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!!!
Amanda says
This was amazing!! I used 4 oz extra sharp white cheddar because we love cheese. Put it in the food processor and it came out just like mashed potatoes. Served with steak and it was so satisfying. Can’t wait to make it again.
Sarah at Bacon and Cream says
This has become a staple for our holiday meals, as well as any comfort food dishes we make! So simple, versatile, and tasty. I have yet to try it myself, but given my limited access to fresh veggies, do you know if this would stand up well with frozen cauliflower at all? Thanks again for the great recipe!
Sheryl says
This was SOOO good!!! I purposely didn’t tell my 6 year old that it was cauliflower. I just said it was “mash” and she LOVED it. Even had a second serving. Thanks so much!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Nice! I always love hearing when my recipes can get the kids (or picky husbands) eating their veggies! 🙌🏻
Enginerd says
I love this site and all of the recipes. The cookbook is amazing, and I have gifted it many times. That said, this cauli mash is so good, and so many variations can be created. I use cauliflower rice, defrosted, to make the mash so I don’t have to make florets and stalk and make it easier on myself. Soo tasty. Thank you!
Lori M says
So my daughter and I had a Mother’s Day of feasting, using recipes out of your cookbook. This cheesy cauli puree as a base for the Shrimp and “Grits” recipe was awesome. The only real change I would do would be to quickly brown the shrimp then toss into the sauce. But the seasoning, cheesiness, was spot on. Being from Louisiana, shrimp and grits is one of the favorite brunch dishes. Now to just get a good low carb bloody mary, working on that one.
The other recipe from the Keto for Life book was for a Margarita. I do not have a big sweet tooth, so it took three tries to get the lime/orange syrup perfect to our liking, hic. Those simple syrup recipes are on my lost. I’ll keep a few of these on hand at all time.
KEEP IT UP!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so glad you enjoyed them Lori! I also have a great keto Bloody Mary recipe here on the website, let me know what you think!
Rebecca says
I made this and neither hubby nor I could not believe how good it was! I used 2 bags of riced cauliflower and have to admit – one stick of Kerrygold unsalted butter , the whole shredded Dubliner cheddar and just sloshed in enough cream to make it look like whipped potatoes! It freezes well under the oven braised beef with tomatoes and garlic making a 9 GM carb meal that my hubby can take to work. I love to just eat it as it is ! Thank you so very much Melissa as you have given us a “mashed potato “ we love !!
Anne says
Melissa,
I read all 4 of your updates on this recipe for “mashed potatoes “. It sounds wonderful.
Now , what Would be the nutrition info sine your 4th update?
Mellissa Sevigny says
The nutrition info is up to date with the latest version.
Claudette says
Melissa, you are a godsend. I’ve been 100% keto for the past eight weeks, my first time although I’ve done Atkins and similar low carb diets. I would like to echo Leighellen’s comments as I couldn’t agree more and have had the same experiences. I was actually a little shocked at how delicious these were as I have been so disappointed in the past. I am blowing through your recipes and this was my fifth. I have been really, really happy with the results every time. Thank you so much.
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks so much Claudette, that means a lot to me! Be sure to try my newer cheddar leek cauliflower mash next – that one is even better if you can believe it!
Lori says
Recipe is awesome but the pop up ads in this site make it distracting and unenjoyable for me
Jana says
Okay, I’m on the believer train—this is the best, best Mashed Cauliflower ever!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Woohoo! Thanks Jana!
Tracey says
Best ever fauxtatoes…hands down legit, made these for Thanksgiving and hubby didn’t even realize they weren’t real mashed potatoes…love this, making them to go with my standing rib roast for Christmas dinner today…thank you thank you!!❤
Ginny kirk says
I MADE this tonight with the original recipe and it was great. I did microwave the cauliflower a bit longer to make sure that it was soft and cooked through. It was a fresh head. I will definitely make this again. Wonderful flavor tasted like mashed potatoes. YUM
Sandra says
Yum! Made tonight to go with the low carb swedish meatballs. So delicious. I didn’t have fresh cauliflower, so used a bag of frozen. Turned out perfect!