Finding healthier options for the food we eat is always a good idea, especially when we’re monitoring our weight. One great example is the Instant Pot cauliflower mash recipe vs mashed potatoes.

This Instant Pot cauliflower mash recipe is a healthier substitution for mashed potatoes, and it pairs well with any main dish you are making for dinner! Why would anyone want to swap out potatoes for cauliflower?

It all comes down to healthy eating. Potatoes have vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6. However, most of these nutrients are mostly found in the skin of potatoes. Peeling potatoes, as many of us do for mashed potatoes, removes a lot of those vitamins and minerals.

Then, cooking the potatoes, even with the skin intact, reduces the amount of vitamin C. Then there are the aspects of potatoes that prohibit weight loss. Potatoes have 161 calories and 36 grams of carbs.

Anyone on any diet plan can tell you these numbers are not great. But cauliflower is very different. Cauliflower is a great alternative to mashed potatoes because you can get the same consistency using a food processor, potato masher, or even an immersion blender.

Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C, K, B6, folate, potassium, manganese, and fiber. The best part is that those vitamins are found in the whole head of cauliflower, so there is no need to worry about losing them when you remove the leaves.

Those who are on weight loss plans will also enjoy the 29 calories and 5 grams of carbs. Mashed cauliflower fits into a keto diet as the perfect low carb alternative to potatoes.

Basically, having an Instant Pot cauliflower mash recipe is a good idea for weight loss journeys. Those who are not trying to lose weight can also enhance this already great side dish recipe in numerous ways.

After all, the taste isn’t far off from mashed potatoes. Go crazy with the sour cream, sprinkle that parmesan cheese, and get fancy with some roasted garlic. We should keep the ingredients list limited to simple ingredients, though.

That way, this Instant Pot cauliflower recipe remains the easiest way to make a delicious recipe with the best results. Then there is the added bonus of making mashed cauliflower in an Instant Pot.

Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash Recipe

An Instant Pot is an electric pressure cooker that uses a combination of high pressure, high heat, and steam to cook food. Traditional mashed potatoes require us to boil potatoes until they get soft enough to mash by hand or with a hand mixer.

But that boiling process can take a long time, and we have to check the potatoes constantly to ensure they are soft. Mashed cauliflower is the same way. You would need to boil the whole cauliflower until it gets tender enough to mash.

We want that tenderness to get creamy mashed cauliflower just like we want creamy mashed potatoes. But Instant Pots can speed up the process. We may need to break up the cauliflower into smaller cauliflower florets so that they fit into an Instant Pot.

But that process won’t take long at all. You can have a side dish cooking in the Instant Pot while focusing on making the meal’s main course for the whole family. This recipe won’t even require many ingredients unless, of course, you enjoy adding your favorite toppings from mashed potatoes to your mashed cauliflower.

​Loaded Cauliflower Mash Ingredients

This easy Instant Pot cauliflower mash recipe is perfect for busy weeknights because it doesn’t require much at all. The base of the recipe only calls for a large head of cauliflower, some chicken bone broth, butter, sour cream, and salt and pepper.

Of course, you could substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth. You can also customize the toppings of the side dish as well. This recipe calls for chives, but you can use cheese, fresh garlic, green onions, cream cheese, small pieces of bacon, or whatever you’d like for your mashed cauliflower.

This recipe also calls for oil. You can use olive oil or vegetable oil for this step. Treat this recipe the same way you would mashed potatoes. Those who are trying to fit this simple side dish into their ketogenic diet will want to be slightly more cautious about what they add or top the cauliflower with.

But the results will still be tasty as one of your low carb, easy side dishes.

Instant Pot Mashed Cauliflower Recipe

Set the Instant Pot to the saute function and heat the oil. Then add the garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the chicken bone broth and turn off the saute function.

Add the cauliflower pieces using a steam basket or the trivet.

Lock the lid and set cook time to 3 minutes. When cooking is complete, do a quick release of the steam, then carefully remove the lid as well as the basket or trivet. We suggest using tongs and an oven mitt to remove anything from a hot Instant Pot.

Combine the cooked cauliflower, butter, sour cream, salt, and pepper using a hand blender directly in the Instant Pot or a countertop blender. Then, blend until creamy.

Serve and enjoy!

More Instant Pot Recipes

Beanless Instant Pot Ketogenic Chili Recipe | Chili doesn’t need to have beans in it to be delicious. In fact, some may argue beanless is the way to go.

Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup | Chicken noodle soup doesn’t always require a can opener to enjoy.

Instant Pot Sour Cream Scalloped Potatoes | Instant Pot potatoes make life easier, especially scalloped.

Low Carb Instant Pot Pork Chops Recipe | Pork chops can take on many different flavors, but they should always be smothered in sauce.

Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie Casserole | Chicken pot pie burns our mouths, but this casserole keeps the flavors and removes the burning.