Cauliflower & Potato Mash (Lightened Up Mashed Potatoes)

If you love traditional mashed potatoes but want a lighter side dish option, this potato cauliflower mash recipe is for you! This easy recipe uses cauliflower florets in addition to baby gold potatoes to create a lighter version of skin on mashed potatoes, the ultimate comfort food. Great for weeknight dinners or as a holiday meal side!

Midwesterners LOVE potatoes. Like, we really, really love them. We add potatoes to our breakfasts. Breakfast potatoes or hashbrowns are standards to serve along side breakfast, and sometimes we even put the potatoes in our breakfasts like in this broccoli, cheese, and sausage egg bake. We can make potatoes into a side for nearly any meal. We’ll make roasted potatoes, potato wedges, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, cheesy potatoes (especially for holidays!), potato salad… the list can go on and on.

And while we love cozy side dish recipes, sometimes we need a delicious alternative that’s a little easier on the ol’ waistline. That’s where this delicious side dish comes in!

We use half cauliflower and half potatoes in this recipe to make a side that actually tastes like potatoes, but has a lower carb and calorie count. Because frankly, a purely mashed cauliflower recipe doesn’t cut it in our book. If I want only cauliflower, I’ll make a cauliflower puree (which I really enjoy, but don’t try to tell me it’s potatoes… ya know?).

So the next time you’re craving some mashed potatoes, give this cauliflower and potato mashed potatoes recipe a try. The whole family is sure to love it!

Ingredients Needed

Baby Gold Potatoes. Golden potatoes have a naturally buttery flavor and create a creamy and somewhat dense consistency when mashed. The skins are kept on adding great texture to this cauliflower potato mash recipe as well.

Cauliflower. Fresh cauliflower is a key component in these lightened up mashed potatoes.

Broth of Choice. Because potatoes and cauliflower on their own don’t have much flavor, we’re using broth during both the boiling and the mashing for an added boost of flavor. Depending on your dietary needs, you can use chicken broth, vegetable broth, or chicken or turkey bone broth in this recipe!

Water. Needed for boiling your potato and cauliflower mixture.

Sour Cream. We’re using sour cream to get that classic creamy texture in our mash. 

Butter. While we’re keeping things lighter than the classic, everything is better with butter…including cauliflower mashed potatoes! We’re using just a little enough to add some buttery flavor without overdoing it.

Fresh Chives. Using fresh herbs add a lovely pop of flavor to our mash.

Salt and Black Pepper. These basic seasonings are great flavor enhancers.

See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions

• Use plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. If desired, you can use plain Greek yogurt to add additional protein to your creamy mash. Just swap out the sour cream one-to-one.
• Add more herbs. If desired, add some fresh parsley, fresh thyme, minced fresh rosemary, or green onions to your mash. 
• Use a different potato. Any thin-skinned potatoes like creamers, baby potatoes, and yukon gold potatoes are great mashing. For skin-on mashed potatoes, small yellow, white, or red potatoes are perfect. If using larger sized potatoes, I recommend cutting them into smaller pieces (approximately 1-2” cubes) prior to boiling.
• Add a splash of milk. If desired, you can add a splash of whole milk or cream during mashing to make these even creamier.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook. Place potatoes and cauliflower in a large saucepan with 1 + ¼ cup broth and enough water to just cover the vegetables. Boil until potatoes are fork tender (~15-20 minutes).

Step 2: Drain. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid and set aside. Drain the remaining liquid and place the cooked potatoes and cauliflower back into the pot.. 

Step 3: Mash. Add  ¾ cup broth, butter, and sour cream to the pot and use a potato masher to mash until desired consistency is reached. Add additional reserved liquid if needed. Stir in chives, salt, and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Serve and enjoy! Enjoy your mashed potatoes with additional butter, gravy, or any of your other favorite mashed potato toppings.

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This recipe is vegetarian and gluten free as written. One small modification is needed to turn this into a vegan recipe.

• To make this recipe vegan, you will need to replace the sour cream and butter with vegan approved products. I would recommend starting with replacing these items with 4 tablespoon of vegan butter.
  • Please note: I have not done this myself but this replacement aligns with recommendations for a wide variety of vegan mashed potato recipes.

Storage & Reheating

Store mashed potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

You can reheat mashed potatoes in the microwave or on the stovetop over low heat. Adding an extra splash of milk or cream before reheating can help prevent them from drying out.

Serving Suggestions

Top with your favorite gravy. Just like regular mashed potatoes, you can top your mashed cauliflower and potato recipe with gravy!

Serve alongside your favorite grilled proteins. Since baby potatoes and cauliflower are in season in late summertime, this cauliflower and potato mash is a great recipe to make and serve along with your favorite grilled proteins. Try pairing with grilled chicken, salmon, or steak! You can also round out your meal by adding another of your favorite summer veggies to your plate.

Make these into cauliflower loaded mashed potatoes! Add your favorite baked potato toppings like bacon, cheddar, chives, and more onto these cauliflower mashed potatoes for a little extra fun!

Enjoy alongside your Thanksgiving meal. Replace (or supplement!) your usual Thanksgiving mashed potatoes with this lighter version for guests who may be a little more carb conscious.

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