Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

These easy mashed potatoes use buttery yellow potatoes and our Magic Cauliflower Cream for a lightened-up recipe that's naturally vegan and dairy-free!

this recipe

Hands up if mashed potatoes are your love language! (Hi. Hello. Me. Right here *waves through the internet*)

We're sharing a (vegan! dairy-free! hip hooray!) twist on our favorite homemade mashed potatoes today - featuring our meal prep BFF Magic Cauliflower Cream!

What's Magic Cauliflower Cream?

Magic Cauliflower Cream is a cauliflower + vegetable broth purée with a similar texture to milk or cream-based sauces. We love swapping it for milk, heavy cream, and other dairy in our favorite recipes (like Cauliflower Fettuccine Alfredo, Cauliflower Mac and Cheese, or our Cauliflower Green Bean Casserole!) Make it on the stovetop or try our Instant Pot Cauliflower Cream.

Prep a batch of this trusty cauli cream at the start of the week and you'll be ready for cauliflower mashed potatoes at the drop of a hat. This recipe uses about a little less than a third of a batch of the cauliflower sauce, so you’ll have plenty left over for other meals all week long!

Naturally vegan and dairy-free Mashed potatoes!

Our Magic Cauliflower Cream is really, well, MAGICAL. The cauliflower purée means these mashed potatoes are ultra-creamy - without milk, without butter, and without heavy cream! There is NO DAIRY at all in these homemade mashed potatoes - but honestly? I don't even really miss it.

Sure, buttery, decadent, classic mashed potatoes are amazing on Thanksgiving or for entertaining. But for a quick weeknight dinner? Give me these lightened-up cauliflower mashed potatoes (or our easy Greek yogurt mashed potatoes!) FOR. SURE. (PS - Prefer enjoying your mashed potatoes with gravy? Try these with our vegetarian Guinness mushroom gravy!)

These easy mashed potatoes are made from scratch with our favorite yellow (aka Yukon Gold aka butter) potatoes, plenty of Magic Cauliflower Cream, salt, and pepper - and that's it!

While there's definitely a hint of cauliflower, these vegan mashed potatoes aren't overwhelmingly cauliflower-y - and they're surprisingly rich and creamy for being dairy-free! Just make sure to taste as you go and add salt and pepper as needed to help the flavors pop.

PS - Looking for an extra healthy twist? Swap out half of the potatoes for cauliflower florets or sweet potato. (And for more great ideas, don't forget to check out Mashed Potatoes 101!)

📖 Recipe

Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

★★★★★ 5 from 1 review

• Author: Jessie
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4-6 1x
• Category: Side Dish
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegan

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Description

Easy mashed potatoes made with cauliflower puree - vegan and dairy-free!

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

To boil the potatoes:

• 2 pounds yellow potatoes (also called Butter or Yukon Gold potatoes)
• 1 Tablespoon Kosher salt

To mash the potatoes:

• 1 cup Magic Cauliflower Cream
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Garnishes (Optional):

• 2 teaspoons fresh chopped parsley or chives
• Pinch of fresh cracked black pepper
• Pinch of flaky sea salt (we love Maldon Salt or Jacobsen Sea Salt here)

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Instructions

Prep the Potatoes (10 Minutes)

1. Peel the potatoes (optional) and cut into evenly-sized 2-3 inch pieces. We generally like to cut larger potatoes into quarters and small potatoes in half.
2. Add potatoes to a large pot and cover with cold water.

Cook the Potatoes (30 Minutes)

1. Add kosher salt to pot with potatoes and water.
2. Cover potatoes and place the pot on a burner over medium heat. (If you’re using a glass or electric stove, you may want to bump the heat up to medium-high).
3. Cook potatoes until water reaches a low boil, about 25-30 minutes. Pierce a potato with a fork to check for doneness; if the fork slides easily through the potato, they’re done. If potatoes aren’t yet soft, cook 3-4 minutes more or until potatoes are cooked through and easily pierced with a fork.
4. Drain cooked potatoes and return them to the pot.

Mash the Potatoes (5 Minutes)

1. Return drained potatoes to pot. Add cauliflower cream, salt, and pepper.
2. Mash potatoes (we used a handheld potato masher - see our full breakdown of potato mashing methods in our Perfect Mashed Potatoes Tutorial). When potatoes are just mashed, use a spoon or spatula to gently fold everything together. The less you work the potatoes, the better - see why here.
3. Taste mashed potatoes and add salt or pepper as necessary.

Garnish (optional, but fun!)

1. Transfer mashed potatoes to a serving bowl. Top with fresh chopped parsley, a few twists of fresh ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of sea salt. Serve immediately.

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Notes

What is Magic Cauliflower Cream? Cauliflower Cream is our favorite lightened-up substitution for a traditional béchamel sauce (a milk or cream sauce thickened with a flour-and-butter roux). In a nutshell, cook 1 pound of chopped cauliflower with 1 and ½ cups of vegetable stock until cauliflower is ultra-soft, then blend well to make a smooth “cream”.

Healthy swap: Amp up the cauliflower (and the health factor!) even more by swapping 1 pound of potatoes for 1 pound of cauliflower florets.

Make-ahead tip. If you’d like to peel and chop the potatoes ahead of time, you can cover the potatoes with cold water and set the pot aside for a few hours until you’re ready to cook. This is a great make-ahead trick – on Thanksgiving, I always cut my potatoes first thing in the morning, then cover them with water and set them aside until I’m ready to cook them. The cold water keeps the potatoes from browning so they’re ready to go whenever you are.

Additions and Substitutions. This is a great base recipe, and it’s very forgiving! Add your favorite herbs, roasted garlic, or (if you’re not vegan/dairy-free) add a splash of cream, butter, or your favorite shredded cheese!

Equipment. We used our favorite Anolon nonstick pot and an OXO potato masher for this recipe. For a full run-down of the best mashed potato equipment, check out Mashed Potatoes 101!

Leftover mashed potatoes will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 or 6 days. If reheated mashed potatoes are dry, gently stir in a scoop of cauliflower cream or a splash of veggie stock to loosen them up again (if you aren’t vegan or dairy-free, you can also use milk, cream, or butter to bring reheated potatoes back to life).

Questions about how to make the BEST mashed potatoes? We cover EVERYTHING you need to know - from potato types to equipment to mashing methods and more - in Mashed Potatoes 101.

Nutrition

• Serving Size:
• Calories: 123
• Sugar: 1.7 g
• Sodium: 1402.1 mg
• Fat: 0.2 g
• Carbohydrates: 27.7 g
• Protein: 3.5 g
• Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: easy, healthy, lightened-up