This classic cauliflower cheese recipe starts with roasting the cauliflower first for added flavour. Add an easy cheese sauce and a short trip to the oven, and you’ll have bubbly, browned and luscious cauliflower and cheese side dish.
This make-ahead friendly cauliflower and cheese is perfect served alongside a simple protein, such as grilled or roast chicken, grilled steak, sausage or pork chops or served with a simple green salad and crusty bread.
Before there was cauliflower “rice” and cauliflower “wings”, there was cauliflower cheese. No need for quotes here. The cauliflower in this one isn’t standing in for anything. It’s just cauliflower being cauliflower, coming together with a beautiful and creamy cheese sauce. It’s a classic, and it’s pretty much cauliflower perfection, in my opinion. So if you’re looking for the a great cheesy cauliflower side dish, I thought I’d bring it back around :)
This baked cauliflower cheese recipe roasts the cauliflower in the oven before combining it with the cheese sauce and baking. Roasting brings great flavour out of the cauliflower, but also cooks off some of the extra moisture in the cauliflower, which prevents the always dreaded watery cheese sauce. It makes for the best cauliflower cheese!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Cauliflower – Any nice medium to large fresh head of cauliflower will work best here. A small cauliflower will also work if that’s all that’s available, but you’ll have a little more sauce-to-cauliflower ratio, which will be heavy on the sauce side.
I don’t recommend using frozen cauliflower, as it doesn’t roast up well and is likely to be quite mushy after roasting and baking.
Cheese – I prefer a nice aged, mature white cheddar for the best flavour in the cheese sauce. A nice sharp cheddar cheese works well here, also. Technically, any cheese will work here, though, so use what you enjoy or have on hand. Always grate the cheese fresh and avoid pre-shredded, bagged cheese, which have anti-caking agents that can lead to a grainy cheese sauce.
Heavy Cream – Heavy (whipping) cream (35% b.f.) is the best choice for the absolutely creamiest sauce. If you don’t have any on hand, or you prefer a lighter sauce, you could use a lighter cream, such as Half and Half (10% b.f.). In a pinch, you could also use all milk in the same quantity, though the creaminess and thickness of the sauce will be diminished.
Milk – I’d recommend whole milk here (3-3.5% b.f), for best results. 2% will work, but I wouldn’t go below 2%.
Flour – Note that the recipe specifies a range of flour, which is what you can adjust to control the thickness of the cheese sauce, as well as adjusting the thickness if using a lower-fat cream or milk. See the Recipe Card Notes section for more details.
Nutmeg – A pinch of nutmeg does wonderful things to a cheese sauce! If you can find the nutmeg that comes with its own grinder, even better; otherwise, just use powdered nutmeg.
Recipe tips!
- Be sure to roast the cauliflower just until tender with just a few golden spots. Test it with a knife to be sure it’s tender, then remove. You don’t want to roast the cauliflower to the point where it is deeply browned and shrunken, as all the moisture will be cooked out and it will be dry.
- Add the milk/cream mixture in small increments (a scant 1/4 cup-ish at a time), to ensure a smooth sauce.
- Be sure to properly season your dish, starting with seasoning the cauliflower before roasting and ending with tasting and seasoning the cheese sauce at the end of cooking it on the stove-top, to really bring out the flavours.
Top tip!
Turning off the heat under your pot (or removing it from the burner if you have an electric stovetop) immediately after adding the cheese helps to ensure a smooth and creamy sauce, as the cheese is allowed to melt slowly from the residual heat in the sauce. Melting cheese too quickly can lead to a grainy cheese sauce.
Variations
- Change up the cheese or use a combination of cheeses. Gruyere and Parmesan is always a winning combination if you want a change from cheddar.
- Add a bit of mustard powder to the cheese sauce if you like. About a 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon or so would work here.
- Add some buttered bread crumbs to the top before baking, if you like.
- If you prefer, you can certainly boil and drain the cauliflower, as well. Be sure to cook only until tender and dry well before combining with the cheese sauce to avoid a watery sauce. Leftover cooked cauliflower is also an option to skip the roasting part altogether.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
Making Ahead – If you’d like to make this ahead, assemble the roasted cauliflower and cheese sauce into the baking dish, then cover tightly and refrigerate to bake later. Bake as directed, but allow for a bit of extra oven time (5-10 minutes) if going straight from the fridge to the oven.
Storing – You can store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat in the microwave or loosely covered with foil and reheated in a 350F oven until warmed through.
Freezing – Yes, you can freeze cauliflower cheese either before or after baking. If freezing, use a freezer-to-oven container (foil or glass) and then bake from frozen to enjoy. Bake in a 400F oven until bubbly and golden.
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Get the Recipe: Cauliflower Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 medium to large head cauliflower
- olive oil
- salt and Pepper
Cheese Sauce:
- 4 Tablespoons (57 g) butter, salted or unsalted
- 3-4 Tablespoons (45-60 g) all-purpose flour, *see Note 1 below
- 1 cup (240 ml) milk, at least 2% b.f.
- 1 cup (240 ml) whipping cream, 35% b.f. *see Note 2 below
- 2 cups (480 ml) aged cheddar cheese, freshly grated, well packed
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- pinch nutmeg, grated or powdered
- additional salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. (non-convection/ not fan-assisted)
- Prepare and roast the cauliflower: Remove the leaves and core from the cauliflower and break off the florets into large chunks. If you like, you can cut away most of the stalks and just use the florets or use the stalks and all. Cut the florets into equal-sized, bite-sized pieces, but not too small or they will overcook in the oven.
- Place the cauliflower in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Dump out onto a baking sheet and scatter into an even layer. Roast in the pre-heated oven for about 15-18 minutes or until just tender (test with a knife) and lightly golden in spots. Remove from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on at 400F.
- Tip! Always use freshly grated cheese for cheese sauces. Pre-shredded, bagged cheese has anti-caking agents added that can cause a grainy cheese sauce.
- Prepare the cheese sauce: Measure out your milk and cream in a 2-cup measuring cup and set aside. Grate your cheese and have it ready to use.
- In a large saucepan (you'll be adding the cauliflower to it later, so make sure it's big enough to hold it), melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 2 minutes, or as long as you feel you can without it scorching. Reduce the heat under the pan to medium-low. Pour in a small amount of the cream/milk and whisk until a smooth paste forms. Add a bit more milk and whisk again until smooth. Add a bit more of the milk and whisk until smooth again. Add the remaining milk a bit at a time and whisk until smooth, until all the milk has been added. Cook sauce over medium-low heat, whisking regularly, until the sauce noticeably thickens, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the pot from the heat and add the cheese to the pot all at once. Stir in the cheese with just 2 or 3 stirs, then let stand without stirring for about 2 minutes, then stir it all together. The cheese should have all melted into the sauce. If by chance it hasn't, you can return the pot to the burner over low heat to finish the melting. Add the nutmeg and stir in. Taste the sauce and add salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed. (I generally find I need to add another 1/4 teaspoon more salt.)
- Add the roasted cauliflower to the pot with the cheese sauce and stir to completely coat the cauliflower. Spoon the cauliflower cheese mixture into a baking dish large enough to hold it all. Place the baking dish on top of a baking sheet to catch any bubbling over.
- Place into the preheated 400F oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes or until it is bubbly and deep golden on top. If you'd like to brown it even more, switch the oven to broil for 1-2 minutes. Watch closely to avoid over-browning! Remove from the oven and let stand a few minutes before serving, to allow the sauce to set up.
- Refrigerate leftover cauliflower cheese tightly covered for 3-4 days. Yes, you can freeze cauliflower cheese either before or after baking. If freezing, use a freezer-to-oven container (foil or glass)and then bake from frozen. Allow additional oven time from frozen. Heat until bubbly and golden.
Notes
- Roast the cauliflower just until tender with just a few golden spots. Test it with a knife to be sure it’s tender, then remove it. You don’t want to roast all of the moisture out of it.
- When making the cheese sauce, add the milk/cream mixture in small increments (a scant 1/4 cup-ish at a time), to ensure a smooth sauce.
- Be sure to properly season your dish, starting with seasoning the cauliflower before roasting and ending with tasting and seasoning the cheese sauce at the end of cooking it on the stove-top, to really bring out the flavours.
- Turning off the heat under your pot (or removing it from the burner if you have an electric stovetop) immediately after adding the cheese helps to ensure a smooth and creamy sauce, as the cheese is allowed to melt slowly from the residual heat in the sauce.
- I’ve detailed some great Variations above this recipe card, if you’d like to change it up now and then.
More cauliflower recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Your comment about serving this with a salad, as you would Mac n Cheese, got me thinking about the additions often made to Mac N Cheese…..so I sauteed onions, bacons and mushrooms with the butter, then pushed the ‘bits’ to the side of the pan to make the roux. I continued the recipe from that point, using the mustard powder, grated nutmeg and a dash of cayenne. This is a truly great Cauliflower Cheese.
Hi Barbara and sounds delicious! So glad you enjoyed it :) Sorry about the comment glitches. I’m doing some site maintenance and it was probably your issue.
Can’t wait to try this, if I cook from frozen do I need to up the time/ temp? Thanks
Hi Holly, the temperature would stay the same, just increase the cooking time until warm and bubbly.
This is the kind of cozy comfort food that I need for cold winter days! Looks delicious Jennifer. We love our cauliflower in our house. And I really like the bit of nutmeg that you added to this recipe. I’ll have to give it a try soon!
Thanks Leanne :)
If I could swim in that pan I would! Cheesy cauliflower is a long-time favorite! This looks perfect!
Lol! I would, too :) Thanks Annie!
That cheese sauce looks incredibly delicious Jennifer! I’m a big cauliflower fan, so I’ll be trying this soon!
Thanks so much, Mary Ann :)
I’ve never tried cauliflower cheese but that’s going to change right now! Oh boy it looks delicious. So creamy, cheesy and spoon licking good. I bet I burn my tongue trying to eat this asap – haha.
It’s a treat, for sure Tricia! Definitely worth trying this one :)