Cheesy, comforting, and full of cauliflower, this cauliflower mac and cheese is a delicious low-carb version of the traditional mac and cheese. With bite-sized pieces of cauliflower coated in a gooey cheesy sauce, your whole family will love this recipe and won’t even notice the missing macaroni!
Cauliflower is such a versatile vegetable and makes for a wonderful low-carb replacement for the traditional pasta in mac and cheese. It’s such a cozy and comforting dish that everyone will reach for seconds! You can serve this cheesy cauliflower dish as a meatless main or a side dish. Want another cauliflower recipe? Try my cauliflower tacos recipe, cauliflower steak recipe, or cauliflower tots recipe.
Key Ingredients You Need
- Cauliflower — It’s best to use fresh cauliflower instead of frozen for this mac and cheese. If you want to save time, you can buy pre-cut florets instead of cutting them yourself.
- Flour — You will need to mix together the flour with butter to make a roux. The roux will be the base of your cheese sauce, making it smooth and creamy.
- Milk — Use whole milk to ensure the cheese sauce is creamy and flavorful.
- Cheese — I use cheddar cheese but feel free to change things up with a different cheese.
How to Make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 F and spray a 9” x 14” baking dish with olive oil spray or grease with butter.
Step 2: Fill a large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and place the lid on the pot. Cook until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Step 3: In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and cook until it has melted completely. Whisk in the flour and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
Step 4: While continuing to whisk, add the milk along with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk for another 3 to 4 minutes or until it has slightly thickened.
Step 5: Turn off the heat and add the cheese, cooking until the cheese has completely melted. Add the cooked cauliflower and toss to coat well.
Step 6: Pour the pan’s contents into a baking dish. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. You can broil the dish for 2 to 5 minutes to make the top more browned.
Tips For This Recipe
- If you have the time, grate your own cheese for the smoothest result.
- Make sure you remove the saucepan from the heat source before adding the cheese in. Adding the cheese too soon will lead to the cheese breaking down into a gritty texture.
- When you mix in the cheese, avoid pouring it all in at once. Add around half a cup of cheese at a time into the saucepan, and whisk until it’s all melted before adding in another half cup. Repeat until all the cheese has melted into the sauce.
- For a more decadent sauce, you can swap half the milk for heavy cream.
- If the sauce is not as thick as you prefer, you can add extra cheese to it. However, keep in mind that the cheese sauce will thicken as it cools.
- For an added crunch, you can put traditional breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, or even crushed pork rinds on top of the mixture for a crispy crumb topping.
- When picking a head of cauliflower, choose one that’s dense and feels heavy for its size. It should be compact and firm. Avoid any with yellow or brown spots on them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Don’t feel limited to cheddar for this cauliflower-based mac and cheese. Try making this Havarti, white cheddar, mozzarella, or Monterey Jack. You can even use a combination of cheeses.
Wrap up the leftover mac and cheese or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This cauliflower version of mac and cheese may not hold up well in the freezer as the sauce might separate. However, if you want to try freezing it, make sure to allow the dish to cool before transferring it to a freezer-safe container.
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Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 large head of cauliflower cut into florets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F and spray a 9" x 14” baking dish with olive oil spray or grease with butter.
- Fill a large pot with 1 to 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and place the lid on the pot. Cook until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the butter and cook until it has melted completely. Whisk in the flour and continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
- While continuing to whisk, add the milk along with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Whisk for another 3 to 4 minutes or until it has slightly thickened.
- Turn off the heat and add the cheese, cooking until the cheese has completely melted. Add the cooked cauliflower and toss to coat well.
- Pour all of the contents of the pan into a baking dish. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes. Optional: broil for an additional 2 to 5 minutes to make the top browned.
Video
Notes
- If you have the time, grate your own cheese for the smoothest result.
- Make sure you remove the saucepan from the heat source before adding the cheese in. Adding the cheese too soon will lead to the cheese breaking down into a gritty texture.
- When you mix in the cheese, avoid pouring it all in at once. Add around half a cup of cheese at a time into the saucepan, and whisk until it’s all melted before adding in another half cup. Repeat until all the cheese has melted into the sauce.
- For a more decadent sauce, you can swap half the milk for heavy cream.
- If the sauce is not as thick as you prefer, you can add extra cheese to it. However, keep in mind that the cheese sauce will thicken as it cools.
- For an added crunch, you can put traditional breadcrumbs, panko breadcrumbs, or even crushed pork rinds on top of the mixture for a crispy crumb topping.
- When picking a head of cauliflower, choose one that’s dense and feels heavy for its size. It should be compact and firm. Avoid any with yellow or brown spots on them.
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