliflower? Try to make my perfect mashed cauliflower recipe using an immersion blender and season with garlic powder, Parmesan cheese, mayo and butter. Mm… Amazing! It has a perfect smooth texture that you and your family will love.
When we started to reduce the amount of carbs we were eating every meal, I decided to make more recipes with cauliflower because it has a similar texture as the loved white potatoes, but less carbs. I’ve already made lots of cauliflower recipes such as cauliflower fried rice, “potato” cauliflower salad, One-Pan Cauliflower Curry, Mediterranean Cauliflower Salad, Cauliflower Pizza Crust, cauliflower tots, Shrimp Cauliflower Mash Bowl, Garlic Parmesan Cauliflower Rice Recipe, Whole30 Mashed Cauliflower Recipe, and lots of salads with it. We loved them all and I shared them here on my blog. If you haven’t seen them yet, please go to check it out. They are SO GOOD!
However, the only cauliflower recipe that I couldn’t make well was the mashed cauliflower. Every time I tried to make it, I didn’t like the result because they all became very watery. So, I decided to recipe test this mashed cauliflower recipe for few times using different methods of cooking.
First I cooked the cauliflower florets directly in boil water, but it didn’t work out well because florets absorbed lots of water and mashed cauliflower became very watery again. Second I tried to steam the cauliflower florets, but I blended it in a high-speed blender and it again didn’t have the texture I was looking for. It was more like a creamy soup.
And then, I decided to steam the cauliflower florets and then I mashed it with an emersion blender and/or food processor. This method worked great because I could control how I wanted the texture to be.
Once I got the perfect texture I tested the ingredients I should use to season it better. At first I used butter, salt and pepper and heavy cream (half-half) and it was good, but I think the heavy cream is too watery for a mashed cauliflower recipe. I replaced it for mayo and added Parmesan cheese too. Mm… AMAZING! This is the perfect way to season it and now I am pretty happy with the result.
After I tried so many different ways to make the perfect mashed cauliflower recipe, I understand that the best way is by steaming the cauliflower florets instead of boiling them, using an emersion blender and/or food processor instead of a high-speed blender and using mayo instead of heavy cream. Please, try this recipe and I’m sure you won’t regret it at all. Enjoy!
If you want to try a more starchy mash, try my Creamy Mashed Potatoes Recipe or Roasted Butternut Squash Mash instead!
Love this Perfect Mashed Cauliflower recipe? Let’s try to make it!
Perfect Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower - cut into florets
- 3 tablespoons butter - melted
- ¼ cup mayo - I used vegan mayo but you can use the traditional one
- 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
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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 😉