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!!!
Carol says
Oh my goodness, I am so glad that somebody put this link on Pinterest! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is so creamy and velvety and so easy!! Made it with unsweetened almond milk, aprox 1 teaspoon of butter, and Romano cheese (from sheeps milk). I haven’t had anything this creamy/good for years! Made it 3 times already in a week. Makes the most amazing milk free tomato soup by stirring a nice big spoonful into a mug of blended canned tomatoes. Add a splash of ume plum vinegar and garnish with Romano. Thanks again for sharing!!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Carol I love your tomato soup idea! I’m totally going to try that this week since I have a TON of cauli in my fridge that needs to be used up! Thanks for sharing and I’m thrilled that you’re enjoying the recipe so much!
Anonymous says
I can’t wait to try this!!! i am doing the low carb as well. One change I will be making is to sub the butter with spray butter. Spray butter is awesome…no fat and no carbs!!!!! No sure of the measurement but probably just 2 tsps!!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Enjoy!
Sherry says
The first time I tried cauli mash, thought my husband would hate it (Southern man; “If it ain’t fried it ain’t cooked”), but he likes them better than potatoes. I’ll bet he’ll like your recipe even better. If you eat out from time-to-time, try Ruby Tuesday, they have great cauli mash.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I didn’t know RT made a cauli mash! I’ll have to request that next time! I was there recently and got the grilled salmon with the zucchini and spaghetti squash which wasn’t very good so I’m happy to know they have a cauli mash side now – thanks for sharing that tip! Hope your hubby likes my version!
Pablo says
This is an outstanding recipe. I’ve done mashed cauliflower before and it just didn’t pop, but this really works. It’s a great blank canvas too. My first round was great, but on the first reheat, I worked a bit of horseradish in. Fantastic. I’m seeing roasted garlic and maybe some wasabi in this recipe’s future, not to mention an aus jus drenching.
You’ve done a fine service to humanity here, Melissa. Thanks.
P.S. Still not really better than potatoes, but close enough to satisfy the palate.
Val says
This is TOTALLY LUSH!!
Sugar says
Hey Pablo..I did just that tonight! I added garlic to the cauliflower with cream cheese, butter and cheddar. I paired it with a roasted beef dinner and I made an au Jus and it was all to die for! The wasabi sounds wonderful and can’t wait to add that next…or maybe even a little pesto sauce? Funny, I luv them better than potatoes. Enjoy all tho possibilities.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
ha ha! Never thought of myself as a low carb humanitarian but thank you Pablo! :) I have used these as a blank canvas for a lot of recipes to sub in the potatoes and haven’t found one yet that didn’t work! I still love them even more than potatoes too Sugar! Val – Lush is the perfect description for them, which I’d thought of it when writing the post! Thanks for all of your comments and for sharing your ideas guys, I love reading them all!
Lacey says
The one thing I really haven’t missed while on Atkins is the potatoes, but I always feel left out when my family of 5 is eating something starchy like potatoes or rice, and I just have a heap of vegetables. So I decided I would try these so at least my plate looks similar (just a brain trick, finding I need lots of these on atkins lol.) But the flavor I just love, it doesn’t exactly remind me of potatoes but it is delicious. I am making these for my second time tonight. We buy cheddar/mozzarella blend from our Costco that I use in the cauliflower. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Lacey
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I totally get the tricking your brain thing! I do it all the time and it really helps! Glad you liked them!
Mariah says
Tried this for dinner last night- so good! I used almond milk, and only about 1 tblspn of butter. I also used less cheese than called for, and cut up some garlic and some parsley to put in it. Both myself and my boyfriend loved it! Will definitely be making this again.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Mariah – I wondered about the almond milk because it’s so low carb it would be a perfect low fat sub for the heavy cream but I hadn’t tried it yet. Going to make my next batch that way thanks to your recommendation! Glad you guys liked it!
Pamela Rose says
Mellissa do you think this would work without cheese?
I see that Mariah used almond milk which is what I would use, but I don’t eat cheese.
Also could the cauliflower be steamed instead of microwaved and still get the right consistency?
Mellissa Sevigny says
You can make it without cheese, and you can steam it as well – but you definitely won’t get that thick, rich texture. The microwave removes excess moisture which thickens it, and the cheese further thickens it making it so much like potatoes. Not saying it won’t be good – just saying it won’t be this recipe! Enjoy!
Shannon says
How many servings were you able to get out of this? And how big were they?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Its different every time depending on how big the cauliflower is but on average I probably get about 2 cups so four 1/2 cup servings. Or two 1 cup servings. Or one 2 cup serving. Or eight 1/4 cup servings. Or thirty-two 1 Tablespoon servings.
Shannon says
LOL! :)
And thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
You’re welcome! :)
Sharon Collins says
I’m so glad I found Shannon’s question (& Mellissa’s answer) in the comments! This recipe (which I found on Pinterest) looks utterly perfect, and I meant to try it out once before taking the leap to make it for my family’s Thanksgiving feast tomorrow, but it completely slipped my mind, & I was just afraid of messing up serving amounts. THANK YOU!! :)
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sharon you can never have too much of this, trust me! Hope your guests love it!!!
AR says
OMG! SO good!
I found this on Pinterest and tried it tonight…it will be one of my staples now!
I used skim milk and added a little garlic powder (can never get enough garlic), worked like a charm.
I can’t stop eating it!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I have a batch in the microwave right now and already can’t wait to eat it! :) I still haven’t tried the garlic powder, going to add it to this batch and see how I like it! Thanks for the comment – so happy you are enjoying it too!
Erica / Parker says
YUM! I wasn’t looking for anything like this, but wow, so excited. Just made it and I am resisting eating the whole bowl before dinner time actually comes. Love that it is low carb (a plus) and love that people have tried a lower fat version. I hesitate to take out ALL the fat as a little fat helps to stave off the hunger :) I’ll try it soon! Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Erica, glad you liked it! I agree that it needs some fat even if it’s much less than this recipe because the fat also mellows the natural sulfur in cauliflower that gives it that skunky taste I don’t like!
shirlbenn says
I am in my final week (week eight) of a carb detox and I have made this several times…..and I have to say it will be a keeper! You should try cheese crusted pizza! Was great!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Shirl it’s on my list of things to try for sure! Good for you on 8 weeks of low carb – way to go!