• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to footer top navigation
  • Skip to footer bottom navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Skinny & Fit is Always Delicious
Display Search Bar
Follow me on Facebook! Follow me on Twitter! Follow me on Pinterest! Follow me on Instagram! Follow me on YouTube! Contact Cart
  • Client Login

Skinny Fitalicious®

Because skinny & fit always tastes delicious

  • Weight Loss Coaching
  • Weight Loss Coaching
    • Coaching / Free Consult
    • Client Testimonials
  • Free Class
  • Podcast
  • Blog
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Best Calorie Calculator
    • Megan Recommends
    • Meal Plans
  • Podcast
  • Cookbook
  • About
    • About Megan
    • Policies
    • Contact

BONUS!

3 Smart Strategies To Stop Cravings So You Can Lose Weight!

Home » Blog » Sides » Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower {GF, Low Cal}

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower {GF, Low Cal}

Published: Nov 15, 2017 · Modified: Nov 11, 2022 by Megan

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate I earn qualifying purchases. Click here for more about this policy.

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This skinny version of mashed potatoes adds cauliflower and Greek yogurt to make them healthier. Family friendly! No one will even notice this healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

Say hello to healthier mashed potatoes with cauliflower! Okay, but first. You must promise you won't judge these mashed potatoes before hearing me out first. I don't care if you're a healthy eater, clean eater, Paleo, gluten-free, or someone just beginning to eat healthy.

The fact is this is a no judge zone. Deal? Now that we got that out of the way, let's talk mashed potatoes.

They're not the most weight friendly dish, but they are a traditional side we love on our holiday tables, or for regular dinners too. The thing is we usually make them all wrong loading this healthy vegetable with things that alter the nutritional value making them less nutritious, more fattening and with more fat. So how do we lighten them up? Let me tell you! Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

First, keep the skins on the potatoes. Not what you were expecting me to say right off the bat, huh? Yep! The skins are loaded with fiber, iron and vitamins B-6 and C. That fiber, in particular, does a good job of balancing the starchy carb of the potato itself so digestively, it's helping you balance the sugar in the potato. Why is that important?

Because some people have a tendency to store starches as fats especially if they're insulin resistant. Not to mention fiber is heart healthy and the #1 thing I tell my clients they need to drastically increase to lose weight.

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

Second, use half the amount of russet potatoes and replace the remaining with roasted cauliflower. I love making my garlic cauliflower mash for the holidays as a low carb option, but when you're trying to please a crowd replacing cauliflower in mashed potatoes is a great way to sneak in extra veggies while lightening up the dish. I promise they won't taste it!

I tested it on the boyfriend and he didn't notice it. Although, he was skeptical there was something creamy in them which leads me to.... Third, add Greek yogurt to the recipe. It adds protein to balance the carbohydrates in the potatoes and gives the potatoes a thick, creamy texture without affecting the taste or adding a ton of calories.

Butter, buttermilk, sour cream are common ingredients used in mashed potatoes, but can make the calories add up. You won't even notice the Greek Yogurt swap!

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

And that's how you do healthier mashed potatoes! Just three simple changes to a traditional recipe that makes it healthier, lighter and friendlier to your waistline. My challenge to you, is to try it. Let's stop dieting and depriving ourselves of traditional foods.

Rather, start by making simple swaps in your diet. That's how you see change in how you feel and look, and that's how you make those changes stick for good! 

Dairy Free Alternatives To Greek Yogurt

If you are dairy free, you can use a dairy free yogurt that's higher protein like this one. Almost all dairy free yogurts are made from FATS and have very little protein. So if you use a dairy free yogurt, the higher protein one is what I recommend for most individuals.

You can also use lactose free cottage cheese if you tolerate lactose free products. Please note that lactose free cottage cheese is not dairy free. You can blend the cottage cheese in a blender and use it to replace the Greek Yogurt.

Another alternative is using cashews to make a dairy free "cream sauce." Soaking cashews in water then blending them with dairy free milk turns them into a dairy free sauce like I did in this recipe. Cashews are primarily healthy fats so if you are watching your weight, you will have to be mindful of the lack of protein and increase in calories from using cashews which are higher calories from fat.

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie
Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower {GF, Low Cal}

Megan Olson
Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Course Side
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 78 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 medium russet potatoes ~1 lb., scrubbed clean with skin on and cubed
  • 4 cups cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup Greek yogurt I use Fage
  • 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or milk of choice
  • 2 tablespoons dried parsley
  • Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 375 F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Bring a large pot to a boil. Add cubed potatoes and let them boil 30 minutes or until tender.
  • Next place cauliflower on baking sheet and sprinkle with salt & pepper. You can optionally add a bit of extra virgin olive oil to them, but it's not necessary.
  • Bake at 375 F 20-25 minutes until cauliflower is roasted.
  • Then remove from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet.
  • Drain potatoes from the pot of water and add them to a food processor or blender. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in batches.
  • Add cauliflower and remaining ingredients. Process on high until smooth.
  • Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 7 days.

Notes

  • One serving is 1/3 cup.
  • My shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 78kcalCarbohydrates: 15.4gProtein: 4.1gFat: 0.6gSaturated Fat: 0.1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 0.6mgSodium: 47.6mgFiber: 2.6gSugar: 2.3g
Tried this Recipe? Let me know!Let us know how it was!

What I Used For The Recipe

Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower! This lighter version of the traditional dish adds cauliflower & Greek yogurt that no one will notice. A healthier side for your dinner table! Gluten Free + Low Calorie

About Megan

Megan is a certified nutrition practitioner, author, freelance food photographer and fitness instructor living in Phoenix, Arizona. On her blog, Skinny Fitalicious she shares EASY, gluten free recipes for weight loss. Follow Megan on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates.

More Healthy Side Dish Recipes

  • potato salad in a tan bowl
    Low Calorie Potato Salad {GF, Low Cal}
  • macaroni salad in a white bowl with wooden spoon
    Low Calorie Macaroni Salad {GF, Low Cal}
  • garden salad with red onion rings and croutons
    Healthy Olive Garden Salad Recipe {Low Cal, GF}
  • chip being dipped into a baking dish with dip
    Healthy Hot Shrimp Dip {Low Calorie, GF, Low Carb}
< Previous Post
Next Post >
432 shares
  • Share14
  • Tweet

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment

    Leave a Comment Cancel reply

    Recipe Rating




  1. Pippa Ross says

    October 13, 2020 at 6:39 am

    How much cauliflower is used? In the video, you say 2 cups but in the recipe here, you say 4 cups, Thanks-can't wait to make this!.

    Reply
    • Megan says

      October 13, 2020 at 7:18 am

      It should be 4 cups. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  2. lindsay Cotter says

    November 17, 2017 at 11:39 am

    Greek yogurt it my go to very extra protein too. so creamy! Love this Megan!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      November 19, 2017 at 11:44 am

      I like Siggi's too!

      Reply
  3. Emily @ Pizza & Pull-Ups says

    November 15, 2017 at 7:59 am

    Love the idea of using Greek yogurt to make it creamy!

    Reply
    • Megan says

      November 16, 2017 at 8:10 am

      Oh yes! You can never go wrong with an extra dose of protein and probiotics either.

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

Meet Megan

Megan is a nutrition practitioner, author of the Low Calorie Cookbook and podcast host of the Dish On Ditching Diets. Megan helps women over 35 lose weight after losing 80 pounds herself. Here you get low calorie recipes for weight loss that balance hormones. Learn more about my weight loss programs HERE!

  • Nutrition Coaching
  • Skinny Fitalicious Meal Plans
  • Shop and Resources
  • Weight Loss Tips

Latest Video

https://youtu.be/L1t4wDjG5do

Some links on this site are affiliate links for which I am compensated a small commission if the link is clicked and a purchase is made. There is no cost to you. For a full disclosure policy, visit my Policies.

My Cookbook

low calorie cookbook

Follow me on Facebook! Follow me on Twitter! Follow me on Pinterest! Follow me on Instagram! Follow me on YouTube!
  • Weight Loss Coaching
  • Free Weight Loss Class
  • Podcast
  • Recipe Index
  • Contact
  • Disclaimer
© 2023 Skinny Fitalicious® Design by Melissa Rose Design Development by Once Coupled