This rich and creamy keto mashed cauliflower is delightfully delicious and is a great alternative to regular mashed potatoes. It is made with roasted cauliflower and sour cream and contains just 6g net carbs!
If you’re on the keto diet and you need a low carb alternative to traditional mashed potatoes, you've come to the right place. This creamy keto mashed cauliflower recipe is the perfect mashed potato substitute and tastes so close to the real thing!
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❤️ Why You'll Love It
This recipe is made by roasting the cauliflower first before blending, which greatly enhances the texture and also reduces the strong cauliflower taste. Roasting also helps preserve the natural flavors of cauliflower and brings out its nutty flavor.
The final texture is close to that of mashed potatoes, and it keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days while retaining its firm consistency.
🧾 Ingredients used
You only need a few simple ingredients for this easy mashed cauliflower recipe.
- Cauliflower: It’s best to use fresh cauliflower than frozen because frozen cauliflower might be too soft after it is thawed. I use a whole head of cauliflower, but you can also use chopped florets.
- Unsalted butter: I prefer to use unsalted because that way, I can control the level of saltiness in the dish.
- Sour cream: I love to use sour cream because it adds enough moisture to the cauliflower mash without thinning it. It also adds a tangy taste and improves the texture of the overall dish. The result is a rich, buttery texture that absolutely melts in your mouth!
- Spices: salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Olive oil / Olive oil spray: this helps improve the texture of the mashed cauliflower.
🔪 How To Make This Recipe
Here's how to make this keto mashed potatoes recipe.
- Start by preheating your oven to 450 F.
- Wash and pat dry the cauliflower. Cut the cauliflower into medium-sized florets and spread it out on a baking tray lined with foil paper. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and add a dash of salt and cayenne pepper.
- If you have an olive oil spray, it’s easier to use this; if not, a drizzle of olive oil will do. You also don’t have to add a lot of salt and pepper here, you only need a bit to bring out the flavor while roasting. You will have a chance to add some more when blending the cauliflower.
- Mix it all together until the cauliflower is well-coated. Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 20 minutes or till the cauliflower is slightly crispy.
- For the next step, you can use a regular blender, food processor, or hand immersion blender. I prefer to use a regular high-powered blender as I want the cauliflower to be completely pureed and not leave any lumps behind. If you're up to it, you can also use a potato masher.
- Put the cauliflower in a blender and add the butter, olive oil, and half of the sour cream.
- I only put in half of the sour cream first because I want to be able to fully control how I would like the texture to be. You might only need half and be happy with the texture the way it is, or you might need more.
- Blend till completely pureed and check the consistency if it’s to your liking. Add more sour cream if you desire, and blend again. Pour the cauliflower puree into a bowl, add the salt and pepper, and mix together.
- You can garnish with parsley, chives, parmesan cheese, or more butter. Your cauliflower mash with sour cream is ready to serve!
🥫 Storing And Reheating
You can store this creamy mashed cauliflower in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container to maintain its freshness. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove with a little water.
💭 Tips And Variations
- Cayenne pepper added is just a dash, so it gives a very mild heat to this keto cauliflower mash recipe. You can replace it with smoked paprika or black pepper or omit it entirely. It’s up to you.
- If the butter is at room temperature, you don’t have to melt it, but if it’s rock-solid, you should melt it a bit first.
- You can make this recipe even creamier by adding a little heavy cream or coconut cream.
- Always start with half of the sour cream and slowly add a little bit till you have reached your desired consistency.
- Add your favorite spices like garlic powder, onion powder, or your favorite herbs.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
This recipe makes a perfect side dish for weeknight dinners or your Thanksgiving dinner. You can drizzle on some keto gravy and eat this low carb cauliflower mash with steak or roast chicken.
Enjoy this easy low carb side dish with these:
Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
Keto Buffalo Chicken Meatballs
👩🍳 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can, but there are some key differences. It will taste different because cream cheese does not have the tanginess of sour cream. Also, because the cauliflower is roasted and devoid of moisture, sour cream is perfect because it introduces some moisture back to the mash.
If you use cream cheese, it will be really, really thick. You might need to add a little water or a splash of almond milk to slightly increase the moisture content.
You absolutely can, with one caveat. You have to freeze it before adding the sour cream because milk does not thaw well. Divide the cauliflower into portions, place it in a freezer bag and freeze.
To use after freezing, thaw overnight in the fridge, add the sour cream, and blend. If you're in a hurry, just use an immersion blender to quickly whisk the sour cream and spices together, and you're good to go.
📚 Related Recipes
Try these other delicious low carb side dishes!
Sauteed Green Beans and Mushrooms
Stir-Fried Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
Instant Pot Steamed Vegetables
📖 Recipe
Keto Mashed Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 cauliflower large
- 3 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Spices for roasting cauliflower
- 1 olive oil spray or 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- dash of salt
- dash of cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450F.
- Wash and pat dry the cauliflower.
- Cut into medium-sized florets and spread out on a baking tray.
- Spray olive oil and add a dash of salt and cayenne pepper.
- Mix together until the cauliflower is well coated.
- Roast in the oven for 20 minutes or until cauliflower is slightly crispy.
- Pour into a high powered blender.
- Add the butter and half of the sour cream and blend on high till pureed.
- Check the consistency if it’s to your liking, if not add some more sour cream.
- Transfer to a bowl, add salt and black pepper and mix thoroughly.
- Serve and enjoy with fresh parsley, chives or more butter!
Notes
- The cayenne pepper added is just a dash so it gives a very mild heat to the dish. You can replace it with paprika, black pepper or omit it entirely.
- If the butter is at room temperature, you don’t have to melt it as it will break apart in the blender but if it’s rock-solid, you should melt it a bit first.
- Always start with half of the sour cream and slowly add a little bit till you have reached your desired consistency.
Thanks TAYO 👏🏼👍🏼😊 Looks Great ❗️ thank You you For Sharing , G-d❤️Bless
You're welcome, Cheri!
What is the serving size?
Hi Kim, I usually just split it into 4 equal servings, and each is roughly 3/4 cup.
The family has requested lighter alternatives to the regular side dishes and this right here is going to be a hit!
Hope they enjoy it Andrea!
What a great side dish with dinner and obviously perfect for Thanksgiving! Looking forward to this dish, indeed!
Thanks Sara. It really is a treat!
I love cauliflower mash and the addition of sour cream sounds amazing.
I totally agree. The sour cream adds just the right amount of tanginess to it!
Love that you can freeze this!
I JUST made regular mashed potatoes yesterday, but I am kind of regretting not seeing this earlier! It looks so good!!
Thanks Cathleen. There's always next time, right? 🙂
I love this so much. It's easy and tastes so much like mashed potatoes. Even my picky family likes it.
So glad to hear that, Krissy!