Easy, Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Don’t want to read? I get it! Here’s a link to the recipe!
Have you ever had mashed cauliflower before?
I had never tasted or even made mashed cauliflower before becoming vegan and it was one of the recipes I first made as I found it to be very easy to make and a way to get more vegetables in my diet. As a vegan, especially a new vegan, it’s very important that you eat the rainbow. I cannot stress this enough! Eating a variety of different fruits and vegetables throughout your week will truly make a difference in the way you feel and that’s because all fruits and vegetables contain different types of vitamins and minerals.
Is mashed cauliflower good for you?
Cauliflower is such an amazing vegetable with tons of benefits! People often ask vegans where they get their protein, but the real question for people is where do you get your fiber. Most American’s get far too much protein but not enough fiber. Cauliflower actually has 3 grams of fiber in just one cup, about 10 percent of your daily intake (it’s suggested we need about 25 grams per day of fiber). Fiber is important because it supports the healthy bacteria in our guts that actually help to reduce inflammation and aid in our digestive health. Some studies have even shown that a fiber rich diet of vegetables like cauliflower may even lower our risk for illnesses like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Is Cauliflower Keto and Paleo Friendly?
The answer is yes! Cauliflower is an acceptable vegetable if you are on a keto or paleo diet as cauliflower is low in carbs and is a great substitute for potatoes, rice, and pasta.
What you’ll need to make mashed cauliflower:
Depending on many people you are feeding I suggest 1 cauliflower per 2-3 people. If you’re feeding a family of 4-5 I suggest buying 2 heads of cauliflower. You’ll also want to make sure you have a large pot to boil the cauliflower in and a strainer to drain the water from them when finished.
*Note: One piece of advice for when you drain the cauliflower, be sure to not let the cauliflower sit too long in the strainer before you puree it or it may have a watery consistency.
You can use a blender but I highly recommend using a food processor. I use a Ninja food processor and I absolutely love it! I have one large one and one small one (Ninja Express). If you can’t invest in the larger food processor, I got my small ninja food processor for about $20 from Target and it’s worked great!
When I’m ready to puree the cauliflower, I use a few different spices along with vegan butter. I typically use Earth Balance but I am also a big fan now of the new Country Crock Plant Based Butter. I typically put the butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for about 20 seconds so that the butter is completely melted before I add it to the food processor with the rest of the cauliflower.
From there I add in some spices like sea salt, pepper, paprika, garlic salt, thyme, rosemary, and sage but if you don’t have all these spices, garlic salt and pepper do just fine. I also recommend using about ½ cup of nutritional yeast flakes from Bob’s Red Mill. It really gives the cauliflower a creamy cheesy taste that I really enjoy!