Thanksgiving is one of the biggest American holidays, and we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t at least partially because of the food, right?

But most holiday food is full of carbs and sugar that put your blood sugar on a rollercoaster, leaving you feeling sluggish, tired, and bloated afterward. 

One of the biggest culprits? Mashed potatoes. 

This recipe is a delicious mashed “fauxtato” swap for any paleo, keto, low-carb, or Whole30 diet. Cauliflower mashed "potatoes" are perfect as a side dish or salad for your Thanksgiving or Christmas spread.

They taste just as good as the real thing, but are made with only premium fresh ingredients: cauliflower, garlic, almond milk, unsalted butter, MCT oil, sea salt, pepper, and green onions.

It’s delicious, healthy, satisfying and full of quality fats to keep you full over the holidays while still keeping you on track toward your health goals.

If you make this recipe, post a photo on Instagram and tag @fatissmartfuel!

Why Skip the Starchy Potatoes This Thanksgiving

Many people following a specific diet, like paleo, keto or Whole30, will either use Thanksgiving as a cheat day or just indulge a little in their favorites and stay on track with other foods. 

As tempting as that may be, we’re going to be your slightly edgier, much fattier cheerleaders this holiday season and say… 

Stick to it! You can do it! We know you can! 

Here’s why. 

The rule of thumb when making mashed potatoes for a group dinner is that the average person eats two potatoes. Check out these scary stats on two of these medium-sized starchy veggies: 

• 74g of starchy, bloat-inducing carbohydrates, of which only 9.4g come from fiber. We didn’t forget a decimal. You read that right. 74g of carbs, and almost 65g of net carbs if you back the fiber out.
  
  Researchers are publishing findings about the impact of carbs on blood sugar levels, hormones such as insulin, ghrelin, and cortisol, and the regulation of hunger and disease prevention, and it’s no wonder you feel sluggish and tired after eating your average Thanksgiving meal. It’s not the tryptophan in turkey (a common misconception that’s been debunked), but the rollercoaster you just put your blood sugar levels and hormones on. This is especially the case if your body is used to a lower-carb diet, which many paleo (and all keto) diets tend to fall under.
  

• Less than 0.5g of fat. Perhaps even more concerning to us is the lack of any fat in potatoes, let alone quality ones (you know the "F" in FBOMB stands for “fat,” right?!). Less than 1g of fat across two medium potatoes is concerning because fat is an essential macronutrient for vitamin absorption, satiety and weight management, brain health and development, and more.
  
  Perhaps even more importantly in this case (since we’ll trust that you’re eating plenty of quality high-fat foods every day) is the fact that fat slows the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates.
  
  So while 74g of carbs is shockingly high, if you just had to cheat by getting into bed with potatoes, there’s nothing to at least make a feeble attempt at controlling the impact of that carb load on your blood sugars. 

• Less than 9g of protein. Sometimes, foods that are high in carbs also come packed with protein. Protein had its heyday and was revered as the most important macronutrient for some time. It offers plenty of benefits, including the building of bones, muscles, and tissues, and the creation of crucial enzymes in your body. With a bleak 8:1 ratio between carbs and protein, let's just say potatoes don’t have a ton of bragging rights.

The good news is that you don’t even have to worry about whether you’ll cheat on paleo, keto, Whole30, or whatever diet you follow because of this amazing mashed fauxtato recipe!

This Mashed Cauliflower Recipe Is...

• Better for you. With over 14g of fats and only 5.3g of net carbs, you can have your mashed potatoes and eat them, too. You can feel good about feeding your little one this "mashed potato" recipe as it's a kid-approved dinner recipe!

• Low-carb. Because this recipe skips the starchy root vegetable in favor of cauliflower, it fits within a paleo, keto, or low-carb diet. 

• Creamy. You won’t miss traditional mashed potatoes because this recipe yields a creamy dish, while being dairy-free. 

• Satiating. Quality fats from MCT oil and grass-fed butter ensure you’re feeling satisfied without needing to go back for seconds or thirds.

Why Cauliflower is the Bomb 

Cauliflower is a paleo, keto, and Whole30 dieter's best friend. 

It can be used to replace flour and starchy carbs in a ton of American favorites. From cauliflower pizza crust (like this recipe) to rice (check out this coconut cauliflower rice) and beyond, this cruciferous vegetable gets the versatility award! 

Besides being the substitute for nearly everything high-carb, cauliflower comes with a host of nutrition benefits, including: 

• Over 75% of your recommended daily intake (RDI) for vitamin C

• 14% of your RDI for folate

• 20% of your RDI for vitamin K

It’s also low-carb, with only 3g of net carbs for every 100g. Compare that to the 28g of carbs in 100g of rice and you can see why this vegetable is so popular. 

Another reason to love cauliflower is its neutral flavor. Like rice and flour, it usually takes on the flavor of what you’re using it in. And, for the purpose of this recipe, like potatoes, it makes an excellent, creamy addition to your Thanksgiving spread. 

This recipe is very simple to make and will take you less time than your regular mashed potato recipe. 

The cauliflower is first chopped into large florets and then steamed, boiled, or microwaved until very soft and cooked through. 

Then it gets pureed in a power blender along with fresh garlic, almond milk, butter, and MCT oil until it’s thick and creamy.

Season with salt and pepper, add more butter if desired, and garnish with fresh green onions, or whatever you would normally add to your mashed potatoes!

Keto Mashed Cauliflower “Fauxtato” Recipe

Hooray! You don’t have to boil potatoes for 4 hours before sitting down at the table! 

That may have been a slight exaggeration, but we just know that you’ll find this cauliflower mashed potato recipe much easier to whip up than the starchy version. 

Recipe Information:

• Yield: 6 servings
• Serving size: 1 cup 
• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 packet (2 tablespoons) FBOMB MCT Oil
• ¼ cup almond milk
• Sea salt and ground black pepper
• 1-2 tablespoons green onions, for serving

Preparation: 

• Chop the cauliflower into small florets and boil them in a large pot of salted water for 10 minutes. (Alternatively, you can steam the cauliflower for 15 minutes over a pot of water or place cauliflower in a large microwave safe bowl with ½ cup of water (covered in plastic wrap) and microwave for 10-15 minutes until very soft and cooked through). 
• Drain water from the pot with the cauliflower, set aside.
• Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small frying pan over medium-low heat and sauté the garlic until soft, for about 1 minute (being careful not to burn).
• In a large blender or food processor, blend the cauliflower and MCT Oil, additional 2 tablespoons of butter, and almond milk until smooth. Add sea salt and pepper, sautéed garlic and blend again.
• Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately. You can also top the mashed cauliflower with additional butter (or a keto / low carb gravy) on top, if desired. 

Nutritional Information Per Serving:

Calories: 154.5 

• Fat: 12.5g 
• Protein: 2.5g 
• Total Carbohydrates: 8g
• Fiber: 3g
• Net Carbs: 5g 

Macros:

• Fat: 73%
• Protein: 6%
• Carbohydrates: 21%