Do you love traditional colcannon recipes with white potatoes, but you need a Keto version for health reasons? Look no further! Here are our favorite swaps for white potatoes in traditional Irish colcannon comfort food. You can still eat this beloved and hearty side dish for Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, or any day! 
Other Side Dishes For Your Meal:
Golden Irish Soda Bread for St. Patrick’s Day
Potato Swaps for Your Keto Colcannon Recipe
If you’re trying to make your St. Patrick’s Day (or Halloween) just a little easier on your tummy, here’s our favorite Keto colcannon recipe for you to make this year. With a few simple swaps you can replace the white potatoes with these other Keto-friendly vegetables.
Instead of potatoes, you can use:
- Cauliflower – this is my kids favorite swap for potatoes.
- Turnips – delcious but the flavor is strong, so use sparingly.
- Rutabaga – has great texture but can get bitter in large amounts.
- Kohlrabi – a hearty substitution for rutabaga; akin to an artichoke in flavor.
All of these veggies can be consumed in moderation on a low-carb diet. Moderation is, in fact, the key to a successful Keto diet!
Because all of these veggies have pros and cons, I use all four and mix them up. This mixture blends the assets of each veggie so that the flavor profile is as comforting and delicious as the original colcannon recipe you were using pre-Keto.
Combined with traditional cabbage, leeks, onions, cream, and cheese, this Keto colcannon recipe is going to become a favorite every year!
St. Patrick’s Day or Halloween for Keto Colcannon?
Americans may eat colcannon at St. Patrick’s Day, but in Ireland, colcannon recipes are brought out at Halloween. If you’ve been on this site for any amount of time, you are probably very aware that I LOVE to celebrate holidays on the homestead.
That’s probably why I wrote a whole book on holidays that can be observed all year long on the homestead!
So, here’s a little history of colcannon at Halloween:
Colcannon was a comforting recipe to bring in a little luck at a potentially spooky time of year. Traditionally, special charms were mixed in with the colcannon to determine future fortunes. Each charm found meant a different kind of luck.
- A button meant you would remain a bachelor.
- A thimble meant you would remain a spinster for the coming year.
- A ring meant you would get married.
- A coin meant you would become wealthy.
For more super fun colcannon facts, visit Many Eats article on the History of Colcannon.
Keto Colcannon Recipe for St. Patrick’s Day (or Halloween)
Make this Keto colcannon recipe with your family for a healthier St. Patrick’s Day, or any day! You can use our suggested combination of veggies, or you can create your own combination. Mix with rich cream, butter, and cheese for Irish comfort food.
Keto Colcannon Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. Peeled & Chopped Mixed Rutabaga, Cauliflower, Turnips, or Kholrabi About 8 Cups
- 1/4 Cup Salted Butter
- 1 Tbsp. Diced Garlic
- 1 Chopped Leek About 1 Cup
- 1 Small Green Cabbage About 4 Cups
- 1 Cup Chopped Kale
- 1 Cup Cream
- 1/4 Cup Salted Butter
- 1 Package Cream Cheese Or 8 oz.
- Sea Salt & Pepper
- 2 Cups Grated White Cheddar Cheese
- 1/4 Cup Chopped Parsley
Instructions
Prepare Vegetables
- Fit a large pot with a steamer basket and place 1-2 cups of water into the bottom of the pot. Put the peeled mixed rutabaga, cauliflower, turnips, kohlrabi on the basket. Cover the pot with a lid.
- Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and steam for 15-20 minutes, or until the veggies are fork-tender.
- Drain the veggies and allow them to dry for a few minutes.
Prepare the Greens
- While the veggies are steaming, melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the tablespoon of garlic and leeks and sautee them until heated through.
- Add the green cabbage and 1 cup of kale to the pan and sautee for about 5-10 minutes, or until soft and slightly crispy.
Mash the Veggies
- Mash the steamed veggies with a potato masher.
- Warm the 1 cup of cream, 1 package of cream cheese, and 1/4 cup of butter until the cream cheese and butter are melted. Stir and press the cream cheese to speed the process.
- Add the dairy mixture to the veggie mixture and whip with a large spoon until smooth and creamy.
- Fold the cabbage mixture into the veggie mixture until thoroughly integrated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Heat & Serve
- Place the colcannon mixture into a baking dish and top with the 2 cups of cheese. Place into the oven under a low broil for 5-10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with chopped parsley and serve hot.
Notes
Keto Colannon Recipe Notes
Be sure you give the mixed veggies time to steam dry just a bit. Potatoes are naturally starchy and suck up excess water easily. These swap veggies are not able to do that because of their lack of starch – which is what makes them keto friendly!
You can halve or double this recipe. You can also change around the vegetables to include only your favorites.
- For example, we’ve made this with only cauliflower and kholrabi in place of the potato.
You may also grate a combination of family favorite cheeses. We like to add in super sharp white cheddar cheese with some sweeter Swiss.
- It’s even good with feta, though the flavor isn’t quite as traditional.
Like most keto recipes, this one is adaptable to your family’s tastes.
Grow Your Own Keto Veggies
If you’d like to learn to grow your own lower carb veggies, please visit the following articles. This is a great time of year to plan your garden!
–>>Here are 5 Low Carb Veggies to Grow to get you started. <<–
For this recipe:
How to Grow Cabbage from Oakhill Homestead
Attainable Sustainble can teach you Grow Leeks
We can show you How to Save Leek Seeds for replanting next year, too!
Grow Parsnips from Grow a Good Life
Northern Homestead can teach you to Grow Kohlrabi – a great substitute for rutabaga!
Grow Rutabaga with The Homesead Garden
–>> Pin This Recipe for Later <<–
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