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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Renee says
Love this. The second time, I added a pinch of Xanthan Gum (Bob’s Red Mill) to thicken and less extra sharp cheddar for the ” just a touch of cheese flavor). Both times were great.
Cheryl says
Quick Question… Cauliflower heads are so so many different sizes… Which I feel can make a bug difference in a recipe… Do you by any chance know ‘approximately’ how many pounds for cauliflower you used for you Puree??? Thank You…
julie white says
Thank you so much for this recipe. Am on keto, have missed mashed potatoes for so long. Not keen on the taste or smell of cooked cauliflower but this is absolutely delicious and cauliflower aroma free! I added 1/2 tsp English mustard powder and grating of fresh nutmeg – love it!
julie white says
Ive tried this recipe using frozen cauliflower rice, its not good, very watery. Maybe try cooking frozen cauliflower in microwave, drain excess water in sieve and then add cream etc and microwave again before puree-ing
Sam says
As this recipe uses fresh cauliflower, you might want to find one that uses frozen if that’s what you want to use. You won’t get the same results no matter how you treat the frozen one, so you might want to find one that is adjusted for frozen cauliflower.
Teddi Bear says
This is GENIUS! Goodbye potatoes!,,,, Just one BIG PROBLEM though!!! If you are making it for the family, you will need to at least triple the recipe…because just making one head of cauliflower, leaves no room for sharing.
Tamera Porter says
Hi Mellissa! I want to try this recipe tonight but I don’t have a microwave. What about steaming the cauliflower, or will that make it too wet? Should I roast instead?
Cant wait to try! Your recipes are always a hit with my family!!
Jennifer says
Can you use frozen cauliflower?
Natalie Strange says
Love this one! I follow the recipe exactly and I use Kerrygold Grass Fed Reserve Cheddar in them. They always taste great. In fact, I really don’t like regular mashed potatoes that much anymore. I would rather have these. I use my VitaMix to do up a double batch. I also make extra so I can store them in single serve mason jars in the freezer. I just grab one in the morning and take it to work with me. It thaws out by lunch. So then I can either eat it as a side dish or I will eat it as a snack. It’s perfect and satisfying.
Mellissa Sevigny says
This is a fantastic idea Natalie – going to try freezing single servings now – thanks for sharing!
Teddi Bear says
Single servings??? I would say the recipe is a single serving…LOL! Delicious!
Beverly Ross-Ford says
I am still using the original recipe and it is absolutely delicious. I eat it with Keto chili – yumm! After the mess I had in my blender the first time, I now use my immersion blender. Always smooth as silk and easy clean up.
Stephanie says
I would give this 10 stars if I could! I had some arugula to use up, so I put a large handful on my plat along with my 1/2 cup of “potatoes” to reheat then some salt and fresh ground pepper on top and…YUM!!! I know it sounds odd, but I ate this for dinner every day this week! Have you tried freezing portions? Wondering if it gets grainy when thawed? Thank you for such an awesome recipe 👏🏻