4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (2024)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

</p>

If you can boil water, you can make soft, fluffy, delicious, tasty keto mashed cauliflower.

These 4 clever recipes will keep the entire family happy (even your picky eaters). The secret? By flavoring individual portions.

This delicious easy mashed cauliflower recipe is the perfect substitute for mashed potatoes.

Are you ready to create the ultimate 12-month blueprint for reaching your health & weight loss goals this coming year?

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (1)

Our free on-demand video training will walk you through how to make 2024 THE year you set health goals…and keep them.

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (2)

Mashed cauliflower is the perfect side dish for chicken, beef, pork, salmon, and any winter casserole. It can even be mixed with cheese and eggs and rolled into balls and fried as cauliflower bites.

Cauliflower mashed potatoes are even easier than regular mashed potatoes. You don’t need to peel cauliflower and you boil cauliflower florets in half the time.

Is cauliflower keto?

Cauliflower is a commonly used keto vegetable because it is extremely versatile, low carb, high fiber, and can be used in a variety of dishes.

Nutrition of cauliflower per cup (107g): 5.3 g total carbs, 2.1 g fiber, 3.2 g net carbs, 2.1 g protein, 0.3 g fat, 26 calories.

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (3)

Nutritional values from cronometer.com

What is mashed cauliflower?

If you’ve been craving mashed potatoes since starting your low-carb diet or keto diet, mashed cauliflower is the perfect alternative. Mashed cauliflower is fluffy and buttery, you just need to learn how to make it the right way.

You make cauliflower mash very similar to how you would make mashed potatoes.

You need fresh cauliflower, cut into small florets then boiled, steamed, or simmered until soft. It’s then mashed or pureed until smooth with butter and salt, just like your favorite mashed potatoes.

Equipment

There are three main ways to make mashed cauliflower. The most common way to make a cauliflower mash is to use a stick blender (immersion blender) to mash and puree until smooth.

The second method is to use a food processor but you must ensure you have a heatproof food processor bowl, or you can use your traditional potato masher.

Ingredients

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (4)

The trick to making delicious fluffy mashed cauliflower is in the flavors you add. Once you get your cooked cauliflower mashed, then the fun really begins!

  • Buttery mashed cauliflower – this is the most popular flavour and is the basic mashed cauliflower recipe. You can use salted butter or unsalted butter. Adjust the seasoning of salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Cheesy mashed cauliflower – using the basic buttery mashed cauliflower, you can add you favourite shredded cheese such as shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle even more on top when serving.
  • Mustard mashed cauliflower – mix in some mustard powder, Dijon mustar, or wholegrain mustard.
  • Curried mashed cauliflower – add in curry powder or curry paste to really ad a hot spicy tangy taste.

Instructions

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (5)

Making this easy cauliflower mashed potatoes recipe couldn’t be simpler!

Step 1: Roughly chop some cauliflower florets.

Step 2: Add them to a shallow pan with an inch or two of boiling water. The trick to keeping them like mashed potatoes is not to submerge all the way so the cauliflower doesn’t get mushy.

Step 3: Once cooked, remove from heat. Drain out ALL the water and ALL the steam. Shake the pan, then drain it once more. This is the secret to making mashed cauliflower that isn’t mushy and watery but soft and fluffy.

Add the flavors of your choosing and mash or puree. Enjoy your creamy mashed cauliflower!

Variations

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (6)

In addition to the 4 mashed cauliflower flavors in the recipe card below, there are so many other ways to make them delicious and individual.

  • Garlic mashed cauliflower – fresh crushed garlic, minced garlic, garlic salt, or garlic powder for a tasty garlic flavor. Sprinkle chopped green onions (or fresh chives) over the top to garnish.
  • Cream cheese – use instead of butter
  • Sour cream – use instead of butter
  • Nutmeg – this is especially popular over Thanksgiving
  • Parmesan – add some shredded parmesan cheese into the mashed cauliflower and sprinkle on top when serving
  • Blue cheese – stir chunks of blue cheese through
  • Bacon – add cooked bacon bits into and onto your mashed cauliflower
  • Chives – fresh chopped chives
  • Parsley – fresh chopped parsley into and onto your mashed cauliflower

Picky eaters

I can guarantee most homes will have at least 1 picky eater – and how do you get your kids to enjoy their veggies? Flavor them (the veggies, not your kids).

I’m not a big fan of hiding vegetables from kids, but it can be a helpful way to help your children to experience new foods. But in the long run, your children need to know that vegetables are part of a healthy range of foods they need to eat to get all the healthy building blocks their amazing growing bodies require.

TOP TIP: The beauty of serving mashed cauliflower is that you can make one big dish of basic mashed cauliflower, then each child can flavor their portion exactly how they like it.

Just pop a single-serve in a small bowl or mug, add and mix your flavors – boom! Delicious and tasty side dishes are sorted for the whole family.

If you are new here you might want to read my 10 Top Ways To Help Your Child Eat Real Food and get a copy of Easy Low-Carb Lunchboxes.

What to serve with mashed cauliflower

There are so many low-carb keto main dish recipes to serve mashed cauliflower with.

  • Pork chops and gravy
  • 2 cheese stuffed chicken
  • Pulled pork
  • Steak with creamy keto mushroom sauce

The mashed cauliflower recipe is also used to make a topping for low-carb keto shepherd’s pie (cottage pie). Keto comfort food at its best.

More cauliflower recipes

Cauliflower is so versatile. You can make cauliflower bread, cheesy cauliflower bread, curried cauliflower rice, cauliflower soup, and cauliflower couscous.

  • 4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (7)
  • 4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (8)
  • 4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (9)
  • 4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (10)

Recipe FAQ

How long do you cook cauliflower?

As a guide, cauliflower takes 5-10 minutes to cook. Do not overcook otherwise you run the risk of having soggy cauliflower.

Cauliflower cooks faster than potatoes so depending on the size of your cauliflower chunks (florets) will dictate the cooking time.

Is mashed cauliflower soggy?

No, the trick to prevent soggy mashed cauliflower is to allow all the water and steam to escape and evaporate before mashing. So leave the lid off your saucepan for a minute or two after draining all the liquid off. So to keep mashed cauliflower from being watery, get rid of as much water and steam as you can.

Can I use frozen cauliflower to make mashed cauliflower?

Yes, but frozen cauliflower tends to store more water and cook faster so remember to allow all the steam to escape before pureeing.

Can I use frozen cauliflower rice to make mashed cauliflower?

Yes, but frozen cauliflower can sometimes store extra water & cook quicker than fresh. To avoid this happening, make sure the cooking water has evaporated before pureeing.

How do I thicken mashed cauliflower?

If your mashed cauliflower has gone soggy, place the saucepan back onto the stove and reheat to help the excess water evaporate. Or you can add some cream cheese to make it creamy and thick.

Does mashed cauliflower really taste like a mashed potato?

No, but it’s as close as you can get and it is the perfect keto alternative to mashed potatoes. My favorite thing about mashed cauliflower is that they are so low in carbs. The trick is to flavor them the right way so they don’t taste bland. If you give them a healthy makeover with healthy ingredients, you’ll be amazed at how delicious they can be!

How do you make mashed cauliflower smooth?

To make super smooth mashed cauliflower, use your food processor, stick blender, or immersion blender. You can use a potato masher but you will still find clumps of cauliflower.

Which is the best flavor for picky eaters?

The most popular flavor is garlic mashed cauliflower because it hides the subtle cauliflower flavor with butter, garlic, and salt. Cauliflower mash with cream cheese, parmesan cheese, or onion powder is another popular flavor to add to pureed cauliflower.

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (11)

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (12)

Low Carb Keto Mashed Cauliflower – 4 flavors

Fluffy, delicious, tasty keto mashed cauliflower is the perfect low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes.

No ratings yet

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dinner, Side Dish, Vegetables

Cuisine: Egg free, Gluten Free, Grain free, Keto, LCHF, Low Carb, No Sugars, Wheat Free

Keyword: keto mashed cauliflower, Low-carb mashed cauliflower

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 28kcal

Author: Thinlicious.com

Want to lose weight and get healthy for life—without dieting, drugs, or making yourself miserable?We can help! Tell me how!

Equipment

  • Stick Blender

  • Food processor

Ingredients

Basic Mashed Cauliflower

  • 1 large cauliflower cut into small chunks
  • your choice of flavourings below
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • pinch salt to taste

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

  • ¼ cup shredded/grated cheese
  • pepper to taste

Curried Mashed Cauliflower

  • 1 tsp curry paste/powder
  • 2 tbsp coconut cream
  • 1 tsp desiccated/shredded coconut to garnish

Buttery Mashed Cauliflower

  • additional butter
  • pepper to taste

Mustard Mashed Cauliflower

  • ½ tsp mustard powder

Instructions

Basic Mashed Cauliflower

  • Boil the cauliflower in a large saucepan with only a few inches of water in the saucepan. The trick to avoiding soggy mashed cauliflower is not to boil cauliflower totally immersed in water.

  • Once the cauliflower pieces are boiled and soft, remove the saucepan from the heat. Drain as much water as you can.

  • Before you begin to mash the cauliflower, leave the lid off the saucepan and gently shake the cauliflower. You will be amazed at how much steam escapes. This is also a crucial step in avoiding soggy mashed cauliflower.

  • For the basic mashed cauliflower, add the butter and salt to taste. Puree using a stick blender with the blade attachment until smooth and lump-free.

  • Remove one serving for each member of the family to add their favourite flavour.

Cheesy Mashed Cauliflower

  • Stir the cheese and pepper through the basic mashed cauliflower. Garnish with extra cheese.

Curried Mashed Cauliflower

  • Stir through the curry powder and coconut cream. Garnish with desiccatedcoconut.

Buttery Mashed Cauliflower

  • Simply add more butter – yum!

Mustard Mashed Cauliflower

  • Add mustard powder and extra butter is sometimes a lovely addition also.

Video

Notes

Nutrition panel – shows per 100g of cauliflower only. Everyone will choose how much to serve, and which flavours, additions to add to their cauliflower.

Nutrition

Serving: 1(100 grams)Calories: 28kcalCarbohydrates: 5.1gProtein: 2.3gFat: 0.6gSodium: 18.6mgFiber: 2.9gSugar: 2.6gVitamin C: 75.9mgCalcium: 20mgIron: 0.4mg

4 Clever Low-Carb Mashed Cauliflower Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How many carbs are in 1 cup of mashed cauliflower? ›

Mashed Cauliflower Nutrition (per cup of mash): Calories: 57, Fat: 0g, Carbohydrates: 11g, Fiber: 4g, Protein: 4g.

Can you eat cauliflower on a low carb diet? ›

Cauliflower is another vegetable that's low in carbs, but also very high in vitamins and phytochemicals,” Fear says. Add chopped cauliflower to your salads, or top with paprika and garlic powder and roast in the oven. Riced cauliflower also makes a great low-carb replacement for traditional rice.

What do you add to cauliflower to thicken mash? ›

You can add a litle softened cream cheese to the pot in the final step and stir until melted. Or you can add a keto thickener like glucomannan or xanthan gum. Be sure to whisk it in well when the mashed cauliflower is hot. You don't need more than about ¼ teaspoon per head of cauliflower.

Why is my cauliflower mash watery? ›

If your mashed cauliflower is too watery: Try adding in more cooked cauliflower to offset the liquid. You can also place the pot over medium-low heat and try to cook off some of the excess liquid. Stir frequently to prevent the mash from burning.

How many net carbs are in 2 cups of cauliflower? ›

Cauliflower, raw (1 cup) contains 5.3g total carbs, 3.1g net carbs, 0.3g fat, 2.1g protein, and 27 calories.

Does cauliflower have less carbs than rice? ›

Both of these factors may reduce your calorie intake ( 4 ). In addition, cauliflower rice is low in carbs. It provides only 3 grams of net carbs per cup (107 grams) — 18 times fewer carbs than the same quantity of rice ( 1 , 2 , 3 ).

What cheese has the lowest carbs? ›

Got cheese has the lowest carb content out of all varieties. It contains zero carbs while supplying you with 8 grams of fat and 6 grams of protein per 1-ounce serving.

Which has less carbs cauliflower or broccoli? ›

But cauliflower does have a tiny bit more potassium than broccoli. And it truly deserves its low-carb crown, with just 5 grams of carbohydrate per cup (that's slightly less than broccoli).

What vegetables have no carbs and no sugar? ›

A. Green leafy vegetables such as spinach, celery, iceberg lettuce, cucumber, and tomatoes contain very few or almost no carbohydrates. The carbohydrate count ranges from 2.97 to 3.89 grams. One cup of raw kale contains 0.9 g of carbohydrates (0% DV), making it a low-carb option.

Why is my cauliflower mash grainy? ›

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.

How to make cauliflower puree Gordon Ramsay? ›

Remove the cauliflower stalks and cut them into small pieces. Heat the butter and milk in a pan and stew the cauliflower in it until softened. Add the cream and return to a high temperature. Immediately strain and liquidise the cauliflower then season and pass through a fine chinois.

What can I use to squeeze water out of cauliflower? ›

Once the riced cauliflower has been cooked (or thawed), transfer it to a clean, thin dishtowel. Wrap up the steamed rice in the dishtowel, twist it up, then SQUEEZE all the excess moisture out! (Be careful if your cauliflower is still hot-- let it cool before handling.)

Why is my cauliflower puree bitter? ›

All the vegetables form the Brassica family have a bitter component to their flavour. Brassica is the family that includes cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. You can actually remove quite a lot of it by leeching it out in to the water, or by using salt.

Is cooked cauliflower high in carbs? ›

Cauliflower is fat-free and cholesterol-free. And it's low in sodium. A one-cup serving contains only 25 calories, 5 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of dietary fiber.

How many carbs are in 1/2 cup Mashed Cauliflower? ›

How many net carbs are in Mashed Cauliflower? For each half-cup serving there are 6 grams total carbs and 2 grams fiber, giving a total 4 grams net carbs each.

Do you count cauliflower carbs on keto? ›

Cauliflower has a similar nutrition profile to broccoli. It's also a great cruciferous veggie to choose when you're on keto, says Dixon, as it has 1.5 grams of net carbs per half a cup.

Does cauliflower have more carbs than potatoes? ›

One half-cup of cooked cauliflower has 14 calories, 2.7 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein, 1.4 grams of fiber, and a glycemic index of 1. One half-cup of cooked potatoes has 67 calories, 15.6 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of protein, 1.4 grams of fiber, and a glycemic index of 7.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Duncan Muller

Last Updated:

Views: 5368

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

Reviews: 94% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Duncan Muller

Birthday: 1997-01-13

Address: Apt. 505 914 Phillip Crossroad, O'Konborough, NV 62411

Phone: +8555305800947

Job: Construction Agent

Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy

Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.