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!!!
Cat says
I know I am about 5 years late to the better-than-mashed-potatoes-cheesy-cauliflower-purée party but OMG! This stuff is ridiculously delish!!!!! I can eat it plain right out of the bowl, top it with your balsamic roast (another winning flavor profile!), top with Greek yogurt (homemade), green onions, bacon bits and more cheese, the list is endless. I did find that my stick blender produced the smoothest purée, beats the food processor or bullet blenders hands down. Thanks soooo much for making this keto journey a lot easier and more delicious!
yoopertaht says
Have you made this recipe using frozen cauliflower florets? If so, how much did you use?
Kelly says
I know this is an old post, but it’s a new recipe for me, and it is wonderful! Made them last night, added some fresh chopped chives from my garden, and the only problem was that I had to seriously restrain myself from eating the whole batch. Easy, very tasty and satisfying, less calories than many cauliflower mash recipes, great texture, and perfect for my ketogenic diet. Thank you!
Darla Ward says
Amazing! Finally a recipe that truly mimics mashed potatoes!!!
Kristen Ansted says
I used a hand blender and turned it up on high until the cauliflower was smooth. I ended up reheating before serving to melt a pat of butter on top of our individual servings. 2 of us mowed down on the entire medium-sized head! I had a few spoonfuls leftover because I was stuffed. Very rich and delightfully filling. My husband loved it too and he is very picky because he’s a great cook. We will definitely be making this recipe over and over again!! Thank you Melissa!!
Nicole says
Holy Moly!! My family, which consists of me, my SO and our 4 kids, just started keto last week. Ive been trying to find yummy substitutes for all of our fav foods. These were SOOOOOOO good. I don’t think they actually “taste” like mashed potatoes, but they look and feel like them. They have their own flavor and it is FANTASTIC. We all loved them, my 2 yr old especially. He gobbled his up, then tried to steal everyone elses lol. If you happen to have a great pancake recipe that actually taste good, I would greatly appreciate it. We have tried 2 and…yuck. THANKS:)
Mellissa Sevigny says
So happy to hear everyone is loving this recipe as much as I do Nicole! Try my snickerdoodle crepes – they are thin but we all love them and they are usually a hit with the kids too!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Blending with piping hot cauliflower is always enough to melt the cheese and butter so that I get a smooth consistency – it’s possible your microwave didn’t cook it long enough, or if you’re using a food processor it’s never going to get really smooth. That being said, while others have had great results with this recipe and I’ve made it over 100 times myself because I just love it, I’m sorry you didn’t have the same good experience.
Miss Christina Moody says
I am doing the 3 Day Kick Start Keto Ibreathimhungry, and just adore this recipe. My question is about portion size…..is it 1 cup? As it would be very easy for me to overdo it!
ie. Day 3. Easy Cajun Chicken, Cheesy Cauliflower Puree, and Spinach
louise says
Today is the last of my 3 day Keto kickstart. I have enjoyed every minute of it.
I couldn’t always get the ingredients as I live in rural France, chili peperes are pretty exotic here. So I made my own Franks’ sauce for example.
Tonight I had Cajun chicken and this cheesy mash. It was fabulous. Ok I had to make my own Cajun seasoning – a tablespoon of garlic powder? No even in France one teaspoonful is enough. I made the garlic and onion powders this morning.
Ok so the cheesy mash is deliciously creamy Nd I enjoyed every bite. I think in America you must have very small cauliflowers. I used one head and it looked more than in your video so I added half as much again cream, butter and cheese. After eating my fill I am just putting the rest in the freezer measured out in cups. I have 5 cups left over. Imagine how creamy it will be next when I triple the other ingredients.
Great recipe, thanks.
Now for a gin and slimline :)
Vanesa Storey says
I have made many IBIH recipes, but this is the one I make the most. It is fast, easy, and so good. A never fail recipe.