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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P.Ramaeker says
(That said, I’m saving this recipe and looking forward to trying it!)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hope you’ll report back!
P.Ramaeker says
I didn’t go through all the comments, so I’m sorry if I’m repeating, but I do think regular, non-cheesy ‘mashed cauliflower’ can be quite delicious. There is one essential step, though, and despite being a bit effortful it is essential and quite gets rid of the consistency issues; allows one to add plenty of butter and milk or cream; and absolutely rules out the use of any food processor. You have to cook the cauliflower really thoroughly. And you have to press the cauliflower through a ricer. You must do it slowly, pressing out first all the water- all of it. Only then do you rice the cauliflower into the mixing bowl.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
I love my ricer and I use it for all kinds of things – can’t believe I’ve never tried the cauliflower though! I’ll have to experiment with it because I’m skeptical that it will be as smooth as pureeing it though – but I will definitely try it! Thanks!
Kristen says
This looks amazing! Thank you for sharing. I’m going to be making this for dinner this week. Quick question, what is something you suggest serving with it? I was thinking some sort of chicken (I dont have a grill in my apt, so something baked/skillet) and wanted to see what your advice would be. Thanks!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Kristen I’m sorry I didn’t reply to this sooner – if you’ve already made them I hope they turned out well! If not, a simple baked chicken sounds great – I like mine seasoned with cajun seasoning and drizzled with olive oil, and maybe some asparagus or your favorite veggie! I ate it for a quick dinner last night with just a slice of provalone cheese melted on top and it was delicious! :)
Kristen says
They turned out awesome, thank you so much for this receipe! I will be making this any time i get the chance. I paired it with some mojito lime marinated chicken and steamed green beans. Perfect! :) Thanks again!
Barb says
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! for sharing this recipe! I have seen many mashed cauliflower recipes online, but yours sounds delicious-Dubliner cheese-yum! and your pics are making my mouth water…looks like REAL mashed taters! I’m on a low carb diet too and let’s face it, things can get a bit boring, so I’m always looking out for new things to try. I saw your recipe on Pinterest and just had to pop over for visit. I’ve added your blog to my Feedly, so I can keep an eye on what you’re eating! Oh! And all these comments with variations…ahhh! BONUS! Thanks again and I can’t wait to try this.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Barb, I hope you like them! I’ve tried a lot of cheeses with good results but the Dubliner is still my favorite. Welcome to IBIH and I hope you enjoy the recipes! :)
Anonymous says
I gave up potatoes for lint and have been craving them SO BADLY. This was a PERFECT and DELICIOUS fix!! THANK YOU FOR THIS RECIPE!!!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
You’re welcome!
Noodles14 says
Sweet heaven, these ARE bliss. Thank you!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Right? Glad you liked them! :)
babychirps says
Dear Melissa,
Thank you very much for this wonderful recipe.
My 5 and 3 y/o are inhaling it (That good!!)
Only substitution was the cheese for low Fat Mozzarella (I’m on South Beach)
Thank you again for bringing healthy food to my table
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hooray that your kids are eating it! Cauliflower is surprisingly healthy for you which I only recently learned so it’s great when we can get our kids to eat it. Thanks for the comment!
Mel says
I can’t wait to try this – looks AMAZING! BTW, you know that the word is “smorgasbord”, right? :D
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hey Mel, hope you like it! It’s funny that you mention smorgasbord because I was just going back and forth on Reddit with someone from Sweden who mentioned it the other day and I told them they are the first person who has ever brought it up. They said if you spell it with a “g” in Sweden it means castle. I had looked it up when I first used it and it’s commonly used with a “g” these days in the US so I went with it. Now that a second person has mentioned it I may have to actually change it to the official Smorgasbord spelling even though I like saying it with a g better for some reason! Although it may be moot because I’ll be updating the site soon and changing some features, most likely including the description! Thanks for keeping me on my toes though – way to be on top of it! ;)
Anonymous says
I have been making “mashed cauliflower for years for my husband is type one diabetic (potatoes cause his sugars to elevate too much). This year, trying to get a new flavor, I added turnips, Delicious! Also, sometimes I add one Yukon gold potato to get a more mashed potato consistency.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
My mom HATES turnips – it’s one of the few things that she didn’t make for us when we were kids so I didn’t grow up eating them. I love them though and have been wanting to experiment with some recipes. Never thought of mixing them with the cauli – thanks for the idea!
Anonymous says
This looks great but I’m not understanding how much of the ingredients to use…it lists 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and 1 tablespoon of butter, but then in the directions says to use 1/3 cup of cream and the tablespoon of butter, and then later to add the rest of the butter and cream…
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
THANK YOU! I recently added an update that I adjusted the levels of cream and butter down to reflect how I eat it now which is just as delicious but less calories. Unfortunately, I didn’t read carefully enough through the instructions and they did not accurately reflect those changes. The correct amounts are shown in the ingredients list and I’ve adjusted the rest of the recipe to match. Of course you should use as much or as little cream and butter as you like! Again thanks for letting me know about the discrepancy! M