• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Culinary Lion
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
      • Appetizers
      • Main Dishes
      • Salads
      • Side Dishes
      • Soups
    • Dessert
    • Cocktails
    • Meal Prep
    • Sauces
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Contact
  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Appetizers
  • Soups
  • Salads
  • Side Dishes
  • Main Dishes
  • Dessert
  • Cocktails
  • Meal Prep
  • Sauces
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Culinary Lion » Recipes » Keto Dinner Recipes » Keto Main Dishes » Best Keto Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower

    Best Keto Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower

    by Frank Campanella 4 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    The ultimate keto comfort food recipe. Cheesy Cauliflower Keto Mac and cheese is the recipe that everyone turns to when they are craving traditional Macaroni & cheese.

    Keto Cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe

    My recipe is far from the first Cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe but I have a few tricks to making it one of the best.

    Follow a few easy steps to make your cauliflower Mac and cheese superior to other recipes.

    Keto Mac and Cheese Recipe

    Ingredient List

    • Cauliflower 2 Heads
    • Heavy Cream
    • Chicken Stock
    • Pork King Good Breadcrumbs
    • Cream Cheese
    • Boursin Cheese
    • Shredded Sharp cheddar
    • Fontina Cheese
    • Grated Parmesan
    • Real Salt
    • Sugar Free Dry Rub Seasoning

    Instructions

    1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil w/ 2 tsp Real Salt
    2. Cut two heads of raw cauliflower into even bite-sized florets. Boil for 7-9 minutes until tender but still firm
    3. Shock cauliflower in ice water to stop cooking process then drain and pat completely dry. if cauliflower is not completely dry, bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes while you prepare the cheese sauce
    4. To make cheese sauce bring cream and chicken stock to just below a simmer then whisk in Boursin and softened cream cheese with salt and bbqueen seasoning. Whisk until smooth.
    5. Next slowly whisk in the cheddar and fontina cheeses in small increments until fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Finally whisk in Parmesan Cheese.
    6. In a separate bowl combine cheese sauce and fully dried cauliflower. Then pour into enameled cast iron or oven safe casserole dish.
    7. Cover the top of the cauliflower mixture with a layer of cheddar, Parmesan and fontina as well as Pork King Good Breadcrumbs. Broil on the bottom rack of the oven on the low setting until golden brown (about 5 minutes)

    How Long to Boil Cauliflower

    Let’s begin with the cauliflower itself, boiling the cauliflower ahead of time is key.

    When cutting up the cauliflower make sure your pieces are similar in size so they cook evenly. Another trick is to salt the water just like you would pasta.

    Two or even three teaspoons is not too much salt when boiling your cauliflower.

    Most of that salt will be washed off when shocked in cold water but enough will absorb into the cauliflower to season throughout.


    Single serving Keto cauliflower Mac and cheese

    The cauliflower should be tender but not fully cooked. Since you’re cooking the cauliflower twice you’ll need to account for it baking in the cheese sauce.

    You should test the cauliflower after it’s boiled for six minutes by poking with a fork. If you overcook the cauliflower you’re going to have a consistency closer to mashed cauliflower...but that’s another recipe.

    As soon as the cauliflower is cooked it’s important to shock the cauliflower in cold water and drain thoroughly. If you don't you'll have soup not Mac.

    Pork King Good Breadcrumbs Cauliflower Mac

    Why is My Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Watery??

    One complaint I’ve seen with recipes using cauliflower is that they’re watery. Cauliflower itself has a high water content and boiling it only adds more.

    To make this Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese the best its important to make sure you drain all the water and pat the cauliflower dry before adding it to the sauce.

    Even after draining the cauliflower there is still a lot of water locked inside the vegetable itself. You need to at the very least pat the cauliflower dry after you’ve drained it.

    Another trick is to pop the cauliflower in the oven spread out on a sheet pan. You don’t want to cook the cauliflower but just dry it out a bit.

    I recommend 8-10 minutes at 300 degrees F. Just long enough to make your cheese sauce.

    Keto Cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe

    Let’s Get Cheesy with this Keto Mac and Cheese

    All cheese sauces are not created equal. Different cheeses have different flavors and create different textures.

    I like to use a combination of soft and hard, mild and sharp cheeses to develop the ultimate cheese sauce.

    Cheeses like Parmesan or Romano are hard nutty cheeses where as cream cheese and Boursin are soft and creamy.

    When you combine all of them together you get the perfect balance of flavor and texture.

    How to keep the cheese sauce from getting oily.

    The second secret to cheesy perfection is temperature. Too often I see people bring their cheese sauce to a boil and then wonder why their sauce is greasy and grainy.

    A cheese sauce should never reach a boil. Even when the cauliflower Mac is baking in the oven.

    Single serving Keto cauliflower Mac and cheese

    I decided to use a combination of heavy cream and chicken stock. When preparing the sauce start with the soft cheeses like Boursin and cream cheese to begin thickening the sauce.

    Then add your melty cheddar cheese then finish with your hard Parmesan Cheese. This will give you the velvety smooth texture we’re looking for.

    Once the cheese sauce and cauliflower is ready to combine, gently fold the sauce and cauliflower together before pouring into your baking dish.

    I like to use an enameled cast iron pan but any Pyrex or oven safe casserole dish will due.

    Finally before broiling I top the cauliflower mixture with a layer of cheddar and crushed Pork Rinds. 

    Single serving Keto cauliflower Mac and cheese

    Pork Rind Breadcrumbs...Do I have Your Attention!

    You can make your own but as a great time saver I use Pork King Good Breadcrumbs. They’re the perfect texture and ready in a moments notice to add to any recipe.

    If you’re oven has a low broil Setting that is ideal otherwise  place your cauliflower Mac on the lower rack so the cheese has enough time to bubble and brown without burning.

    The cauliflower Mac will have everything you want in a cheesy casserole. A crispy crust on top with tender cauliflower enrobed in a velvety smooth sauce.

    This is just a base recipe, now it’s up to you to make it yours. Add bacon or jalapeños for an extra kick. Play with the cheeses and seasoning to change the flavor profile. Please let me know if you make this Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.

    More Keto Cauliflower Recipes

    • Baked Feta Cauliflower
    • Cauliflower and Mushroom Risotto
    • Five Cheese Cauliflower Soup
    • Ricotta Mashed Cauliflower
    • Cauliflower "Potato" Salad

    Ultimate Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole Keto

    Ultimate Keto Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower

    Culinary Lion
    The ultimate keto comfort food recipe. Cheesy Cauliflower Mac and cheese is the recipe that everyone turns to when they are craving traditional Macaroni & cheese.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Casserole, Main Course, Meal Prep
    Cuisine American
    Servings 12
    Calories 242 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 8 cups Cauliflower 2 Heads
    • 1 cup Heavy Cream
    • 1 cup Chicken Stock
    • ½ Cup Pork King Good Breadcrumbs
    • 4 oz Cream Cheese
    • 4 oz Boursin Cheese
    • 1 cup Shredded Sharp cheddar
    • ⅔ cup Fontina Cheese
    • ⅓ cup Grated Parmesan
    • 3 tsp Real Salt
    • ½ tsp DAK's BBQueen Spice Rub

    Instructions
     

    • Bring a pot of salted water to a boil w/ 2 tsp Real Salt
    • Cut two heads of raw cauliflower into even bite-sized florets. Boil for 7-9 minutes until tender but still firm
    • Shock cauliflower in ice water to stop cooking process then drain and pat completely dry. if cauliflower is not completely dry, bake in the oven at 300 degrees F for 10 minutes while you prepare the cheese sauce
    • To make cheese sauce bring cream and chicken stock to just below a simmer then whisk in Boursin and softened cream cheese with salt and bbqueen seasoning. Whisk until smooth.
    • Next slowly whisk in the cheddar and fontina cheeses in small increments until fully melted and incorporated into the sauce. Finally whisk in Parmesan Cheese.
    • In a separate bowl combine cheese sauce and fully dried cauliflower. Then pour into enameled cast iron or oven safe casserole dish.
    • Cover the top of the cauliflower mixture with a layer of cheddar, Parmesan and fontina as well as Pork King Good Breadcrumbs. Broil on the bottom rack of the oven on the low setting until golden brown (about 5 minutes)

    Notes

    Serving Size ⅔ Cup

    Nutrition

    Calories: 242kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 9gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 886mgPotassium: 266mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 702IUVitamin C: 32mgCalcium: 182mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword cauliflower, Cheesy
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    Nutrition Facts
    Ultimate Keto Mac and Cheese with Cauliflower
    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 242 Calories from Fat 189
    % Daily Value*
    Fat 21g32%
    Saturated Fat 13g81%
    Cholesterol 69mg23%
    Sodium 886mg39%
    Potassium 266mg8%
    Carbohydrates 6g2%
    Fiber 1g4%
    Sugar 2g2%
    Protein 9g18%
    Vitamin A 702IU14%
    Vitamin C 32mg39%
    Calcium 182mg18%
    Iron 1mg6%
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

    Single serving Keto cauliflower Mac and cheese keto

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Amanda

      January 28, 2020 at 11:14 am

      5 stars
      This is so good! I don’t have the seasoning you recommend so I used Old Bay instead...I’ll have to try the one you recommended because as much as I love the Old Bay I tend to over-season when using it to get the kick that I want. It still came out delicious and made enough for a leftovers all week, and even reheats great which made dinners super easy.

      Reply
      • Culinary Lion

        January 28, 2020 at 10:55 pm

        Thats Fantastic!!! Old Bay makes everything better, so glad you enjoyed the recipe!!

        Reply
    2. Sheri Knauer

      April 29, 2021 at 2:00 pm

      I made this the other day and it was awesome! I didn't have the DAKs BBQueen spice so I used what I had, which was Primal Special from Nose to Tail. Turned out great. All the adults loved it!
      Thanks for another great recipe!

      Reply
      • Culinary Lion

        April 30, 2021 at 11:56 am

        Love to hear this!! thank you so much for leaving a review!!!!

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Frank

    Hey Everyone, My name is Frank Campanella. I've spent the last 20 years as a chef in restaurants throughout the mid Atlantic cooking everything from seafood and steak to classic pub grub. Now I'm taking all thoses recipes and giving them a low carb/ Keto facelift. I hope you love flavorful delicious food because that is the only recipe you will find here. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to sign up for the mailing list so you can get all the latest recipes.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Sliced Keto Pan Piza-Pizza Hut Copycat
      Keto Pan Pizza Crust Pizza Hut Copycat
    • Keto seafood imperial recipe
      Keto Seafood Imperial Recipe
    • Corned Beef Keto Reuben Chaffle
      Keto Reuben Chaffle: Katz Deli Copycat
    • Instant pot chicken jalapeno popper soup overhead pic
      Keto Chicken Jalapeño Popper Soup

    Ketofy Your Inbox

    Sign up to receive all of the latest low carb recipes.



    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Nutrition & Affiliate Disclosure

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Media Kit

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Culinary Lion