Where my keto friends at?! This Vegan Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower is for you!

We are officially entering Fall and that means, Thanksgiving. I’m a lover of enjoying seventy-four side dishes and can always forego the main one. I am always on the hunt for new and fun sides to add to any meal…especially those around the holidays!

This Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower is the perfect side for Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter…you name it! It’s low-carb and will please your keto and vegan family members. Bonus: It tastes just as good as mashed potatoes!

How to Make Vegan Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

I highly recommend a good food processor or blender. The Ninja Kitchen line is a great product and I use their food processor every single day. I make EVERYTHING in it – smoothie bowls, pestos, pastry doughs and this mashed cauliflower. It is an affordable alternative to the well-known Vitamix.

For this recipe, everything gets precooked, placed in your food processor and then blended until smooth – it’s THAT easy! Here is what you will need:

• One medium-sized head of cauliflower
• A head of garlic
• Vegetable broth

The Roasted Garlic

Let’s talk about the garlic – is there anything better?! For this recipe I love using roasted garlic, and although it may take longer, it’s so worth it. In addition, you will also have leftover cloves that you can use in other dishes that you will be serving (or just save them for another day). Roasting a head of garlic is a great move for large dinner parties or holiday gatherings.

To roast, all you have to do is cut off the top of the entire head of garlic, leaving the top of the cloves exposed. Drizzle the head with olive oil, wrap in tin foil and place on a baking sheet and into the oven for 45 minutes. If you want to save on time, you can mince your raw garlic, add to a pan over low heat with some olive oil for about 30 seconds to one minute, and use this in place of the roasted stuff in the recipe. Above all, don’t skimp on the garlic!

Cooking the Cauliflower

To cook the cauliflower, place the florets into a large pot with about a cup and a half of veggie stock. Cover and set your burner to high, and when the liquid starts boiling, turn the burner down slightly and let steam for about 5-10 minutes (depending on how small your florets are). They will be ready when they are fork-tender. Don’t overcook them because you will end up with mushy cauliflower instead of mashed cauliflower!

After you cook the garlic and cauliflower, all that’s left to do is throw it all into your food processor and watch it come together – Pillowy, low-carb clouds of heaven!

More Amazing Cauliflower Sides

Sumac Roasted Cauliflower (a showstopper)

Hot and Sweet Cauliflower Wings (perfect for game day)

East Creamy Cauliflower Soup (a winter hit)

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Vegan Roasted Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Servings: 4

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 whole head of garlic
• medium head of cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• salt
• pepper
• olive oil
• fresh thyme, for topping (optional)

Instructions

For the garlic:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Peel the outer layer of skin off of the garlic and slice the top of the head off (see photo above). Place on a piece of tin foil and drizzle the top with about one tablespoon of olive oil. Wrap the garlic up so that there are no holes for the steam to escape and place on a baking sheet and then in the oven for 45-55 minutes.

For the cauliflower:

1. When the garlic has been roasting for about half hour, start your cauliflower. Place the florets into a large pot with the vegetable stock, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce slightly to a rolling boil and allow the cauliflower to steam for 5-10 minutes, or until just fork tender – do not drain.
2. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower to a food processor or blender and add one tablespoon of the veggie stock that the cauliflower was cooking in.
3. Remove the garlic from the oven and carefully unwrap. Use your fingers to squeeze out two of the cloves (or as many as you want!) and place in the food processor with the cauliflower and stock. Add in 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of fresh black pepper and pulse everything to combine and then blend until smooth. Be patient and scrape down the sides often. You can add more of the veggie stock to help loosen it, but don’t add too much or else it will become mushy. Eventually, if you continue to blend and scrape, the mixture will become smooth without the added veggie stock.
4. Taste and add more salt and pepper or another clove of garlic, if desired. I like to put more than 1/4 teaspoon of salt, but it is always better to start with less and add more, than to add too much for your taste.
5. Transfer the cauliflower to a serving bowl, drizzle with some olive oil and top with fresh thyme, if desired.