Get ready to indulge in the creamy, cheesy goodness of our Cheesy Cauliflower Bake recipe. This mouthwatering dish combines tender cauliflower florets with a luscious cheese sauce, creating the perfect comfort food that will leave your taste buds dancing. It's made with simple ingredients and is the perfect side to serve with a variety of main dishes.
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This recipe takes just 30 minutes to make, and you'll love the buttery, golden-brown topping. Whether you're a fan of classic side dishes or seeking a low-carb alternative, this recipe is a must-try for family dinners, holidays, and special gatherings.
If you are a big cauliflower fan, you'll also love our cauliflower mushroom recipe with garlic lemon butter or this tasty crispy parmesan pesto cauliflower!
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❤️Why we love this recipe
- Flavorful and hearty. The rich cheese sauce, seasoned with oregano, smoked paprika, and more, adds a burst of flavor that perfectly complements the tender roasted cauliflower. Even picky eaters will love this delicious recipe.
- Easy to make. With simple ingredients and basic steps, this recipe is very easy for both beginners and experienced cooks to make.
- Very versatile. Whether you're following a low-carb or keto diet or simply looking for a delicious side dish, this cheesy cauliflower bake can be easily enjoyed by many! This recipe can also be made gluten-free, and even dairy-free and vegan.
- Great for gatherings. Elevate your next dinner party, Thanksgiving dinner, or Christmas Eve, Easter, and more with this creamy and satisfying dish.
🧀Ingredients
Here are the ingredients we used for this recipe. You can find more information for substitutions below.
- Cheese. Make sure to buy blocks of parmesan and cheddar and shred them yourself. Pre-shredded bags of cheese don't always melt properly, because they have additives in them, so you'll want to grate it yourself.
- Milk and heavy cream. You can also substitute one for the other, or just use half and half.
Visit the recipe card for the full quantities and nutritional information.
✨Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions on additional flavors to try, or simple variations to this recipe.
- Experiment with different types of cheese, such as Monterey Jack, mozzarella cheese, havarti, gouda, cream cheese, and more. Any type of cheese you like will work well!
- For extra flavor, add a sprinkle of garlic powder or onion powder to the breadcrumb topping.
- Season to taste. Add in some Italian seasoning instead of oregano, or add it in addition to oregano.
- No chives? You can omit them if you want, or use green onion instead.
- No fresh cauliflower? You can use "steam in a bag" cauliflower for a shortcut to save time.
✨Variations
- Gluten-free. Simply swap the all-purpose flour with a 1:1 gluten free flour. We like using Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour. You can also omit the breadcrumbs, or use gluten-free breadcrumbs.
- Low carb or keto. If eating low-carb or keto, just omit the breadcrumbs or replace them with crushed pork rinds. You may also want to replace the flour with almond flour, xanthan gum, or even a bit of cream cheese to thicken the sauce.
- Dairy-free and vegan. Swap the butter with olive oil or vegan butter, use plant-based milk and cream, and swap the cheeses for your favorite dairy-free cheeses. We like Follow Your Heart.
- Make a loaded baked cauliflower. When the cauliflower comes out of the oven, add some bacon bits, sour cream, and green onions.
🔪Prep work
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Grease a 13x9-inch casserole dish.
- Dice the onion.
- Mince the garlic and chives.
- Cut the cauliflower up into small florets.
- Grate the cheddar and parmesan cheese.
- Measure out all remaining ingredients.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
📋Instructions
To steam, add to a Dutch oven or saucepan with some water and salt. Bring the water to a boil, then add the cauliflower, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. (Image 1)
Drain, then place the cauliflower in the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle the cauliflower with a bit more salt.
Add butter to a skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt, and cook until it starts to soften. Sprinkle in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning. (Image 2)
Add in the garlic and seasonings, and cook until garlic is fragrant, stirring often to prevent burning, for about 1 minute. (Image 3)
Reduce the heat to medium-low, then slowly stream in the cream and milk, stirring to combine. (Image 4)
Once the milk and cream mixture is hot but not boiling, reduce the heat to low, and add cheese in small handfuls, (Image 5) stirring constantly until melted. Wait until one handful of cheese is melted before adding another one.
Once all the cheese is melted and smooth, adjust the seasonings to taste. (Image 6)
✨Pro Tip: Make sure to shred the cheese yourself so that it melts properly. Be careful not to add too much cheese at once, or else it may clump up in the sauce.
Pour the cheese sauce over top of the cauliflower in the casserole dish. (Image 7)
Toss with a rubber spatula to coat the cauliflower completely. (Image 8)
In a separate small bowl, combine the parmesan, bread crumbs, chives, and melted butter with a pinch of salt. (Image 9)
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of the cauliflower. (Image 10)
Bake for 23-30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. (Image 11)
Allow the cauliflower to cool for a few minutes before digging in. Garnish with more chives, salt, and pepper if desired. Enjoy!
✨Tips & tricks
- Grate the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded bags of cheese don't always melt properly, because they have additives in them, so you'll want to grate it yourself.
- Don't burn the garlic! Just cook it until fragrant and slightly golden for optimal flavor. Make sure to stir often.
- Add the cheese slowly. Add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly until melted completely before adding more cheese. This will help ensure that the cheese doesn't clump up in the sauce.
- Keep the heat on low. When melting the cheese, keep the heat on low to prevent the milk from scalding or curdling, and to help the cheese to melt gently and not clump up or separate.
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💭Frequently Asked Questions
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, in the air fryer, or oven.
We don't recommend freezing this dish, as it will change the texture of the cheese sauce.
More Recipes To Consider
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📖 Recipe
Cheesy Cauliflower Bake
Equipment
- 13x9-inch baking dish
- Rubber Spatula
Ingredients
- 2 heads cauliflower, cut into florets (about 2 - 2.5 pounds)
- 2 cups water + 1 teaspoon kosher salt for steaming the cauliflower
- 3.5 teaspoons kosher salt, divided and to taste
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 8-10 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup all purpose flour (30 g)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- ½ cup whole milk (or any milk)
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (to taste)
- 8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 ounces parmesan cheese, freshly grated and divided
- 1-2 tablespoons fresh chives, minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish and set aside.
- Start by steaming the cauliflower. To steam, add the florets to a Dutch oven or saucepan with about ½-inch of water and about 1 teaspoon of salt. The amount of water you need will depend on the size of your pan - we used about 2 cups. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft. Drain, then place the cauliflower in the prepared casserole dish, and sprinkle the cauliflower with a bit more salt. Set aside.
- In the same skillet, add 4 tablespoons of butter and melt over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt, and cook until starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
- Sprinkle in the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring to prevent burning.
- Add in the garlic and seasonings, and cook until garlic is fragrant, stirring often to prevent burning, for about 1 minute.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, then slowly stream in the 2 cups of cream and ½ cup of milk, stirring to combine.
- Once the milk and cream mixture is hot but not boiling, reduce the heat to low, and begin adding the cheddar cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly until melted, and waiting until one handful of cheese is melted before adding another one.
- Adjust the seasonings to taste, then pour over top of the cauliflower in the casserole dish. Toss to coat the cauliflower completely.
- In a separate small bowl, combine 2 ounces of parmesan, 1 cup of panko bread crumbs, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter with a pinch of salt and chives. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the top of the cauliflower.
- Bake for 23-30 minutes, until bubbly and golden brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes before digging in!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat gently in the microwave, in the air fryer, or oven. We don't recommend freezing this dish, as it will change the texture of the cheese sauce.
Save This Recipe! 💌
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Notes
- Grate the cheese yourself. Pre-shredded bags of cheese don't always melt properly, because they have additives in them, so you'll want to grate it yourself.
- Don't burn the garlic! Just cook it until fragrant and slightly golden for optimal flavor. Make sure to stir often.
- Add the cheese slowly. Add the cheese in small handfuls, stirring constantly until melted completely before adding more cheese. This will help ensure that the cheese doesn't clump up in the sauce.
- Keep the heat on low. When melting the cheese, keep the heat on low to prevent the milk from scalding or curdling, and to help the cheese to melt gently and not clump up or separate.
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