Golden Keto Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes (Keto Cauliflower Puree)

 
Even though most recipes that you can make while on the keto diet are quite satisfying, there are some things that you simply cannot replace.

One of those things is a bowl of freshly made mashed potatoes.
Mashed potatoes elicit something incredibly comforting in my opinion – and for a long time, I missed this particular comfort food in my ketogenic diet.

I saw a lot of cauliflower mashed potatoes recipes that claimed to be “better than the real thing” and for a long time, I didn’t even try to attempt one of those recipes.
Most of them seemed to involve a heavy amount of labor and I wasn’t convinced that these cauliflower puree recipes would actually taste good.

That was until I got a huge craving for shepherd’s pie while I was on the ketogenic diet.
I made shepherd’s pie dozens of times before but I never made a keto shepherd’s pie before.
The biggest culprit was: how can I replace the mashed potatoes?

This roasted cauliflower mashed pototoes recipe was the answer.
It is a combination of different recipes for cauliflower mash I saw online and I definitely think that this is the easiest and fastest way to make delicious & comforting cauliflower mash.

It doesn’t involve a whole lot of prepping, it only takes 15-20 minutes total and involves only 4-5 ingredients, depending on your preferences.
 

 

Cauliflower mashed potatoes: a healthy and keto-friendly alternative to standard potato mash

 
The best thing about this cauliflower mashed potatoes recipe is, that it isn’t only low carb and thus keto-friendly but it’s also a very healthy alternative to “standard mashed potatoes”.
While “normal” potato mash isn’t particularly unhealthy, it also doesn’t offer a lot of benefits.
Potatoes aren’t per se bad for you, but you’ll consume a lot of unnecessary carbohydrates that spike your blood sugar and insulin levels while not getting a lot of vitamins, minerals or fiber in return.

Cauliflower mashed potatoes are different.
Cauliflower contains vital vitamins like vitamin c and k, antioxidants as well as fiber that can help improve your digestion and regulate your immune system.

At the same time, cauliflower is perfect for low carb diets like the ketogenic diet.
One cup of cauliflower only has about 3g net carbs (5.4 total carbs with 2.5g being dietary fiber).
 
 

How to make cauliflower mashed potatoes

 
Like I mentioned before, you don’t need a lot of ingredients or time.
All you need is a head of cauliflower, a cup of heavy cream, some butter as well as nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
If you’re as crazy about garlic as I am, I recommend also adding one pressed garlic clove to your cauliflower mashed potatoes. But this step is optional.

Begin by removing the florets from your head of cauliflower and chop the florets up into chunks.
Add the butter to a pot and sauté the cauliflower chunks until they are golden brown. (This step takes approx. 5 minutes.)

Once the color is right, add the cream to your pot and let the cauliflower simmer in the cream for approx. 10 minutes on medium heat.
If you choose to add garlic too, add it to the pot 1-2 minutes before deglazing with the cream.
Your cauliflower should be well cooked by then, but you can test if your cauliflower is finished cooking by pricking it with a fork or something similar – if it slides right off you’re good to go.

Add the salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
Take your pot off the heat and use a hand blender to puree your cauliflower.

One serving of cauliflower puree (1 1/3 cups, 160g) has 5g net carbs (8g total carbs with 3g being dietary fiber), 28.5g of fat, 3.5g of protein and 294.