When I want comfort food, this keto cauliflower Mac and cheese always hits the spot. Perfectly cooked cauliflower mixed with a decadent creamy and cheese sauce, this keto Mac and cheese will be a hit.
Keto cauliflower Mac and cheese
This recipe is one of the first ones I ever made when I first started a keto diet. I believe having a good keto cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe is essential for anyone following a low carb lifestyle because it is a classic. I need comfort food so I like to pair this with some keto chicken tenders or air fryer chicken thighs.
Have you ever tried mustard in your Mac and cheese? If not, you should definitely give it a try. It is a tip I learned from the Pioneer Woman years ago. It makes this keto cauliflower Mac and cheese so delicious!
Ingredients needed
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this keto cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For a printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
1 Large head of cauliflower
½ tbsp Kosher salt - this is used to season the water the cauliflower will cook in.
2 oz Cream cheese
â…“ cup Heavy Cream
½ Tbsp Mustard Powder (More if desired) - you could also use a little dijon mustard.
1 Cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese - I prefer mild cheddar but sharp would work as well.
8 Slices Bacon, diced and cooked until crisp
kosher salt to taste
How to make keto Mac and cheese
This section explains how to make this low carb cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe, step by step. For a full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
Cut your cauliflower florets from the stem. You want to make each floret small, no bigger than 1 inch in diameter.
Add the florets to a medium saucepan with ½ tablespoon of salt. Add enough water to come half way up the cauliflower
Cover the pot and bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 minutes
Drain cauliflower and keep it draining for at least 5 minutes
For the cheese sauce, in a small saucepan, melt the cream cheese with the heavy cream over medium low heat, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Add in the mustard powder and season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl, add cauliflower and bacon, pour cheese sauce on top and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
garnish with extra cheese and bacon.
Is cauliflower pasta keto friendly?
There are a lot of companies now making cauliflower pasta. It seems like this would be a good thing for people on a keto or low carb diet, but not really. They are still a high carb pasta, the companies just put a little vegetables in the recipe because that is the popular thing to do at the moment.
Tips for the best cauliflower mac and cheese
- In my opinion, bacon makes everything better and adds a nice crunch, but you can omit it from this dish.
- For a traditional baked macaroni and cheese flavor, put the cauliflower Mac and cheese in a baking dish, sprinkle some cheese on top, and bake it in the oven at 400F until it is nice and bubbly.
- Use any cheddar cheese you like. Sharp cheddar cheese adds a nice bite to the keto cheese sauce.
- Mix in some steamed broccoli or chicken
- Top the keto Mac and cheese with crushed pork rinds or parmesan cheese for variety.
Storage and reheating instructions
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave for a couple of minutes, or until heated through. Unlike traditional mac and cheese where the noodles absorb the cheese sauce and they dry out in the microwave, this dish microwaves well.
- Freezing this keto cauliflower Mac and cheese is not recommended.
More cheesy vegetable recipes
- Cheesy air fryer asparagus
- Cheesy keto broccoli with bacon
- Keto shrimp and cheesy grits
- Super cheesy Zucchini Casserole
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Keto Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Large head of cauliflower
- ½ tablespoon Kosher salt
- 2 oz Cream cheese
- â…“ cup Heavy Cream
- ½ tablespoon Mustard Powder (More if desired)
- 1 Cup Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese
- 8 Slices Bacon, diced and cooked until crisp
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut your cauliflower florets from the stem. You want to make each floret small, no bigger than 1 inch in diameter.
- Add the florets to a medium saucepan with ½ tablespoon of salt. Add enough water to come half way up the cauliflower
- Cover the pot and bring to a boil, reduce to low and simmer until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 minutes
- drain cauliflower and keep it draining for at least 5 minutes
- For the cheese sauce, in a small saucepan, melt the cream cheese with the heavy cream over medium low heat, add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and whisk until melted. Add in the mustard powder and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a medium bowl, add cauliflower and bacon, pour cheese sauce on top and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- garnish with extra cheese and bacon.
Jennifer's tips
- Make the florets small so the cheese sauce coats every nook and cranny.
- I put ½ tablespoon of mustard powder in the recipe but I added 1 tablespoon to my own dish. It gave it a nice kick!
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy only. Please re-calculate on your own with the ingredients and amounts you used for the most accurate data.
Nina says
I just made this. Delicious! Thank you.
Kelley says
The best cauli mac I have ever had! Thank you so much for sharing your life & recipes!
Sam says
I love this recipe so much Mmmmm!
Thanks Jennifer 😋
Carmen says
Very good
Barb B says
Huge hit at Thanksgiving this year. Thank you so much for this recipe. Helped me stay on track and even the non keto folks loved it!
Crystal Johnroe says
This was delicious! I’m not a big fan of cauliflower, but I will definitely put this in my meal rotation.
Lori Keim says
Making this creamy cheesy deliciousness again tonight to go with your turkey meatloaf...love love love
Dyan says
Delicious!! This is an every week staple for me from now on!!
Virginia says
Very good!.
Do you have the counts on this carbs, calories, fiber, protein?
jenniferbanz says
Yes, that info is in the recipe card under the video
Linda M Roe says
Is this per serving? If so what is a serving size? What's the net carn count?
NUTRITION
Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g
jenniferbanz says
yes, per serving. 1 serving is 1/4th of the recipe
Karen Ellis says
Hi Jennifer I'm in uk and as you are aware European labelingfor carbs already has fibre deducted. I love all your recipes. Does this mean that carbs for this dish for me will be 9 per serving. Thanks Karen
jenniferbanz says
I did not know that, Karen. I would calculate the nutrition based on what ingredients you have available.
Andrea says
Really great! I forgot to add the mustard powder but it was so delicious that nobody noticed. The cheese sauce came together very quickly and easily and my whole family (including veggie-averse kids) ate it happily and asked that I make it often. This is easily the best kid-friendly cheesy-veg dish I have ever made, and I've tried a lot! Thanks for a great recipe 🙂
Judy says
Made it last night! Absolutely the best low carb I have tasted so far and the only one I will ever make again. Thank you so much for sharing your fantastic recipes.
jenniferbanz says
So happy to heat that!
Kristi says
Just out of curiosity, why do you recommend grating the cheese yourself instead of using pre-grated cheese?
jenniferbanz says
Pre-grated cheese in America is coated on potato starch or some other type of starch that could result in a grainy cheese sauce. I usually use pre-shredded and just deal with the texture.
lisa garcia says
Outstanding dish! I used sharp cheddar because that is what we like and almost the full tablespoon of mustard. This will be repeated many times at my house!
Tina Sempek says
Love it! Definitely making this more often. Everything tastes great with bacon.
jenniferbanz says
Very true!
Cynthia says
Can I use this with frizen cauliflower rice since I have it on hand?
jenniferbanz says
Yes! I love that idea!
Catina says
First, I had just run out of cream, so used condensed milk instead. Second, the cheese sauce was too thick even when I added more milk-maybe causepart of cheese was shredded? I still put it over the cauliflower and liked it enough to try with better ingredients!
Family doesn’t like cauliflower, so I keep looking for recipes they’ll eat. Although they ate this, they still weren’t thrilled.
I’ll update this rating when I get it right!
Viv says
Yes! Yes! Yes! My kids said they could eat this every time they come for a visit. I am going to try making it with Greek yogurt as one is lactose unfriendly. Is 2 oz. cream cheese about 2 tbsp.? This low carb recipe is very valuable to me as I am diabetic.
jenniferbanz says
Thanks for the review, Viv! 2 ounces of cream cheese is about 2 tablespoons.
Angela Taylor says
What a great alternative to Cauliflower rice, which honestly, I've never really liked and wasn't going to make anymore after throwing most of the last batch out. This is delicious and I actually had to hold myself back from eating double portions. I added salt at the end and won't next time, as it really didn't need more. I made it with the crispy chicken thighs and both are great. Glad I found this blog.
jenniferbanz says
I'm glad you found my blog too, Angela!
Michelle says
Delicious... I will be making this a staple in my recipe reportiore!!!
Vicki says
So, has anyone tried using frozen cauliflower? Have a bag on hand!
jenniferbanz says
You definitely could! You would just skip the boiling part and cook the cauliflower via the instructions on the bag
ginny says
yes and it was great we loved it. I did use shredded cheese and mine was still d
elic.
jennifer says
OH MY GOD
Are you freaking kidding me?
I wasn't quite sure if I'd like this. I only made half the recipe. I want to eat it all. I didn't read ahead and used pre-shredded cheese. It wasn't all that bad. I had to add more cream to smooth it out. Now I can't wait to make it the way intended!
jenniferbanz says
? it is quite addicting!
Dee says
hello, can you please advise the nutritional info? thx
Julie says
I figured it out per serving to be;
286 cal
15.4 g protein
6.1 g net carbs
21 g fat
Mary Lynne says
OH MY GOODNESS! And lots of it!! I didn't have cauliflower but I did have broccoli so I used that and it was sooooo good!! I will be making this with either of those veggies again! Thank you so much!
Donna Eliasen says
I have now made this 3 times since Thanksgiving. This is so delicious!! I did add the mustard powder. I added a tiny bit of nutmeg and it gave it amazing taste! Thank you for this wonderful recipe! <3
jenniferbanz says
I’m so glad you like it!