Cauliflower Colcannon

Cauliflower colcannon is a healthy and keto-friendly twist on the traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes and cooked greens. No one will notice that the potatoes have been replaced with creamy puréed cauliflower—they’ll just scoop up seconds and thirds!

What is colcannon?

Colcannon is a traditional Irish recipe combining mashed russet potatoes (or Yukon gold potatoes) with cooked greens like kale and cabbage and tons of cream and butter. It’s a terrifically comforting and decadent side dish for a tasty, meaty entrée (e.g., Instant Pot Beef Stew, corned beef, or Irish stew), but I don’t eat it anymore because it spikes my blood sugar and I can’t tolerate cow dairy. Still, after creating a delicious Garlic Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes” recipe years ago, I figured I could rejigger it to make a tasty paleo cauliflower colcannon!

A paleo, keto, Whole30, and vegan-friendly cauliflower colcannon!

Unlike the potatoes in a traditional Irish colcannon recipe, steamed cauliflower is naturally not starchy, so you don’t need to add any cream or other liquid when you blitz it up. If you don’t eat ghee, you can substitute extra virgin olive oil for a dairy-free and vegan colcannon. Ta-da! I’ve got solutions for eaters of all stripes!

Instant Pot colcannon instructions!

This colcannon recipe doesn’t require an Instant Pot, but if you have one, you can use it to quickly steam the kale and cauliflower to make this cauliflower colcannon.

Here’s what you do:

1. Pour 1 cup of water into the metal insert and place a steamer on top. Place the kale in the steamer insert, sprinkle on some salt, and cook on high pressure for 1 minute. Release the pressure manually and take out the cooked kale.
2. Toss in the cauliflower florets into the steamer insert and salt everything liberally. Lock the lid and cook under high pressure for 3 minutes. Release the pressure manually.
3. Now, proceed with the rest of the recipe described below, starting with the step where you add the cooked cauliflower to the food processor.

Can you make this ahead?

Yes! You can make cauliflower colcannon ahead of time and store it in a sealed airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or in a covered pot over low heat on the stove.

How to make colcannon with cauliflower

If you’re cooking this dish on the stovetop, fill a large pot with water. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat.

When the water is at a rolling boil, add a large pinch of salt.

Place the kale leaves in the boiling water and cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until tender.

Drain the cooked kale in a colander.

Fill the now-empty stock pot with 2 inches of water. Place a steamer insert inside, cover the pot, and bring to a boil on high heat. Once the water is boiling, add the florets and salt liberally.

Replace the lid, and steam the cauliflower until the florets are fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

While the cauliflower is cooking, squeeze out the excess liquid in the cooked kale in a clean kitchen towel or cheesecloth.

Finely chop the cooked kale and scallions and transfer them to a large bowl.

When the cauliflower is done cooking, transfer the florets to a food processor.

Plop in 3 tablespoons of ghee (or extra virgin olive oil if you’re making a vegan colcannon).

Process until the mash texture is smooth.

Add the cauliflower purée to the bowl with the mixture of greens and fold to combine.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving bowl and plop the remaining tablespoon of ghee on top (it’ll melt!) and serve!

Serve with something meaty, and dinner is done!

How to store leftover colcannon

You can store leftovers in a sealed airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can use any leftovers as the topping for shepherd’s pie!