Healthier Mashed Potatoes & Cauliflower {GF, Low Cal} (2024)

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

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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

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!

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.

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!

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.

What I Used For The Recipe

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.