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!!!
Sugar says
Cream cheese works well too! I looooove “Faux-Tatoes” and make mine a little different but can’t wait to try yours as well. But here’s what I am thinking for “Twice Baked Loaded Faux-Tato Skins”…..roast a portabello mushroom (for the potato skin), top it with the cauliflower, bacon, chives and sour cream! And to go a step further, add some sauteed shrimp and garlic to the cauliflower! YUMMM!!! :)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
That sounds totally over the top – in a delicious way! Love the idea of putting it into the mushroom as the “skin” – very fun! Also adding the shrimp – yum! Is your name really Sugar? Because if it is and you’re doing low carb eating I love the irony! :)
Sugar says
:) LOL! That IS too funny right? My name is Lysa “Sugar” Davis but everyone calls me Sugar, or at least my family, best friends and fans. I am a professional singer and have been on Atkins for 2 weeks and lost 13 pounds! I’m luvin’ it! I’m making your recipe tonight for dinner with a slow roasted round of beef…hubby can’t wait to try it! I LUV your blog by the way!
http://www.LysaDavis.com
http://www.Masterjam.us
Shannon says
These were so much better than my last attempt at caulimash (fluffy goo), thank you for the awesome recipe, and I just love your site! My nine year old son has type one diabetes, so I am so appreciative of your creativity with low carb cooking. As many others have said, you rock!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks so much Shannon! I’m glad you and your son are enjoying the recipes! Stay tuned, I’ve got a lot more low carb recipes in the works! :)
karen j. white says
Today I started the South Beach diet, and since cauliflower, cheese and butter are allowed, I am definitely going to make this !!! I’m already a huge cauliflower fan, so I know this is going to be amazing !!!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Good for you Karen – hope you rock it! Also hope you like the cauli and it helps you stay on track! I eat it a LOT and it feels like cheating even though it isn’t! :)
Shirley Williams says
I saw this on Pinterest and tried it for my diabetic hubby. We both loved it. I just used my hand mixer and it was just right. I added a bit of onion powder, garlic powder and chopped parsley. Added grated cheddar and monterey jack. We were totally satisfied.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks for the feedback Shirley, glad you guys liked it! chopped parsley sounds good too – I love fresh herbs in my potatoes so I bet this is yummy!
Bernadette says
Thank you, thank you, thank you for this blog! I’ve been low-carbing as well, and your plethora of recipes and witty humor have been a lifesaver. Made the cauliflower again tonight because I loved it so much the first time. For a change of pace I threw in some horseradish – it was heaven in a bowl. I seriously wanted to lick the blender blades clean (wisely refrained). So just wanted to send on my thanks for this amazing and versatile recipe!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Awww…you think I’m witty?! *sniff* Thanks Bernadette! :) Horseradish!!?? Why didn’t I think of that??? I just bought a huge hunk of it for cocktail sauce and I a totally grating some up and throwing it into my next batch! I’ve been planning to make some braised short ribs and I’m going to have it with that! Thanks for the great idea!
Paul Halliday says
On the back of this, something I used to put into real mashed potato was cheddar cheese (check) and English mustard (the yellow stuff). You got a real kick there. Pep up that green avocado cauli mash I presented above with some wasabi?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I like the wasabi idea, yum!
Stacie says
IT WAS FABULOUS !!! WE ALL LOVED IT!!! Thanks
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Laughed at the all caps – guess you guys really DID like it! :) Thanks for the feedback – I’m glad it was a hit!
amorette says
They worked in my CusinArt blender. I didn’t have to add extra cream, just had to move the chunky bits around here & there, and had some patience. I know it wouldn’t have worked in my regular blender, though…
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
It can be a pain in the blender and I feel bad that some posters are having such a hard time! Glad it worked for you, I agree it takes patience – but it’s so worth it!! I usually make mine in the magic bullet now and it works like a charm because I can shake it up while it’s blending!
Anonymous says
Mellissa,
I’m eating this divine bowl of cauli creamy goodness flower!! It’s my 1st time making this and will not be the last.
Thank you for sharing all your creations, I’ll be dining this upcoming week with recipes from your blog!
Thanks from the bottom of my tummy,
Anna
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Anna I’m so glad you are enjoying it! I still eat it at least several times a week – the ultimate low carb comfort food! Let me know how you like the other recipes! Thanks!
Janelle Hermann says
I made this tonight and it was possibly better than potatoes!!! After reading reviews and seeing how many calories were in these I replaced the heavy cream with low fat plain yogurt! I did have to add some extra skim milk while blending it because it was too thick.I also substituted Pepper jack cheese and some parmesan cheese for the sharp cheese. It added a little spice to it, which my husband and I both love! This recipe will absolutely make the weekly rotation!!! Thank you!!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Glad you guys liked it Janelle and thanks for sharing your “hacks” with us! Pepper jack cheese sounds like it would be awesome in there – totally trying that in my next batch! :)
Meg says
So yummy I made it with yogurt spread and 2% milk – tasted awesome thanks for the idea!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Sounds good! Happy that you enjoyed the recipe!