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
New to the low carb lifestyle and need some help? Try my free 3 day kickstart plan to get into ketosis fast! Then follow it up with any of my 12 free weekly menu plans – complete with shopping and prep lists!
You can also download all five of my ebooks, loaded with tasty original low carb recipes in a special bundle for just $19.99!!!
Kelsie says
This was by far the BEST cauliflower mash I’ve EVER had!!!!!!! I have a big family to feed so I doubled the recipe, and what I did was for the first batch I microwaved it the second time around for only 4 minutes and after putting it in the processor it was like a lumpy consistency. The second batch I made I pureed and the texture was peeeerfect! Just like the best mashed potatoes ever without the calories…my Dad is a super picky picky man and him AND my husband RAVED about them! I have converted our house officially!! Thanks for sharing! :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much for letting me know Kelsie – always thrilled to have new cauliflower converts on my hands! ;)
Stephanie C says
First of all, I never review any recipe, ever…. With that said, I simply had to write this review.. I have tried many mashed cauli recipes and this is by far the best mash I have ever had. I used frozen cauli, added a half tablespoon more of heavy cream, and used cabot extra sharp white cheddar. I threw it into my ninja and oh my goodness.. I wanted to eat all of it right then, but I made it for your bangers and mash… I never in my wildest dreams thought that “dieting” could be so fulfilling and yummy…Thank You!!
Val says
This is delicious, and is amazing as the topping on a creamy fish pie!!
Thanks for your recipes!
Mandy says
Oh yum!!!! I have been doing a ketosis diet for a few months and stumbled across this. I am in heaven. I live in UK and couldn’t get dubliner so used good old cheddar. My 2 sons also tried it and wow they liked it. What’s even more wow is that my 16 yr old does not like mashed potatoe but he really liked mashed cauliflower . Yippeeeeee!
Nicky says
I make this a lot since first coming across the recipe over a year ago. Last night, my fiance asked if we could change the seasoning of it; I usually use a medium to shard cheddar in it. We bought smoked Gouda and used that. It came out better than with the cheddar! He loved it, and when we were cleaning up, he said about the bowl used to puree everything, “I just want to smell this all night”. lol.
Rachel Horowitz says
I’m making this for the third time now, and I’ve got to say, I LOVE this recipe. It’s tasty, and the easiest method of making a cauliflower mash that I have ever come across. This is actually the second time this week that I am preparing this. Right now, it’s to go along with your Beef Stroganoff Meatballs that I made last night. I doubled the Stroganoff recipe, after making it once, and kicking myself for not making a double batch then. (I despise the process of frying meatballs, but the recipe is really yummy, LOL)
The first time I made this mash, I used a sharp white cheddar, but this week I have Dubliner cheese to use. Wow, the Dubliner is awesome — it’s like cheddar and parmigiana reggiano had a baby, LOL.
Vicki N says
I’m new to this – only nine days into it and I finally found something that’s low carb that I LOVE and I can make easily. I’m not much of a cook, so I was delighted to find this. I made mine with 2/3 cauliflower and 1/3 broccoli and it was DELICIOUS!
Christa Wagner says
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I was getting so discouraged trying to find a good “Cauliflower Mash” and this is it!!! It is soooo very close the the real thing! LOVE IT!
Barb Young says
My daughter and I had the pureed cauliflower last night for dinner. I’m the one on the low carb diet but she loved them!! I also want to mention she’s a very picky eater so that’s testament to your excellent cooking skills! The only thing is she doesn’t like cheese so I made half with and half without cheese. I also took my leftovers for lunch today and you’re correct – they’re tasty re-heated too. New favorite side dish for us. Thank you, thank you!!
Sandie says
Prep Question – do you shred the cheese or melt it or what?
Katrina says
I’ve always cubed it. Start pureeing while everything’s hot, and it will melt in right away.