Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is creamy and cheesy, made with fresh cauliflower florets topped with two types of cheese and a crispy breadcrumb topping, perfect for weekend dinners!
This is one of my family’s favorite side dishes, made with fresh cauliflower (instead of macaroni noodles) cut into florets and roasted, then added to a baking dish and topped with a creamy cheese sauce and breadcrumb topping, then baked until crispy. It’s perfect for weekend dinners, holidays, or even game day! It’s also a great low carb side dish for the holidays.
If you like this recipe, you may also like my Broccoli Cauliflower Casserole, or my Cauliflower Au Gratin! If you want to add pasta, check out my Broccoli Mac and Cheese recipe!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Creamy & Cheesy! This recipe is so incredibly creamy and cheesy, using homemade cheese sauce that comes together in just a few minutes. You can use whatever type of cheese you’d like here, or make it hot or mild with some spices.
Low Carb Comfort Food. This is the perfect lower carb version of your favorite comfort food!
Gluten Free! This is 100% gluten free because it’s completely homemade!
Easy to Make! Don’t be intimidated by this recipe, it’s actually easier than you’d think!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Cauliflower. For this recipe you’ll need one large head of cauliflower, or two smaller ones. It should come out to about 2 pounds of cauliflower florets.
Cut the cauliflower florets into bite-sized pieces. It’s ok if you have a little over 2 pounds.
Olive Oil. We’re roasting the cauliflower first, and I like to coat it in some olive oil beforehand to help it caramelize in the oven, which adds a ton of flavor. Roasting also brings some of the moisture out of the cauliflower so it doesn’t water down the dish.
Butter. Using some unsalted butter helps create the roux, which will thicken the cheese sauce and add some flavor.
Gluten Free Flour. I use a regular cup-for-cup gluten free flour in the cheese sauce roux. You can use the same amount of regular flour if you’re not gluten free.
Milk. I used 2% milk for this recipe, but you can also use whole milk and get the same result. You can also use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream for an even richer sauce. This is much higher in calories though, so I would save it for the holidays.
Cheese. This recipe uses shredded sharp cheddar cheese and shredded gouda cheese. You can also use gruyere cheese instead of gouda.
I recommend buying the blocks of cheese and shredding them yourself, because pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking ingredients that can stop the cheese from melting properly.
Spices. I like to add some kosher salt, black pepper, paprika, and nutmeg to give the cheese sauce a really nice flavor.
Breadcrumbs. I use plain gluten free breadcrumbs to add a nice crispy topping to this dish. If you have the seasoned kind, that would be fine, too.
Parmesan. Adding some parmesan cheese can help add a lot of flavor to the topping.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe you’ll need a rimmed baking sheet, a baking dish, a saucepan, and a whisk.
How to Make Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Time needed: 1 hour and 10 minutes
- Roast the cauliflower.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the cauliflower florets to the prepared baking sheet and gently toss with the olive oil. Spread the florets out in a single layer, and bake for 30 minutes.
- Prepare the cheese sauce.
While the cauliflower is cooking, melt four tablespoons of butter in the saucepan over medium heat. Once it’s fully melted, sprinkle in the flour while whisking. Cook until the flour begins to turn brown and have a nutty aroma, whisking continuously. Add the milk a little bit at a time, whisking until smooth, until all of the milk is added.
Continue to cook while the sauce thickens, whisking continuously. Once the sauce begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted and smooth. - Add the cauliflower to the baking dish.
When the cauliflower has finished roasting, transfer the cooked cauliflower pieces to a greased baking dish.
- Add the cheese and breadcrumbs.
Pour the cheesy sauce evenly on top of the cauliflower. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and two tablespoons of melted butter, mixing together until breadcrumbs are wet. Sprinkle evenly on top of the cauliflower and cheese mixture.
- Bake until golden brown.
Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown. Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve.
Recipe Variations
- Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, hot sauce, or chili powder to give this a spicy kick! Or some onion powder and garlic powder for some extra flavor.
- You can use your favorite cheese combinations depending on your preferences. Try Monterey jack, gruyere, pepper jack, swiss, or mozzarella cheese. Just shred the block yourself for the best melt. Mozzarella cheese will give you the best melty cheese pull.
- You can use sharp cheddar for the most flavor, or mild cheddar for a more mellow flavor. White cheddar cheese would also work.
- Try this recipe with other veggies like roasted broccoli or potatoes.
- Try topping this with green onions, fresh parsley, or even chopped crispy bacon.
- If you don’t want to use the bread crumb topping, just top with some extra cheese.
- Try adding some taco seasoning to the cheese sauce for some additional flavor.
Recipe Tip! Don’t skip the roasting step! This helps release some of the water from the cauliflower. If you add the cauliflower straight to the baking dish, the cheese sauce will be watery when it’s done.
Frequently Asked Questions
If your cauliflower mac and cheese turned out watery, it’s most likely because the cauliflower released water while it was baking. This is why the roasting step beforehand is so important. The other reason could be that there was not enough flour or butter added when making the roux for the cheese sauce, and the sauce itself was too thin.
Recipe Tip! Pull the sauce off of the heat before adding the cheese. It will still melt from the residual heat, but if you bring the cheese to a simmer it can break apart and give the sauce a gritty texture.
More Vegetable Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate leftover cauliflower in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze for 2-3 months in an air-tight container. I don’t love freezing this, because it can change the texture of the dish. This is best when served fresh.
Cooking Tips
- To save some time, you can also steam the cauliflower in the microwave before adding the cheese. Just put about an inch of water in a microwave-safe bowl, add the cauliflower and microwave for 6-8 minutes, or until softened. Drain and pour onto a paper towel to dry while preparing the cheese sauce.
- Do not use pre-shredded cheese from the store. It has other ingredients that will prevent it from melting properly in the cheese sauce, and you’ll end up with grainy cheese sauce.
- You can replace the milk with almond milk, but you might need to increase the amount of roux you make to get it to thicken properly. This is because almond milk has less protein than regular milk.
- If you’re vegan, you can use a nondairy milk, vegan butter and vegan cheese (if you’re gluten free too, double check the brands for allergens). You can also add some nutritional yeast to the sauce for more cheesy flavor.
- If your cheese sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk until you get the desired texture.
If you loved this recipe, be sure to leave a 5 Star review below, and tag me with a photo of your finished recipe on Instagram @Jacqui_DishingDelish!
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cauliflower florets, (1 large head, or 5-6 cups of florets)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Cheese Sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup gluten free all-purpose flour, 1:1
- 2 cups 2% milk
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup gouda cheese, shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Breadcrumb Topping
- 3/4 cup gluten free breadcrumbs, plain
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Equipment
- 1 Sheet pan
- 1 baking dish
- 1 Saucepan and whisk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Add the cauliflower florets to the prepared baking sheet and gently toss with the olive oil. Spread the florets out in a single layer, and bake for 30 minutes.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, melt four tablespoons butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once it's fully melted, sprinkle in the flour while whisking continuously.
- Whisk until the flour begins to turn brown and have a nutty aroma. Add the milk slowly, whisking until smooth until all of the milk is added.
- Continue to cook while the sauce thickens, whisking continuously. Once the sauce begins to thicken, remove from the heat and stir in the cheese. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted and smooth.
- When the cauliflower has finished roasting, transfer the cooked cauliflower pieces to a greased baking dish. Pour the cheesy sauce evenly on top of the cauliflower.
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, parmesan, and two tablespoons of melted butter, mixing together until the breadcrumbs are wet. Sprinkle evenly on top of the cauliflower.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown.
Notes
- Do not use pre-shredded cheese from the store. It has other ingredients that will prevent it from melting properly in the cheese sauce, and you’ll end up with grainy cheese sauce.
- If your cheese sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk until you get the desired texture.
- Don’t skip the roasting step! This helps release some of the water from the cauliflower. If you add the cauliflower straight to the baking dish, the cheese sauce will be watery when it’s done.
- Pull the sauce off of the heat before adding the cheese. It will still melt from the residual heat, but if you bring the cheese to a simmer it can break apart and give the sauce a gritty texture.
Nutrition
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