Keto Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash with Cream Cheese

Here is a healthy, flavorful, and creamy Instant Pot mashed cauliflower recipe loaded with garlic, cream cheese, and parmesan for you to make next! It makes for an amazing side dish and is a great keto and low-carb alternative to mashed potatoes. Serve it with some delicious beef stew, liver and onions, or some air fryer sausages, for a complete meal. I tell you, this dish is always a winner!

Jump to:

• Why you Will Love This Recipe
• Can I make Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash Without a Steamer Basket?
• Ingredients
• How to make Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash
• Useful Tips
• Possible recipe variations
• Making Ahead and Storage
• Common Questions
• Make These other Tasty Keto Recipes!
• 📖 Recipe

Why you Will Love This Recipe

• easy to make and requires no steaming basket, meaning less cleaning later!
• creamy and delicious, loaded and flavored with garlic, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt and parmesan!
• cauliflower is good for you and perfect as a side dish!
• it is low-carb and keto-friendly plus, you can easily modify it to be vegan and paleo-compliant.

Can I make Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash Without a Steamer Basket?

Ok, this question comes up a lot so I think it is only fair to start with it. The answer is an absolute YES! Here is how to go about it:-

• Clean the cauliflower, peel off the outer green leaves from the cauliflower head and slice-off the thicker part of the stem. The leaves are edible so feel free to use them if you like.
• Fill the inner pot with water or broth. Place the head of the cauliflower on the trivet (stem-side down is recommended but not a must) then lower it into the Instant Pot. 
• Secure the lid and pressure cook for 5-7 minutes, depending on how big your cauliflower is. When done, do a quick pressure release, carefully remove the trivet bearing the cauliflower and use a potato masher or an immersion blender to blend until smooth and creamy.
• Season with some salt, pepper and your favorite toppings then serve.

That's how easy it is. Now that we have that out of the way, let's go ahead and make this low carb instant pot cauliflower mash recipe.

Ingredients

You will require the following ingredients:-

• A whole head of cauliflower - I recommend using fresh cauliflower for the best flavor experience.
• Unsalted butter - enhances the flavor of the cauliflower mash and makes it extra creamy. I like to use unsalted butter so I can control the salt levely but you can also use salted butter. In this case, just make sure to use slightly less salt when seasoning to avoid ending up with some over-salted mashed cauliflower.
• Garlic - I used four cloves but feel free to use more or less, depending on your taste.
• Vegetable stock or water.
• Greek yogurt - I recommend you use a full-fat Greek yogurt brand. This will give you a more creamy flavor.
• Cream cheese - Cream cheese has a creamy and slightly sour flavor, which works wonders in this dish. It also makes this Instant Pot cauliflower mash extra cheesy and delicious.
• Cheddar and Parmesan cheese - cheddar brings in an earthy taste and boosts the flavor. The parmesan cheese has an earthy salty taste, perfect for this cheese-loaded Instant Pot mashed cauliflower.
• Salt and black pepper to taste.

How to make Low-Carb and Keto Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash

Let's make some low-carb cauliflower mash in the Instant Pot! Here is how to go about it:-

• Wash the cauliflower, remove the leaves, and cut off the thicker part of the stem. Set the Instant Pot to saute for 5 minutes. Add half of the butter and saute the garlic until fragrant. It should only be slightly brown (take care not to burn), then add the water or stock.

• Next, place the whole cauliflower head (no need to slice or chop) on the trivet, place it inside the Instant Pot and close the lid. The Instant Pot should make a beeping sound, to indicate it is properly closed or sealed). Turn the valve to SEAL and program it to pressure cook for 5 minutes, under high pressure.
• Once the cooking time is over, turn the valve to QUICK RELEASE and open the lid once all the pressure has been released. The cauliflower should be fork tender, if not then simply pressure cook for a further 2 minutes. Carefully lift the trivet and transfer the cauliflower to a bowl (you can reserve any leftover broth for use in making other dishes, such as soups and stews).

• Let the cauliflower rest and cool slightly (about 5-10 minutes), before processing. This will allow it to release excess moisture. Also, ensure that you properly drain any excess liquid before blending.
• Next, use an immersion blender to process until smooth and creamy (you can drain any excess water at this point as well, remember, we want to avoid having soggy cauliflower mash)! Add the Greek yogurt, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, and cheddar cheese. Slowly combine, making sure everything is properly incorporated then add the remaining butter and mix.
• Season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately, while still hot. Some of my favorite ways to serve this Instant Pot cauliflower mash are with Binti's Instant Pot Goulash (Hungarian), Sharilyn's herby Braised Short Ribs, or my Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe!

Useful Tips

• Allow the cauliflower to rest and cool slightly, before mashing. This will allow it to release excess moisture, hence preventing it from getting soggy. Ensure that you properly drain the cauliflower before mashing.
• I recommend mashing the cauliflower before adding Greek yogurt, cream cheese, and butter. That way, you can always drain out excess liquid before adding the other ingredients. Also, season with salt and pepper at this point.
• Retain the water used in steaming the cauliflower to use in soups and stews, or to blend in smoothies.
• While I made this keto-friendly Instant Pot mashed cauliflower using an immersion blender, feel free to use a potato masher for a more rustic mash.

Possible recipe variations

• Loaded mashed cauliflower - This recipe uses cream cheese, cheddar cheese, Greek yogurt and parmesan cheese. You can, however, also use other types of dairy such as sour cream, blue cheese, gouda or goat cheese. Add some crispy fried bacon for a nice crunch!
• Seasoning - use a variety of seasonings such as cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, curry powder, or ground nutmeg (be careful with nutmeg as it can sometimes be overbearing, and only use just a pinch)!
• Herbs - add herby flavors by using herbs such as thyme, parsley, or chives. You can use the herbs individually or together.
• Vegan mashed cauliflower - to make this recipe vegan or dairy-free, use vegan variants of cheddar cheese, butter, parmesan cheese, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt.

Making Ahead and Storage

Make this low-carb cauliflower mash ahead and store it in the fridge or freezer as follows:

• In the refrigerator - allow the mash to cool completely then transfer it to a suitable airtight container or a Ziploc bag. It will keep in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
• In the freezer - to freeze your cauliflower mash, simply spoon it into a freezer-suitable container or Ziploc bag. I prefer to freeze it in small serving portions as opposed to freezing it all together. That way, it is easier to simply get one or two portions when I need to. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.

To use, allow the frozen cauliflower mash to thaw in the fridge overnight, or for about 12 hours. Once thawed, simply reheat it in the microwave for a few minutes making sure it is heated through and there are no icy or cold bits. I always like to heat my low-carb cauliflower mash for about 2 minutes, stir then heat it again for a further 1-2 minutes, adjusting the time depending on the temperature. Stir in some cheddar cheese and cream cheese to the re-heated cauliflower mash before serving to revive the flavors.

Common Questions

Make These other Tasty Keto Recipes!

Now that you have made it this far and made this recipe, don't forget to check out these other keto, and low-carb recipes.

• Best Keto Low Carb Zuppa Toscana Soup
• Best Cheese Keto Cauliflower Soup
• More delicious and healthy Paleo and Low Carb Recipes

The recipe was modified in January 2022 to a more user-friendly version with recipe step photos.

📖 Recipe