Creamy Cauliflower Casserole made with just a handful of basic ingredients is a delicious low-carb side dish for all your feasts and gatherings! This keto-friendly recipe is quite the crowd-pleaser!
When it comes to all things creamy and cheesy, I’m the easiest person on the planet to impress. Douse it in sauce and/or cheese, and I’m sure to be ecstatic!
This Creamy Cauliflower Casserole is no exception. It’s devilishly creamy (yet cream-free…we’ll get to that in a second), cheesy, and tickles your taste buds for a healthier, low-carb side dish.
Cauliflower is roasted, then swaddled in that cream-less creamy sauce, then sprinkled with cheese and baked together into gooey deliciousness. If you need more convincing, just add bacon…in fact, bacon is highly encouraged!
For those of you entertaining guests during the holidays, I find this to be a marvelous addition to any feast. It is compliant with many types of lifestyles (or diets), and is just an all around great to any main course.
Let’s discuss the details so you know what you’re getting into!
A Note About Dairy:
I’ve found many folks who are sensitive to dairy like me can tolerate certain types of cheeses (or all cheese) while staying away from fresh dairy, like milk, cream, butter, etc.
For this reason, I use full-fat canned coconut milk for the sauce in this creamy casserole.
If you tolerate dairy well, you can easily replace the coconut milk with half & half or heavy cream! On the flipside, if you are entirely dairy-free, you can replace the grated cheese with your favorite vegan grated cheese.
The simple ingredients for this delicious side dish are straightforward, and can be found at any grocery store. Let’s chat!
Ingredients for Cauliflower Casserole:
Head of Cauliflower: Two medium-sized heads of cauliflower, or around 5 to 6 cups when chopped, is what goes into this casserole. Cauliflower is subtle in flavor, making it an all-star vegetable for picky eaters, and/or dishes where you want specific flavors (in this case: cheese) to shine.
It is also low in carbohydrate and high in fiber, making it suitable for those who follow a low-carb diet, and/or those trying to keep it clean.
For the best results, I recommend sticking with fresh cauliflower over frozen cauliflower.
Avocado Oil: Used for roasting the cauliflower and sautéing the onion, I like using avocado oil because it has a high smoke point, subtle flavor, and won’t burn during the cooking process. Olive oil works too.
Onion & Garlic: Onion and garlic add marvelous flavor to any dish, and works wonders in this cauliflower casserole. We sauté the onion until it is nearly caramelized to bring a huge flavor infusion to the dish.
Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream: Instead of using half & half, heavy cream, sour cream, or cream cheese for the sauce, I use full-fat canned coconut milk. It makes for an ultra silky-smooth sauce with a touch of natural sweetness. Swap it for heavy cream if you’d like.
Cider Vinegar: While optional, cider vinegar adds tang to the “cream” sauce, mimicking the flavor of sour cream to produce an extra decadent flavor. You can also use lemon juice or rice vinegar, or skip it altogether.
Egg Yolks: Egg yolks help thicken the sauce, making it extra creamy and sultry. Save the egg whites in a glass tupperware container for an omelet or a scramble so they don’t go to waste!
Cheese: The cheese is everything in this cheesy cauliflower casserole! It helps bind the roasted cauliflower together, gives the casserole an irresistible flavor and goo. Grated cheddar and jack cheese are my cheeses of choice here.
You can easily use mozzarella, cheddar cheese, Monterey jack cheese, gouda, gruyere, parmesan cheese or any types of cheese you love! Just be sure the cheese you use is freshly grated (rather than packaged pre-grated cheese), as pre-grated cheese doesn’t melt as well as freshly grated!
Sea Salt: Per usual, we use sea salt for roasting the cauliflower and in the sauce to ensure all of the flavors come together like magic.
Now let’s make it! The step-by-step photos make preparing this keto cauliflower casserole a breeze.
How to Make Creamy Cauliflower Casserole:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly oil a large casserole dish.
Wash the cauliflower well and pat dry. Remove the green stems, chop cauliflower into florets and add to the prepared casserole dish. Roast cauliflower florets in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until it begins turning golden-brown.
While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the creamy cheese sauce.
Make the Sauce:
Pour 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to a large skillet and add the chopped onion. Sauté onion, stirring occasionally until it begins to brown, about 10 minutes.
Add the garlic and coconut milk and bring to a full boil. Cook at a full boil, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, until thick and the sauce pulls away from the pan when stirred.
Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool for 3 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, add into the sauce mixture and stir well.
Place the skillet back on the stove top and heat over medium-high again and heat until mixture is steamy but not boiling. Stir in the cider vinegar and 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir until melted and thick.
Remove sauce from the heat. Taste sauce for flavor and add more sea salt and/or cider vinegar to taste.
Make the Casserole:
By the time the sauce is ready, the cauliflower should be out of the oven (or close to it). Pour the sauce over roasted cauliflower.
Stir the sauce into the cooked cauliflower very well until everything is well-coated in sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of grated cheese into the cauliflower mixture.
Bake at 425 for for 5 to 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
Place oven on the high broil setting and move the casserole to the second-to-the-top shelf of the oven. Broil for 1 to 3 minutes, until cheese is golden brown and slightly crispy.
Sprinkle cauliflower casserole with chopped green onions and black pepper and serve.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days. Or, store the whole casserole dish wrapped in plastic wrap.
Recipe Adaptations:
- Does your family love bacon?? Cook up 4 to 6 slices of thick-cut bacon until it’s nice and crispy. Add half of it to the sauce once it has finished cooking, and sprinkle the other half on top of the casserole once it’s out of the oven.
- If you’re a broccoli lover, swap one of the heads of cauliflower with a large crown of broccoli.
- Replace the coconut milk with 1 ⅔ cups half & half, heavy cream, or a combination of cream, sour cream, and/or cream cheese. If using cour cream or cream cheese, I suggest using 4 to 6 ounces (or about ½ to ⅔ cup) along with half & half or heavy cream to ensure the casserole isn’t overly rich.
- Make recipe entirely dairy-free by replacing the grated cheese with vegan grated “cheese” of choice.
- Use garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
Easy enough for busy weeknights and fancy enough for a dinner party or family gatherings, this irresistible side dish is perfect for the winter season.
More Healthy Side Dish Recipes:
- Dairy-Free Creamed Spinach
- Creamy Tuscan Spaghetti Squash
- Shaved Brussel Sprout Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash
- Balsamic Roasted Vegetables
- Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
- Kabocha Squash Casserole
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
Get that cheese!
Creamy Keto Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 medium-sized heads cauliflower about 5 to 6 cups chopped
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 (15-oz) can full-fat coconut milk or 1.5 cups heavy cream
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups grated cheese
- 1 Tbsp cider vinegar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt to taste
For Serving:
- 2 stalks green onion chopped
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Roast the Cauliflower:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and lightly oil a large casserole dish.
- Wash the cauliflower well and pat dry. Remove the green stems, chop cauliflower into florets and add to the prepared casserole dish. Roast cauliflower in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until it begins turning golden-brown.
Make the Sauce:
- While the cauliflower is roasting, prepare the sauce. Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to a large skillet and add the chopped onion. Sauté onion, stirring occasionally until it begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and coconut milk and bring to a full boil. Cook at a full boil, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes, until thick and the sauce pulls away from the pan when stirred.
- Remove Sauce from heat and allow it to cool for 3 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl, add into the sauce mixture and stir well. Place the skillet back on the stove top and heat over medium-high again and heat until mixture is steamy but not boiling. Stir in the cider vinegar and 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir until melted and thick. Remove sauce from the heat. Taste sauce for flavor and add more sea salt and/or cider vinegar to taste.
Make the Casserole:
- Pour the sauce over roasted cauliflower. Stir the sauce into the cauliflower very well until everything is well-coated in sauce. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese.
- Bake at 425 for for 5 to 6 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- Change oven to the high broil setting and move the casserole to the second-to-the-top shelf of the oven. Broil for 1 to 3 minutes, until cheese is golden-brown and slightly crispy.
- Sprinkle casserole with chopped green onion and sprinkle with black pepper. Serve!
What would you replace the two yolks with to make this a vegan dish?
Hi Krysten! You can replace the egg yolks with 2 to 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour, gluten-free all-purpose flour, or tapioca flour. Hope you enjoy! xo
Can you freeze this casserole?
In my limited experience with freezing cauliflower, it has a funny texture when reheated, but I feel like if you add enough cheese (or fat) to anything, it tends to reheat well. So if you freeze it, I would add a little additional coconut milk and cheese to the casserole to make sure it has nice flavor and texture when thawed and reheated. 🙂 xoxox
This was so good! I added shredded rotisserie chicken and bacon to make it more of a meal and to stretch it as there are 6 of us. I can’t have dairy and I don’t care for vegan cheese so I added 2 Tbs nutritional yeast to give it a bit of “cheezy” flavor. Since I added a bunch of chicken I probably should have doubled the sauce. It was so yummy I wanted more of it. That amount of time to roast the cauliflower was perfect. Not mushy but not too crunchy. We had zero left overs and my pickiest kid devoured it. Definitely will be making this again!
Oooh yum! I love the idea of adding rotisserie chicken! Thanks so much for the sweet note, Jill! xo
It’s in the oven now and smells so good. The only change I made was to add a dash of cayenne . Thanks for the great recipe
My pleasure! I hope you love it! xoxo
I’m really excited to try out this recipe! I’m wondering why it calls specifically for 2 egg yolks, and not 1 or 2 full eggs? Especially considering you commented above that we could omit the egg altogether.
Hi Tricia,
The egg yolks make the sauce thick. As an option, you can omit them and simply cook the sauce longer to condense it in order to make it thick. I wouldn’t recommend using a full egg, as the egg white will become gritty, so the texture will not be smooth. Let me know if you have any other questions! xoxo
What can I use as a replacement for the egg? Also do I drain the coconut milk and use just the fat part of the coconut?
Hi Kathy,
You can either omit the egg altogether or add an additional tablespoon of flour. Use the full can of coconut milk. So if there’s separation between the fat and water, you’ll still use the whole thing 😀 xoxo
Thank you for this delicious recipe! I made it yesterday and utilized some of the additions you suggested such as a cauliflower and broccoli mixture, a nice Gruyere and Swiss cheese mix, a can of coconut milk from the Indian store; I already had all of these things in the pantry/freezer so it was a breeze. The only thing I didn’t have were green onions and I regret that as I can see how they would have really set it off even more so.
This is an excellent recipe, my wife and I both really enjoyed it, and the best thing is we’ll have great leftovers for a few more days! Thanks again!
I’m so happy you and your wife enjoy it, Charlie! I love the gruyere and swiss cheese mix adaptation…it sounds so lovely! Thanks so much for the sweet note and feedback! xoxoxo 😀