Roasted Cauliflower Mash
A perfect low carb substitute for mashed potatoes. Oven roasted then whipped an immersion blender to the perfect consistency! Just 6g net carbs per serving!
Pairs well with roasts, turkey, sausages, meatballs, and more!
Use this recipe to make the Ultimate Keto Shepherd’s Pie!
Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost or effort to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.
There are certain meals throughout the year that just require a fluffy mountain of pillowy mash, to sop up that savoury gravy and drippings so you can shovel them into your mouth.
On my family dining table, those “mashed potato meals” are holiday turkey dinners like Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter and then sometimes just a random turkey dinner throughout the year. Because turkey dinners are damn delicious, I’d even enjoy a turkey dinner poolside if all the fix-ins are just right.
My ultimate forkful of thanksgiving dinner is a scoop of mash, a little bit of stuffing, capped with a nice piece of dark meat, then topped with cranberry sauce and dipped in the rich turkey gravy.
My mouth is watering just thinking about it!
A good quality mash really makes the holiday dinner table feel complete to me. Of course being with family and stuff too yada yada yada, but a full family doesn’t fill my belly like this 6g net carb cauliflower mash.
Problem is, although the turkey itself is full of protein and low in carbs, making it a great choice for anyone looking to cut carbs, traditional sides and fix-ins are generally not very well suited to a low carb lifestyle.
I do eventually plan to let you in on my secret for making a full low carb turkey dinner including sides. But here we are just going to focus on one of my favourite parts of the meal. The mash.
Of course this low carb cauliflower mash can be paired with many different meals. There aren’t many things I wouldn’t pair with nice scoop of light and fluffy mash swimming in buttery goodness.
Meatloaf, low carb Shepherd’s pie, roast chicken, steak, pork chops, meatballs! It’s very versatile low carb side dish.
Can't I just mash up so cauliflower like potatoes? Why do I need a recipe?
Uh yah go ahead and cook up some cauliflower just like you would mashed potatoes see how it turns out. In my humble opinion, it’s gross.
You get like this kind of chunky, watery, cauli-mess that kind smells like uh…I don’t wanna say it but…It smells like someone cut the cheese, and I’m not talking about cheddar!
How do I make mashed cauliflower taste good?
To make a low carb mash that actually tastes good, you are going to want both prep, and “mash” the cauliflower differently than you would potatoes. They are too different from one another to be treated the same and expect a similar result.
What you will need to make good Mashed Cauliflower
- Foil Lined baking sheet
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Pot large enough to hold everything
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients you will need
- Cauliflower
- Salt and Pepper
- Oil/Butter/ghee
- Cream Cheese
- More Butter
Cooking Skills you will need
- Ability to put something in an oven, and also remove it
- Ability to transfer something into a pot
- Ability to use an immersion blender
What you need to do
Oven Roasting The Cauliflower
Oven roasting the cauliflower before mashing not only reduces the water content, leading to a more desirable texture and consistency, but it turns the cauliflower a wonderful golden brown colour and adds a rich roasted flavour.
Start by cleaning the cauliflower and breaking it into florets. Spread it out on the foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the florets making sure to coat the entire surface with the oil and seasonings.
Feel free to toss in other flavours here such as garlic powder, cayenne, or other herbs and spices.
Bake at 375°F [190°C] for 30-40 minutes, or until the outer parts of the florets are golden brown and starting to crisp.
Tip: If you would like to make a roasted garlic mashed cauliflower, wrap whole unpeeled cloves of garlic in some foil with olive oil, salt, and pepper and roast in the oven alongside the cauliflower.
Stove-top Method
Although I prefer both the flavour and the hands off cooking of oven roasting, when preparing a large meal like a turkey dinner, oven space is at a premium and I will opt to cook these on the stove top.
- Heat oil in a deep fry pan or pot over medium-high heat and add the cauliflower. Don’t over fill the pot or it will make it hard to mash.
- Cook until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
- Then proceed to mash/whip the roasted cauliflower with an immersion blender
You can pretty much cook the heck out of this. There is so much water to cook off in the cauliflower that it is unlikely to burn without you noticing.
Do not cover the pot, you want the steam to escape.
Mashing/Whipping The Cauliflower
Remove the cauliflower from the oven and transfer to a large pot. The pot should fit the cauliflower well. Not so small it’s almost spilling out, but not so large it barely covers the bottom. Both cases will make it tough to whip/mash the cauliflower.
Heat the cauliflower on the stove over medium-low heat and add cubed cream cheese (it melts and incorporates easier cubed) and butter. Allow the cheese and butter a moment to soften from the heat and then get in there with the immersion blender.
I know they are huge florets still and you can cut them small if you like, but if you start to crush it down with the immersion blender, it will quickly begin to break down and become the soft, whipped mash we know and love.
Continue to whip for several minutes. Once the mix becomes fine, I like to kind of jam the blender into the corner of the pot and rotate it around keeping it against the corner to really make the mix smooth.
The longer you whip, the smoother your mash will be.
Once you are happy with the texture, take a look at the viscosity. Is it where you want it?
Too watery still? Continue to simmer over low heat until you are satisfied. Keep the heat low and stir continuously. Otherwise kind of violent bubbles start to spatter everywhere.
Too thick for your liking? Add more butter or even a few tablespoons of heavy whipping cream and give it a few more pulses with the immersion blender.
That’s all there is to it really. It is a very simple way to make a low carb mashed cauliflower that is actually good! A few technical changes to the mashed potato methods and we have a great low carb alternative ready with about the same amount of effort.
Make Ahead Tips
I feel that this dish is best served shortly after mashing. But it does reheat well and makes excellent leftovers.
If you need to save some time and oven space the day of a big turkey dinner. Roast the florets in advance and keep them in the fridge until mashing day. Add them to the pot, heat, and whip, Just make sure they are the right temperature before serving.
How many carbs are in mashed cauliflower?
This recipe for low carb roasted mashed cauliflower only has 6g of net carbs per serving! A big head of cauliflower will make 5-6 servings of mash. Compare that to the same amount of mashed potatoes at a whopping 17g net carbs! No wonder I always felt so sleepy after a big holiday meal.
Roasted Cauliflower Mash - A Low Carb Mash
IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!
Equipment
- Baking sheet
- Knife and Cutting Board
- Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1 large Cauliflower
- 2 tablespoons Oil/butter/ghee
- ¼ cup Cream cheese
- ⅓ cup Butter
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Start by cleaning the cauliflower and breaking it into florets.
Oven Roasting Method:
- Prepare the cauliflower for roasting. Spread the cauliflower out on the foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper. Use your hands to toss the florets making sure to coat each one with the oil and seasonings. Feel free to toss in other flavours here such as garlic powder, cayenne, or other herbs and spices1 large Cauliflower, 2 tablespoons Oil/butter/ghee, Salt & pepper
- Bake the cauliflower until golden brown. Bake at 375°F [190°C] for 30-40 minutes, or until the outer parts of the florets are golden brown and starting to crisp
- Transfer roasted cauliflower to a pot for mashing.
Stovetop Method
- Fry cauliflower until golden brown. Heat oil in a deep fry pan or pot over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower florets, salt liberally, and fry, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower has started to brown and become crispy. Do not cover the pot, you want the steam to escape.
Mashing/Whipping The Cauliflower
- Whip/mash with an immersion blender. In a pot over low heat add cubed cream cheese and butter. Allow the cheese and butter a moment to soften from the heat and then begin to breakdown the large florets with an immersion blender by repeatedly plunging the blender down on top of the cauliflower until it breaks down into a smooth mash. Continue to whip for several minutes until you are at your desired consistency¼ cup Cream cheese, ⅓ cup Butter
- Serve with more butter, herbs, along side your favourite meals, or on top of a Shepherds pie and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated using the recipe calculator and verified database available from Cronometer. Although every reasonable effort is made to provide accurate information this estimate is provided as courteously and convenience only. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
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Time To Dive In!
I really hope you like this recipe for low carb mashed cauliflower, and I hope it changes your mind about cauliflower mash!
Pair this low carb side with turkey dinners, roast chicken, meatloaf, pork chops, meatballs, sausages, whatever you like!
Definitely stay tuned for the rest of my upcoming low carb turkey dinner side dishes! The best way to do that is to join the gang right here right now
And to follow me on Instagram where I post low carb recipes weekly along with some inspiration meals you wont get here
Enjoy!
Disclosure: Some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost or effort to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through the link and make a purchase.
