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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Catherine Rosenman says
I made it like you wrote it with parmesan cheese and plant based heavy cream. Very good, but it seemed a little flat to me, so I added some extra onion and garlic powder, a few shakes of Mrs. Dash,. some salt-free lemon pepper, and extra salt and pepper to taste. Still a little flat, so I added a couple of scoops of non-dairy sour cream, a bit more butter, and a couple of tablespoons of coconut milk powder. Magic!
David Freitag says
It doesn’t harm the ingredients any more than any other cooking method. All the microwave does is excite the water which then produces heat. You are just changing the source of the heat, that is the only difference.
Susan Jones says
I have used this recipe for years. It’s my go to whenever I have a head of cauliflower! Even my non- keto family members love it
Carole says
This method provides a stiffer texture to the mash and I just need to play around with the added ingredients to get it perfect for my taste.
Thank you for this recipe
Leanne says
Hi Melissa, just wanted to thank you for this amazing recipe and to also add that it tastes delicious on top of shepherds pie with a bit more grated cheese on top or put in a casserole dish to be warmed in the oven the next day if you want to meal prep ahead of time I find it’s like a twice baked potato the next day when heated in the oven!
Linda says
I totally agree not cooking in the microwave as it does lose nutrients. Love all you do
Moe says
You are absolutely correct. Microwaves are just not good, period.
jenn says
Amazing. Easy. Used sour cream vs heavy cream. Blended the cheese cubes in the blendtec prior to adding the cauliflower since I dont have a grater. Delicious!!!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Sounds amazing Jenn, glad it turned out well for you!
Anna S says
Thank you for this fantastic recipe! Yes it’s the best one I’ve tried and my only going forward. I didn’t have the proper cheese available so I experimented with using fontina. Tastes amazing! I added a touch of sour cream as well and I think you’re right…won’t be missing mashed potatoes again :)
Lori B says
Best cauliflower mash ever! I used Sargento Extra Sharp cheddar cause that’s all I could find and it was still delist! Thank you !
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Lori!
Jules says
This is the best mashed cauliflower recipe I’ve ever made. I followed it exactly. It’s perfect. Now I just need to try and not eat the entire thing myself!
Mellissa Sevigny says
Thanks Jules, so glad you loved it!
wayne says
came out pasty and heavy
Susiedoll.Face says
I Just put this in my belly! So srum-dilly-umptious. Thank you for the well laid out plans so I could be the hero in the kitchen. I added Irish Beer cheese and used it on top of a Pub Style Shepherds Pie. Im checking out some of your other recipes. Thanks again for sharing.
Peg says
The tiny amounts of garlic powder, cheese and heavy cream seem so small for a large head of cauliflower. Did you add more? Thanks!
robb says
I made this…..and I agree. The butter/cream/garlic powder browned even before the 6 min. , it came out like briown paste. The cauliflower made it thicker. I ended up adding some water to thin it out, but it looked brown and not like the white/buttery photo.
Next time: less time (probably 3 min) on the the mixture, and less time on the cauliflower/mix and add water if necessary. Is the timing off?
Mellissa Sevigny says
If your microwave is very powerful it’s possible that the timing is too long for you. One option is to wait to add the garlic powder until after the cauliflower is fork tender – it’s the powder that is likely browning.