Mashed cauliflower makes a fabulous stand in for potatoes in this classic French side dish. Elegant and keto-friendly Duchess Cauliflower!
Giving yet another shout out to the ever versatile cauliflower. I’ve got a wonderful new keto recipe for you and it’s a perfect and elegant holiday side dish.
Newcomers to keto tend to struggle finding keto side dishes sometimes. If you’re a meat eater, the main dish is pretty easy to figure out. But healthy low carb sides can be a struggle.
It’s just too easy to get stuck in a rut. A fresh green salad one day, some roasted broccoli the next, maybe some cauliflower rice. Rinse and repeat. Yep, I get it. I’ve been there too.
But these keto duchess “potatoes” are bound to shake things up a bit!
Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
I’m not going to lie to you and pretend that mashed cauliflower tastes just like mashed potatoes. It doesn’t and quite frankly, it never will. But done right, mashed cauliflower can be as delicious in its own special way.
And it’s a whole lot healthier and less carbalicious than those potatoes!
I have a couple of delicious mashed cauliflower recipes I love. This easy Sour Cream and Cheddar Mashed Cauliflower is so rich and creamy. And Ranch Mashed Cauliflower is tangy and delicious.
And so I figured that with a few tweaks, mashed cauliflower would be wonderful in these keto friendly Duchess Potatoes. But I am struggling because “Duchess Cauliflower” just doesn’t roll of the tongue that well.
What are Duchess Potatoes?
Have you ever heard of this tasty side dish? Let’s be honest, it’s really just a fussy way of making making plain mashed potatoes look pretty. And you know only the French could come up with such a thing.
But they really are much more attractive than a mound of potatoes on your plate. Piped and swirled, with a delicious brown crusty exterior and a creamy center.
The potatoes are mixed with egg yolks, butter, seasonings, and sometimes cheese. Then they are piped into fancy swirls and brushed with butter, so that they brown on the edges.
I wasn’t entirely sure I could get them to hold up with cauliflower, since it has less starch and much more moisture than potatoes. It took a bit of experimenting but I am delighted with the results.
How to make keto duchess “potatoes”
This is a great way to jazz up your mashed cauliflower routine. Here are my best tips for getting it right:
- Steam the cauliflower and garlic together until fork tender. This tenderizes both of them so that they can be blended up together. You want to drain them well before proceeding to the next step.
- Cauliflower has much more moisture than potatoes do, so it’s important to use both cream cheese and the coconut flour for stability. Otherwise they will simply run out of the piping bag onto the pan.
- You want the mixture to be thick enough to pipe and holds its shape. It should hold peaks as you stick a spoon or spatula in and pull it away. If it doesn’t do so, blend in a little more coconut flour.
- Line the pan with parchment paper. These would stick badly to an uncovered pan. It also helps to lightly grease the paper, to lift them off later. I just brushed mine with a little avocado oil.
- Use an open star tip for piping. You can make your mounds as big or as small as you like but the cooking time will vary depending on size. I made mine about 3 inches in diameter.
- Bake for 10 minutes, then brush lightly with melted butter to help them brown and return them to the oven. The mounds are too soft to brush with butter before the first baking.
- The mounds do shrink a bit as they bake, because they lose moisture. So expect the final product to be a little smaller when they come out of the oven.
Can you make keto duchess cauliflower potatoes ahead?
You can, but they are definitely best made fresh. I made this whole batch for just my husband and myself, knowing the kids would not be interested. So we ate them as leftovers for a few days, gently warmed up in our toaster oven.
They taste just as good as leftovers but they lose the slightly crispy outside and they become a bit gray in color. So they aren’t as visually appealing.
If you do have leftovers, simply store in an airtight container in the fridge.
More delicious keto side dishes
- Crispy Air Fryer Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Delicata Squash
- Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto
- Keto Zucchini Casserole
- Garlic Butter Mushrooms
- Roasted Turnips
Keto Duchess “Potatoes”
Ingredients
- 12 ounces cauliflower florets
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ cup water
- 2 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 6 ounces shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 large egg yolks
- ¼ cup coconut flour
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cauliflower, garlic, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 5 to 8 minutes, until the cauliflower is can be easily pierced with a fork.
- Remove from heat and drain in a siever or colander for a few minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Lightly brush the parchment with oil.
- Place the warm cauliflower and garlic cloves in a food processor or high powered blender. Add the cream cheese and cheddar and blend until smooth. Add the egg yolks, coconut flour, salt, and pepper and blend again until smooth.
- The mixture should hold peaks when you stick a spoon into it, similar to frosting or whipped cream. If it doesn't, add a bit more coconut flour to thicken it.
- Transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (about ½ inch wide at the tip). Pipe into swirls about 3 inches wide on the prepared baking sheet. You should get about 18 mounds.
- Bake 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and gently brush the melted butter over the swirls. Return to the oven and bake another 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm.
Rebecca Charles says
These are amazing! So good, all your recipes are amazing as well.
Natalie says
Love the name! I am so glad I like cauliflower. What a wonderful & delicious way to use it!
Toni says
This is so amazing! Such a beautiful and delicious side dish!
Matt Taylor says
I love cauliflower! It is like the most versatile vegetable, haha. This dish looks amazing!
Vicki Mooney says
I haven’t done so, yet, but I am going to roast and mash radishes and add to this, for a thicker (I hope) finish. Just a thought.
Anna says
Always inspired by your recipes!! Could you roast the cauliflower and garlic instead of steaming it? Wonder if roasting would help deepen the flavor and reduce moisture.
Carolyn says
Why not?
Sabrina says
very nice, a great alternative to potatoes, which I don’t even miss at this point, a nice dish even on its own since I’ve been eating a lot of cauliflower lately so thank you!
Lisa says
Those are adorable and they look delicious!
Darlene E Leighton says
Do you think this would freeze well? I’m thinking Thanksgiving.
Carolyn says
Very doubtful, to be honest. As I said, I think they are much better made fresh.
Melissa says
These were great! I have to admit I changed a few things, but kept with the general recipe. I steamed my cauliflower, so there was less moisture, but it still worked out – though I cut back on the flour, adding just enough to bring it all together (and used half almond as I get tired of the coconut flavor in everything keto). I also didn’t have cheddar on hand, so used gruyere and they were delicious – the family loved them! My 7yo daughter even called them “cauliflower cookies”! thanks for this great recipe!
Terry Marks says
I love your recipes! I have found that using frozen cauliflower that steams in the bag in the microwave is less watery than fresh. I hope mine turn out as beautiful as yours.
Carolyn says
Great idea too!
Robyn Wimmer says
Giving this five stars and I haven’t even tried it! They sound wonderful and yes, it would be a little extra work but it’s always so nice to have a ‘tarted-up’ version of something plain but always delicious! Personally, I can’t eat mashed potatoes anymore. I think they taste ‘heavy’ and so I rely on my mashed cauliflower and use cream cheese, butter and parmesan cheese in my recipe. I honestly could eat it for breakfast, and have! Thanks for coming up with this one, Carolyn . Can’t wait to try it, maybe for Thanksgiving but I’ll halve the recipe since my husband is still a potato kind of guy 🙂
Carolyn says
Thanks!