Keto Cheesy Cauliflower Mash

Cauliflower is a delicious alternative to potatoes. This keto cheesy cauliflower mash is the perfect cheesy side dish for any number of meals!

WHAT IS KETO CHEESY CAULIFLOWER MASH?

Cheesy cauliflower mash is one of the easiest, most delicious side dishes you can make. It is creamy and chock full of hearty and yummy cheesy goodness.

By the time you’re done, you’ll have a dish very close to cheesy mashed potatoes, but without all of the carbs.

It is the perfect side dish for any number of main course recipes and will hopefully find its way into your “make all the time” category.

CHEESY CAULIFLOWER MASH INGREDIENTS

In order to make this delicious keto cheesy cauliflower mash, you’ll need to make sure you have the following ingredients on hand.

• 1 large head cauliflower
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream
• pink Himalayan salt, to taste

After you have these ready to go, you can get to work!

HOW TO MAKE KETO CHEESY CAULIFLOWER MASH

1. Cut cauliflower florets from the head of cauliflower
2. Steam cauliflower until soft and tender
3. Place steamed cauliflower and the rest of the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth and creamy
4. Remove, serve, and enjoy!

If for some reason you have a watery mixture when processed, read on below for how to take care of this issue.

HELP! MY CAULIFLOWER MASH IS WATERY!

Oh no! Anytime you make a recipe that ends up watery (or too dry, depending) it can really be a downer for any chef, amateur or not.

Should you end up with a cheesy cauliflower mash that is watery, there are a few things you can do to fix the situation. Let’s take a look at a few of them.

UNDERSTANDING WHY IT IS WATERY

Depending on the recipe, there are several reasons why your mixture might end up with a bit too much water.

For this recipe, generally, the source of extra water is from the steaming process. When you’re adding your cauliflower to the food processor, make sure to not let any extra water slip in.

Cauliflower isn’t necessarily a high-moisture food, so most of the water content that is found in the steaming process is water used for steaming itself.

Making sure to use a slotted spoon, colander, or paper towels to separate the cauliflower from water can help make sure watery cauliflower mash isn’t a problem in the first place.

ADDING MORE CREAM CHEESE

The first thing to try is simply adding more cream cheese. The added cream cheese will help to thicken the mash, as well as bind everything together better.

If adding more cream cheese doesn’t do the trick, move on to the next method for water removal.

ADDING SOME HEAT

The surefire way to remove water content from your cauliflower mash is to cook it. Keep in mind, you aren’t aiming to cook the mash for a long time, just long enough to steam off the extra water.

After you have mixed your mash in the food processor, pour it into a saucepan or pot over medium heat.

Heat the cauliflower mash, stirring regularly, until light steam starts. Cook in this same way until the extra water content has evaporated. After the water has evaporated, remove the mash from the heat and serve!

As a note, make sure not to cook the mash on too high of heat because you run the risk of burning it. Low and slow is the best philosophy to use here!

CAN I USE MILK INSTEAD OF HEAVY CREAM?

Unfortunately, no. Even though cream and milk are both dairy products, they are very different in their nutritional content.

Milk is lower in fat and higher in carbohydrates than heavy cream. For instance, a cup of skim milk has 12g of carbohydrates and .2g of fat. Heavy cream, on the other hand, has 7g of carbs and 88g of fat for the same amount.

While milk seems like a simple and easy solution, it definitely doesn’t fit into the keto/low-carb way of eating.

CAN I MAKE THIS WITHOUT A FOOD PROCESSOR?

It is possible to make this dish without a food processor, but it does make everything more difficult.

If you don’t have a food processor and want to make this recipe, you’re going to follow all of the directions up to the part where you would process the dish.

At this point, you’re going to need to use whatever method you’d like to mash the cauliflower. Go ahead and add all of the ingredients to the steamed florets so mashing doubles as mixing as well.

You’ll need to mash the cauliflower as much as possible, making sure to mix the ingredients as you go. If not, the cauliflower will cool as you mix and the cheese won’t incorporate well.

Do know if you use this method, the mash will be chunky and not as smooth as it would be if you used a food processor.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO MAKE THIS DISH DAIRY-FREE?

Unfortunately, the dairy ingredients used in this dish are basically required to make it taste the way it needs to. And, dairy-free cheese products are generally full of extra ingredients and carbohydrates.

If you need this dish to be keto and dairy-free, there may be some options, but I am unaware of them at the time of this writing.

WHAT ABOUT CHANGING UP THE CHEESES?

Absolutely! If you make this and decided you’d rather use different cheeses to match your individual tastes, feel free.

Some really delicious cheese options for this dish would be:

• Cheddar cheese
• Parmesan cheese (shredded, not grated like the kind in the shake bottle)
• Feta cheese (this really has a unique, tasty flavor!)
• Pepper jack cheese (especially a good idea for those who love their meals to have a little “kick”)
• Smoked gouda cheese (truly a must-try!)

There are plenty of other delicious options in your local grocery. Check out their artisan cheese section for a wider assortment of delicious ideas.

Trying different cheeses is fine, but if you decide to go this route, do leave the cream cheese in the dish. It is what helps make the mash creamy and helps to bind all of the ingredients together better.

WHAT SHOULD I EAT THIS CHEESY CAULIFLOWER MASH WITH?

Anything with cheese is definitely a delicious dish. Even though this might sound like a “light” side dish, it is certainly bold and yummy!

Here are a few of our favorite main course recipes you might like as well.

• Keto Garlic Chicken and Broccoli
• Low-Carb Copycat Chick-fil-a Grilled Nuggets
• Keto Bang Bang Shrimp
• Keto Poor Man’s Burnt Ends
• Keto Mississippi Roast

For more ideas, you can check out our recipe index, or check out all of our main course recipes.

TOOLS TO MAKE CHEESY CAULIFLOWER MASH

Click on the links to see the items used in making this recipe. You can also find these products linked in the recipe below.

• Food Processor – For this recipe, a food processor can make your work so much easier. Furthermore, a food processor is an integral component to any kitchen. It can turn any number of kitchen tasks into easy work. If you don’t have one in your kitchen yet, the time is now!

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