These dairy free and Vegan Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower are studded with savory roasted peppers and caramelized onions. Perfect for holidays and special occasions! 112 calories and 3 Weight Watchers SP
Whether you follow a vegan or dairy free diet or you have a vegan friend or relative at your holiday table this year, these mashed potatoes and cauliflower are a fantastic healthy holiday side dish option. Making sure everyone you love is taken care of (at least feast-wise) is all part of spreading the holiday cheer!
Considering that mashed potatoes are typically laden with milk or cream, and plenty of butter, coming up with a lighter, vegan version requires some tinkering. But have no fear, I have tinkered and tasted on your behalf. The result is a recipe that will impress all of your guests, not just those looking for a dairy free alternative.
So, what’s the trick? This recipe uses a mixture of potatoes and cauliflower florets, mashed to a smooth texture, and spiked with sweet caramelized onions and smoky roasted red peppers. The cauliflower provides a lighter texture overall…not a typical dense mashed potato texture.
How do you make vegan mashed potatoes?
The trick to the creaminess (without the cream) is twofold. Instead of milk, I subbed in almond milk. Then I added a good dollop of a vegan cream cheese alternative. There is no cholesterol in the cream cheese and the saturated fats are plant-based.
If you’re not sure which vegan cream cheese you should use, I suggest asking the dairy manager at a healthy food store, such as Whole Foods. Alternatively, ask your guest which vegan cream cheese alternative is his or her favorite. Chances are, they’ve tried a few and know which ones do the trick.
Boil the cubed potatoes and cauliflower florets until tender, just like you would with regular mashed potatoes.
The trick to avoiding a liquidy mixture? Drain the vegetables well, then return them to saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring the potatoes and cauliflower until dry, 1 to 2 minutes.
Using a food mill, potato ricer, hand mixer or potato masher, mash the potatoes with the almond milk to remove the large lumps. Once the vegan cream is added, continue to mash until the mixture is smooth.
Do I have to add in the onions and peppers?
Nope! If you want a smoother texture, leave out the caramelized onions and peppers. I suggest adding in some minced fresh herbs or roasted garlic for another layer of flavor. See How to Roast Garlic for my tips and tricks (it’s easy, I promise!)
And be sure to season properly! Taste the mixture, and add salt and pepper until it tastes just right.
Other vegan side dishes:
Coconut Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes {Cookin’ Canuck}
Cinnamon Roasted Brussels Sprouts {Cookin’ Canuck}
Vegan Mushroom Gravy {Running on Real Food}
Masala Mac & Cheese {Vegan Richa}
Vegan Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower Recipe with Roasted Peppers & Caramelized Onions
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 2 medium yellow onions chopped
- 2 1/2 pound russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 1/4 pound cauliflower cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 4 ounces vegan cream cheese
- 2/3 cup almond milk
- 1 roasted red pepper chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden brown.
The Potatoes:
- Place cubed potatoes and cauliflower in a large saucepan and cover the vegetables with cold water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes and cauliflower are tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes.
- Drain the vegetables, return to saucepan and set over medium heat, stirring the potatoes and cauliflower until dry, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm over low heat.
- Using a food mill, potato ricer, hand mixer or potato masher, mash the potatoes with the almond milk to remove the large lumps.
- Add the cream cheese to the potatoes and continue to mash until the potatoes are smooth and the cream cheese is incorporated.
- Stir the caramelized onions and roasted peppers into the mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve.
Nutrition
This post was first published on November 13, 2013 and updated on November 25, 2019.
Disclosure: All opinion are my own. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Michelle @ The Fresh Direction
This looks like it would be a great addition to any holiday menu. I follow a vegan diet and am always trying to find new recipes that will appeal to the non-vegan eaters at my table too… thanks for sharing!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This is full of so much goodness! Love this recipe!
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Love this! These look divine, can’t wait to try these!
Jeanette
Great vegan option for Thanksgiving or any time of the year!
kelley
Gorgeous recipe, Dara! I love mashed cauliflower and you’ve elevated it to a whole new level with all these savory additions!
MaryB
This looks like the perfect side dish for my vegan friends coming to our holiday dinner. What great timing!
Beth
Will definitely be trying your mashed potato & cauliflower recipe! Thanks for posting it, and also turning me on to a product, new to me, Go Veggie!
Aimee @ Simple Bites
I love mashing cauliflower with potatoes, but you elevate it to a whole new level!
Erica
I have been looking for a lighter mashed potato recipe. Can’t wait to try this one out and love the added peppers for color and extra jazz. Thanks.
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This looks absolutely delicious! Hearty and so creamy… I love it!
Emily B
This looks amazing!! I’ve been experiencing with cauliflower quite a bit lately.
Kathryn
Cauliflower has become my families favorite vegetable lately it is so versatile! Roasted, mashed, sautéed, steamed I can’t wait to try this recipe too!
Aimee Porter
I should never read your posts when I’m hungry! This looks amazing:)
Kate D.
This recipe looks amazing. There are no vegans at this years Thanksgiving dinner, but this recipe will be on the menu!
Jo-Anne
I’m adding this recipe to my Thanksgiving menu this year.
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction
Such a perfect Thanksgiving side dish! I love combining mashed cauliflower and mashed potatoes!
Kim Beaulieu
This is one gorgeous and flavour packed mashed potato recipe. I was stopped in my tracks by the photo with the onions, beautiful shot, perfect colour. I love all the add ins to this. I need to try for the family. And I had no idea you could get vegan cream cheese. Very cool.
Rena
This looks delicious!
Andrea M
what is the utensil you used to mash!? i’ve never seen anything like that, at least i don’t think, however i’m pretty sure i want it!
Alison
As stupid as this sounds, I have heard of mashed cauliflower and mashed potatoes, but it never occurred to me that a mix of the two might make a great dish. This recipe looks wonderful!
Shoshana
Even though I’m not making Thanksgiving, I might just have to make this for dinner one of these days!
Barbara @ Barbara Bakes
What a great way to dress up potatoes!
Amanda T.
The Vegan Mashed Potato & Cauliflower dish looks so good that I can’t wait to try it out and add it to my Thanksgiving dinner menu.
Jenn Edwards
I love the red and green in these mashed potatoes – reminds me of Christmas!
Aggie
Oh Dara this looks so good! I love how you incorporated cauliflower with the potatoes. YUM!
Amy @ The Nifty Foodie
These look so decadent! Great idea!
Heidi
I can’t wait to make this and am sure I will love it– made the butternut squash chicken stew for the third time in a month, today!
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl
This sounds and looks so delicious!! Love the red pepper addition!!
Nutmeg Nanny
Oh yum, the flavors in this recipe are just perfect 🙂 I can’t wait to get a taste of this!!
anna
These taste amazing. The flavors make this dish the best mashed veggies dish I have ever had.let alone the eye appeal makes you anticipated how delicious out is. Thank you for sharing this with us.
Dara
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed them, Anna! Thanks for letting me know.
Monica
Dará any chance you’ve tried this recipe with reg cream cheese and milk? Looking forward to trying it!
Dara
I haven’t, but that should definitely work!
Kate
Are the roasted red peppers the same as red bell peppers? I’ve seen chefs roasting a bell pepper on the eye of a gas stove, but I have an electric stove. Can you use the jarred roasted red peppers?
Dara
Hi Kate, great questions! Yes, they are the same. I don’t have a gas stove either, but roast peppers under the broiler. Super simple to do! Here are directions for that: https://www.cookincanuck.com/how-to-roast-bell-pepper/ You can also use the jarred versions. If you’re calorie or fat conscious, look for roasted peppers that are jarred in water rather than oil.
Vivian @RISVK
Looks delicious definitely going to try it this weekend