This Instant Pot mashed cauliflower is a creamy, yet healthy, lower carb alternative to mashed potatoes. Made with cauliflower, parmesan cheese, greek yogurt, and seasoned with thyme.
The Instant Pot is a great way to prep easy side dishes ahead of time. Some of my favorite instant pot side dish recipes that would pair perfectly with this recipe are these Instant Pot brussels sprouts, or this Instant Pot wild rice pilaf.
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Is there anything as delicious as creamy mashed potatoes? This Instant Pot mashed cauliflower comes pretty close! The addition of parmesan cheese, greek yogurt, fresh garlic and thyme make this recipe so buttery, smooth and delicious.
Best of all, this creamy mashed cauliflower is basically "hands-free". Pop the whole head of cauliflower right in the Instant Pot, no need to break it down into florets.
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Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe
- the combination of parmesan cheese, garlic and thyme is classic and so flavorful
- it's creamy and light - and lower in carbs than traditional mashed potatoes
- there's very little prep work, all you have to do is add the ingredients to the Instant Pot, pressure cook, then blend!
Ingredient notes
- Cauliflower - cauliflower turns into the most delicious, creamy dish when cooked and mashed. Plus, there's less prep work than mashed potatoes - no peeling necessary!
- Parmesan cheese - parmesan cheese takes this mashed cauliflower to the next level - adding a rich cheesy flavor
- Greek yogurt - mashed cauliflower is creamy already, but the addition of greek yogurt helps to make it even creamier and more delicious. You can swap greek yogurt for regular plain yogurt if you'd like, though the texture may be slightly thinner.
Step by step directions
1. Prep Instant Pot - place the stock, garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme in the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot.
TIP- this recipe works in both a 6 quart Instant Pot or an 8 quart Instant Pot!
2. Prep the cauliflower - wash the cauliflower and remove the leaves - no need to cut it up into florets. In the Instant Pot, place the trivet on top of the stock and garlic. And the whole cauliflower on top of the trivet.
3. Pressure cook - place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Do a quick pressure release (release the pressure immediately when the IP beeps). Allow the cauliflower to rest with the lid open for 10 or so minutes, until it cools slightly and it safer to handle (and allows extra moisture to drip off).
Tip - Make sure to let the cauliflower cool 5-10 minutes (with the Instant Pot lid removed) before mashing. This helps extra moisture drip down (and helps it get extra creamy!), and makes it easier to handle
3. Mash - transfer the cauliflower to a new pot with as little liquid as possible from the Instant Pot. Mash with the yogurt, cheese, salt and pepper.
TIP- for the silkiest mashed cauliflower, use a food processor. Here's my favorite food processor.
FAQ
You could try swapping the greek yogurt for dairy free yogurt (plain), and swap the parmesan for nutritional yeast, or a dairy free cheese.
Yes you can! Check out this post for parmesan mashed cauliflower that can be made on the stove top!
I bet that would work. I would try 2 minutes at high pressure with a quick pressure release. If your cauliflower needs more time, you can easily add more time and the Instant Pot will come back to pressure quickly.
Storage & reheating
Storage
- Cool completely.
- Portion into an air tight container.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
This recipe should be freezer-friendly but has not been tested.
Reheating
- BEST: bake it in a casserole dish (covered) at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.
- In a pinch: heat in the microwave until steaming hot.
Keeping it warm
If you wish to make this recipe a couple of hours ahead of your meal, you can keep it in the Instant Pot on 'keep warm':
You'll want to keep the lid on to keep it from drying out.
More Instant Pot recipes
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
Creamy Parmesan Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower leaves removed
- 1 cup stock see note 1
- 4 cloves garlic whole; smashed with the side of a knife
- 6 sprigs thyme fresh
Mash with
- ½ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- ½ cup greek yogurt plain
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prep Instant Pot - place the stock, garlic cloves and sprigs of thyme in the stainless steel inner pot of the Instant Pot.
- Prep the cauliflower - wash the cauliflower and remove the leaves - no need to cut it up into florets. In the Instant Pot, place the trivet on top of the stock and garlic. And the whole cauliflower on top of the trivet.
- Pressure cook - place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to the 'sealing' position. Cook on high pressure for 15 minutes. Do a quick pressure release (release the pressure immediately when the IP beeps). Allow the cauliflower to rest with the lid open for 10 or so minutes, until it cools slightly and it safer to handle (and allows extra moisture to drip off). see note 2
- Mash - transfer the cauliflower to a new pot with as little liquid as possible from the Instant Pot. Mash with the yogurt, cheese, salt and pepper. see note 3
Tips:
- Cool completely.
- Portion into an air tight container.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- BEST: bake it in a casserole dish (covered) at 350°F for 20-30 minutes, or until heated through.
- In a pinch: heat in the microwave until steaming hot.
Nutrition Information
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Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.
Jean says
I made these in my instant pot and they were perfect!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed, Jean! Thank you for taking the time out of your day to leave a review <3
Suzanne says
This looks AMAZING!!! I wonder if I can talk my family into eating it on Easter.
Denise says
I hope they go for it! Happy (early) Easter weekend, Suzanne!
Joyce Schade says
Looking forward to trying the Mashed Cauliflower recipe, sounds great ! I have a head of cauliflower in the fridge, maybe with dinner tomorrow ? Thank you
Denise says
I hope you enjoy!
Krista says
What kind of stock do you use?? Vegetable?
Denise says
Yes! You could use vegetable or chicken, or even water. Hope you enjoy!
Craig M. Thompson says
I'm having this wonderful dish tonight with garlic butter lemon roast whole chicken..
This should be a great side thanks for the find😋
Craig
Denise says
I hope you enjoyed!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Do you add in these extras to mashed potatoes too?
Denise says
Sorry, can you clarify your question? What do you mean by 'extras'?
Barbara says
Oh, so good! So filling! I didn’t have yogurt or fresh thyme, so I used sour cream and about 1/2 tsp of dried thyme. I have the QVC Cooks Essentials pressure cooker, no trivet on the bottom, and it came out perfect, although I had to make some accommodations for steaming in my pressure cooker. Definitely on the menu!! Thank you!!!
Denise says
So happy you enjoyed it, Barbara! Thanks for sharing your swaps and for leaving a review!
Debby says
I wish people wouldn't 'give these recipes stars for how they "look". It is really helpful to make them and them review.
Denise says
Hi Debby! I would love it if you'd leave a review on this recipe if you give it a try! Thanks so much 🙂
Gail says
How do you core the cauliflower while keeping the head whole?
Denise says
I just sneak the knife up and around the bottom and work carefully 🙂
Diane DiPrete says
can this be converted to 8 quart ? if so any changes?
Denise says
Hi Diane! Should be no problem. Same cook time. Hope you enjoy!
Simon says
Regular parmesan from Italy is NOT vegetarian. It contains calf liver rennet. You need to find Italian style hard cheese and check the ingredients.
Denise says
Hi Simon! Yes, parmesan is (surprisingly) not vegetarian. However, I don't believe I mention anywhere in this post that it is a vegetarian recipe? If I did could you please direct me to it so I can change it? Thanks so much!
Sandy says
I make mashed cauliflower often. I break the head into 4 sections and tuck the garlic in. I only cook for 3 minutes and drain the water off before mashing
Denise says
That's great!
Lindsay Wilkins says
This looks great. Do leftovers taste ok? I meal prep for the week so wondering if this will work! Thanks in advance!
Denise says
Hi Lindsay, apologies for my late reply, I've just returned from holidays! Leftovers keep well, for up to 4 days! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Angela says
I freeze my mashed cauliflower in little glass Pyrex dishes for a few months even. Just reheat and eat.
Denise says
Great idea!
Joey says
Just made this recipe, love it! Delicious and rather simple !
Denise says
I'm so happy to hear that, Joey! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂
Belinda says
The net carb count on the nutritional chart looks very high per serving. I’ve run all the numbers myself and maybe get that many for the whole batch. Am I overlooking anything?? BTW, I make a lot of cauliflower in my IP but it never even crossed my mind to put the entire head in! I’m no fan of chopping, thanks! And this sounds really tasty!
Denise says
Hi Belinda! I just re-ran the recipe through My Fitness Pal and got roughly the same thing...here's the link so you can see the breakdown (these are strictly estimates, of course!). Looks like there are 30g carbs in a head of cauliflower, you could reduce this by serving smaller portions if you'd like.
Belinda says
Well, I guess I really have never looked up cauliflower by the head! Seems like it shouldn’t have so many carbs but of course it makes sense. I’m enjoying your recipe now and it is amazing!!!! It will become a regular side with me now. Oh, I just cut mine into large florets cause I KNOW that works for me! Added probably 2T water, set my instant pot for one minute, quick release, drain and add all that yummy stuff, used my immersion blender for easy clean up.
Lisa says
We enjoyed this! I skipped the thyme, as I don't care for that flavor. I also cheated, and added some prepared instant mashed potatoes (about 2 servings worth) to thicken it up a bit. and stretch out the servings.
Denise says
That's a great idea to add potatoes to thicken! Glad you enjoyed, Lisa, thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a nice review <3
Amy says
Could I use frozen cauliflower instead of fresh?
Denise says
Hi Amy! I'm sure you could use frozen cauliflower, however I'm unsure on the cook time. You'd probably have to cut the cook time way down since they'd be in florets. I would try 3-5 minutes.
Stephanie says
This question came up on a different recipe for broccoli cheese soup. The author recommended cooking the frozen broccoli for zero minutes (just leave it in the pot during the heating process & immediately release as soon as it changes to "cook"). Frozen cauliflower might need a minute or so if the florets are bigger chunks.)
Julie Lynne Brouwer says
Do you include the garlic and thyme in the mixture or leave it in the pot?
Denise says
Hi Julie, you could do it either way. For these photos I didn't put the garlic or thyme in when I mashed them and it still had a ton of the flavor. I will update the recipe card with these instructions 🙂
Karla says
Hi I’m about to make this!! Looks amazing ?❤️ Just a question how much salt and pepper did you add? I’m not good at calculating ? is it a tablespoon? Thank you! I love your blog btw!! ???
Denise says
Hi Karla! I used 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. If you have a really big head of cauliflower you may need to increase it. Hope you enjoy!
Jeanna says
this looks delicious! Thank you for providing a link for the non-instant pot users. I see it was originally posted 09-29-14.
Denise says
Hi Jeanna! Yes, the original recipe is an oldie but a goodie. I reworked the recipe and technique for this post. Hope you enjoy 🙂