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This cauliflower mac and cheese is made with tender cauliflower florets and a creamy cheese sauce in just 15 minutes on the stove. It’s low carb, keto-friendly, and tastes just like real mac and cheese.
The cheese totally makes up for the lack of carbs.
Trying to cut carbs? One of the toughest parts can be feeding a family at the same time. You definitely don’t want to cook two meals, so I like to figure out recipes that fit those health goals and keep the kids happy.
Enter this keto cauliflower mac and cheese. There is no actual mac in the recipe – just cauliflower that’s been chopped into macaroni sized pieces, boiled until tender, and then coated in a super rich and creamy sauce. All in one pot. All done on the stove. Ready in about 20 minutes.
The cauliflower does a good job in terms of texture and it has a neutral flavor while mostly serving as a delivery vehicle for all that cheesy goodness. It’s more nutritious than macaroni and it does the job of keeping the whole family happy!
The low carb cheese sauce skips the traditional roux. Instead, you’ll just heat some heavy cream and stir in your grated cheese until everything is smooth and creamy. Same approach as you’d take for homemade alfredo sauce!
♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:
Quick & Easy: This dish comes together in about 20 with just one pot!
Cheesy: There may not be any actual macaroni in here but there’s definitely loads of cheesy goodness! No one will even notice it’s low carb.
Versatile: This is the kind of low carb side dish you can serve with just about any meal! We love this one for weeknight dinners, whether I’m cutting carbs or not.
Ingredients, Swaps & Tips:
- Cauliflower: This really is such a versatile veggie. Pretty neutral flavored after boiling and when you chop it up into macaroni-sized pieces and coat it in cheese, it gets the job done.
- Cheese: We’re using a mix of cheddar, Monterey Jack, and cream cheese but you can swap out the cheddar and Monterey jack for something like smoked gouda or gruyere for a different flavor.
- Hot Sauce: This doesn’t make the sauce spicy – just helps to balance out the flavors.
- Spice: I always add a bit of ground mustard powder to my cheese sauce for an extra boost of flavor, but if you don’t have it on hand, it’s fine to skip it. Ground nutmeg works well too.
- Bake It: We usually just go the stove top route, but you can aslo spread this in a 9×9 and bake for 10 minutes after topping with more shredded cheese.
- Crispy Topping: Mix ¼ cup almond flour with 1 tablespoon melted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon garlic salt. Sprinkle over the baked version and broil for 1-2 minutes until golden.
Step by Step:
Chop the cauliflower florets into small macaroni-sized pieces. This really helps set the tone for this dish!
Boil the cauliflower until tender and then drain the water and return the cauliflower to the pot.
Stir in the remaining ingredients until everything is melted together. Turn the heat on low, if needed, to melt the cheese.
Season to taste and dish it up!
Storage:
Fridge: Store in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Warm gently on the stove with a splash of cream to loosen the sauce.
Freeze: Although you can freeze this the cheese sauce may separate and the texture won’t be the same.
Serving Ideas
We serve this up as a side dish just like we would traditional macaroni and cheese. It goes great with our crispy sour cream and onion chicken or alongside our brown sugar pineapple ham in the crockpot.
You can serve this cauliflower mac and cheese as a side dish or even as a main dish. Upgrade it with a protein like grilled chicken or pork chops!
This is a great low carb side for a BBQ or when you’re grilling out. It’s also great for lunch with a side salad.
Try topping it with crumbled bacon bits, green onions, or more cheese..
For picky eaters, try mixing some cooked macaroni in with a bit of the cauliflower until you’ve converted them into cauliflower lovers.
MORE FAVORITE LOW CARB RECIPES!
Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower florets
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese room temperature
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1/3 cup shredded monterey jack see notes
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil.
- Chop the cauliflower into small macaroni-sized pieces. Add to the boiling water and boil for 5 minutes.
- Drain the water from the pot and add the heavy cream, cream cheese, cheddar, monterey jack, mustard, salt, pepper, and hot sauce to the hot pan with the cauliflower.
- Stir well until the cheese has fully melted, 2-3 minutes. If needed, turn the heat back on briefly to help melt the cheese but don’t cook for long or you’ll have a grainy cheese sauce.
- Serve immediately.
Lawanda Lewis says
Delicious
Thanks for I really sharing