This keto cauliflower mash is better than mashed potatoes. Change my mind. Just kidding – you can’t. A bold claim, but I stand behind it. And believe me, nobody is more surprised than I am at how delicious this low carb cheesy cauliflower puree is!
If you’ve tried keto cauliflower mash or cauliflower puree before and found it lacking, I totally feel your pain!
I’be been on various low carb diets since the 90’s (1990’s – I’m not THAT old), and had heard many people tout mashed cauliflower as an acceptable substitute for mashed potatoes. I’d tried it a few times and always…..meh, not so great.
I think part of the problem for me is that keto cauliflower purees always seem too watery and don’t have that true starchy mouth feel of real potatoes. I had long ago put mashed cauliflower in the category of “better than nothing but nowhere near as good as mashed potatoes.”
Steaming or boiling the cauliflower always ends up in a watery, greyish, flavorless mess. If that’s been your experience, then I’m excited to introduce you to this keto cauliflower mash recipe – where I solved the problem by microwaving the cauliflower uncovered, which concentrates the flavors and also allows a lot of the liquid to evaporate while cooking, leaving you with a much thicker end result.
In addition to the consistency issue, my other problem with low carb cauliflower mash recipes has always been the funky, skunky flavor natural to cauliflower. The addition of a strong Irish cheddar cheese made all the difference! It embraced the funk and transformed it into a complex flavor that I couldn’t get enough of!
The naturally sweet flavor of the cooked cauliflower paired with the extra sharp cheddar in this cauliflower puree made regular mashed potatoes seem boring and one note by comparison. And I’m a person who loves mashed potatoes!
If you’re on the fence, and are worried about being disappointed yet again by another keto mashed cauliflower recipe claiming to replace mashed potatoes, then I implore you to scroll down and the read the comments of all the people who were skeptical at first, but had their minds blown when they gave this cauliflower puree recipe a try.
Then be sure to let us know what you think!
Tips for Making the Best Cauliflower Puree
Be sure to watch the recipe video in this post to see how we do it, and how easy it is – even when making smallish batches.
First, try to choose a head of cauliflower that feels heavy, and has tightly packed florets. If the head is loose and there is a lot of visible stem, you will likely end up with a grainy cauliflower mash from the thick membrane on the outer stem. If using stems and they seem thick, peel them with a paring knife to get that membrane off and you will be rewarded with the creamiest cauliflower puree of your life.
Second, be sure to trim your cauliflower into pieces that are no more than 2 inches in size. If you cook the cauliflower and there are some tiny pieces and some huge pieces, you will inevitably be left with some that are overcooked and shriveled, as well as some cauliflower pieces that are left raw in the middle – that will also result in a grainy puree.
If you can’t get Irish cheddar, a decent brand of extra sharp grocery store cheddar (like cabot or Cracker Barrel) will do – but don’t use the cheapest brand, or anything pre-shredded, or you won’t get nearly enough flavor to balance out your cauliflower mash.
Which Appliance Works the Best
If you read through the comments you’ll find that people did not have great results with blending this cauliflower mash in a food processor. If it’s what you’ve got, then it’s better than nothing, but you’ll find that it will not produce a creamy, smooth cauliflower mash – it’s just not built for that.
My favorite way to make this cheesy cauliflower mash is in my Nutribullet because I can easily shake up the cup to redistribute the cauliflower pieces while blending.
When making larger batches, I have made it in my trusty Blendtec blender (and back in the day my Vitamix) with good results, but it can be annoying to have to remove the lid multiple times to stir the mixture with a spatula to get it to blend. Since we are looking for a nice, thick consistency to our cauliflower mash, we don’t want to add more liquid to make it blend too easily or it will be a very loose puree.
So for that reason my favorite appliance for making this recipe is the NutriBullet, or some other kind of bullet style blender.
More Delicious Cauliflower Mash Recipes
- Bacon & Smoked Gouda Cauliflower Puree
- Cheddar Leek Cauliflower Mash
- Garlic and Chive Cauliflower Mash (Dairy free and SCKC friendly)
- Jalapeno Popper Cauliflower Mash Casserole
- Pepperoni Pizza Cauliflower Mash Casserole
Now you’ve got all of your keto side dishes covered, but if you’re in need of more keto dinner ideas to serve with this cauliflower mash, check out this post of keto dinner recipes next!
Cheesy Cauliflower Mash – Keto, low carb
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
- Diet: Diabetic
Description
This Keto Cheesy Cauliflower Puree is so thick, creamy, and delicious, you’ll never miss mashed potatoes again!
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 ounces Dubliner Irish Cheddar or other sharp cheddar cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Clean and trim the cauliflower, breaking it into medium sized pieces.
- Place in a microwave safe bowl with the cream and butter.
- Microwave, uncovered, on high for six minutes.
- Add the garlic powder and stir to coat cauliflower with cream/butter mixture. Microwave for another six minutes on high.
- Check that your biggest florets are fork tender, if still hard, microwave another 5 minutes.
- Remove from the microwave and spoon the cooked cauliflower and any liquid into a magic bullet or high speed blender.
- Add the cheese and puree until smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Keto Side dish
- Method: microwave
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 148
- Fat: 11g
- Carbohydrates: 4g
- Protein: 6g
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You can also download all five of my ebooks, loaded with tasty original low carb recipes in a special bundle for just $19.99!!!
Krissy McLean says
I should have read through ALL of the comments before I tried this. Especially yours Melissa about frozen cauliflower. Next time I will do as you stated,
“A few people have tried with good results! Thaw and drain it first, then cook it in the microwave (alone) for 5 minutes and then drain again. THEN add the cream & butter, cook for another 4-5 minutes until soft and blend with the cheese. I haven’t tried it that way myself yet but a few people commented here and on facebook that it worked well! Let us know! Hope you like it!”
Also, my blender was a nightmare to work with. These things just kept getting stuck so I finally had to add more cream. This resulted in a mushy texture. The flavor was good but the kids weren’t crazy about the texture, although the 2 year old and my hubby loved them! Go figure.
We have just this week began our walk on this low-carb lifestyle and are following your 3-day Keto menu plan to a T!! It is very nice having recipies for every meal and snacks all laid out for me!! I have enjoyed all the recipes thus far and have been full, satisfied but not once have I felt that lethargic feeling that I usually feel when eating my usual carb-laden foods. Thank you thank you!!
You have a new blog follower in me…and I introduce your blog to a friend who loves it too!! :) I will post about my 2nd round of Caulimash soon.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Hi Krissy! I have found that I get the best texture out of my magic bullet for this recipe – my vitamix seems to overprocess it and then it gets gummy and I do tend to have to add more moisture to keep the blade moving as well. A food processor could also work though I haven’t tried that. Thanks for spreading the word about the blog and meal plans – keep us posted on your progress! :)
Lesley says
Is it possible to freeze the puree as there is only one of me and its difficult to make a small batch
Mellissa Sevigny says
I don’t see why not Lesley!
Leslie says
Okay..so I made this tonight…added onion powder and garlic powder to the batch…
Soooooo divine.! I served braised beef over top the cauli….
…also …thanks so much for your lovely site…it’s a go to for me as well as your three-cookbook package. Thanks for the personal touch and making it feel like I’m sitting at your kitchen table.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for this Leslie, I love the idea of having my readers at the kitchen table (hopefully with wine, lol!) I bet it was delicious with braised beef over it! I will caution you that if you are on a strict low carb plan that onion and garlic powder have a surprising number of net carbs in them so to be aware of that when using them! Thanks again for the comment! :)
phil says
hi just made it as per instruction, with mature cheddar cheese, and it was great and smooth. before i o/d on it, 4 carbs, how much of a portion is that
thanks
Phil
Mellissa Sevigny says
You’ll find the serving size at at the top of each recipe under the title for future reference – on this one it’s 1/2 cup! Enjoy!
Rachel says
Had to come back to this post to say that a different appliance has improved this recipe when i make it. With a traditional food processor or blender, it always turned out like cheesy grits..still loved it. Got a Ninja blender (the least expensive one), and now it is just like mashed potatoes, only better!
Mellissa Sevigny says
My magic bullet works great to get it nice and smooth too Rachel – and that’s definitely the BEST!!!
Andrea says
YUM! Great taste & great texture. I added some garlic powder this time and I’m contemplating other combinations. I want to try your bubble & squeak version next.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I LOVE the bubble and squeak! It’s been ages since I’ve made it – let me know what you think if you try it!
Susan says
I made these tonight and WOW!! These are by far the closest thing to a mashed potato that I have ever made!
Used a sharp white cheddar and blended until really smooth with my immersion blended.
Definitely a keeper! THANKS!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Susan, never thought of using an immersion blender for this! Great idea! Glad you liked them!
Laura says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have tried cauliflower “mashed potatoes” before and they never came out quite right. These were excellent and now I’m thinking of other ways I can “enhance” them (I see people have mentioned cream cheese, sour cream, garlic, bacon, etc). I did add a little extra butter and a bunch of salt (personal preference) to mine. I could have eaten the whole batch! :)
For anyone who is scared of buying a head of cauliflower (like I was) – don’t be! If I can do it, you can. It didn’t take long to cut and pull off the florets. I may have tossed out more than I was supposed to but it worked well for my first time.
Oh, and I used my magic bullet which worked like a charm. I started with about 1/3 of the cauliflower and added more as it pureed.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks for weighing in Laura and I’m so glad you liked it! Be sure to try the Jalapeno Popper Casserole that uses the puree as a base – it’s a huge favorite!
Sarah Bucko says
I love these “potatoes”!! I admit I did add a little cream cheese too and they were delish!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Can you believe I’ve never gone the cream cheese route? MUST TRY because I love the stuff. Maybe this weekend! Glad you enjoyed them and thanks for commenting! :)
CARISSA says
Would frozen cauliflower work for this recipe and if so, any changes in directions?
Mellissa Sevigny says
Frozen cauliflower will work fine Carissa, just be sure to get as much moisture out of it as possible to get a nice thick texture!