Best Keto Shepherd’s Pie Recipe
Love traditional Shepherd’s pie?
It’s the best, most delicious comfort food. It’s popular in the U.K. and typically features ground meat with veggies and mashed potatoes on top. Luckily, for those following a Keto lifestyle, there’s a yummy and easy way to make a lower-carb version using creamy mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes!
I recently tried this recipe using ground beef and thought it was delicious. More importantly, this keto shepherd’s pie is definitely EASY to prepare. Just cook the meat filling on the stove, whip up a cheesy cauliflower mash, and bake in the oven for a delicious and family-friendly keto meal!
Hip tips for making the best keto shepherd’s pie:
- You can use ground lamb, ground beef, turkey, or chicken! This recipe is that easy to adapt.
- Want a convenient one-pan dish? Use a 12-inch cast-iron skillet to cook your meat and veggie mixture, top with mashed cauliflower, and bake in the oven as I did below.
- For a shortcut on time, I used two bags of frozen cauliflower rice. I first cooked them in the microwave and then whipped up my cheesy “mashed potatoes” to top the beef mixture.
- Cream cheese is the secret for thickened mashed cauliflower. It helps to prevent a watery shepherd’s pie!
- Don’t have a food processor? Try using an immersion blender instead!
- If you’re a garlic lover, try adding a couple of cloves of minced garlic to your mashed cauliflower, too. It’s SO good!
Keto Shepherd's Pie
yield: 6 SERVINGS
prep time: 25 MINUTES
cook time: 30 MINUTES
total time: 55 MINUTES
This delicious one-pan dish is an easy family-friendly meal idea!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 pounds ground beef (or use ground lamb, chicken, or turkey)
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 10-oz. bags of frozen riced cauliflower (cook and drain to remove excess moisture)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Directions
1
Preheat oven to 350°.
2
Heat oil in a skillet on the stove and cook meat, onion, celery, and garlic. Stir in tomato paste, and season with salt & pepper to taste.
3
If not using an oven-safe skillet, transfer meat mixture to a medium-sized casserole dish.
4
Heat up cauliflower in microwave according to package instructions, and drain any excess water.
5
Place cauliflower in a food processor (or blender). Add in cheeses, cream, butter, and oregano. Process until mixture has a "mashed potato" consistency.
6
Spread mixture on top of meat evenly.
7
Place in 350° oven for about 30 minutes, until top is golden brown.
8
Cut and serve warm.
Nutrition Information
Yield: 6 servings, Serving Size: 1/6 of pie
Amount Per Serving:
509 Calories | 40g Fat | 7g Total Carbs | 2g Fiber | 32g Protein | 5g Net Carbs
The cauliflower puffs up nicely and gets an amazing golden-brown crust!
Mashed cauliflower paired with the flavorful ground meat filling is a deliciously satisfying meal that the whole family will hopefully LOVE!
Hip2Keto Reader Feedback –
Check out what Hip2Keto reader and recipe tester Kari had to say:
“This was a really easy recipe to make. It has a milder flavor so the kiddos will love it as well as the adults. You could easily use whatever meat you prefer.
The hardest part of this recipe was mixing the mashed cauliflower. I used my immersion blender which worked fine—I just had to do in batches. Using a food processor would probably make them silkier like mashed potatoes.
You could add a little garlic to the mashed cauliflower if you are a garlic lover like me! Overall it was good and I would make it again!”
Hooray! Thanks so much, Kari, for the great recipe review, the beautiful photos, and the helpful tips! We love hearing from readers to ensure we have the BEST and EASIEST keto recipes around!
What is the serving size? How many servings is this?
Hi Carla! This makes 6 servings. 🙂
If I don’t have a food processor will the recipe not work?
You could mash everything by hand or use a hand mixer instead.
Hi, very excited about making this recipe but I’m wondering, I would prefer to use fresh cauliflower instead of frozen, is there any change to the recipe if I choose to do that?
No you can use fresh and just cook it first.
Thank you
I used fresh and it was great! I also added some worcestershire sauce and cream cheese to the meat mixture for added flavor and moisture.
Hi, what size cast iron skillet did you use in these photos?
Hi Jennifer! It is a 12″ cast iron skillet! 🙂
What’s one serving ?
Hi there! This recipe makes 6 servings. Be sure to divide your pie into 6 to grab just one serving! Hope that helps!
I don’t own cast iron. Would regular work as well??
Yes you can just cook meat mixture in whatever skillet and transfer to a small or medium casserole dish to cook in oven.
Should the cream cheese be softened?
Yes! Thanks for the suggestion! We are adding that above!
Well, it’s a hit!!! My 2 very apprehensive teenagers loved it! I used the Green Giant Mashed Cauliflower (with olive oil and sea salt) in place of the frozen cauliflower. Just used the hand mixer to add all the cheeses, cream, oregano, and butter. Super convenient.
Awesome! That’s great news!
I did the same.
Did you drain the meat once you cooked it on the skillet?
Yes! You can drain the meat as needed.
Would this freeze well.
Hi Sue! We haven’t tried freezing this dish, however it should freeze up well for you! Hope this helps!
This is delicious! My family didn’t even know it was cauliflower until I told them. I am trying to log this in myfitnesspal, and it keeps coming up as more net carbs than stated here. Do you our do any of your followers have this in the database so I can search for an accurate entry? Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for pointing that out! The post above should now match the MyFitnessPal results!
Just made and ate. So Delicious! A couple notes – I would use the leanest ground beef possible as I used 80/20 and there was quite a bit of grease/fat at the end. I didn’t have a food processor and mashed by hand. Still kind of ricey texture but still worked great in case you don’t have a food processor. I also subbed peas and carrots for the celery. A few more carbs but taste more like a classic shepherds pie. GREAT RECIPIE WILL BE EATING AGAIN!
That’s wonderful! Thanks for sharing your tips. 🙂
I really wish people would understand that there is a difference between Shepherds pie and Cottage pie. Shepherds pie is made with LAMB (as in the shepard herds sheep) . Cottage pie is made with BEEF. Cottage pie has been around a lot longer than shepherds pie and were generally made with a pastry crust before they changed to potatoes.
Thanks Birdy, my hubby is from UK and always informs folks when they call Cottage pie “Shepherds Pie” 🙂
I made this last night and it was DELICIOUS! My 7 year old, who hates everything I make, loved it. My husband, who grumbles to himself when the food is too healthy, loved it and had three servings! This dish really hit the spot for me as well since I am a die hard potato lover and am mourning the loss of my spud friend. 🙂 Adding this to the list of usual recipe suspects!
Thanks so much creating this awesome dish.
That’s so great! Thanks for letting us know!
About how many ounces would you say is in one serving? I need to know to report on my Keto Manager chart for dinner. I didn’t use celery and I made my cauliflower rice from scratch. This recipe was Delicious!!! Will be a new favorite. Thank you! 🙂
Thanks Tina – I would guess about a cup – but will admit I didn’t measure out each serving. Will keep this in mind moving forward on casserole type dishes. Thanks
can any other veggies be added I’m so used to shepherds pie having more in it other than just celery?
Hi there! You can for sure add green beans and/or some onion, but be sure to measure to keep those macros in check. 🙂
What are macros
Hi there! Great question! Macros are “nutrients that our body needs in large amounts consisting of carbs, fats, proteins—the three different sources of fuel for your body.” You can find more information on that over here –> https://hip2keto.com/tips/what-are-keto-macros/
Hope this helps!
This is delicious! Cream cheese added to the cauliflower rice to make “mashed potatoes” is a genius idea. It tastes almost like the real thing! I’ve already made this a couple of times and it is definitely going to be one of my go to recipes. Bonus, my husband loves it as well.
Thanks so much for sharing Brandi!
Do you think I could make it and then put in the fridge and warm it up for dinner.
Yes absolutely! Great question ?
Oh my god. Sooo good! I added a bit of aminos and some dry red wine to the meat. I’m in heaven.
That’s wonderful! Thanks for sharing your success ??
Wow just made this!! Delicious. I used the frozen mashed cauliflower from Trader Joe’s. Turned out great!! Thanks again!
YUM! You’re so very welcome! Super glad you enjoyed it!
This was absolutely wonderful. I would have never known it was keto friendly………. will make it again and again.
Oh that is so great to hear! ???
Added 2 Carrots, diced, along with the celery and onion. Also added Italian seasoning to the mashed cauliflower in place of oregano. Forgot to add butter in the processor so about halfway through cooking, I drizzled melted butter on top. This was amazing and will make again!
Great – thanks for sharing!
Tried it. OMG it was delish. I ended up doubling all the ingredients up 3 lbs of grass fed 85%. These were my mods used avocado oil instead of olive and added carrots (1/2 cup – yes, I know they aren’t Keto but the mod request came from my son). I put it in the turkey roasting dish and it came out with 20 servings. Toasted the top in broiler to brown it. Calories 381, 3 net carbs, 21g protein, 30g of fat. It was beast. My son ate 3 servings who doesn’t do Keto.
That is so amazing!! How yummy! Great work. 👍
I am an old school Sheperd’s pie maker (from the south), this looks good, we shall see. Will update y’all
ok yes- let us know if you enjoy 🙂 Thanks!
Do you guys think a blender will work I don’t have a good processor?
yes if it’s a strong one should, also a hand immersion blender if you have one. Thx!
ok, if this doesn’t come out good it will be my fault for not having a processor, lol
Great recipe – I added a can of peas/carrots
I didn’t drain my meat enough, and, will use fresh cauliflower next time
Thanks, grandmacc
Oh good! You’re welcome! Thanks for taking a moment to share with us!
I added some all spice in the meat and it tastes like the one my mom used to make! Minus the corn, obviously 🙂 Delicious!
Yay- that’s such great news Julie! Thanks for sharing ❤️
Could you cook this in air fryer in place of oven
Hi Tam! No, this wouldn’t cook well that way. There may be a way to make the Air Fryer work, however this recipe is optimized to be cooked in a skillet or casserole dish with a stove + oven method. Hope that helps!
I just started my Keto Lifestyle today and made this for dinner. It was amazing! All the flavors put together just melted in your mouth. I totally recommend!
Oh hooray! I’m so glad – thanks for sharing!
That looks so delicious!
It is! I hope you can try it!
I did not have any cauliflower on hand so I substituted mashed turnips, wow, worked well with the slight peppery taste of turnip.
What a great substitution! Thanks for letting us know how well that worked out.