keto shepherds pie feature
Dinner, Low Carb

Keto Shepherd’s Pie

No joke, this Keto Shepherd’s Pie is more delicious than the traditional version. It’s just a bonus that it’s also guilt free!

Slice of Keto Shepherd's Pie on a plate with the baking dish in the background. It is garnished with fresh italian parsley.

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Mmm mmmm, Shepherd’s Pie is comfort food at it’s very best, don’t ya think? Gravy loaded ground beef covered with yummy vegetables, mashed taters and cheesy goodness? Yes please! In this Keto Shepherd’s Pie recipe I switched out the peas, corn and carrots I would normally use for low carb vegetables, and the potatoes I replaced with some delicious cauliflower mash. YUM!!!

Seriously, this Keto Shepherd’s Pie tastes so much yummier than the traditional shepherd’s pie, and you don’t get that awful carb bloat after you’ve finished your meal. I am so pumped about this recipe, especially Nick who is a shepherd’s pie fanatic. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Why it works

  1. The low carb vegetables we use pair perfectly with the gravy loaded ground beef, making this dish the ultimate layered comfort food.
  2. No joke, you’ll never believe how much the cauliflower mash tastes like mashed potato. You’ll be pleasantly surprised!
  3. This dish reheats great, making it an excellent meal for a busy house or small family.
Keto Shepherd's Pie hot out of the oven and sliced into 12.

Keto Shepherd’s Pie Ingredients

There are three layers stacked beautifully underneath that cheesy goodness. Here is what you will need for the whole dish:

  • ground beef
  • onion
  • garlic
  • olive or avocado oil
  • ground black pepper
  • beef bouillon base/concentrate
  • water
  • xanthan gum
  • mushrooms
  • green beans
  • butter
  • cauliflower
  • sour cream
  • Italian parsley
  • garlic powder
  • sea salt
  • grated cheddar cheese

Beef Bouillon Base/Concentrate – My favourite brand is ‘better than bouillon’ organic beef base. Although it does have organic cane sugar in the ingredients, it’s 100% organic and I can pronounce each word in the ingredient list. It also has just 1 g carbs per tsp. Can’t find a bouillon cube or base to live up to your standards? You can just replace the water with beef broth, though it will not be quite as flavourful.

Xanthan Gum – Xanthan Gum is a low carb thickener that I use often in sauce recipes like gravy or Teriyaki Sauce. It also works to bind dough like in this Keto Calzone. I use the brand Bob’s Redmill. You just have to be careful not to use too much. If you don’t have it, or don’t want to use it, there are other ways to make the beef:

  • Just skip the xanthan gum and use a little less water in the beef sauce. It will still be flavourful, it just won’t have that gravy-like consistency.
  • Replace half the water with heavy cream, then simmer the beef sauce for 15 minutes or so, until the cream has reduced enough to become nice and thick like gravy.

How to make Keto Shepherd’s Pie

There are a few steps involved in making Keto Shepherd’s Pie. Don’t worry, it’s easy, just follow along and if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask!

Mashed Cauliflower

First things first, heat the oven to 350°, then get the cauliflower chopped up and into the steamer.

Cutting board with chopped up cauliflower, ready to be added to a steamer.

Grab a double boiler with a steamer on top and fill the bottom with about an inch of water. Bring it to a boil with the steamer on top and a lid. Chop up the cauliflower and add it to the top steamer section. Steam for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is JUST fork tender.

Lift the steamer section out of the bottom pot, dump the water, then empty the cauliflower into the now empty bottom pot. Add the butter to the cauliflower then puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in sour cream, pepper, salt, garlic powder and Italian parsley. Set aside.

Pureed cauliflower mash with minced italian parsley beside the pot.

Beef

Heat a skillet on medium high heat with a touch of oil. Once hot, add some minced onion and cook until translucent. Stir in some minced garlic and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about a minute, then mix in the ground beef. Cook until the beef is no longer pink.

Stir in the beef bouillon base, then some water. Mix well and bring to a simmer, then sprinkle in the xanthan gum. Cook for an additional minute until thick.

Skillet full of the cooked beef layer, ready to be pressed into the bototm of a baking dish.

Empty the beef into a 9×13″ baking dish and press into the bottom. Set aside.

Veggies

Add some butter into the skillet that had the beef and continue to heat on medium high. Once the butter is sizzling, toss in chopped mushrooms and minced onion. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the onion is translucent.

Mix in the pressed garlic and black pepper and cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Stir in chopped green beans to coat in the yummy flavour, then remove from the heat. Place the veggies over the ground beef and press gently.

Pouring the fried mushrooms and green beans over top of the beef layer.
Vegetable layer spread out over top of the beef layer.

Spread the cauliflower mash evenly over the veggies and smooth to finish, then top with shredded cheddar.

Keto Shepherd's Pie all ready for the oven!

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Slice into 12, serve hot and enjoy!

Nick likes sugar free ketchup on his Keto Shepherd’s Pie and I like extra sour cream. What do you like on yours?

See it all go down!

Expert Tips

  1. When adding the xanthan gum, sprinkle it over top of the beef carefully. If you add it all in one spot, it will clump up, like flour does if added to hot recipes.
  2. Chop the mushrooms and green beans into small, bite sized pieces, for the best texture profile.
  3. Read the tips on how to make the best cauliflower mash below.

How to make the best cauliflower mash

Have you ever made cauliflower mash and have it turn out more like soup than mashed potatoes? Yuk. Follow these tricks to make it perfect every time:

  • The most important is to make sure you do not over steam the cauliflower. This is crucial! If you over steam cauliflower is will be super wet when you go to mash it. You want to steam is until it is JUST fork tender. You will see a lot of recipes ask you to drain the cauliflower after it is steamed, but that it completely unnecessary if you just make sure to not over steam it.
  • Buy it fresh! You can never tell how frozen cauliflower is going to turn out, it’s just better if you buy it fresh.
  • Do you want to make this cauliflower mash by itself? Try adding some parmesan cheese to the mix for a yummy mashed cauliflower side dish! 😋

Here are some other recipe you may love:

Low Carb Cabbage Lasagna

Keto Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Crispy Keto Chicken Burger

Italian Chopped Salad

Keto Butter Chicken

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keto shepherds pie feature

Keto Shepherd’s Pie

Aleta
Better than the traditional, this Keto Shepherd’s Pie is comfort food at it’s best! It’s loaded with beef, veggies, cauliflower mash and topped with cheese!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Canadian, Low Carb
Servings 12 slices
Calories 353 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Cauliflower Mash

  • 2 heads cauliflower
  • ¼ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup full fat sour cream
  • 3 tbsp italian parsley
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper

Beef Layer

  • 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
  • ½ small onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ – 2 lbs ground beef
  • 4 tsp beef bouillon base
  • ½ cup water
  • tsp xanthan gum

Vegetable Layer

  • 1 ½ tbsp unsalted butter
  • ½ small onion
  • 8 white mushrooms
  • ¾ lb green beans
  • 2 cloves garlic

Instructions
 

Directions

  • Heat the oven to 350°.

Cauliflower Mash

  • Set up a double boiler with a couple of inches of water in the bottom pot and a steamer on the top. Heat on high. Wash the cauliflower and chop into bite sized pieces.
  • Once the water is boiling, add the cauliflower to the steamer pot and steam for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is JUST fork tender. Lift the steamer section out of the bottom pot, dump the water, then empty the cauliflower into the now empty bottom pot.
  • Add the butter to the cauliflower then puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in sour cream, pepper, salt, garlic powder and Italian parsley. Set aside.

Beef

  • Mince the onion and press or mince the garlic. Heat a skillet on medium high heat with oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook until translucent. Stir in the garlic and black pepper. Cook until fragrant, about a minute, then mix in the ground beef. Cook until the beef is no longer pink.
  • Stir in the bouillon base, then water. Mix well and bring to a simmer, then sprinkle in the xanthan gum. Cook for an additional minute until thick. Press the beef into the bottom of a 9×13" baking dish.

Veggies

  • Wash the mushrooms, chop in half, then slice into thin slices. Wash the green beans, trim the ends off and cut into 1” sections. Mince the onion and press or mince the garlic.
  • Add the butter to the skillet and continue to heat on medium high. Once the butter hot, toss in the mushrooms and onion. Cook until the mushrooms are browned and the onion is translucent. Mix in the garlic and pepper and cook for an additional minute until fragrant. Stir in the green beans to coat, then pour the veggies over the beef and press gently.
  • Spread the cauliflower mash evenly over the veggies and smooth to finish.

Bake

  • Top with cheese and bake for 35-40 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly. Slice into 12, serve hot and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1sliceCalories: 353kcalCarbohydrates: 8.8gProtein: 23.6gFat: 25.5gSodium: 477mgFiber: 3g
Keyword keto shepherd’s pie, low carb shepherd’s pie
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

42 thoughts on “Keto Shepherd’s Pie

  1. Michele says:

    5 stars
    Shepherd’s Pie is definitely one of my favorites. Cannot wait to try your recipe! I love that it’s topped with cauliflower mash. Delicious!!!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Michele!! It’s my new favourite, I can’t get over how delicious it is and tastes just like mashed potatoes!

  2. Jill A Parks says:

    This sounds delicious. I’m assuming you mean 1/2 cup of sour cream?

  3. Gwen says:

    Are you using fresh, frozen or canned green beans?

  4. 5 stars
    When I first got married, I used to make shepherd’s pie all the time. And somewhere along the way, I just stopped making it. After watching your video, I have such a hankering for shepherd’s pie! That creamy cauliflower mash on top looks awesome!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Leanne! Shepherd’s pie is my husbands favourite, so making a keto version was daunting. I am so excited that he prefers this version!

  5. My hubby is doing keto right now and I know he misses comfort foods like this! It looks SO good, you certainly wouldn’t miss the meat!

    1. Aleta says:

      Hey Kathrine, there is ground beef, but if you meant carbs, then no, he wouldn’t miss them!

  6. Sherri says:

    5 stars
    I love the idea of using cauliflower mash on this Shepherd’s pie…so creative and a great way to enjoy a comforting and hearty meal while still keeping it keto! So many delicious flavors in this dish!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Sherri!

  7. Jacquelyn Hastert says:

    5 stars
    I love that this is keto friendly and doesn’t lack on flavor. I will be sending this over to all my keto friends.

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Jacquelyn 🙂

    2. Kris says:

      Made this tonight. It was a hit! You refer to 1 serving. Was it 12 or 15 servings per pan?

      1. Aleta says:

        I’m so glad you liked it Kris! The nutrition facts are based off of 12 slices per pan.

  8. Rachel says:

    5 stars
    So pumped about this recipe! I love Shepard’s pie but I love THIS Shepard’s pie recipe even more because of the cauliflower mash layer instead of mashed potatoes!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Rachel! I hope you love it as much as we do!

  9. 5 stars
    I love making shepherds pie! We also love to keep things low carb in our house and usually use a cauliflower topping as well. The green beans and mushrooms in your mix sound like awesome upgrades that I haven’t tried before in mine. Great low-carb dish for these chilly spring nights!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Jenni! The mashed cauliflower topping is the part I’m most excited about because of how much it tastes like potato!

  10. Colleen says:

    5 stars
    I love shepherd’s pie, and I can’t wait to try this with cauliflower mash. Looks delicious!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Colleen!

  11. This looks delicious and I love that it takes only 10 minutes of prep time! My go-to shepherd’s pie recipe is much more work! We’ll definitely have to give this one a try.

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Claire 🙂

  12. Deseree says:

    5 stars
    I fall in love with recipes like this. Ones that are healthy, keto friendly, and delicious.

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Deseree!

  13. Sharon says:

    5 stars
    Even though this is a keto recipe it still looks so hearty and filling. Thank you so much for lightening up this classic recipe.

    1. Aleta says:

      My pleasure 😉

  14. 5 stars
    This will be the perfect dish for my dinner party next weekend! Love the non-traditional cauliflower mash!!!

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Kylie 🙂

  15. Daniela says:

    Looks delicious and so easy to make with your super clear and easy to follow directions! Thanks so much for sharing :).

    1. Aleta says:

      You’re welcome Daniela 🙂

  16. 5 stars
    Shepherds pie has always been a favorite to me and you made it keto friendly makes it so much better. Looks perfectly like the traditional one, I bet it tasted better thou

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks Alisha! We absolutely think it tastes better!

  17. Deb says:

    Can you explain what you mean by fork tender?

    1. Aleta says:

      You bet Deb! You want to steam the cauliflower until the fork is JUST able to slide easily into the cauliflower without added pressure. It should take ten minutes of steaming.

  18. Kayce says:

    Do you cover with foil before baking

    1. Aleta says:

      Nope, just toss er in 🙂

  19. Dan says:

    3 stars
    Ok all but one of the people who gave it five stars had not tried it yet. Seems premature. Has anybody else made it and could we get some feedback?

  20. Dan says:

    4 stars
    I made it. It was pretty good. I did however modify it. I’d say it needs a better herb and spice profile since it was a little bland.

    1. Aleta says:

      Thanks for your feedback, Dan, I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂

  21. Cindy Bragg says:

    5 stars
    Very good and plenty of flavor ! Its one of my husbands favor recipes and not it fits our food lifestyle as well. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Aleta says:

      I’m so glad! Thanks for the comment Cindy 🙂

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