Cauliflower-Leek Purée is the perfect side dish alternative to the traditional mashed potatoes. Rich, creamy, and packed full of veggies. Even the potato lover in your life will love this delicious cauliflower purée dish!
I originally published this recipe for cauliflower puree eight years ago. Back when we were kid-free and living our young adult lives. We were tight for money and would treat ourselves to fancy meals every once in a while at home. I shared this recipe in 2011.
We made this Cauliflower-Leek Purée for Valentine’s Day that year. This is the only photo I saved from this original recipe. My husband was manning the grill. Cooking our lobster tails and steaks while I worked on making this puree among other things. Back then, replacing cauliflower with potatoes wasn’t really a thing. So this was totally out of the normal side dish. Now, cauliflower is consumed much more frequently and has become the new normal on the side dish market.
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Ingredients for Cauliflower Purée
Here are all the ingredients I use for this high-end restaurant quality side dish.
- Cauliflower – 1 head of fresh cauliflower is all you will need for this recipe.
- Salted Butter
- Leeks – This is definitely a specialty item. Look for leeks near the lettuce in your grocery store. Make sure you wash them really well as they can be gritty.
- Garlic – The good news is that the blender will puree the garlic so you don’t need to worry about finely mincing the garlic.
- Heavy Cream – This is what makes this cauliflower puree recipe oh-so decadent. You won’t realize it’s not potatoes!
- Seasonings – Salt, Pepper, and fresh parsley
- Panko Bread Crumbs – These bread crumbs get toasted on top and make for a delicious fancy topping.
Directions
First, you will need to rinse and chop the cauliflower into bite size pieces.
Place cauliflower in a large pot of boiling (salted-add about 1-2 teaspoons) water. Cook the cauliflower until very soft. Drain and set to the side.
Meanwhile, in a frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are translucent and very soft, about 8 minutes.
Using a blender or food processor (*you may have to work in batches) add the cooked cauliflower, leek mixture, salt, pepper, and heavy cream.
Puree for 1 minute or until smooth in texture.
This is what it will look like once it’s pureed.
Using the frying pan from the leek mixture melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the panko and parsley and toast until golden in color. Top the puree with the toasted panko. Divide evenly among plates and enjoy.
Cauliflower Purée: FAQs
Just like the directions above you will follow similar steps. First steam your veggies. Then drain, and place into a high power blender or food processor. Purée for 1-2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
You can thicken the cauliflower purée by cooking it down further while stirring often over low heat in a large nonstick skillet.
Yes, you can definitely freeze cauliflower puree. Make sure to cool the purée and refrigerate leftovers in a plastic or glass container for up to 3 days. Freeze the cool leftovers for up to three months.
To make this mashed cauliflower side dish you’ll want to use either a high end blender or food processor to get the rich creamy smooth results like mashed potatoes. I have an 8 cup capacity blender. I didn’t need to work in batches, but others might need to depending on the size.
Tips & Tricks
- Rinse well – Make sure you rinse the leek very well. Cut down the middle in half then let sit in a bowl of cool water. The sand/silt will start to release and move to the bottom of the bowl.
- Gluten Free – To make this recipe gluten free simply omit the panko bread crumbs or use a gluten free breadcrumb.
- Blender Free – If you don’t own a blender or food processor you can mash with a fork or even use a hand mixer. Just note, that the leeks and garlic will not be pureed causing for additional texture in the puree.
What to Serve with Cauliflower
Not sure what to serve with this mashed cauliflower? Check out a few of my recipes that pair perfectly with it.
If you’re looking to change up your every day side dish or looking for an extra fancy side dish I hope you’ll give my pureed cauliflower a try.
If you make my creamy cauliflower puree, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!
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Cauliflower Puree
Equipment
- Stove Top
- Blender
Ingredients
- 1 Head Cauliflower (about 3.5 lbs)
- 3 tablespoons Salted Butter
- 1 Leek Whites and some greens thinly sliced
- 2 Cloves Garlic Chopped
- ¼ cup Heavy Cream
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon dash of black pepper
- ⅓ cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- 1 teaspoon Parsley Minced
Instructions
- Rinse and chop cauliflower into bite size pieces.
- Place cauliflower in a large pot of boiling (salted-add about 1-2 teaspoons) water. Cook the cauliflower until very soft, 12 to 15 minutes; drain and set to the side.
- Meanwhile, in a frying pan, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are translucent and very soft, about 8 minutes.
- Using a blender or food processor (*you may have to work in batches) add the cooked cauliflower, leek mixture, salt, pepper, and heavy cream. Puree for 1 minute or until smooth in texture.
- Using the frying pan from the leek mixture melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter over medium heat. Add the panko and parsley and toast until golden in color. Top the puree with the toasted panko. Divide evenly among plates and enjoy.
Notes
- Rinse well – Make sure you rinse the leek very well. Cut down the middle in half then let sit in a bowl of cool water. The sand/silt will start to release and move to the bottom of the bowl.
- Gluten Free – To make this recipe gluten free simply omit the panko bread crumbs or use a gluten free breadcrumb.
- Blender Free – If you don’t own a blender or food processor you can mash with a fork or even use a hand mixer. Just note, that the leeks and garlic will not be pureed causing for additional texture in the puree.
While They Snooze
Finally made this tonight! So good! Jamey hates cauliflower and even he liked it 🙂
Little Brick Ranch
Cauliflower is such an amazingly versatile food and looking like this I bet it is SUPER delicious!! If you get a sec, pop on over to Foodie Friday and link up! Oh, and I found you on Fireflies and Jellybeans! 🙂
Lisa
Mmm, I just love cauliflower and this sounds like a great alternative to mashed potatoes.
judee@glutenfreeA-Z
Sounds devine. I love cauliflour. Can't wait to try to make it.. thanks for sharing the recipe.