Cauliflower Twice-Baked Potatoes

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Batch of our Cheesy Cauliflower Baked Potatoes topped with green onion

Hey, guess what? There’s cauliflower in there (underneath all the cheesy, onion-y goodness). Health food for the win!

Head of cauliflower for making our Cauliflower Baked Potatoes recipe

I’ve been wanting to experiment with cauliflower for a long time but it’s always scared me with its funky appearance and distinct texture and flavor. So until I figure out how to eat cauliflower on its own, I shall pair it with potatoes. Not a bad combo if you ask me.

Three russet potatoes on a cutting board for making our Twice Baked Potatoes recipe
Pan of Cauliflower Twice-Baked Potatoes topped with shredded cheddar cheese

These twice baked potatoes have about 1/3 of a cauliflower inside, but you really can’t tell. The texture remains the same as a traditional twice baked potato, with just a slight taste of fresh, steamed cauliflower.

Pan filled with a batch of our Cheesy Baked Potatoes with Cauliflower

What you need to know about this recipe:

– It’s super simple, requiring just 7 ingredients.
– It can be made dairy-free by using dairy alternatives to butter, sour cream and cheese.
– It makes a seriously satisfying side dish, or with the addition of chili on top, could be a complete meal.
– It’s cheesy, dense and extremely flavorful.
– Although I have no subjects to test on (yet), I bet kids would love these.

Cutting board with Cheesy Cauliflower Twice Baked Potatoes with cheddar and green onion
Cutting board of Twice-Baked Potatoes made with cauliflower

I served mine alongside some grilled chicken and steamed broccoli and carrots, but they would also go well alongside hearty soups, meat entrees or dinner salads. And, they reheat really well, so make a few ahead of time and then snack on them throughout the week.

Plate and cutting board of healthier Twice-Baked Potatoes made with cauliflower
Three Cauliflower Twice-Baked Potatoes on a cutting board

Cauliflower Twice-Baked Potatoes

A cheesy, luxurious twice-baked potato with steamed cauliflower inside! The perfect vegetarian side dish.
Author Minimalist Baker
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Close up shot of Cheesy Cauliflower Twice-Baked Potatoes
5 from 9 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Servings 6 (potato halves)
Course Side
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Vegetarian
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

  • 3 large russet potatoes
  • Olive or coconut oil
  • 1/4 head cauliflower (stems removed and loosely chopped // 1/4 head yields ~1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp butter
  • 3 Tbsp light sour cream
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp each sea salt & pepper
  • 3 Tbsp shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C).
  • Wash and scrub your potatoes. Then dry and lightly coat with oil. Place directly on the top or middle rack and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes, or until they’re golden brown and have a bit of “give” to them when lightly squeezed.
  • Remove from oven and let cool until they’re comfortable to handle.
  • In the meantime, steam your cauliflower over a double boiler (or in the microwave) for about 15 minutes or until tender.
  • When your potatoes are cooled, cut them in half and gently scoop out the insides with a spoon, leaving about a 1/4 inch rim. Add the potato and steamed cauliflower to a large mixing bowl, along with the butter, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and sour cream and combine with either a potato masher or hand-held mixer. Be careful not to overmix or the potatoes can become sticky. Add a splash of milk if it appears too thick.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 C).
  • Scoop the filling back into your potatoes and place in a baking dish. Top with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese (optional) and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the potatoes are warmed through.
  • Serve immediately, topping with chives or green onion (optional). Cover and store in the fridge for up to a few days.

Notes

*Nutritional information is a rough estimate.

Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)

Serving: 1 potato halves Calories: 187 Carbohydrates: 30.9 g Protein: 4.8 g Fat: 5.5 g Saturated Fat: 3.4 g Sodium: 142 mg Fiber: 5.1 g Sugar: 2.8 g

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My Rating:




  1. Michele says

    Vegan version beats my memories of double stuffed baked potato with sour cream & chives. Yum 🤤
    My flavor boosters:
    *Roast the cauliflower, maybe with some nutritional yeast
    *Replace the vegan sour cream (haven’t found a successful vegan alternative) with a soft vegan cheese—scallion Miyokos or Treeline tastes just like sour cream & chives! Or a cheddar—used 1-2 oz per
    *Stir in or too some steamed broccoli, roasted mushrooms, etc for even more of a meal
    Always make an extra potato to reheat later
    Dinner tonight!!

  2. Morgan says

    This is a weekend staple in our house. Usually made on Sunday afternoon for dinner, with leftovers to take to work the next day! So delicious and tasty – thanks for your creativity, Minimalist Baker <3

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Love it! So glad this recipe is a staple for you, Morgan. Thanks for the lovely review!

  3. Kathryn says

    Love this recipe! I add fresh garlic and have made it mixing in some grated Parmesan cheese! Delicious!

  4. Edward Myler says

    Amazing. I made baked potatoes and cheesy mexican cauliflower cheese sauce with pepper jack and cilantro last night. I searched on Google for a recipe that would incorporate both for reheats for Monday night Football, and Bingo!! I found your recipe!??. Thanks for the great idea!

  5. Sarah says

    Oh My! Liking my fingers (and bowl) still. I roasted the cauliflower instead of steam and it turned out delicious. Five stars indeed!

  6. Rebecca Narracott says

    Hi Dana, just wanted to let you know that this recipe was a HUGE hit with my kids (age 5,7 & 9!) – it’s not easy getting them to eat cauliflower but they didn’t even notice! They all asked for it to be on the menu again next week, thanks for the great idea :-) Rebecca

  7. Debra says

    OMG! These are seriously good! I like cauliflower, so the taste would not have bothered me at all, but the thing is, you don’t taste the cauliflower. What I found interesting was it gave the potatoes a lighter texture, though I like baked potatoes too, they seem heavy on my stomach after having one. These were just perfect, I used a potato masher, so the texture for both was just fine. I did add about a tablespoon of bacon ranch dressing, to get that bacon flavor of a stuffed baked potato. Yum, this will be a regular at my house.

  8. Wendy says

    I made these vegan by adding some Earth Balance and unsweetened almond milk to the potatoes and cauliflower. Then I added some precooked onion, bell peppers, mushrooms and broccoli and topped some of them with some vegi cheese. They were so yummy! Because I made them vegan they were a little dry; we just try not to add too much oil to our food. I’m sure made following the recipe they would not be dry at all.
    Thanks for the recipe!

  9. Dani says

    Dana, I’m so excited to try these that they are already prepped and ready to pop in the oven for dinner tonight. It’s not even 4 p.m. yet. Now, off to plan a dish to go with these delicious taters. Thank you!

  10. Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says

    Yuuuummmm! What a wonderfully sneaky way to put cauliflower into something so deliciously tasty. Cauliflower has totally been growing on me lately – have you ever tried the following? Cut a head of cauliflower into bite-size pieces, steam just until al dente and place in a baking dish. Mix together equal parts mayonnaise and mustard and spread over the cauliflower. Top with grated sharp cheddar and bake at 375F until the cheese is melty and bubbly. Seriously good.

  11. Lindsey says

    i wonder if you could similarly use sweet potatoes or yams? either way, i love the idea of using cauliflower!

  12. Eileen says

    These potatoes look great! I love the idea of switching up classic twice-based potatoes with cauliflower. Who doesn’t want more vegetables in their life, right? :)

  13. Julie @ Harvest Moon Kitchen says

    These look great! I love cauliflower (I can’t wait until it’s in season again up here in the Northeast!), especially roasting it. Well, roasting is kind of my go-to flavor-boosting MO with most veggies… :) I particularly like tossing it with lemon and curry spices first, then either enjoying as is or turning it into a roasted cauliflower soup. Yum!

  14. Kathryn says

    This is a great idea. I’m a bit squicky about cauliflower (it looks like a brain!) but smother it in a load of cheese and I’m sold!

  15. Ashley says

    Yum!! I love that you combined the potato and cauliflower in this recipe. We like cauliflower a lot and finally tried whipping steamed cauliflower in the food processor, which sort of turns into mashed potatoes. I added garlic/salt/pepper/butter and WOW, it was totally delicious. We both loved it. Obviously not quite the same as mashed taters but such a nice change of pace for eating cauliflower! Will have to try this out next.