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Mashed potatoes are so creamy and comforting, but I don't often eat them because they are too high in starchy carbs. That's why I've replaced half the potatoes with cauliflower. Yes, I know that cauliflower can have a strong, off-putting flavor - not what we want in a creamy, buttery comfort food.
But wait - hear me out! When you cook the cauliflower along with the potatoes in chicken broth in an Instant Pot something magical happens: the flavors mellow and lose that strong taste. I applied this same technique to my Low Carb Half Calorie Rice. And when you add blended cottage cheese instead of milk, they stay thick like good mashed potatoes should, and give you a healthy dose of protein!
This was inspired by my shepherd's pie, and was so well-received by everyone who eats it that I decided it needed to be its own special recipe. Low carb mashed potatoes are especially yummy with my Dijon chicken with bacon and mushrooms.
This recipe is perfect on a cold fall or winter day, and is so quick to put together. Here, let me show you how easy it is:
Ingredients
There's only a few ingredients for this easy recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card for the complete instructions 👇
- potatoes - I use russets, but I'm sure this would work with other potatoes too. I would bet red potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes would be great in this recipe.
- cauliflower - one head is usually the right amount. Focus on using the florets, and don't include much of the stem. The stem can get kind of tough and has a stronger flavor than the florets.
- garlic cloves
- chicken broth - I use my homemade bone broth
- cottage cheese - I use 2% milk fat
- butter
- s & p
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
The main thing you need to make these mashed potatoes is an Instant Pot. Pressure cooking the potatoes, cauliflower, garlic together is the very best way to tame that strong cauliflower flavor.
If you don't have an Instant Pot, you can boil these the traditional way in a pot of water on the stove, but if you do that I would boil the cauliflower for about 5 minutes before adding the potatoes and garlic. And you'd need a lot more liquid so I would just use water instead of broth.
Storage
You can store leftover mashed potatoes (if there are any) in a covered container in the fridge for several days.
You can also freeze them and they do okay, but they are better stored in the fridge. They should last 2-4 days.
Top tip
Don't leave out the cottage cheese! It's the key to thick and fluffy results.
Print
Low Carb Mashed Potatoes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 generous servings 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped cauliflower florets
- 4 cups potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 large cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
- 2 cups chicken broth (or water)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 cup Cottage cheese, blended smooth
Instructions
- Put cauliflower, potatoes, garlic, and liquid in the Instant Pot. Choose the Manual setting, for 10 minutes.
- Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender) blend the cottage cheese until the curds are blended smooth.
- Drain the excess broth from the potatoes, and put in a big bowl.
- Add the cottage cheese, butter, and salt to the potato mixture. Mash with a hand masher just to get the big chunks smoothed out.
- Use the hand blender to blend the potatoes until smooth and fluffy. Add a little milk or broth if it’s a little too dry or too thick. Adjust salt to taste, add pepper if desired.
Notes
- Don't use much (if any) of the cauliflower stem. Just the florets for this recipe.
- If you don't have an immersion blender, blend the cottage cheese in a regular blender or food processor.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: sides
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: low carb
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅙ recipe
- Calories: 151
- Sodium: 153 mg
- Fat: 5 gm
- Carbohydrates: 21.1 gm
- Fiber: 3.8 gm
- Protein: 7 gm
- Cholesterol: 14.7 mg
