Cauliflower Mac and Cheese - The Plant Based School (2024)

Table of Contents

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• Serving suggestions
• More cauliflower recipes
• More vegetable side ideas
• Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe

Don’t get us wrong; we love eating carbs and pasta; however, we think this cauliflower mac and cheese is an excellent alternative to the classic one with macaroni because it’s lighter, packed with veggies, and, most importantly, super tasty!

It still definitely falls into comfort food despite being low-carb, thanks to the super creamy cheese sauce. It will satisfy your wildest cravings.

Also, the recipe is straightforward to make in 3 steps:

1. Boil the cauliflower in lightly salted water;
2. Make the cheese sauce with butter, milk, flour, and cheese (dairy-free butter, milk, and cheese works well too);
3. Drizzle the sauce on the cauliflower and bake in the oven for just over 10 minutes till the cheese gets all melty and golden brown.

Even the pickiest of eaters are going to love this recipe. It’s a wonderful way to add more veggies to your diet.

Cauliflower

You can make this recipe with fresh cauliflower or with frozen cauliflower florets.

However, we did test this with both, and the fresh cauliflower keeps a more al dente texture and absorbs less water.

Overall, fresh cauliflower produces better cauliflower mac and cheese.

Butter + flour + milk

Butter, flour, and milk make a quick creamy base sauce to melt the cheese in and coat the cauliflower.

You can easily use vegan butter and plant-based milk to make the recipe vegan. We used unsweetened soy milk.

To make the recipe gluten-free, substitute cornstarch (always read the label to ensure it’s 100% gluten-free) for the flour.

Cheese

We are looking for the best combination of meltability and flavor for mac and cheese.

The challenge is that cheese that melts well (younger cheese with more water content) usually has a mild taste, and cheese with a strong flavor (more mature with less water content) doesn’t melt well.

Safe bet

Traditionally, cheddar cheese (or sharp cheddar cheese) is used for mac and cheese because it perfectly balances meltability and flavor.

And to be honest, it works wonderfully in this recipe too. Cheddar melts wonderfully, it’s a little sharp but not overly so, and you can get a block and easily grate it yourself.

Also, cheddar will give you a flavor and color closest to the original mac and cheese you grew up with.

Something new

Having said that, if you want to try something different, or if you want to make a vegan cauliflower mac and cheese, there are many alternatives to cheddar cheese.

You can use a mix of fontina (or gruyere) and parmesan for an incredible, refined, yet crazy cheesy and comforting flavor with sharp notes and off-the-charts umami.

Make sure you melt them in the white sauce with the heat off for the best results.

Or you can mix shredded Colby and grated Pecorino Romano. The Colby melts wonderfully, giving that creamy orange finish; the Pecorino adds the tang and herby, slightly spicy flavor.

Other cheeses that melt well are Monterey Jack, American, cream cheese, and gouda, but their taste isn’t the richest, so I would pair them with a more mature and flavorful cheese like Parmesan, Pecorino, or Cheddar.

Tips for melting

When it comes to melting the cheese, remember that pre-grated cheese won’t melt as well as a block of cheese that you grate yourself at home.

This is because the pre-grated stuff is mixed with stabilizers and additives that won’t allow the cheese to melt completely.

We tried this and struggled to get a velvety smooth cheese sauce.

To fix that, pour the sauce and the cheese into a blender and go at it for a minute. The result will surprise you.

A perfectly smooth cheese sauce you’ll want to drink out of the blender jug (joking, don’t do that).

For vegans

I had minimal hopes when I set myself to veganize this recipe because vegan cheese doesn’t melt that well and doesn’t taste like cheese.

However, I was blown away by the result, and I am very excited by the vegan version of this cauliflower mac and cheese (that’s the one you see in the pictures, by the way).

Challenge number 1: vegan cheese doesn’t taste much, so you’ve got to add something else to boost flavor.

Our recommendation is to double the salt, add 4 tablespoons of nutritional yeast, and double the garlic powder. You’ll get a rich and pleasant cheese flavor this way.

Challenge number 2: most vegan cheese doesn’t melt well. If that’s the case for you, don’t panic.

Transfer the sauce with the partially melted cheese into a blender and go at it for a minute.

You’ll get a wonderfully creamy, cheesy sauce perfect for this cauliflower mac and cheese.

Salt and pepper

We recommend using sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Garlic powder

This one’s optional. If you use good quality cheese, you won’t need it. But if you use cheaper or vegan cheese, I recommend adding some garlic powder.

Nutmeg

This is also optional and somewhat less traditional. However, nutmeg is the perfect flavor match with cauliflower, cheese, and creamy dishes, so we recommend it. We wouldn’t make this dish without it.

Cut the cauliflower into florets, then boil it in a large pot with lightly salted water until tender but not mushy.

It should take about 10 -15 minutes, but it depends on the cauliflower, so check with a fork if yours is ready.

When ready, drain it and set it aside. While cauliflower boils, make the sauce.

Alternative: want a more crunchy, smokey cauliflower mac n cheese with a tender-crisp texture?

Roast the cauliflower florets in the oven, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and seasoned with olive oil and salt, for 30 minutes at 400°F or 200°F.

Oven-baked cauliflower works well in this recipe and keeps a nice crunch and flavor.

2. Make the cheese sauce

In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and whisk on low heat for about 1 minute.

You should see the mixture bubble and turn golden brown.

Pour in the milk while whisking, then set the heat to medium and stir for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.

Tip: to speed things up, you could warm the milk in the microwave before adding it to the saucepan.

When the sauce has thickened but is still very much pourable, turn the heat off.

Add salt, black pepper, grated nutmeg, and shredded or grated cheese.

Stir until the cheese melts fully, and you get a silky smooth cheese sauce.

Tip: If your cheese clumps up and doesn’t blend fully, you can blend the sauce with an immersion blender or transfer it into a regular blender and go at it for a minute till it’s velvety smooth.

3. Bake the dish

Transfer the boiled or roasted cauliflower to a baking dish or casserole dish. We use an 11×8-Inch one.

Pour the cheese sauce on top, moving the cauliflower around the dish so that the cheese sauce gets into all nooks and crannies.

Cover with a layer of shredded or grated cheese if you like that golden brown thin cheese crust on top.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350°F or 180°C for 10 minutes.

Then set the oven to broiler function and broil until the cheese on top melts and makes that irresistible golden brown cheese crust.

Serve this cauliflower mac and cheese with a protein–rich main, for example:

• Lemon “chicken” tofu (tofu, lemon, corn starch, garlic, rosemary, flour).
• Lentil wellington (mushroom, carrot, celery, lentils, walnuts, tomato paste).
• Vegetarian meatballs in tomato sauce (tofu, olives, walnuts, cornstarch, oregano).
• Mushroom tofu cutlets (button mushrooms, tofu, porcini, white wine, garlic).
• Fried tofu in a crispy leafy salad (tofu, cornstarch, garlic powder, paprika, chili).

Or make this your centerpiece by serving it with colorful vegetable sides:

• Shaved Brussels sprout salad (Brussels sprouts, walnuts, dried cranberries, maple syrup).
• Red cabbage slaw (red cabbage, carrots, green apple, walnuts, mustard, maple syrup).
• Fennel and orange salad (fennel, black olives, orange wedges, pine nuts, olive oil).
• Chickpea salad (chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, corn, black olives, cucumber, mustard).
• Tomato salad (heirloom tomatoes, basil, red onion, balsamic vinegar, olive oil).
• Green bean salad (green beans, tomatoes, shallots, mustard, olive oil, dairy-free feta).

Make ahead: cauliflower mac n cheese is a good recipe for meal prep because it keeps well in the fridge for a few days, and you can even freeze it.

Also, if you have people over, you can assemble the dish up to a day in advance and keep it in the fridge wrapped in plastic. Then, bake it a bit longer if it comes from the refrigerator.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer: let it cool down completely, transfer it to a freezer-friendly container, and freeze it for up to 3 months.

Thaw: defrost over several hours in the fridge.

Reheat: reheat in a preheated oven at 400°F or 200°C for 10 -15 minutes or in the microwave for 2 minutes.

If you’re curious about cooking with broccoli, get easy and wholesome inspiration from these cauliflower dinner ideas:

• Creamy cauliflower soup (cauliflower, nutmeg, garlic, onion, thyme, potato).
• 10-minute cauliflower rice (grated cauliflower, parsley, salt, pepper).
• Cauliflower curry (cauliflower, coconut milk, ginger, garlic, curry, turmeric, chickpeas).
• Lighter cauliflower alfredo sauce (cauliflower, milk, dairy-free ricotta, parsley).
• Cauliflower lentil salad (canned lentils, cauliflower, cumin, parsley, maple syrup, mustard).

• Roasted zucchini (zucchini, breadcrumbs, parmesan or dairy-free, garlic, rosemary).
• Air fryer asparagus (asparagus, olive oil, lemon, garlic, fresh parsley).
• Easy roasted fennel (fennel, olive oil, pepper, salt, parmesan, or dairy-free cheese).
• Eggplant pizza (eggplant discs, marinara sauce, garlic, oregano, cheese, or dairy-free).
• Cauliflower mashed potatoes (cauliflower, potato, milk, nutmeg, dairy-free parmesan).

For many more side dish ideas, check out our sides category page.