Enjoy this smooth and creamy Low Carb mashed cauliflower at your next meal! Roasted garlic and fresh rosemary give it great flavor and an elegant twist, making it perfect for special occasion dinners.
A lot of people struggle with making Keto mashed cauliflower that isn't watery. Not with this recipe! This is so close to real mashed potatoes and has great flavor from the rosemary and roasted garlic.
With this method, gone will be the days of thin and watery mashed cauliflower. There's plenty of healthy Keto fats in this recipe, which also makes it thick and super creamy. Pureeing it in a food processor really helps it get nice and smooth.
This will soon become one of your favorite Keto side dishes and you'll want to make different versions of it, changing up the flavors from time to time.
It will pair with just about any protein, pot roast, chicken, pork, ham and even turkey! This is a perfect addition to your Thanksgiving, Resurrection Sunday or Christmas dinner table!
What's in the Best Mashed Cauliflower
- Cauliflower
- Monterey Jack cheese
- Cream cheese
- Sour cream
- Butter
- Rosemary
- Roasted garlic
- Salt and Pepper
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to Make the Best Mashed Cauliflower
How to Roast Garlic in the Oven
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut a head of garlic in half, horizontally.
Drizzle the top with olive oil and pinch of salt and cover in aluminum foil. Place in a ramekin on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the garlic is soft and caramelized. During the last 5 minutes, remove the foil and drizzle a little more olive oil over the top.
Allow to cool slightly, then gently squeeze out the garlic, without the skins. You'll need 1 ½ tablespoons for this recipe.
How to Make Thick and Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
Wash and cut the cauliflower into small florets.
Add it to a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a plate and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well and pat with paper towels pressing gently to dry.
Add the cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a minute.
Then add in all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. If you want your cauliflower to be thicker, add only 2 tablespoons of butter. If it want it a little thinner, add in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
Serving with a pat of butter and fresh rosemary over the top. Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days or freeze.
Tips for Making the Best Mashed Cauliflower
How to Avoid a Watery Mashed Cauliflower
There are two important steps to ensure a thick and creamy mashed cauliflower, that will give you that same texture as mashed potatoes. The first step is how you cook the cauliflower. Steaming, rather than boiling cauliflower works best.
When you boil cauliflower, it will retain the water and make for a watery mashed cauliflower, which is what you don't want. The easiest way is to add your washed cauliflower florets to a microwave safe bowl and cook it with a plate over the top. This will steam it and some moisture will accumulate at the bottom of the bowl.
For a large head of cauliflower, cook for 10 minutes or until it's fork tender. Remove the plate and drain off any liquid, then pat the cauliflower dry. If you have a steamer that you can use, or a steamer basket to use on the stovetop, that will work just as well. Just be sure to get all the moisture out and pat it dry.
The second step is in the mix. Adding thick and creamy cheeses, sour cream, mascarpone, shredded cheese, and just a small amount of butter is key. This mashed cauliflower turns out nice and thick, but not dry, it's honestly the perfect texture!
I used Monterey Jack cheese in this recipe because it's nice and mild and the flavor doesn't compete with the roasted garlic or Rosemary. You can also use Colby or any other mild cheese that you like. You can also substitute the cream cheese for mascarpone if that's what you have on hand.
If you don't have sour cream, you can use a Low Carb Greek yogurt instead. Ricotta cheese would also be a good replacement.
How to Add Flavor to your Mashed Cauliflower
For this recipe, you want to use garlic that has been roasted in the oven and caramelized. It has a much sweeter and more subtle flavor than raw or sautéed garlic.
Fresh rosemary works best in this mashed cauliflower, but if you only have dried on hand, you can certainly use it instead. Thyme would also be a good substitute, but it would really change up the flavor a bit. I cut this Rosemary from my garden, and it happens to be in bloom right now!
Rosemary is a pretty strong herb, so some people either love it or can only handle a small amount. If you think Rosemary is too strong, then only add 2 teaspoons, but if you really love strong Rosemary flavor, then add in 1 ½ tablespoons.
The recipe is written for a happy medium, which I think is perfect. If you're not sure, add in 2 teaspoons, then taste it and you can always add more if you feel like it needs more flavor.
Is Garlic Keto Friendly?
Yes, but make sure you use it in moderation. Garlic adds so much flavor to dishes and you really don't need to use much anyway.
How Many Carbs in Garlic?
1 clove of garlic has about 1 carb each and as I mentioned, since you don't need to use much of it, the impact on your daily carbs is minimal.
Is Cauliflower Good for a Keto Diet?
Oh yeah! Cauliflower is one of the Keto superfoods. It makes a great Low Carb substitute for rice, mac & cheese and mashed potatoes. You can prepare cauliflower so many different ways like Lime Cilantro or Mexican Cauliflower Rice, Jalapeño Popper "Mac" and Cheese, Loaded Creamy Cauliflower Casserole, "Potato" Salad and even Mushroom "Risotto". For more creative ways to prepare cauliflower, check out this roundup!
How Many Carbs in Cauliflower?
There are 3 net carbs in one cup of cauliflower, making it a great Keto vegetable!
More Keto Side Dishes
- Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts with Prosciutto
- Grilled Broccolini
- Jalapeño Popper Cauliflower "Mac" and Cheese
- Bacon Wrapped Green Beans
- Easy Creamed Spinach
- Roasted Garlic & Rosemary Mashed Cauliflower
- Easy Broccoli Salad with Bacon
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Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Mashed Cauliflower
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large head of cauliflower
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup cream cheese
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons roasted garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400F. Cut a head of garlic in half, horizontally. Drizzle the top with olive oil and pinch of salt and cover in aluminum foil. Place in a ramekin on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until the garlic is soft and caramelized. During the last 5 minutes, remove the foil and drizzle a little more olive oil over the top. Allow to cool slightly, then gently squeeze out the garlic, without the skins. You’ll need 1 ½ tablespoons for this recipe.
- Wash and cut the cauliflower into small florets. Add it to a microwave-safe bowl, cover with a plate and cook in the microwave for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain well and pat with paper towels pressing gently to dry.
- Add the cauliflower to the bowl of a food processor and pulse for a minute Then add in all the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth and creamy. If you want your cauliflower to be thicker, add only 2 tablespoons of butter. If it want it a little thinner, add in 2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
- Serving with a pat of butter and fresh rosemary over the top. Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days or freeze.
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*Nutritional data is provided as a courtesy and is accurate to the best of my knowledge. You can verify it using the nutrition calculator of your choice. All data is based on net carbs, without sugar alcohol- Swerve, Erythritol, Allulose, or Monk Fruit.
Jacqueline
The oat fiber is unavailable in the size you linked. The 3 lb bag is in. Will I need 3 lbs?
Keto Cooking Christian
I always buy the 3 pound bag because I use it a lot. But they do also make a 1 pound bag and even that will last a long time, since you don't use much in recipes.
Diane
So, i made these for Thanksgiving. They truly were my favorite part of my meal. I made enough to have leftovers. On day 3 i had just enough left to make 'potato pancakes'. I made patties and fried them in butter. So delicious. My new go-to side. Thank you so much!
Diane
Keto Cooking Christian
Potato pancakes sounds like a great idea, thanks for sharing and I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Diane Cuc
Yes! I love that you said Resurrection Sunday and i love your verse of the day, Thank you!
I am very excited to try these cauliflower mashed potatos for Thanksgiving. I wonder, could i roast the cauliflower rather than steam? Would that be a complimentory flavor, or overpowering? Thinking it would dry out some of the moisture. Your thoughts?
Blessings, Diane
Keto Cooking Christian
Hi Diane!
Glad you like the Bible verse of the day, it's my favorite part of the whole site 🙂 Regarding roasting the cauli, yes, I think it's a great idea and will add a lot more flavor! If you are big on bold flavors (I definitely am), then it shouldn't be overpowering. If not, you can use a little less garlic and rosemary to dial things down a notch. It would also help with the moisture as well. Great idea, I love it!!