Cauliflower mash has never been my favorite. It’s always been a little bit thin, and I could never get it really unctuous and thick and creamy like I wanted. But I have been on a cauliflower mash mission to make a puree that wouldn’t make me sad about the lack of potatoes!

After trying a few different tricks, I discovered a cauliflower mash that is CRAZY thick, CRAZY creamy, and SUPER velvety smooth. It’s dreamy, and I honestly never thought I could say that about a cauliflower mash.

There’s one big trick that raises this cauliflower mash to the level of veggie heaven, and that is roasting the cauliflower.

Roasting the cauliflower does two major things:

Doesn’t add ANY extra moisture to the puree. Usually when making cauliflower mash, the cauliflower gets cooked in liquid, whether that be boiling or steaming in water or stock. This adds a lot of extra moisture to the cauliflower, so when you puree it, it’s already starting out thin. And then when you add stuff like cream on top of that, fogettaboutit – SUPER thin. But roasting doesn’t add any moisture at all, so you can add all kinds of creamy dreamy things without thinning it out more than you want.
FLAVOR. I’m sorry, but have you ever eaten roasted cauliflower? If yes, then you get what I’m saying. If no…who hurt you? GET ROASTING RIGHT MEOW.

So we’ve got our SUPER yummy roasted cauliflower that we add to the food processor and promptly drop in a large dollop of cream cheese + some heavy cream + a few tablespoons of butter. Puree until luxurious, thick creaminess has been achieved, and then die and go to cauliflower mash heaven.

I mean…right?!

Speaking of dreamy, wonderful things, Seth and I were in Salisbury, NC this weekend for Seth’s brother’s wedding, and what a freaking fantastic weekend it was. It was the perfect mixture of catching up with family, getting to know new friends, and celebrating two of the BEST people ever.

Even with the few things that went wrong (can you even call it a wedding if nothing goes wrong at some point??), the weekend was just perfect in every way, and we both feel so energized going into this week. Even though it was exhausting with lots of late nights, our hearts are super full, and that energizes us through the sleepiness 😌.

Weddings are just the best.

Almost – alllllmost – as good as this cauli mash 😉. Have a lovely Monday, friends!

Thick and Creamy Cauliflower Mash

Author: Annie Chesson
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 servings 1x

Scale

Ingredients

2 heads cauliflower, diced into florets
Olive oil (for roasting)
3 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter
2 oz cream cheese
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Lay out your cauliflower florets on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper
Roast for 20 minutes, remove from the oven, toss, and roast for another 20 minutes or until golden brown
Add the cauliflower to a food processor with your heavy cream, cream cheese, and butter. Turn on and blend until the cauliflower is super smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper