Keto Shepherd’s Pie with Cauliflower Recipe
This meaty, savory Keto Shepherd’s Pie Recipe with Cauliflower is perfect to make now that Fall is almost upon us. I know that you and your whole family will enjoy this recipe. It’s so delicious, even non-keto dieters will ask for seconds!
This cauliflower shepherd’s pie is an easy classic comfort food recipe that is low carb, keto diet, gluten-free, grain-free, sugar-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
So, if you are looking for a hearty and comforting dinner recipe, look no further. I’m so excited to share this low-carb makeover of one of my all-time favorite casserole recipes – Shepherd’s Pie.
After this low carb shepherd’s pie recipe, try my Keto Lamb Stew and Lamb Stroganoff!
Ingredients
Olive oil – You can also use coconut oil or avocado oil as well. These are good healthy fat alternatives.
Onion – Sweet onions and yellow onions are always a good idea.
Cloves garlic – Minced garlic is delicious, and garlic powder is always a viable option also.
Ground beef – My family likes ground beef in this recipe instead of the traditional lamb.
Zucchini – Clean well and slice!
Crushed tomatoes – Canned tomatoes save on prep but you can use fresh tomatoes if you want.
Salt and pepper – To taste.
Cauliflower – You can buy the cauliflower already diced or dice it yourself.
Butter – Adds richness and flavor.
Heavy cream – This adds flavor and thickness to the pie.
Shredded cheese – You can use any type of cheese that you want.
How to Make Keto Shepherd’s Pie
The complete instructions and ingredient quantities are under the photos in the recipe card.
Step One: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat until soft and translucent.
Step Two: Add the ground beef and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until it is browned and cooked through.
Step Three: Add the zucchini and tomatoes and stir to combine.
Step Four: Reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Step Five: In a large pot, add cauliflower to boiling water. Boil the cauliflower until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
Step Six: Drain the cauliflower, allowing all steam to escape. Dry cauliflower will help make a creamier mash.
Step Seven: Transfer the drained cauliflower florets to a food processor. Add the butter, cream, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.
Top Tip💡
If you don’t have a food processor you can process the cauliflower in a blender in small batches.
Step Eight: Place the ground beef mixture in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Top with the cauliflower.
Top Tip💡
If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the beef you can leave it right in the skillet and add the mashed cauliflower on top.
Step Nine: Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes and until the filling is bubbly and the topping is golden brown.
Variations
Add a garnish – Adding fresh parsley right on top is a great flavor!
Vegetables – You can boost the vegetables by adding some chopped celery and carrots with the onions. They will increase the net carbs slightly though.
Mix in cream cheese – To get a super creamy cauliflower mash, add cream cheese to the mixture. Sour cream works as well. You can also add an egg yolk to set the cauliflower more.
Bold flavor – If you like a stronger tomato flavor stir some tomato paste into the ground beef. You can also add a dash of worcestershire sauce to boost the flavor of the meat.
Protein source – If you want to cut down on calories and fat content, lower-fat ground turkey, ground venison, or ground chicken works in place of ground beef.
Common Questions
What is in Shepherd’s Pie?
Shepherd’s pie is a traditional dish that most likely originated in Scotland or northern England. It was a recipe developed to use leftover pieces of roast meat. It is usually called “shepherd’s pie” when made with lamb because a shepherd looks after sheep.
Shepherd’s pie is traditionally made with ground lamb. However, I used ground beef in this low carb version because my family prefers it, and it is easier for me to find. This is normally called Cottage Pie. That said, if you love lamb and are able to find it in your local grocery store, please feel free to substitute it for ground beef.
How do you make Shepherd’s Pie keto?
Traditional shepherd’s pie is a casserole made with a layer of cooked meat and vegetables in a savory gravy. Then, the meat is topped with mashed potatoes, and baked in the oven until the mashed potatoes are browned.
This keto shepherd’s pie is made with mashed cauliflower topping instead of mashed potatoes. “Cauli mash” is a great low carb or Trim Healthy Mama alternative to mashed potatoes — and is just as delicious. It has more fiber, nutrition, and a lot fewer carbs than potatoes. I like to use cheddar cheese in my cauliflower for a boost of flavor.
How do I store leftovers?
The leftovers of this hearty dish are the best! Just let the low carb shepherd’s pie mixture cool down and then store it in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave and add some freshly shredded cheese on top, if you’d like!
What goes with Shepherd’s Pie?
This dish is almost a full meal in itself. Meat, veggies, and cauliflower mash come together to make a satisfying meal.
If you are looking to make something to accompany it, I’d suggest garlic broccoli or a simple side salad.
Can I make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this keto cottage pie up to 2 days ahead of time. Make the meat mixture and mashed cauliflower and assemble the keto shepherds pie casserole. When you are ready to serve it bake it as directed.
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Keto Shepherd’s Pie
Ingredients
Ground Beef mixture
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground beef or lamb
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 cup crushed tomatoes
- Salt and pepper
Cauliflower Topping
- 1 small cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup shredded cheese
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
Shepherd’s Pie
- Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté on medium heat until soft and translucent.
- Add the ground beef and cook, stirring frequently, until it is browned and cooked through.
- Add the zucchini and tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Cauliflower Topping
- In a large pot, add cauliflower to boiling water. Boil the cauliflower until soft, about 8-10 minutes.
- Drain the cauliflower, allowing all steam to escape. Dry cauliflower will help make a creamier mash.
- Transfer the drained cauliflower to a food processor. Add the butter, cream, shredded cheese, salt, and pepper. Process until smooth.
To Assemble
- Place the ground beef mixture in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Top with the mashed cauliflower.
- Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes and until the filling is bubbly and the topping is browned
Notes
Nutrition
This is a guest recipe from Sarah of the low-carb recipe blog, Green & Keto. Visit her for delicious keto recipes, meal plans, and more!
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Originally Published August 16, 2018. Revised and Republished September 3, 2025.
OMG ….. this recipe was to die for. I’ve never made my caulflower mash this way before. I’ve generally just mashed the caulflower up with butter and left it as a chunky topping, but this was as good as mashed potato ….. I could become addicted!
I boiled the cauliflower just enough it wasn’t going to mush and I think the key to getting the cauliflower right is the drying.
When I looked at the ground beef mixture I thought it may be lacking in flavour for me just with the onion and garlic so I added half a beef stock cube and a little water to give it more sauce and a half tspn of dried rosemary and thyme. Perfect.
Delicious!! I had to sub drained diced tomatoes for the crushed, and green beans for the zucchini as it was what I had on hand. This was so good, and I will be making it again. Thank you!
Why is THM S in the title but then no sweetener in the recipe. I assume THM S refers to a keto sweetener.
No, it refers to Trim Healthy Mama Satisfying which is a meal type within that diet. This recipe has no sweetener.
I have such a hard time getting the cauliflower to the consistency of your pictured mash… mine always comes out like runny soup.. 🙁 Any suggestions on how to come out smooth and whipped-looking as yours?
Did you try this recipe? You can cut back on the cream if needed.
Do your cauliflower through the microwave
It’s not as soggy
I think you might be over steaming it. My trick is to leave a tad firm, then let it sit for a minute or dry it with a paper towel. Then mash it
can I use peas and carrots also
Sure
Shepherds Pie has been a family favorite of ours for a few years now, we use a European recipe with ground lamb (hence the “shepherds”), tomato paste, veg broth, as well as thyme and rosemary, and I needed a keto example to make some adjustments, thank you so much!!! We’ve done this twice now and really enjoy “our” keto variation!!! You’ve become one of my “go to” Pinterest finds, thank you so much!
I made a few of the same adjustments by adding rosemary and thyme and beef stock and I would have used lamb mince too if I”d had some. I’m English and we love our Shepherds Pie!!
I so want to try this! I have ground lamb in the fridge. Technically this is a recipe for cottage pie. Not sure why Americans call it Sheppard’s pie. I have to really look at ingredients when it’s labeled Sheppard’s. I am so glad for the base recipe as I can adjust as you did. Thanks for the list of spices!
Where is the sugar in this coming from??
There is only naturally occurring sugar. From the vegetables and dairy.
What nutrition calculator did you use? I inserted into MFP and cam up with over 30g carbs per serving yikes. I really want to make this for our lunches this week. Thanks!!
I use nutrition data that is built into my recipe card. The problem with MFP is that it is user entered data. Once it told me there were over 1000 grams of carbs in a tsp of garlic powder. Look through the individual ingredients and see if any look off.
Yup, just plugged in this post to MFP. It says there are 198 grams of carbs in 2 cloves of garlic. 😂 A clove of garlic only weighs 4-7 grams.
How much is a serving?
1/6th of the casserole
Is it ok to use Ground Turkey instead, as I don’t eat Red Meat,
(Personal Dietary Reasons)… Also, As my oven isn’t working, I will be making it using a DISPOSABLE LOAF PAN & bake it in a Toaster Oven…My Turkey Meatloaf comes out GREAT…People LOVE IT! Do you think that the loaf pan will work?
Yup! I eat mostly ground turkey too.
Hi this was so delicious. I didn’t even think of putting cauliflower on top. This was easy too. I’m looking forward to making this again.
How much beef…?
One pound which is 16 ounces. It is listed in the ingredients under “Beef Mixture”.
1 pound
Could this be frozen?
Possibly. The meat portion definitely could. Mashed cauliflower freezes ok but not great. I’d suggest freezing the base and adding the mashed cauliflower when you are ready to serve it.
This is my favorite recipe. I wish it would tell what size casserole dish. I used an 3qt. I didn’t change anything.
What kind of shredded cheese do you use?
You can use whatever your family prefers. Mozzarella is good for a mild flavor but cheddar is also great in this.
Amazing recipe ! I however did season my meat with onion powder , cayenne pepper, and garlic salt. Everything else I did the same. So delicious.