This creamy mashed cauliflower is packed with goodies like roasted garlic, crispy bacon and scallions. It tastes just like loaded mashed potatoes, but without the carbs! Whole30 compliant, paleo, keto, and dairy-free.
I’m an ex-cauliflower hater, I have to confess! As a runner, I thought it was ridiculous to try to mimic things like rice and potatoes with, well, cauliflower.
Don’t worry though, because my world has been ROCKED by the magical low carb veggie that is cauliflower many, many times since then. I was ignorant, naive, I just didn’t get it. Cauliflower can be amazing – really, really delicious.
Since then I’ve made things like breakfast cauliflower fried rice, cauliflower risotto, and good old roasted cauliflower with bacon and a crazy good dipping sauce. Now, today, we are taking it a step further and making and EPIC mashed cauliflower that’s loaded up with all the goodies.
We start with an ultra creamy thick cauliflower mash, and stir in little bits of heaven like roasted garlic, lots of crispy bacon, extra ghee, and scallions. It’s easy to make and the payoff is BIG!
Here’s what you’ll need to make the best mashed cauliflower recipe:
But really – it is the best! And it only takes a handful of simple ingredients:
- Garlic
- Avocado oil (for roasting the garlic)
- Cauliflower
- Bacon (sugar free for Whole30)
- Ghee (or oil, for dairy-free)
- Coconut cream, or full-fat coconut milk
- Nutritional yeast (for that “cheesy” flavor!)
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Scallions
How to Make Mashed Cauliflower with Roasted Garlic, Bacon, and Scallions
The first step is roasting the garlic, since that takes the longest. In fact, the entire recipe can be thrown together in the 35 minutes it takes to roast the garlic!
- Roast your garlic
- Steam your cauliflower
- Cook and Crumble your bacon
- Drain the cauliflower to remove most of the water
- Blend cauliflower in a food processor with the roasted garlic and remaining ingredients (except the bacon and scallions!)
- Stir in bacon, scallions, season and add more ghee to taste
That’s it! Simple, delicious, low carb, so, so satisfying!
Can I Use Something Besides Ghee in this Recipe?
Yes! If you include butter in your diet, feel free to add that in place. For a dairy-free option, refined coconut oil will work well. Just make sure you don’t use extra virgin coconut oil to avoid your mashed cauliflower tasting too much like coconut.
More Tips for Mashed Cauliflower:
- Make sure your cauliflower is steamed very soft before processing.
- Allow it to cool, then squeeze out as much water as possible to get a really creamy mash.
- You can double or triple this recipe for a crowd with no modifications.
- Store your leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
I hope you’re ready for a crazy good side dish that you might just want to eat for breakfast the next day at least, that’s what happened to me! Grab your garlic and get roasting because it’s time for the best mashed cauliflower – let’s go!
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower with Bacon {Paleo, Keto, Whole30}
Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower with Bacon {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
- 1 head garlic unpeeled
- Avocado oil and sea salt for roasting
- 1 large head cauliflower or 2 smaller ones (2 1/2-3 lbs) cut into florets
- 5 slices bacon uncured and sugar free for Whole30
- 3 Tbsp ghee *
- 1/4 cup coconut cream or paleo friendly sour cream, like Kite Hill
- 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast optional
- 3/4 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 3-4 scallions thinly sliced
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 400° F. Place the garlic, unpeeled, on a sheet of aluminum foil on a small baking sheet. Drizzle with about 1 tsp of oil and sprinkle with sea salt, then wrap in the aluminum foil.
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Roast in the preheated oven for about 30-35 minutes or until very soft. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
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Meanwhile, steam the cauliflower. My method: bring a couple of inches of water to a boil in a stockpot, and place the florets in a steamer basket set in the pot. Cover the florets and steam about 8-10 minutes or until very soft. Drain the cauliflower on paper towels to remove excess water.
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While the cauliflower steams, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-hi heat until crisp. Remove to drain on paper towels, then crumble.
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Squeeze the cauliflower between the paper towels to remove as much water as possible, then place in a food processor.
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When the garlic is done and partially cooled, pinch the ends of the cloves to remove and add to the food processor. You can use the entire head of garlic for a stronger flavor or just a 3 or 4 cloves if you prefer. Add the ghee, coconut cream or milk**, nutritional yeast, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth and creamy, scraping the sides periodically to get everything in.
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Once smooth transfer to a bowl and stir in the crumbled bacon, and scallions, leaving some to sprinkle on top for garnish. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if desired. To serve, drizzle with a little melted ghee and sprinkle with remaining scallions and bacon. Enjoy! Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Recipe Notes
*Use refined coconut oil (refined for no coconut flavor) or avocado oil for a dairy-free option
**Make sure the coconut cream is blended well before adding to the recipe.
Nutrition
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Want More Paleo Side Dish Recipes? Try One of These!
Cauliflower Risotto with Bacon and Mushrooms
Butternut Squash Stuffing with Sausage Apples and Cranberries
Green Bean Casserole with Bacon and Crispy Onions
Bacon Garlic Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon and Herbed Aioli
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This mashed cauliflower is the best I’ve seen! Looks incredible! Can’t wait to make it!!
Would this be okay to make a head of time and bake the next day?
When you say to leave the garlic unpeeled, do you mean to leave the papery outer covering on the entire bulb, or take that off and expose the individual cloves? Thanks
I have made and enjoyed several other recipes of yours, but this one is of the worst tasting recipes I have ever tasted. I followed the directions completely and I am a very competent home chef.
The recipe calls for a entire head of garlic that is then roasted. Wife and I both thought it had an incredibly overwhelming taste of garlic. After just a few bites, we trashed the entire dish of it. And we love garlic! You need to rethink the amount of garlic used.
Love this recipe! Easy to make too.
This was so good! Kids all ate it and didn’t even realize it was cauliflower. I used4-5 cloves of roasted garlic. Easy to add until you get the right amount. Thank you for another awesome recipe!!
Roasted Garlic Mashed cauliflower combined with bacon is a tasty and nutritious take on classic mashed potatoes. Roasted garlic and crispy bacon combine to give the dish a flavorful and filling depth of flavor. Although using CIPD assignment help UK achieve better grades and having time to prepare this dish that is a tasty and wholesome choice with lots of health benefits.