Elevate your next dinner with this silky mashed cauliflower side dish. A simple simmer on the stove, and then a quick blitz in the food processor yields a simultaneously smooth and airy vegan mash that rivals your favorite mashed potatoes. Sautéing sliced garlic cloves and then cooking the cauliflower in that aromatic base brings big flavor here! Finishing with a drizzle of vegan black pepper Worcestershire butter, a dab of miso, and fresh lemon juice makes this easy mashed cauliflower extra special. Perfect for holiday menu planning as well!
I’ve been working on this cauliflower for a bit! I like to get a balance of salt, acidity, and umami characteristics in all of my food, and was finding it extra challenging with this dish. Something about mashing/puréeing the cauliflower seemed to highlight an overtly cruciferous, slightly bitter flavor.
I started thinking about cacio e pepe, the iconic Roman pasta dish that celebrates the simple but sublime flavor union of cheese and pepper. I knew that I could add the salty-umami characteristics with miso and vegan worcestershire sauce. Lemon would bring fresh acidity to lift everything up, and of course a healthy amount of freshly ground black pepper to finish it off.
I’m so happy with the results. I sauté sliced garlic in vegan butter first because garlic is always welcome in a veg mash around here (see my olive oil mashed potatoes). Then the cauliflower goes in along with vegetable stock, miso, lemon peel, salt and pepper. The vegan butter adds richness and body to this mashed cauliflower recipe. Make sure to use a vegan butter that you love the taste of on its own. I personally enjoy Miyoko’s and Nuts For Butter.
This cauliflower mash is perfect with:
We wind up with a silky mashed cauliflower that’s creamy, umami-rich, has a bit of complex tang, and also the delightful piquant finish of pepper. I have you make a vegan Worcestershire and black pepper-infused butter to drizzle over the top. I use the Lord Sandy’s brand Worcestershire. This simple step really takes the whole experience into the stratosphere. Hope you give it a try soon!
Silky Mashed Cauliflower with Black Pepper Worcestershire Butter (Vegan)
Made with 10 vegan ingredients, this mashed cauliflower veggie side is silky smooth, fluffy, and flavor-boosted with garlic, miso, Worcestershire sauce lemon & black pepper.
Servings 4 -6
Ingredients
Mashed Cauliflower:
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced
- 3 strips lemon peel
- 1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets (about 10 cups florets)
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- ½ cup vegetable stock
- 1 ½ tablespoons light miso
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
Worcestershire Black Pepper Butter Drizzle
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons vegan worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Notes
- I tested this recipe with olive oil in place of the vegan butter and it just wasn’t the same. The vegan butter adds richness, but also a bit more body to the mash.
Instructions
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Heat a large pot over medium. Once the pot is hot, add the butter and sliced garlic. Sauté until garlic is slightly golden and fragrant, about 1 minute. Then, add the lemon peel, cauliflower, salt, pepper, vegetable stock, and miso. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it continue to simmer until the cauliflower is tender, about 20 minutes.
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Fish out the lemon peels and then transfer the entire contents of the pot to a food processor (cauliflower, garlic, liquid and all). Add the lemon juice. Pulse a few times before running the motor on high for about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the food processor and pulse a few more times. It should be silky smooth. Keep the mashed cauliflower warm while you make the butter drizzle.
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Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the vegan butter and let it melt. Then, add the worcestershire sauce and black pepper. Let it sizzle a bit before drizzling over the mashed cauliflower. Enjoy immediately.
