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Keto Mashed Cauliflower – Low Carb Recipe

This keto mashed cauliflower is made just like mashed potatoes and is perfect for Thanksgiving or any time you’d like a mashed potato substitute. I served these last Thanksgiving instead of real mashed potatoes and the kids didn’t even notice the difference. All mashed potatoes really are is a delivery system for the rich flavors of butter and cream anyway, so why not have the taste you’re looking for without all the carbs.

If your kids are more discerning and can sniff out something healthy from a mile away, try using half potatoes/half cauliflower for those picky eaters. It’s still a lower carb dish and whole foods based when made with potatoes.

Keto Mashed Cauliflower

One of the most important considerations for keto mashed cauliflower is the creaminess factor. Many people don’t like lumpy mashed potatoes and they won’t like lumpy mashed cauliflower either.

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Keto Mashed Potatoes

The easiest ways to ensure smooth mashed cauliflower are to make sure the cauliflower is cooked to a very tender texture and to mash the cauliflower until it’s very smooth. To ensure the smoothest keto mashed cauliflower, I recommend a food processor over a wire masher. Although both will work, the wire masher takes a lot more elbow grease to create really smooth keto “mashed potatoes.”

The other important thing about these keto “mashed potatoes” is to use a good amount of butter and cream. While you can make this dish less caloric by reducing each of those ingredients, you’ll enjoy this mashed cauliflower a lot more and have it taste more like real potatoes when you don’t skip on these classic potato accompaniments.

faq

Can You Eat Mashed Potatoes on Keto?

People always wonder if you can eat mashed potatoes on keto. The answer may surprise you…ketosis is a metabolic state, not a food. Theoretically you can eat almost anything and stay in ketosis. What really matters is the quantity.

Potatoes have about 92 calories and 21 grams of carbs per 100 grams of potato. A hundred grams is about the size of half a medium potato. Since more people need to stay under 20 carbs a day to stay in ketosis, you would only be able to eat a couple of bites of mashed potato before going over your carb limit.

If your goal is to stay in ketosis, potatoes are not very keto-friendly.

Keto Mashed Cauliflower – Low Carb Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 people

Ingredients  

  • 1 head cauliflower, 1½ to 2 pounds
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons heavy cream
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Instructions

  • Break and cut the cauliflower into florets and steam or microwave until fork tender.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked cauliflower, butter, heavy cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder and half of the chives.
  • Using a potato masher, fork, or food processor, blend until smooth.
  • Serve warm and garnish with the remaining chives.

Notes

You can easily use frozen cauliflower or frozen riced cauliflower in place of fresh cauliflower, but be sure to drain any additional water after cooking.

Nutrition

Serving: 6servingsCalories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 5gProtein: 2gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 448mgPotassium: 299mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gCalcium: 28mgIron: 0.5mgNet Carbohydrates: 3g

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Author

  • Cheryl McColgan

    Cheryl McColgan is the Founder and Editor in Chief of Heal Nourish Grow, where she has published evidence-based health and nutrition content since 2018.

    With over 30 years of experience in fitness, nutrition, and healthy living, and nearly 20 years of professional editorial and journalism experience, she brings both subject-matter depth and trained editorial judgment to everything on the site.

    Cheryl holds a degree in Psychology with a minor in Addictions Studies, completed graduate training in Clinical Psychology, and is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and E-RYT Certified Yoga Instructor and trained in Yoga Therapy.

    She is the author of 21 Day Fat Loss Kickstart, Make Keto Easy, Take Diet Breaks and Still Lose Weight, The Grain Free Cookbook for Beginners, and Easy Weeknight Keto.

    Read more about Cheryl and the journey that created Heal Nourish Grow on the about page.

    Cheryl McColgan is the founder of Heal Nourish Grow, where she writes about protein, body composition, healthy aging, and evidence-based nutrition and wellness along with the everyday habits that actually make those things work in real life.

    With a background in psychology and graduate training in clinical psychology, plus nearly 20 years of experience in editorial and publishing, Cheryl approaches health from both a research and real-world perspective. She’s also been immersed in fitness and nutrition for more than 25 years, which gives her a practical lens most purely academic content tends to miss.

    Her work today focuses heavily on protein intake (especially for women), muscle retention, metabolic health, and sustainable fat loss, along with topics like sleep, wellness, recovery, and wearable health tech. You’ll also find a mix of high-protein, low-carb recipes designed to make hitting those goals easier without overcomplicating things.

    Cheryl’s interest in health and nutrition became more personal after navigating her own health challenges, which pushed her to dig deeper into how lifestyle, diet and daily habits impact long-term health. That experience continues to shape how she approaches everything on this site: practical, realistic, and focused on what actually works over time.

    What Cheryl Covers

    Most of the content here falls into a few core areas:

    Protein & Muscle Health: how much you actually need, especially for women and how to use protein to support strength, body composition, and aging
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    Wearables & Recovery: real-world testing and comparisons of tools like Oura, Whoop and others
    High-Protein & Low-Carb Recipes: simple, realistic meals that support your goals without feeling restrictive
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    30 Day Healthy Habits Challenge

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