Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
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Simple enough for weeknight dinners and special enough for the holiday table, this easy mashed cauliflower recipe is one of those back-pocket side dishes every home cook needs.
Photo by Alexandra Grablewski (Chronicle Books, 2018)
Creamy, buttery, and comforting, this mashed cauliflower recipe comes together with just a handful of ingredients in about 25 minutes. It delivers a silky, flavorful mash that lets cauliflower shine. Even the biggest mashed potato fans are often surprised by how much they love it.
My favorite review came from my friend Heather after she tested the recipe. Her text said it all: “OMG so good, just licked the bowl of my Cuisinart.”
This creamy cauliflower mash pairs nicely with comfort food favorites, like my classic meatloaf or turkey meatloaf, onion-braised beef brisket, or braised short ribs.
“Delicious, delicious, delicious–it’s just like eating mashed potatoes. So, simple to make, and quick too.”
What You’ll Need To Make Mashed Cauliflower
- Cauliflower: Its mild flavor and naturally creamy texture make it the perfect base for a silky purée. Look for a firm, heavy head with tightly packed white florets.
- Chicken Broth: Rather than boiling the cauliflower in water, this recipe gently steams it in chicken broth, seasoning it from the inside out and adding savory depth. Vegetable broth works well if you’d like to keep the dish vegetarian.
- Butter: A few tablespoons of butter add richness and help create the smooth, velvety texture that makes this mashed cauliflower so satisfying.
- Fresh Thyme: Lends subtle earthy flavor without overpowering the cauliflower. Chives also make a delicious alternative.
- Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper: Simple seasonings are all you need to enhance the cauliflower’s delicate flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Steam the cauliflower florets. Cooking the cauliflower in chicken broth instead of water infuses it with flavor from the start. You want to steam it until it’s very tender. It should mash easily with a fork so the purée blends up silky smooth—cauliflower that isn’t cooked all the way through won’t blend smoothly and can leave you with a grainy texture.
Step 2: Purée until smooth. Transfer the cooked cauliflower to a food processor with the butter and a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid, then process until completely smooth. Be careful not to add too much of the broth—you can always add more if needed, but too much can make the mash thin or watery.
Pro tip: If you prefer a little more texture, pulse the cauliflower instead of running the processor continuously. This gives you more control and lets you stop when it’s exactly where you want it.
Step 3: Finish and serve. Taste the purée and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, then stir in the fresh thyme. Serve hot alongside your favorite comfort foods or holiday favorites. The mashed cauliflower keeps nicely in the fridge for 3 days or can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Easy Variations
- Loaded: Top with shredded cheddar, chopped chives, crumbled bacon, and a dollop of sour cream for all the flavors of a loaded baked potato—minus the potato.
- Cheesy: Blend in a handful of freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyère for extra richness and a nutty depth of flavor. Freshly grated cheese melts much more smoothly than pre-shredded.
- Roasted Garlic: Blend in a few roasted garlic cloves for a mellow, sweet garlic flavor.
- Pesto: Replace 1 to 2 tablespoons of the butter with pesto for a fresh, herby twist and a subtle green color (omit the thyme).
- Brown Butter: Swap the butter for brown butter. It takes just a few extra minutes to make but adds incredible nutty, toasty flavor.
- Truffle: Finish with a light drizzle of truffle oil and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt for an elegant finishing touch.
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Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (about 2 lb/908 g), cut into ½-in (13-mm) pieces
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, bring the chicken broth and salt to a boil. Add the cauliflower; bring back to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and steam for 20 minutes, or until cauliflower is very tender.
- Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to a food processor. Add 3 tablespoons of chicken broth from the pot, along with the butter. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add thyme and process until just combined.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Is frozen cauliflower a possibility?
Hi Penelope, I haven’t tried this with frozen cauliflower, but a few other readers have commented that they have and have been happy with the results. Hope you enjoy!
Hi Jenn
Tried this recipe from your cookbook. Wow what a great take on cauliflower! I trust your recipes so much I made it for company before I tried it lol
Thanks for your fantastic blog.
I also will tell you your cookbook is the first one I have bought for years and it is a keeper!
Regards Sharon
❤️
Absolutely delicious, even without thyme!
Love this! It’s my new substitute for mashed potatoes! They are such a nice change of pace instead of potatoes and delicious! So glad you put this in your new cookbook.
I keep kosher and would love to know what I can substitute for the butter so that I can use with chicken stock. For kosher you can not combine meat or poultry with milk. Any suggestions. The recipe looks fabulous as do all of your recipes.
I just ordered your cookbook!!!!
Hi Louann, You could either leave it out or use margarine. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the cookbook, too!
loved it. we are not fans of cooked cauliflower but now we have it at least once a week
Have made this many times but hard for a large crowd. Have you tried it with Cauliflower rice instead??
Hi, I’ve never tried this with cauliflower rice, but I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
I tried this with about a pound of cauliflower rice and added 3 small peeled potatoes (about 11 oz) cut into small pieces to make up for the missing amount of cauliflower. Followed the recipe to steam in 1c of broth until tender. Used my hand-held mixer in stainless steel saucepan to whip to the consistency of mashed potatoes, but when I tasted it, it was lumpy, so I put it in the cuisinart and pureed. We loved it. The liquid was about just right for cooking the vegetables; but I thought that if I used too much, I would add a small amount of dried milk or potato flakes to soak up the excess. Great way to get more cruciferous veggies in my diet. Thanks for all of your great recipes, Jenn!
This sounds like a good modification – did you use frozen cauliflower rice? Thank you, Jamie
Another winner, Jenn!
I love Cauliflower Puree with Thyme. Took a dish I frequently make into something special. I served it with pecan crusted cod and asparagus simmered in butter. A great meal!
This recipe is really easy and delicious. I followed everything except at the end I used my hand blender in the pot and it worked perfectly. Nice light and tasty substitute for potatoes.