Parmesan Truffle Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

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These creamy mashed potatoes combine cauliflower, truffle and parmesan for a unique twist on a traditional side dish.

Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes in a light blue bowl

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During the holiday season, there are side dish recipes everywhere, and while I’m all for the traditional dishes I usually like to add a twist to make my dishes somewhat unique - especially when it comes to side dishes!

Contents:

Notes from the Kitchen
Key Ingredients
Recommended Tools
How to make this recipe
Make Ahead Tips
Frequently Asked Questions
Serving Suggestions
More holiday side dish recipes
Parmesan Truffle Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes

Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes in a light blue bowl topped with chopped green onions

Notes from the Kitchen

You've probably heard people talk about how mashed cauliflower is just like "real" mashed potatoes, and while I'd say straight-up mashed cauliflower is a great alternative to mashed potatoes if you are on a low-carb diet, it's not quite the same as the real thing. Since I'm all for ways to get more veggies in my diet, I decided to combine cauliflower with potatoes to an option that still has the fluffy creamy texture of traditional mashed potatoes!

This a great side dish if you are entertaining a small group for the holidays. It's ideal if you are hosting Thanksgiving for 2-6 people.

When it comes to mashed potatoes, my personal preference is that they be just a little bit chunky so to start I mash the potatoes by hand with a potato masher and then use a hand mixer to get them fluffy and creamy. This is one of the rare cases where I generally use a hand mixer instead of my stand mixer. If you prefer a creamier texture you can whip them a bit more to get that effect.

A few tips to make sure you get the best results:

Bring the potatoes and water to a gentle boil together. You don't want to throw cold potatoes into already boiling water as they won't cook thoroughly and evenly.
Salt the water when you are boiling the potatoes. It allows you to season them right from the beginning.
Warm the milk and bring the yogurt to room temperature before adding them to the potatoes. Using warm and room-temperature ingredients ensures you won't cool the piping-hot potatoes down too quickly.
Using a potato masher to mash the potatoes before beating them is an important step to achieve the right consistency.

Key Ingredients

The full list of ingredients and quantities can be found in the recipe card below.

Russet potatoes: Look for medium to large potatoes for this recipe. I would not recommend substituting yukon gold or other types of potatoes in this one.
Cauliflower: You'll need about half of a head of cauliflower. Sometimes I use bagged cauliflower florets to save time.
Greek yogurt: Full-fat, plain greek yogurt is the best option as it adds some creaminess to the potatoes and cauliflower.
Whole milk: You can sub half and half.
Butter: Since the cheese is somewhat salty, it's best to use unsalted butter.
Parmesan cheese: I always recommend freshly grated.
Truffle oil: It gives the dish a nice earthy taste. You don't need much, so if you don't have it in your pantry or have other uses for it, you can omit it.
Spices: Kosher salt, ground pepper

Recommended Tools

Hand Mixer – A hand mixer is perfect for making mashed potatoes and it gives you a nice fluffy texture while at the same time giving you the control not to overbeat them. It's also a great backup if you don't want to get out your stand mixer or if you are making multiple things that need to be beaten and you don't want to stop and clean the bowl of your stand mixer!

Potato Masher - A good potato masher is an important kitchen tool. I prefer one like this with the zigzagged wire head that's great for mashing all your favorite root vegetables.

How to make this recipe

The full printable recipe card is below, but let’s walk through the details before you start cooking.

Step 1 | Cook the veggies. Boil the potatoes and cauliflower in a large pot.

Step 2 | Mash the potatoes + cauliflower. Mash before you whip them to get the best texture.

Parmesan Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes prep

Step 3 | Make them fluffy. Once mashed, you want to make them nice and fluffy using a hand or stand mixer.

Step 4 | Add the extras. Mix in the truffle oil and parmesan cheese.

Make Ahead Tips

These potatoes can be made ahead of time and reheated. I recommend using a microwave or toaster oven with a reheat function to keep them from drying out.

Frequently Asked Questions

I don't like truffle, can I leave it out?

Yes, you can. This will obviously change the taste of the dish but it's still very good. The parmesan flavor will be more noticeable without the truffle oil.

Serving Suggestions

These potatoes are a great addition to your holiday menu, however, they also make a super tasty side for any fall or winter dish. And while I could certainly dive into these potatoes all on their own, I especially like them with this Apricot Glazed Pork Tenderloin or with these Meatloaf Muffins. Add a nice green salad to either option and you'll have a great weeknight meal.

More holiday side dish recipes

If you are looking for other side dishes to add to your holiday menu check out these reader favorites:

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