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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Artistry by Tiffany says
I am always trying to cook healthier for my husband, but he refuses to eat any vegetable besides lettuce, corn, and canned green beans! And he is a huge fan of my cheesy, buttery, garlicy mashed potatoes which are in no way healthy at all! Well, I made these last night with pork chops with dijon herb sauce from Skinnytaste and told him they were mashed potatoes. I followed your recipe exactly (used extra sharp white cheddar) and sat back and watched him finish a huge helping! It is not unusual for me to ask him if he liked everything and if he had any constructive critism. He said the “potatoes” were more plain than usual (I think it was the lack of garlic powder), but that they were still good! When I told him that they weren’t potatoes at all, that it was cauliflower, he was pretty shocked! I will definitely make these again and next time will add some garlic powder and maybe a little more cheese! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Hey Tiffany, it sounds like maybe your husband and my husband may have been twins separated at birth! ha ha! My husband still won’t eat the cauli puree but I think it’s on principal now and just to be stubborn. He did eat the cauliflower brownies and faux-lafel though so maybe I should see if he’ll give the puree another try now! Glad your husband liked them, thanks for sharing! :)
Adi.CC says
I don’t have a microwave–anyone try this boiled or steamed and have advice?? Thanks! Can’t wait to try it!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Adi I would try steaming as opposed to boiling, just because it preserves the nutrients and won’t be as waterlogged and soupy when you puree it.
Yvette says
I just made this and it is DELICIOUS!! I steamed my cauliflower in my steamer and heated up the heavy cream and butter in the microwave and added it all to the food processor!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Glad you liked it Yvette! And I’m glad you got a good consistency in the food processor, some people said it was too grainy – I think the key is to make sure you cook the heck out of it so it’s nice and soft. :)
Elana says
Outstanding! I used “Cabot Seriously Sharp” Cheddar. Before I salted it, I took a portion out for my 11 month old who gobbled it up excitedly. I just served the seasoned batch to the non-babies of the family, and everyone LOVED them! Great work! Thank you for sharing!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Glad the whole family liked them! I used the Cabot Seriously Sharp too – it’s my next favorite after the Dubliner! Good for you for getting your toddler eating their veggies early – so happy that it was a hit!
Dr. Tai says
Let me just say, this is heavenly! I could eat this every day!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Doc! For my first couple of weeks doing low carb, I practically DID eat this every day! Just made a batch last night, still love it!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Guylaine, glad you guys liked them! I still get a grainy batch every once in awhile and it doesn’t really bother me either!
guylaine rondeau design says
thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe! we cooked the cauliflower the old-fashion way… and even if a bit grainy, we totally loved it. this is a keeper. cheers to you!
Jill Smith says
These were so good!! I have to be honest, I was a little skeptical. I had these in a restaurant a few years ago and well meh, just ok. Mine ended up grainy like some said, but my flower had been in the fridge a while. I’ll be including this on my blog tomorrow!! Oh and I didn’t have any sharp cheddar so I used a hunk of pecorino-Romano I had on had-totally yum!! We’ll be adding these to the rotation. :)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Jill! I don’t blame you for being skeptical – I’ve yet to have really good ones in a restaurant yet! Glad you guys liked these!
Pamela R says
Yumm this looks amazing!! I always hated that watery aspect of mashed cauliflower so I love that you addressed this! I am wondering however if there is anyway to do this on the stove? I love how this is so healthy but I’m a firm believer that the microwave zaps nutrients! What’s your take?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Pamela, one way might be to just cook them with the cream and butter on low in a covered pan until soft, then puree, then cook a bit longer with the lid off until more of the steam evaporates out and they are nice and thick, then stir in the shredded cheese until melted. Let me know if it works!
Annette says
Low Carb High Fat is better for weight loss. when you cut back on carbs your body benefits from higher fat to burn rather than protein. Also low fat products contact more sugar content. Trust me done the low fat low carb and didn’t lose weight often gained now I’ve lost 30 lbs in 3 months on low carb high fat. check out the Diet Doctor from Sweden and the Wheat Belly Book by Dr. Davis. changed my life! PS I make this recipe real creams and butter it is yummy!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Annette and congrats on your weight loss!