This recipe for homemade mashed potatoes with cauliflower added is pure comfort food with a nutrition upgrade! Add a dollop of Greek yogurt for tang, a pat of butter (obviously), and plenty of garlic powder and seasoning. It's a side dish that's quick and simple on a weeknight, but still special enough to wow at Sunday supper or holiday gatherings.
Is there anything more comforting than a steamy bowl of mashed spuds?! Lucky for you, instead of taking away the spuds, we're adding cauliflower! And you can't even taste it, I tell you no lie. I'd go as far as to say cauli actually enhances the fluff factor. The ultimate win win!
I've got lots of simple and healthy side dishes, but mashed potatoes with cauliflower always tops the list of must-makes. The fam requests these all the time. The fluff! The creaminess! The tang! Oh my.
P.S. Don't miss my reader fave maple balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts for another epic nourishing side.
5 Star Reader Praise ★★★★★
"Finally, a way to get my husband to eat cauliflower! I prefer my mashed potatoes slightly chunky so used a hand masher and added a little sharp cheddar cheese. This cauli-potato mash will be in our side rotation!" - Annie
"This recipe was a hit for my toddler who's entering a selective food stage! I reduced salt to 1 tsp, but followed recipe exactly otherwise." -Ashley
"This is a win! I added 2 carrots. We make mashed cauliflower often and potatoes added a nice flavor. Using pressure cooker for this was a breeze!" -M. Lou
"Delicious, everyone said that it was their favorite puree from now on!" -Marieke
The low down on key ingredients
- Potatoes: I developed this recipe with Russet potatoes since they're starchy and accessible, but I've also made them with Yukon gold. You just want to make sure they're not waxy (like red potatoes). Peel if you want, or don't! I don't out of laziness, lol. My #1 tip is don't over-mash! No gluey potatoes allowed.
- Cauliflower: It was clear in recipe testing that a bit more or less will not make a big difference in the final result. The beauty here is that you can use a bag of frozen cauli if you want, which is what I do most often. So simple! After testing tons of instant pot mashed potatoes in my day, I discovered that a 2:1 ratio of potatoes to cauliflower is the sweet spot.
- Greek yogurt: I just love the tang that Greek yogurt adds here--my secret weapon for flavor (plus I'll take the protein boost)! When I teste this, I found higher fat yogurt yielded richer flavor.
- Milk: I've tested these with almond milk and whole milk, and I gotta say whole milk is the winner. The extra fat adds so much to the overall mouthfeel of the recipe.
- LOTS of salt and pepper: I mention salt because I had to add a lot more than I thought when I tested this recipe to get the right flavor since cauliflower is so bland on it's own. Don't be alarmed by the heavy-handed salt!
Storage tips
This recipe makes a nice amount of mashed potatoes---about 8 cups, which will serve 6-8 hungry faces.
Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days.
Now go make your mashed potato dreams come true!
Let me know if you love these by leaving a star rating and comment. I appreciate you!
Print
Lightened Up Mashed Potatoes with Cauliflower and Yogurt
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dishes
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This recipe for homemade mashed potatoes with cauliflower added is pure comfort food with a nutrition upgrade! Add a dollop of Greek yogurt for tang, a pat of butter (obviously), and plenty of garlic powder and seasoning. It's a side dish that's quick and simple on a weeknight, but still special enough to wow at Sunday supper or holiday gatherings. Serve with cozy vegan gravy.
Ingredients
- 4 medium to large russet potatoes, sliced into thick rounds (3 lbs, you can also do half Yukon half russet)
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cored and roughly chopped (1 lb florets, can also use frozen!)
- 2 tsp kosher salt, divided, to taste
- ½ cup milk of choice* (whole milk is the best!)
- ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt, to taste
- ¼ cup salted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Get out your milk, yogurt and butter so they can come to room temperature.
- Add potatoes and cauliflower to a large pot (I usually don't peel mine for ease, but that's up to you! Just rinse them very well if you don't). I like to use the Instant Pot for this; see notes below. Add enough cold water to fully cover potatoes and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt.
- Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium low and cook, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain very well and then return to pot.
- Add milk, yogurt, butter, garlic powder, remaining 1 tsp salt, and several grinds of pepper. Use a potato masher to mash until creamy. Don't over-mash or else they'll be gluey. Taste and add more seasoning if needed (I added another ½ tsp salt). Serve hot! Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Notes
Instant Pot: Place potatoes and cauliflower in the Instant Pot. Add 3 cups water and sprinkle with 1 tsp kosher salt. Seal lid and cook on Manual for 10 minutes. Quick release remaining pressure. Drain vegetables and return to Instant Pot. Proceed with step 4 of recipe.
*Milk: Whole milk, 2%, half and half, or a neutral, unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk all work (almond, rice, oat, soy, etc). I would not recommend coconut milk due to the strong flavor. The higher fat milk you use, the creamier they'll be.
M Lou says
This is a win! I added Greek yogurt and 2 carrots. We make mashed cauliflower often and potatoes added a nice flavor. Using pressure cooker for this was a breeze! Thanks for the recipe
Alexis Joseph, MS, RD says
Love the carrot addition, thanks!!
Dolores says
Can you really freeze the left overs?
Alexis Joseph says
Yes, they freeze very well!
Marieke says
Delicious, everyone said that it was they favorite puree from now on !
Alexis Joseph says
I’m so glad!!
Ashley says
This recipe was a hit for my toddler who is entering a more selective food stage! I reduced the salt to 1 teaspoon, but followed the recipe exactly otherwise.
Annie says
Finally, a way to get my husband to eat cauliflower! I prefer my mashed potatoes slightly chunky so used a hand masher and added a little sharp cheddar cheese. This cauli-potato mash will be in our side rotation!
Alexis Joseph says
Mmmm that sounds sooo good with the cheddar. Thrilled hubby approved!
Alexis Joseph says
Yayyy!!
Alexis Joseph says
Super!
Dylan says
So comforting! Love the addition of cauliflower 🙂
Alexis Joseph says
Eeee thanks, Dylan!!!