Make this keto cauliflower mac and cheese as a side dish for dinner, part of your meal prep, or eat it as a healthy low-carb lunch! It tastes just like your favorite comfort food but is naturally gluten-free and grain-free.
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Everybody needs that one recipe that they make when they are craving comfort food from their childhood. Mac and cheese is a really common one!
There is something so satisfying about noodles drenched in a cheesy sauce.
Thankfully, you can still enjoy that creamy and rich cheese sauce - you just need to replace the noodles! I know that cauliflower florets don't taste or feel like noodles.
When you cover them in this robust sauce, you'll forget all about pasta. Macaroni? Nope, I'll take the vitamin-fortified cauliflower.
Ingredients Needed For Cauliflower Mac And Cheese
This recipe only has 5 easy ingredients. In fact, you probably already have these ingredients in your refrigerator and pantry!
Cauliflower
I chopped up a fresh head of cauliflower into small florets. This is a messy experience and takes a bit of time, but it is worth it. Fresh cauliflower has a much better texture than frozen.
Cheese Sauce
The cheese sauce is made with butter, heavy whipping cream, and shredded cheddar cheese.
Seasoning
I flavored it with ground mustard. I bet it would taste delicious with some garlic powder in it too. Taste the sauce and add your favorite seasonings to it.
Please note: Check out the recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low carb recipe.
Quick Tips:
- If you want your sauce to be thicker, add more cheddar cheese.
- On the flip side, if you want to thin the sauce down a bit, add a little more heavy whipping cream.
- You can also save yourself time and buy pre-chopped florets in the produce section at your grocery store.
- This is a perfect thing to store in the refrigerator for meal prep! Just be aware that the cream and cheese will harden when you chill it. It will all melt and soften when you heat it up again.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.
- I used cheddar cheese, but you can also use pepper jack cheese if you want the recipe to be a little spicier.
How To Make Keto Cauliflower Mac And Cheese
All the details and exact steps are in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, here is a short overview with some photos so you know what to expect.
While the oven is preheating, steam your cauliflower for about 10 minutes.
The cheese sauce is really easy to make! Just melt the butter in a saucepan and then whisk in the heavy whipping cream and your spices.
Add almost all of your shredded cheese and whisk it until it melts. Save some cheese for the end to sprinkle on top before you place it in the oven.
After the sauce is thick and the cheese is melted, put the cauliflower in a casserole dish (you can also use a cast-iron skillet). Pour the cheese sauce on top and sprinkle it with the rest of the shredded cheese.
Bake for about 25 minutes and serve it hot!
What To Serve With Cheesy Cauliflower
This is a high-protein, high-fiber meal all on its own. If you want to eat it as part of a light lunch, add a chopped salad along with it.
You could add some shredded chicken or pulled pork to the dish and have a complete skillet dinner too.
This would also taste delicious with a low-carb meatloaf or your favorite pork chops.
Since this recipe is basically cheesy vegetables, all you really need to add is some more protein for it to be a complete meal.
Frequently Asked Questions About Low-Cab Mac And Cheese
Here are some questions people often ask about keto mac and cheese.
How many carbs are in cauliflower mac and cheese?
There are only 5 grams net carbs in each serving of this recipe. This amount will change if you use more cheese or add things like almond flour to the recipe.
Can you make keto cauliflower mac and cheese spicy?
There are a few different ways you can add a bit of spice to this recipe.
- Chop up ½ a jalapeno and add it to the cauliflower. Add more or less depending on how spicy you want it.
- You could also just add a few drops of hot sauce to the cheese sauce, or sprinkle some red pepper flakes on top.
What can you add on top as a keto crumb topping?
If you want this to look and taste like a baked mac and cheese casserole, just add some crushed unflavored pork rind crumbs on top. These are naturally low in carbs.
Why is my cauliflower mac and cheese watery?
There are a few things that will make your cauliflower mac and cheese have a watery/runny sauce.
If you steam frozen cauliflower, don't add the sauce to the veggies straight out of the bag. Let them cool off on a plate and pat them dry first.
This is also true of you boil the fresh cauliflower instead of steaming them.
Boiling or steaming them in the microwave will make the cauliflower retain water and this water will make your sauce thinner.
Make This Delicious Cauliflower Mac and Cheese To Serve As A Keto Side Dish!
Don't forget to add some chopped fresh parsley on top when you serve it! This is going to be your favorite keto cauliflower cheese recipe that you have ever tried.
It's so good that even picky eaters gobble it up!
More Cauliflower Recipes
There are so many creative ways to use cauliflower on a low-carb diet. Here are some of my favorite recipes:
- Keto Cauliflower Grilled Cheese Sandwich is crispy and cheesy, just like your favorite lunchtime sandwich.
- Keto Roasted Cauliflower Hummus tastes nutty and is the perfect thing to dip peppers and cucumber in.
- Cauliflower Tortillas are perfect for holding tacos and other lunch wrap recipes.
- Filipino Garlic Cauliflower Fried Rice is a unique recipe from the Philipines that will elevate your dinner.
- Cauliflower Cheddar Soup can be made in the slow cooker so it cooks all day while you work.
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Recipe
Keto Cauliflower Cheese
Video
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 ½ cups heavy whipping cream
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Steam the cauliflower for about 10 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is steaming, add the butter to a saucepan over medium heat on the stove.
- Once the butter has melted, whisk in the heavy whipping cream, ground mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook the sauce down until it thickens.
- Add 1 ¼ cups of the cheese to the thickened sauce and whisk until completely melted.
- Place the steamed cauliflower into an oven-proof dish or skillet and pour the cheese mixture over the top.
- Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of cheese on top.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, remove and let sit for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Tips to avoid a watery sauce:
- If you steam frozen cauliflower, don't add the sauce to the veggies straight out of the bag. Let them cool off on a plate and pat them dry first.
- You should also pat the cauliflower dry if you boil the fresh cauliflower instead of steaming them.
- Boiling or steaming the florets in the microwave will make the cauliflower retain water and this water will make your sauce thinner.
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
Notes on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Copyright
© LowCarbYum.com - Unauthorized use of this material without written permission is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes. Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Sharon
I have always substituted Broccoli with Cauliflower as I have disliked cauliflower from childhood. This recipe is a game changer. So delicious & so easy. Convert to cauliflower cheese. Thank You
Roberta
Could this recipe be prepared with an IP? If so, how would you suggest to proceed? Thank you if you'll have the time to answer
Lisa MarcAurele
I don't recommend using an Instant Pot as it doesn't brown cheese well. However, you can steam the cauliflower under pressure (1 minute under high) and you can prepare the sauce on the sauté setting. Then I recommend placing in an oven or air fryer to finish the dish.
wilhelmina
I don't think you can ever go wrong with cheesy veggies! We love this and have it often!
Sam
We made this for dinner and loved it! Thanks for the recipe!