Keto Twice Baked Loaded Mashed Cauliflower
Published November 17, 2019 • Updated February 25, 2026
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I rebuilt twice baked potatoes with cauliflower and honestly forgot I was eating low carb. Crispy crumbled bacon, cheddar, green onions, and a pork rind crust on top of fluffy cauliflower faux-tatoes.
I have been making loaded mashed cauliflower for years, and this twice-baked version is the one my family actually requests as a side dish. Not because it is “healthy” (they do not care about that), but because it tastes like loaded baked potatoes without the carb crash afterward.
The biggest thing I have learned making this recipe over and over is that the paper-towel press is the single most important step. After you drain the cooked cauliflower, sandwich it between paper towels and squeeze out every bit of liquid you can. Skip this and you get watery mash. Do it right and you get thick, creamy faux-tatoes that hold up under a mountain of toppings. I cannot overstate how much this one step changes the texture.
One thing I do differently from most cauliflower mash recipes is cook the florets in chicken broth instead of water. It builds flavor into the cauliflower itself so you are not relying on cheese and bacon to do all the heavy lifting. The broth, butter, and garlic simmer together for about 5-8 minutes, and the cauliflower soaks up that savory base before it ever hits the food processor.
After blending with cream cheese and parmesan, I fold in cheddar, crumbled bacon, and chopped green onions. Then the whole thing goes into a casserole dish. Here is where the “twice baked” part comes in: I top it with more parmesan and ground pork rinds before baking at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. The pork rinds give you that crispy, golden crust that breadcrumbs would, but with zero carbs. It is my favorite trick for keto casseroles.
If you love cauliflower sides, I have a whole lineup. My keto cauliflower gratin goes heavier on the cheese sauce, and keto cauliflower mac and cheese is the one I make when I want something closer to comfort pasta. For something lighter, try roasted air fryer cauliflower or cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
For your holiday table or next potluck, this pairs well with keto sweet potato casserole and keto stuffing. And if you want another mashed side option, my mashed turnips are a great low carb swap too.
A medium head of cauliflower is roughly 2 pounds, which is what I use every time. Reader Nikki K asked me about this because her store’s heads had shrunk, and that weight is the sweet spot for this recipe. If your head is smaller, just eyeball it and adjust.
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Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter -
2 garlic cloves, minced
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1 head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
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1 cup turkey stock or chicken broth
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2 oz cream cheese
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1/2 cup parmesan cheese
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½ teaspoon salt
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⅛ teaspoon black pepper
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1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
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6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
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1/4 cup chopped green onions
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2 tablespoons ground pork rinds
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Melt butter
Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Smell the garlic
Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Steam cauliflower
Pour in cauliflower florets and chicken broth. Simmer on medium heat until cauliflower is tender, about 5-8 minutes.
Press out liquid
Drain fluid. Squeeze out excess fluid from the cauliflower by placing it between two paper towels. For thick mashed cauliflower, try to get as much fluid out as possible.
Blend
In a food processor or blender, combine the cooked cauliflower, cream cheese, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Puree until smooth.
Add cheese and bacon of course
Add cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions to the mashed cauliflower. Stir to combine. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with remaining parmesan cheese. Sprinkle ground pork rinds on top.
Bake
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How much does one head of cauliflower weigh?
I use a medium head, which is roughly 2 pounds. Reader Nikki K asked me this exact question because her store's heads had gotten smaller. If yours is on the small side, just grab a second small one to make up the difference. I have tested this enough times to know that 2 pounds is the sweet spot for the right thickness.
Can I freeze keto loaded mashed cauliflower?
I have frozen this and it reheats well. The cream cheese base holds up better in the freezer than sour cream does (I have tested both). Let it cool completely, then transfer to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. When you are ready, thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. The pork rind topping softens, so I sprinkle a fresh layer on before reheating.
Can I use sour cream instead of cream cheese?
I have made this both ways. Sour cream gives you a tangier, more potato-like flavor that I actually prefer sometimes. Use the same 2 oz amount. The texture comes out slightly looser, so make sure you really press the moisture out of your cauliflower first. My only note is that cream cheese freezes better if you plan to make this ahead.
Can I skip the pork rinds on top?
You can, but I would not. The pork rinds are what give this the crispy, golden crust that makes it feel like a real twice-baked potato. They add zero carbs and all the crunch. If you skip them, try extra parmesan on top instead. I have also used crushed almonds in a pinch, but the pork rinds are my go-to.
Can I use an immersion blender instead of a food processor?
I have used an immersion blender, a food processor, and a regular countertop blender for this. They all work. The immersion blender is my pick for weeknights because there is less cleanup. Just make sure you blend long enough to get a smooth puree. A hand mixer works too but leaves it slightly chunkier, which some people actually prefer.
How do I reheat this from the fridge or freezer?
From the fridge, I cover with foil and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until hot in the center. From frozen, thaw in the fridge overnight first, then bake the same way. I always add a fresh sprinkle of pork rinds on top before reheating because they lose their crunch. A quick 2 minutes under the broiler at the end gets that bubbly, browned cheese top.
Is there a way to make this recipe dairy-free?
I have not tested a fully dairy-free version of this specific recipe, but I think it could work. Swap the cream cheese for cashew cream or a vegan cream cheese, use nutritional yeast in place of the parmesan, and a dairy-free cheddar for the loaded toppings. The bacon and pork rind topping are already dairy-free, so those stay. The texture will be a little different, but the broth-cooked cauliflower base does most of the flavor work here.
Whenever I would see loaded mashed potatoes on a menu, I would order it. This was before I went keto, of course. But I love mashed potatoes and when you add cheese and bacon, they become next level! I had to create a low carb loaded faux-tato version using cauliflower instead! This loaded mashed cauliflower is a side dish I like to make around the holidays. It’s so rich and creamy. This twice baked cauliflower is heaven paired with turkey or prime rib. And it’s lighter than regular loaded potatoes.
This recipe starts by making my incredible recipe for 
Achieving thick mashed cauliflower is key to making a great loaded cauliflower side dish. Cauliflower tends to absorb moisture as it cooks, so it’s important to get out all that excess moisture in order to have thick, creamy cauliflower mash. I like to use a paper towel to do this.
Simply place your cooked cauliflower in between sheets of paper towels and press to release the excess fluid. The more moisture you wring out, the thicker the cauliflower mash.
I prefer to use a 
Roasted the garlic. Makes it so much deeper.
Would this work without the pork rind crust, or is that what keeps the top from getting soggy? Haven't cooked with pork rinds before so not sure they're worth hunting down.
The top won't get soggy without them, that's not what they're doing. What you'd lose is the crispy, golden crust that makes it feel like an actual twice-baked potato. I'd still track them down - most grocery stores carry them in the chips aisle, and they add zero carbs.
Storing mine in portions without the toppings and reheating at 350 for 8 minutes. Still fluffy, which I didn't expect from cauliflower. Pretty sure the broth step is why. Steaming in stock instead of boiling keeps it from getting waterlogged. Been adding the bacon and cheddar fresh when I reheat. Takes an extra minute but the texture is completely different.
Steaming in stock keeps it from getting waterlogged the way boiling does. Never tried the fresh-topping reheat but I'm stealing that, throwing in a few extra pork rinds before it goes back in.
I brought this to a backyard cookout last Saturday and it made the rounds as a regular side, no asterisks. The pork rind crust passes for breadcrumbs if you're not looking closely, so I never had to explain it. My one complaint is it tightens up once it cools, the cream cheese base goes a little dense at room temperature. Four stars, genuinely, because this is better served hot.
Carla, the cream cheese sets firmer than most people expect once it cools. If you're bringing this to another cookout, sour cream at the same 2 oz keeps the base a little looser (more potato-like even when it's not piping hot).
Hand mixer instead of mashing by hand, base gets noticeably fluffier. Also stirred a spoonful of sour cream into the cream cheese and parmesan; gives the filling a nice tang with the bacon. Four stars as written, but those two tweaks get it close to five.
I've been making this weekly. that parmesan and cream cheese base is the reason.
Weekly's the call. That ratio took a few rounds to nail, even 3 oz cream cheese made the base too loose.
That explains it, one of my early batches came out way too soft. Must have eyeballed the cream cheese.
Richer than I expected from a cauliflower base, the cream cheese and parmesan are doing a lot of the work. Actually tastes indulgent. One thing for beginners: the seasoning felt light once everything came together. I kept second-guessing myself, didn't add more salt until it already tasted flat, and then needed a solid extra pinch. Season as you go, not just at the end.
Cauliflower absorbs salt differently than potato does, and the broth step dilutes it more than people expect. I do a full taste right before it goes in the oven, every time.
Yep, that's exactly what I was doing. Seasoned it first and just hoped for the best.
Comfort food is the hardest part of keto, and loaded baked potatoes were mine. Made this on a Sunday half-convinced it would just be fancy cauliflower, and the cream cheese in the base was the thing that actually got me. It's not really approximating the real thing. It just is the real thing.
The cream cheese was the last thing I tried and almost cut. Lorraine, your 'just IS the real thing' is exactly where I landed.
Never thought to steam the cauliflower in broth right in the skillet instead of boiling it separately, but it changed the texture completely. Mash came out so much fluffier than expected, and the cream cheese just disappears into it. Hit minute 20 and the crust was already golden, so watch your oven. Does this hold up assembled the night before and baked in the morning? Asking for the rest of the week.
Jennifer, it holds. Keep the pork rinds separate and add them right before it goes in the oven or the crust goes soft overnight. 350 covered in foil, 15-20 minutes from the fridge and it comes out just as good.
My son picked the pork rind crust off the top before I even called everyone to the table. This is going in the Sunday rotation permanently.
Ha, he knew what he was doing. I'd just start doubling the pork rinds on top for Sundays.
My mom made twice baked potatoes every holiday when I was growing up and I stopped letting myself think about them after going keto. This brought that back. The fluffy cauliflower with the bacon and that crunchy pork rind top, it's close enough to matter.
Close enough to matter. That's the whole bar.
I've tried at least four different cauliflower mash recipes this year looking for one that actually holds up as a side dish. This is the one. The pork rind crust on top is what separates it from every other version I've made, that crunch you get at the end of a bite is exactly what's been missing. The base is fluffy enough that I stopped thinking about what it isn't.
Four versions of cauliflower mash is a lot of cauliflower mash. That fluffy base only happens if you squeeze the moisture out hard. I skimped on it my first batch and the whole thing went loose.
My mom made twice baked potatoes every Sunday growing up and I haven't had them in two years since going keto. Made this last week and when I pulled it out of the oven, the cheddar and bacon smell just hit me out of nowhere. Took me right back to her kitchen. Didn't see that coming. I'd knock off half a star because I didn't squeeze nearly enough liquid out of the cauliflower the first time and mine came out a little loose, but the flavor was completely there.
Smell memory is wild. And yeah, the squeeze is where the first batch always goes loose - two passes with a kitchen towel gets out way more than one.
Tried so many cauliflower mash recipes and they all end up watery. Never seen the step where you squeeze out the liquid after steaming. That's literally why this one has actual texture. The pork rind crust got me to try it, but the texture is why I stayed. Not going back.
The pork rind crust was always my hook. The texture is what actually converts people.
I kept putting this off because I didn't think cauliflower could actually do the loaded baked potato thing. It can. The texture wasn't watery at all, and with the bacon and cheddar on top I didn't feel like I was missing out on much.
The loaded part matters. Once you've got the bacon, cheddar, and green onions on top, nobody's thinking about the cauliflower.