If you're looking for a creamy, delicious, low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes, look no further than this recipe for Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Mash. Made with just 6 simple ingredients in about 30 minutes, this easy recipe for mashed roasted cauliflower is certain to become a family favorite.
Whether you're looking to cut down on carbs or simply want to try something deliciously different, my roasted mashed cauliflower is sure to impress. What sets this recipe apart from the rest? It's all in the roasting.
Unlike recipes that call for steaming or boiling, roasting the cauliflower transforms it into something magical. The result is a mash that's thicker, richer, creamier, and packed with a caramelized depth of flavor that’s out of this world.
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Why You’ll Love This Roasted Cauliflower Mash Recipe
- Made With Only 6 Ingredients - This recipe features simply seasoned roasted cauliflower mashed to perfection with milk or cream and butter. It’s just like classic mashies, but with cauliflower!
- Low-Carb & Keto-Friendly - Swapping cauliflower for potatoes is seriously one of the easiest ways to cut back on carbs in your diet. With just 7 grams of net carbs per serving (compared to approximately 35 for mashed potatoes), this is a no-brainer for anyone on keto!
- Make-Ahead-Friendly - This roasted garlic mashed cauliflower will last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator or up to three months in the freezer, making it ideal for meal prep.
- Rich & Thick - If you’ve ever had mashed cauliflower that was runny and thin, chances are, the cauliflower was boiled or steamed before mashing. By oven-roasting it, not only do you add an extra layer of delicious flavor, but you also remove the excess liquid, resulting in a creamier, thicker consistency. YUM!
Ingredients & Substitutions
As promised, you only need a few simple ingredients to make this oven-baked mashed cauliflower. Here's what to grab:
- Cauliflower Florets - You’re welcome to use fresh or frozen. If you’re starting with whole heads of cauliflower, get the most bang for your buck and use the stems, too! Just make sure to peel off the tough outer skin, then chop the remaining piece into floret-sized bits.
- Olive Oil - I suggest using regular (not extra virgin) olive oil here, since it has a higher smoke point. Alternatively, use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or canola oil instead.
- Johnny's Garlic Spread and Seasoning Mix - I love Johnny's seasoning mix. It's awesome for making literally any roasted veggies taste more delicious. I use it to make quick and dirty garlic bread. It makes boxed mac and cheese taste like something more adult. In short, it's awesome. If you don't want to purchase it, you can sub in some garlic salt, but it won't be quite as delicious. To make garlic salt seasoning, mix 3 teaspoons of granulated garlic and 1 ½ teaspoons of kosher salt.
- Butter - This gives the roasted cauliflower mash a layer of richness that makes it feel even more like mashed potatoes. I use grass-fed, European-style salted butter. If you use unsalted, just add extra seasoning to taste.
- Cream - I’ve used half-and-half, whipping cream, and heavy cream in this recipe. I personally think half-and-half is sufficiently creamy, but feel free to swap in single or double cream for added richness. Alternatively, whole milk cuts the calories down a bit.
- Kosher Salt & Pepper - For seasoning, to taste. Make sure your pepper is freshly cracked for the best flavor!
How To Make Roasted Mashed Cauliflower
This recipe is quick and easy, requiring just a sheet pan and a high-powered blender or food processor. Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Season Cauliflower. Preheat your oven to 450F. Line a sheet pan with parchment or Silpat to make for quick cleanup. Dump your cauliflower florets onto the pan, drizzle with a few glugs of olive oil, and season with some Johnny's Garlic Seasoning and Spread. Get in there with your hands and toss everything together.
Step 2: Spread the cauliflower out in a single layer on your baking sheet. Do your best not to overcrowd the pan, as it will cause the cauliflower to steam more than roast. We want all that good charred, caramelized goodness!
Step 3: Roast for about 10 minutes, shake the pan (or flip pieces with a spatula) and return to the oven. Roast another 10 minutes, until easily pricked by a fork. Remove from the oven.
Step 4: Blend. Fill your blender about ¾ full with roasted cauliflower, working in batches if necessary. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter and about ¼ cup of cream for every batch. Blend until creamy and thick, similar to mashed potatoes, using the plunger if necessary.
Step 5: Season & Serve. Once the "mashed" cauliflower is a consistency you like, taste it. Season with salt, pepper and more of Johnny's seasoning as needed. Serve hot in place of mashed potatoes. Enjoy!!
Optional Variations & Dietary Adaptations
- Loaded Mashed Cauliflower - Feel free to boost the flavor of your mashed cauliflower by making them "loaded." Add chopped, cooked bacon, cheddar and sour cream.
- Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower
- Vegan/Dairy-Free Mashed Cauliflower - Make vegan mashed cauliflower by subbing vegan butter and the unsweetened, unflavored vegan creamer or milk of choice. I personally prefer oat milk or Silk’s plant-based whipping cream in this application.
- Extra Protein - If you’d like to add a boost of probiotics and protein to the mix, swap out the cream for full-fat plain Greek yogurt.
- Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic - Want an added boost of savory, garlicky goodness? Roast a whole head of garlic alongside the cauliflower, then squeeze the cloves into the blender before mashing. So delicious, so easy.
Expert Tips
- Shop smart. I personally prefer to buy my cauliflower from Costco, where I can get a 3-pound bag that’s already cut into florets. When I bought three heads of cauliflower from Aldi, they required butchering and yielded the same amount as one bag from Costco for twice the price.
- To make mashed cauliflower from frozen, buy 3 pounds of frozen cauliflower florets. Toss with olive oil and seasoning as directed, then roast according to the recipe directions, adding about 2-3 minutes more to the total roasting time.
- Is your blender blade getting stuck? Add small amounts of cream at a time to help loosen the mixture. You don't want it to become too loose, so just add about a tablespoon at a time. If the blade can move and the contents of the blender are in action, you don't need to add anymore cream.
- No blender? No problem! Simply swap in your trusty food processor.
- If you accidentally oversalted your mashed roasted cauliflower, not all is lost! You can easily soak up some of the extra seasoning by adding some plain instant potato flakes. They won’t be as low-carb if you do, but they WILL be delicious and creamy, and you’ll still get a serving of veggies!
- To freeze your mashed garlic cauliflower, I suggest dolloping it out into ¼ cup portions on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once frozen, pop the portions into a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Then, when a craving for mashies strikes, simply pull out a couple of pucks and microwave to perfection! You can also reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve mashed cauliflower as you would mashed potatoes. Simply swap one for the other. It's great topped with gravy, or as a side kick for chicken, steak or pork. Top with a little melted butter for some added richness!
The trick to making mashed cauliflower act as a real, convincing substitute for mashed potatoes is making sure it stays relatively starchy. You don't want to add too much liquid, which will result in more of a cauliflower purée or soup consistency.
As a result, you should either steam or roast the cauliflower. I prefer the roasting method because it results in better flavor, but steaming is perfectly acceptable.
Do NOT boil the cauliflower, however. It will absorb a lot of water, and you'll end up with a purée. If you made this mistake, I've learned from experience that it can be remedied with patience.
Simply pour the purée into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir often, allowing the liquid to evaporate. This takes upwards of 30-40 minutes depending on how loose your purée is, which is annoying, but not the end of the world.
Sure! Johnny's seasoning has parmesan cheese, so you'll want to swap it for garlic salt or a mix of garlic powder and salt. You can easily swap the butter for a vegan variety and unsweetened oat or almond milk for the cream.
I like where your head is at. The answer is a resounding YES. Feel free to gussy this mashed cauliflower up by adding in your favorite mashed potato flavorings. Some of my favorites include cheddar cheese, bacon bits, green onions and sour cream, but you're the boss.
The great thing about this recipe for roasted mashed cauliflower is that you don’t need to do anything to thicken it — it comes out nice and thick already, on account of not having a bunch of extra water in there from boiling or steaming it!
However, if you want to make yours EXTRA thick, you have a couple of options:
1. Pour your roasted cauliflower purée into a wide, rimmed sauté pan. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking or burning, until enough liquid has evaporated and you’re satisfied with the consistency.
2. Make a roasted cauliflower mashed potatoes hybrid. Add plain instant potato flakes to the blender or food processor a few tablespoons at a time. Blend to incorporate, scraping down the sides as needed. Continue adding more potato flakes until the desired consistency is reached.
More Easy, Inexpensive Side Dish Recipes
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Garlic Roasted Cauliflower Mash
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 lb Cauliflower Florets fresh or frozen
- 3-4 glugs Olive Oil
- 1 ½ tablespoon Johnny's Garlic Spread and Seasoning Mix or sub homemade garlic salt mix (read notes)
- 4 tablespoon Butter plus more for serving. Feel free to swap in vegan butter if needed.
- ¼ - ½ C Cream you can use half-n'-half, whipping cream, heavy cream, or vegan cream. Alternatively, use whole milk or oat milk to cut back on calories.
- Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Line sheet pan with parchment or silpat. Preheat oven to 450F.
- Place cauliflower florets on prepared sheet pan in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Johnny's Garlic Seasoning. Toss thoroughly and return to a single layer.
- Roast for 10 minutes, then shake or flip pieces with a spatula and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
- Add roasted cauliflower to pitcher of blender (in multiple batches if necessary). Add cream and butter, then blend until creamy but still thick. If blender blades are catching, try using manufacturer's plunging stick to move the stuck pieces. Add any extra cream 1 tablespoon at a time to loosen cauliflower mix just enough to get blades turning.
Notes
- Shop smart. I personally prefer to buy my cauliflower from Costco, where I can get a 3-pound bag that’s already cut into florets. When I bought three heads of cauliflower from Aldi, they required butchering and yielded the same amount as one bag from Costco for twice the price.
- To make mashed cauliflower from frozen, buy 3 pounds of frozen cauliflower florets. Toss with olive oil and seasoning as directed, then roast according to the recipe directions, adding about 2-3 minutes more to the total roasting time.
- Is your blender blade getting stuck? Add small amounts of cream at a time to help loosen the mixture. You don't want it to become too loose, so just add about a tablespoon at a time. If the blade can move and the contents of the blender are in action, you don't need to add anymore cream.
- No blender? No problem! Simply swap in your trusty food processor.
- If you accidentally oversalted your mashed roasted cauliflower, not all is lost! You can easily soak up some of the extra seasoning by adding some plain instant potato flakes. They won’t be as low-carb if you do, but they WILL be delicious and creamy, and you’ll still get a serving of veggies!
- To freeze your mashed garlic cauliflower, I suggest dolloping it out into ¼ cup portions on a parchment-lined sheet pan. Once frozen, pop the portions into a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Then, when a craving for mashies strikes, simply pull out a couple of pucks and microwave to perfection! You can also reheat on the stovetop in a saucepan.
