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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Lisle says
When making mashed cauliflower last, I tried to put the cooked (I steamed them.) florets through a ricer instead of using a blender. The florets wouldn’t go through the ricer, but what happened was a significant amount of liquid was pressed out. I squeezed the entire batch, not too much, then blended in food processor and the mixture was dry enough to add milk, cream, cheese or whatever, and keep a very thick consistency.
Mellissa Sevigny says
I have a ricer and I’m going to try this out Lisle – thanks!
The Thrifty Granny says
I loved the microwave technique in your cauli mash recipe took mine about twice the time (I had a large head and only 900 watt mini-microwave). My question is about the fat. I was reading the comments and isn’t removing the fat contraindicated if one is following a low-car plan. Don’t we need the fat to counter the protien? We served ours with a dollop of full fat sour cream and a sprinkling of chopped bacon. I loved the texture and will be making this again. Problem is, eating too much!
Mellissa Sevigny says
It depends on the low carb plan you are on, a keto or atkins style doesn’t restrict fat, whereas a Dukan or South Beach plan does so it’s really a matter of what plan you are following. Personally, I load mine up with butter, cream and cheese! :)
Selena says
We had a slow-cooking brisket in the oven and I was so wanting some potatoes to go with it, but being on a low carb eating plan, that was a no go. Somehow salad just didn’t sound right and then I found your recipe on pinterest…O.M.G.!!! I have tried the mashed cauliflower in the past and it was a disappointment, your recipe was divine!! Next time I’m adding roasted fresh garlic…oh yum! You have a new follower! :)
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks Selena and welcome! Just the words slow cooking brisket made me hungry! Glad you liked the cauli mash – sounds like an amazing dinner!
Christina says
You can also add almond meal to thicken them up. That makes them really good too.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Cool idea, thanks Christina!
Anonymous says
Amazing! I’m eating a big bowl of this right now and WOW. Having a true mashed potato substitute makes staying low carb a lot easier. Thank you!
~ k
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Right??? I love them! I have a head of cauli in my fridge right now and I think I’m going to make some for my dinner tonight! :) Glad you liked it!
Bety says
I will surely try this!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Let us know what you think!
TJ says
So yummy! My vegetable-despising husband loved it! I didn’t have any unflavored almond milk, so I used water and a pat of butter. Blended the cauliflower with goat cheese and minced garlic. A little seasoning salt…PERFECTION. I usually mash by hand, but we got a food processor as a gift, and I wanted to give it a try. It totally changed the dish. Thanks for such an awesome simple recipe that is so versatile!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Thanks TJ so glad you guys liked it – especially your “veggie despising” husband! I can totally relate as my husband is the same way! :) I love goat cheese, have to try that in mine next time!
loweryHCG says
How many servings does one batch make?
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
It depends on the size of your cauliflower but I usually get about 2 cups per batch so you could call it four 1/2 cup servings. I give the nutrition information for the entire batch at the bottom of the recipe so you can divide it by however many servings you divide it into. Hope that helps!
Anonymous says
Thank you so much for this recipe! I used unsweetened almond milk and a small dallop of brummel and brown yogurt spread when I cooked the cauliflower. I also added a healthy dallop of plain greek yogurt and used swiss cheese. This is divine!
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
So happy that you liked it!
Anonymous says
Ditch the cream and use lite philly, garlic and rosemary. Yum. Lo carb and lo fat.
Mellissa Sevigny (sevimel) says
Sounds tasty but I’d still probably use full fat cream cheese! ;)