Cauliflower Mash
Cauliflower is 92% water, so boiling only loads it with more and the mash runs. Steaming keeps that in check. And unlike potato, cauliflower is the one vegetable where a blender is exactly right: there is no starch here to turn into glue.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Servings
- 4
- Level
- Easy
- Per serving
- 145 kcal
Ingredients
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What to use instead
Use 50 ml of milk plus another 10 g of butter in place of the cream. Lighter in flavour, slightly less dense.
Makes: 4 servings
Shopping list
The ingredients for the servings you chose — copy them or send them to a messenger. Tick what you already have at home: only the rest goes on the list.
Method
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Step 1: Break into florets
Cut the cauliflower into even 4 cm florets. Use the core too: peeled, it cooks at the same rate and gives the mash body.
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Step 2: Steam, do not boil
Set a colander over a pan of boiling water, cover and steam for 15 minutes. It is ready when a knife slides into a floret with no resistance.
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Step 3: Infuse the cream
Crush the garlic cloves with the flat of a knife and warm them in the cream over low heat for 5 minutes without boiling, then lift them out. The scent stays, the bits do not.
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Step 4: Dry the cauliflower
Tip the florets into a dry hot pan for a minute, shaking. The surface moisture steams off, and that moisture is what makes mash watery.
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Step 5: Blitz it smooth
Blend the cauliflower with the butter for 1–2 minutes until completely smooth. A blender does no harm here: there is no starch to turn gluey.
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Step 6: Season and adjust
Add the warm cream in stages until the mash is thick and creamy. Season with salt, white pepper and nutmeg. If it is loose, warm it over low heat for 3 minutes and it tightens.
Tips & variations
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Tip
You can boil the cauliflower instead, but then drain it for a full 10 minutes and dry it properly in the pan.
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Variation
Half cauliflower, half potato gives a mash that holds its shape on the plate better under a sauce.
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Swap
Use 50 ml of milk plus another 10 g of butter in place of the cream. Lighter in flavour, slightly less dense.
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Storage
Up to 3 days in the fridge. Reheat gently, stirring, with a spoonful of milk if it needs loosening.
Nutrition
| 1 serving | Whole dish 4 servings | |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 145 kcal | 580 kcal |
| Protein | 5 g | 20 g |
| Fat | 9 g | 36 g |
| Carbohydrates | 10 g | 40 g |
Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.
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