Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole (keto + low carb)
This ultra rich Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole is the perfect low carb, keto-friendly side dish!
If you love cheesy goodness, you have come to the right place! This Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole is a life saver when you need some good ole, keto-friendly comfort food! This dish has become my stand in when I’m craving old school mac and cheese. I also love these Cauliflower Tots for a keto craving on a classic dish!
This version is just as hearty and satisfying as your classic favorites, but without all the carbs! If you’ve read this blog long, you know I’m big on comfort food. First going gluten-free meant I needed to adjust all my favorite recipes, then going keto meant I had to do it all over again!
It’s really paying off, though. Making sure I have recipes I love is what has been keeping me on track. Having comforting dishes like Keto Shrimp & Grits or this Instant Pot Keto Beef Stew has made this transition as easy as can be! Now that we’re adding this low-carb alternative to mac & cheese, maybe these tasty, healthier recipes will help you out, too!
Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Ingredients:
This recipe features basic ingredients you probably already have on hand. Keep scrolling for specific ingredient amounts in the recipe card, but here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need:
- Cauliflower
- Butter
- Garlic
- Unsweetened almond milk (You can use regular milk if you’re not keto)
- Heavy cream
- Cream cheese
- Cheddar cheese (Highly recommend a high-quality cheese… It’s a big star in this dish!)
How do you make Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole?
You need to follow a few basic steps to make this dish. Begin by removing all the stems from a head of cauliflower. Place the cauliflower in an 11×7 baking dish lightly greased with olive oil, then roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the cheese sauce. In a small pan combine the butter, garlic, milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Whisk until the mixture is smooth, then stir in the cheddar until completely melted. To finish the sauce, bring the mixture to a slight simmer until it has thickened.
Finally, pour the cheese sauce over the roasted cauliflower, top with more shredded cheese, and bake 20-25 minutes.
Can I Steam the Cauliflower Instead of Roasting?
Yes, if you prefer to steam the cauliflower, you can steam 7-8 minutes until the cauliflower has softened slightly. You need to either roast or steam the cauliflower before adding the cheese sauce to help release the moisture. If you skip this step your cheese sauce is likely to be more watery than you’d like.
How should I store and reheat Cauliflower Casserole?
Leftovers should be stored in an air-tight container and kept in the fridge up to four days. I would not recommend freezing due to the high cream content.
To reheat, the best option to preserve the texture is to warm the casserole in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed throughout. The timing for this truly depends on the amount of leftovers you’re reheating. If you are only reheating a small amount (1-2 portions), microwaving in 30-45 second intervals until the center is warmed is the easiest option.
Tips & Suggestions:
- This recipe is very substitute-friendly! You can use frozen or fresh cauliflower, and you can use low-fat or regular cream cheese! You can use dairy milk instead of almond milk if you’re not keto. Ultimately, you could even try this with any of your favorite cheeses instead of cheddar!
- For the best texture, I wouldn’t cook this dish ahead of time as a part of meal prep. However, you could make your evening easier by roasting the cauliflower and making the cheese sauce on your prep day, then combining and cooking the dish up to 3 days later!
- I wouldn’t recommend boiling the cauliflower instead of steaming or roasting. The high water content may make the dish too runny to keep its casserole shape.
What should I serve with Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole?
This tasty, cheesy dish can go with so many entrées! These Keto Steak Rolls would pair perfectly with this creamy casserole, and picky eaters might love dipping these Keto Chicken Tenders into the cheesy sauce! I also think this Asparagus Stuffed Chicken or Parmesan Pecan Crusted Halibut would be impressive pairings for company!
If you’d like to make this casserole filling enough to act as a full meal, you could add any protein of your choosing. With some smart meal planning, you could add grilled leftovers like this Easy BBQ pork tenderloin, maybe this Chipotle Ranch Grilled Chicken, or even this Smoked Turkey! Cooking this Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken on your meal prep day, then saving a portion for this casserole would make it super easy to bulk up this meal!
Easy sides like Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli or Roasted Brussels Sprouts would be quick and complementary to the creamy sauce in the Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole. You could also pull together a quick, easy salad like this Asparagus, Avocado, and Tomato Salad. If you’d like some great keto bread options, I highly recommend either these Bacon Cheddar Chive Biscuits or Rosemary Garlic Keto Rolls!
Get the Recipe: Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole (keto + low carb)
Ingredients
- 1 medium size head of cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, regular milk is fine if not keto
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Begin by removing all the stems from a head of cauliflower. Place the cauliflower florets in an 11x7 baking dish lightly greased with olive oil. Roast the cauliflower for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the cheese sauce. In a small pan combine the butter, garlic, milk, heavy cream, and cream cheese over medium heat. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in 1 cup of the cheddar until completely melted. Bring the mixture to a slight simmer until it has thickened.
- Pour the cheese sauce over the roasted cauliflower, top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Notes
I was never a normal child in that I always loved my veggies, including cauliflower! I can eat it plain and be perfectly happy with it, but eating it in a cheesy white wine mustard sauce sounds way better! Love this dish, Annie. 🙂
Oh Marcie I need to be more like you!! 🙂
I bet your husband LOOOOVED this! You’re right, cauliflower doesn’t really taste like…anything. Just whatever you season it with. Which is why I love using it in soups or instead of mashed potatoes. They just soak up all the other flavors and tastes great! I bet this cheesy cauliflower casserole tastes just like mac and cheese, but healthier.
Good idea!! I never use it in soups, but that sounds fantastic!
Kudos for experimenting! I try to do the same but I have to be in the mood (if that makes sense).
I LOVE cauliflower so this is totally up my alley! Looks amazing!
I agree! Sometimes the creative juices aren’t flowing I just don’t come up with anything, but when I am feeling creative I can come up with some really great stuff!
Thanks Kristine!! 🙂
I never buy cauliflower either, yet I love it! This casserole looks delicious, Annie! What a great way to jazz up plain ‘ole cauliflower. Love the cheese in here, too!
What isn’t better with cheese?! haha! 🙂 Thanks Gayle!
Haha! I don’t think my husband is ever thrilled when I tell him I am making cauliflower! But I do think he would love this version because he loves cheese! This looks so cheesy and delicious and like it could turn any cauliflower hater 🙂
I think that’s what makes cauliflower so versatile; it takes on the flavors surrounding it. It’s a vehicle for all things delicious. It is soooo good! And good for you for stepping outside of your veggie box!
I’m trying to step outside the norm for us! 🙂 Next on my list is to get my husband to love egg plant! 🙂
I absolutely love cauliflower and this recipe looks so delicious. This is definitely a recipe that I am going to try. My kids will love this for sure.
Thanks Amy! 🙂 I hope you enjoy!
I find it strange that there are so many that have JUST started eating cauliflower. India has a lot of recipes with cauliflower. Please feel free to try some from my blog. You might fall in love with the vegetable. BTW, I just loved your recipe and photographs. I might just make this for dinner and throw in some broccoli to the mix 🙂
Prash thank you so much for your sweet words! 🙂
Oh my gosh, I LOVE cauliflower! If you haven’t tried it roasted yet, you should. It really brings out the nutty flavor! Of, course, covering it in cheese doesn’t hurt either and this looks SUPER delicious!!
I loooovveeee cauliflower! It’s so much more versatile than you’d think. This recipe sounds like heaven. I’ll take two ginormous servings please!
Thanks Leah! 🙂
Delicious! I will absolutely be making this again.
I tried this recipe tonight and my family and company loved it! It turned out so good! Thank you for posting this..
This dish is amazing and super easy!
Thank you ?
What temp. Do you bake it at for the 20-25 minute bake?
Hi Gail, did you miss the instructions? Scroll up and take a look; this dish is made at 400 degrees.
All I had was 2% milk and sour cream. Used all the other ingredients and also added some Garam Masala and extra cheese. Turned out wonderful!!!
Can this be made a day ahead and reheated or does it get too mushy?
This holds up really well over a couple of days, and leftovers were not mushy at all for me.
delicious
This was delicious. I added a little bit of salt and pepper to the sauce to punch it up a bit. I’m not good at improvising when I cook, so maybe there are spices that would help it out.
can I sub coconut milk for almond milk and riced cauliflower instead? I have a large bag of the riced cauliflower in the freezer and coconut milk aplenty! lol