Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
One pot, ready in about 20 minutes, and super cheesy! This low carb side dish is a big hit in my house - with the kids and the adults both! The small chop and way the sauce fully coats the cauliflower helps this taste more like macaroni rather than just veggies topped with cheese sauce.
Servings 4 servings
Calories 281kcal
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.
Notes
You can use any blend of cheese that you like, but we always start with cheddar. A smoked gouda or gruyere is delicious in place of the monterey jack, but you can really use whatever you have on hand so long as it melts nicely.
The hot sauce doesn’t make this spicy - just adds a little depth to the cheese sauce.
If you want a baked mac and cheese situation, pour this into a 9x9 baking dish and top with an extra layer of cheese. Pop it in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes or so to melt that top layer of cheese. Turn on the broiler if you like the cheese nice and browned, but keep a close eye on it.
This recipe was updated in 2025 with a creamier, stovetop, more mac & cheese-y version of the previous baked recipe. (The new version is better, promise!) The old recipe did have a crispy garlic topping made with almond meal. If you’d still like that crispy topping, add ¼ cup almond flour, 1 tablespoon melted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon garlic salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Bake the cauliflower mac and cheese in a 9x9 for 10 minutes, sprinkle this mixture over the top, and turn to broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the topping.
Nutrition
Calories: 281kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 615mg | Potassium: 407mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 766IU | Vitamin C: 55mg | Calcium: 320mg | Iron: 1mg