Cauliflower Cheese is a British dish that is served as a side or even as a main (vegetarian!) It’s a cauliflower bake, smothered in a creamy cheese sauce that’s popped in the oven until bubbly and golden. While perhaps not the lightest dish in my repertoire, it is however hands down the most delicious cauliflower recipe I know!
Cauliflower Cheese
A really great Cauliflower Cheese recipe has been on my radar ever since I experienced a great example at a well-known steakhouse in Sydney some years ago!
There’s plenty of recipes out there that tell you to just boil up some cauliflower, cover it in a béchamel sauce, throw in some cheese, and bake it. While that’s totally fine, you do end up with that distinctly sulphurous, boiled cauliflower flavour (not my favourite taste in the world) and run the risk of patches of watery sauce.
The better way to make Cauliflower Cheese? Roast the cauliflower. It’s got better flavour and avoids the pitfalls of a watery sauce. Second tip: Umm … don’t hold back on the cheese! Be bold and true to the name – Cauliflower CHEESE!!
What goes in Cauliflower Cheese
Here’s what you need to make Cauliflower Cheese:
1. Roasted cauliflower
As mentioned above, I really believe it’s better to roast rather than boil or steam the cauliflower like most recipes do. Roasting coaxes out more flavour instead of boiling it all away!
To roast cauliflower, we just need salt, pepper and a little olive oil. And a cauliflower. 😂 A big one! We need 1kg / 2lb of florets after removing from the main stem. This equates to around a 1.25kg / 2.5lb whole cauliflower head (or 2 small, or 1 1/2 medium).
2. Cheese sauce for Cauliflower Cheese
Here’s what you need for the cheese sauce. This is called a Mornay sauce, and is nothing more than béchamel sauce (white sauce) with cheese added!
Flour and butter – Melted butter cooked with flour is called a roux and this is what thickens the Mornay sauce;
Milk and cream – The liquids for this cheese sauce. Cream is optional. It enriches the sauce for an extra-luxurious finish and I highly recommend it if you’re making this for company. But for everyday purposes, just using milk is fine!
Cheeses – I like to use two different cheeses in the recipe. Specifically:
Red Leicester – A sharp English cheddar-like cheese which packs a good flavour wallop, and adds a distinct orange-y tinge to the sauce. Easy sub for US: Your orange cheddar. It has the same colour and similar flavour. Other subs: Any cheddar cheese;
Gruyère – A semi-hard Swiss cheese with the most gorgeously nutty flavour and superior melting qualities. It is not the cheapest cheese here in Australia, so reserve this for when you want the best of the best. For other times, use Swiss cheese (which is a mass-produced cheese in the style of gruyère and similar Alpine cheeses), Jarlsberg, more cheddar, Colby or other melting cheese of choice;
Nutmeg – A classic inclusion for béchamel-based sauces, which lifts the creamy flavour. But it’s not the end of the world if you don’t have it! Use freshly grated nutmeg if you can. Whole nutmeg for grating are inexpensive and last “forever”, and the flavour really is so much better!
🇦🇺 PRO CHEESE TIP for fellow Australians: Give Tasty cheese a miss for cream sauces like that for Cauliflower Cheese. It has a tendency to split and the melting qualities are not always the best.
How to make Cauliflower Cheese
Here’s how to make Cauliflower Cheese:
Prepare to roast – Break/cut cauliflower into bite-size florets. Toss in oil, salt and pepper then spread on a large tray. Don’t make them too small otherwise they will cook too quickly and become overly soft which can lead to a watery sauce (overcooked cauliflower leaches water);
Roast for just 20 minutes at 220°C / 430°F (200°C). The cauliflower will be mostly cooked but still be a bit firm inside and will have a bit of colour on it. It will finish cooking in the sauce;
Heat milk and cream using your method of choice, either in a saucepan or a jug in the microwave. Heating the milk helps to ensure the sauce is silky smooth with less whisking effort;
Make sauce – Using a large saucepan or small pot (big enough to hold the cauliflower added later), cook melted butter and flour for 3 minutes over medium-low heat. This step is to cook out the rawness from the flour.
Make sure it’s on a low heat so the mixture doesn’t brown. We want a white sauce! Now slowly pour the hot milk in while whisking continuously to ensure your sauce will be lump-free. Keep stirring the sauce over the heat for about 1 minute and you’ll notice it thickens quite quickly;
Add cheese – Stir in the cheese. This thickens the sauce considerably, which is why we don’t need to cook the sauce to thicken it as long as we do in other recipes made with béchamel sauce;
Coat cauliflower – Add cauliflower and mix to coat in the cheesy sauce;
Transfer to baking dish – Pour the mixture in a baking dish and top with shredded cheese; and
Bake 30 minutes until it’s bubbly, golden and fabulous. That moment when you pull it out of the oven … *faints*!!!
.
Isn’t the golden colour of the sauce amazing?? That’s the Red Leicester at work. It’s worth hunting down for this dish! As I mentioned above, those of you in the States can just use your everyday cheddar for the same colour effect and very similar flavour. 🙂
What to serve with Cauliflower Cheese
This is a cauliflower side dish that’s unapologetically indulgent, intended to replicate the luxury you’d expect from sides offered at high end steakhouses or a particularly lavish Sunday roast.
So with that in mind, some mains that come to mind that will go exceptionally well with this include:
Steaks – Cooked using a cheffy technique of basting the steak with garlic and thyme-infused butter;
Prime Rib – the creme de la creme of all beef roasts! Got an economical or lean roast beef joint instead? Marinate it!
Roast Chicken – Slathered in herb and garlic butter. Else try a brined one, use your slow cooker, or make Crispy Herb Roasted Chicken pieces instead;
Roast Pork – With a crispy crackling to die for!
Roast Lamb – Either a leg, Slow-roasted Lamb Shoulder, or Lamb Rack (crumbed or rosemary and garlic-marinated).
Or for something a little speedier, try:
Juicy pan-seared marinated Pork Chops;
Quick, crispy Garlic Chicken Thighs;
Crispy Pan-fried Fish Fillets;
Garlic Prawns/Shrimp <–- YES!!
And as I mentioned in the introduction, while most people think of this as a side dish, it’s certainly also main-worthy. Vegetarians in particular have good reason to go bonkers. But no one at all in their right mind would ever turn down a big bowl of this!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Cauliflower Cheese
Ingredients
Roasted cauliflower:
- 1kg / 2 lb cauliflower florets (1 very large, 1 1/2 medium or 2 small cauliflower heads, Note 1)
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
Cheese sauce (Mornay sauce):
- 60g / 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3½ tbsp flour , plain / all-purpose
- 1 cup milk (full fat best)
- 1 cup cream (or more milk)
- 1/2 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg powder (freshly grated is best)
- 1 cup Red Leicester cheese (or cheddar), grated (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup gruyère cheese , grated (or other melting cheese of choice, Note 2)
Topping:
- 1/2 cup Red Leicester cheese (or cheddar), grated (Note 2)
- 1/2 cup gruyère cheese , grated (or other melting cheese of choice, Note 2)
Instructions
Roasted cauliflower:
- Preheat oven to 220°C / 430°F (200°C fan).
- Toss cauliflower in oil, salt and pepper. Spread on a large tray.
- Roast 20 minutes (don't turn). Cauliflower should still be a bit firm, but with some colour on them. Remove from oven.
- Turn oven down to 180°C/350°F.
Cheese sauce (Mornay sauce):
- Heat milk: Heat milk and cream until hot – either on the stove or in microwave.
- Make roux: Melt butter in a large saucepan or small pot over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring regularly, for 3 minutes.
- Add milk: While stirring, pour in half the milk. Once the roux is dissolved into the milk (mixture will thicken), stir in remaining milk. Stir on the heat for 1 minute – mixture should be thick enough to coat a wooden spoon.
- Add cheese: Turn the stove off, but leave the pot on the turned off stove. Stir in salt, nutmeg and both cheeses. The cheese will thicken the mixture so it's like a thick sauce.
- Mix in cauliflower: Add cauliflower and toss to coat in the sauce.
Bake:
- Fill baking dish: Transfer mixture to a 2L / 2qt baking dish (30 x 20 x 5cm / 12 x 8 x 2").
- Top with cheese: Sprinkle over gruyère followed Red Leicester cheese.
- Bake at 180°C/350°F for 30 minutes until the cheese is melted, and cauliflower is bubbly and golden.
Recipe Notes:
- Red Leicester – An orange coloured, sharp English cheddar-like cheese. Used for its excellent flavour and colour. US: Sub with your cheddar, it’s virtually the same. Others: Sub Swiss cheese (which is mass-produced gruyère-like cheese), Jarslberg, Colby, cheddar, or any other cheese. (For Australia, I do not recommend Tasty cheese, it doesn’t melt so well in this type of sauce);
- Gruyère – A type of Swiss cheese with a gorgeous nutty flavour and superior melting qualities. Sub with any of the above listed, or other type of Alpine cheese (emmental, comte).
Nutrition Information:
More baked and roasted vegetable goodness!
Life of Dozer
Action shot of Dozer captured by Kevin from Unleashed Northern Beaches Dog Photography at Bayview beach on the weekend!
Made this dish last weekend and it was a winner. Thanks Nagi will definitely be making it again
I wonder if this recipe also can use a mix of brocolli and cauliflower ?
Yes definitely Christina!! N x
Oh my gosh Nagi! I’ve never made cauliflower cheese with a recipe before but I have loved many of your other recipes so I thought I’d try it out. It’s not doing my cholesterol any good but that’s the best cauli cheese I’ve ever had. Sssh… don’t tell my Mum.
this was a hit 🤤 definitely a staple side!!! Big win!
Hi Nagi,
I made this on Friday night for my family (just the 30 of them) and everyone loved it. I even bought the expensive cheeses as I wanted the true experience. Will defiantly make this again.
Thank you.
Jodi
Woah go Jodi!!! 👏👏👏 N x
Would frozen cauliflower work in this or would it not roast properly?
Hi Sam, I find it doesn’t roast quite as well, but thaw and pat it dry thoroughly before roasting. N x
Five Stars? More like “When you wish upon a Star” for the best food — Nagi nails it!
Wow — Cauliflower Cheese was so delicious, it tasted like a fabulous secret recipe restaurant dish that makes you crave more!
As it happened, I didn’t have a Leicester or orange cheese, but used Monterey Jack cheese and the smoked orange colored Gruyere.
I sliced two slabs of corned beef from the prior evening’s dinner and heated it in the pan for about ten minutes. So wonderful. Thanks again Nagi — and tons of love for Dozer!!
Doubled this recipe to feed my family of 9, and wow, this was divine. It’s kind of like mac’n cheese’s sophisticated cousin. I followed the suggestion of another commenter, and topped it with some crunchy fried onions, and served it with a cucumber side salad. Instant menu staple!
I’m so glad it was a hit Claudia, that’s great to hear!!! N x
Like n very nice this cook n simple
Thanks so much Sy! N x
OMG …. 😁 I made this last night and it certainly was THE best Cauliflower Cheese I have EVER made!! Thank you so much for the recipe.
I always make my Cauliflower Cheese the traditional way – steamed cauliflower, white sauce with cheese mixed through (how I was taught when I was training to become a Home Economist a few decades ago!! 😉), but this was certainly next level.
I didn’t have Red Leicester or Gruyere on hand, however I did have a block of Thomas Dux 24 month aged cheddar (found at Woolworths) and Swiss Cheese which worked beautifully. I did have cream on hand, which certainly contributed to the silkyness of the sauce.
As an added lazyness, I used my Thermomix to make the cheese sauce, which, as always, worked perfectly!!
Happy days ….. I can’t wait for lunch leftovers today. Thank you, thank you once again. 😋😋
The Thomas Dux range at Woolworths does have Red Leicester you may of just been unlucky this time. Hopefully they have it for you next time. I haven’t made this yet … Hurry up Monday!
If you like Red Leicester, give Sage Derby a shot. Not in this dish maybe, but it’s excellent!
Worth a try!
Will do Andy!! N x
I LOVE cauliflower! My husband, doesn’t. I know it sounds crazy, but could this be made with broccoli instead? I would love to make this, maybe for a work covered dish lunch…
More for you then Cheryl 😂 you could try with broccoli, or even this recipe here might suit: https://discountspot.info/creamy-parmesan-garlic-broccoli-casserole-gratin-bake/%3C/a%3E – N x
Yes Nagi, deffinately more for me, but I like to shove vegetables into that meat and potatoes man on occasion! The Broccoli Casserole looks Amazing!!! I will try it for sure. Thanks!
Hi Nagi, I am an 80 year old male who cooks for myself and my daughter and her family every Tuesday evening. I have been using your recipes for about a year and your recent recipe for Cauliflower cheese is just sensational. Being of English descent this recipe took me back to when my mother used to make it. Thank you for allowing me to reminisce just by making Cauliflower cheese. Kind regards Allen Nelson
Oh I love this Allen, thank you SO much for taking the time to let me know. ❤️ N x
Sweet Jesus Nagi!! I don’t think I have ever seen a sexier-looking cauliflower bake!!! I haven’t made it yet but I am making a shopping list right now!! I am teaching my 17yo son to cook and we use your recipes everytime! he has learned so much and you have given him so much confidence in the kitchen .. thank you. Xx
WOOT!!! That’s great Serena! I know you’ll love this one – as will your son! N x
Cauliflower (and broccoli actually) with cheese just reminds me of my Scottish grandma! Although hers was boiled and the cheese sauce was a flour-based situation (she’s 95, no shade!). Can’t wait to try your version, your recipes have turned out for me every time 🙂
I’d love to know how it compares Meredith!! N x
Can i use frozen cauliflower? Thanks
I made this for Christmas dinner and it was a huge hit! I didn’t have the fancy cheeses and just used marble cheese and it was still fantastic! I can’t wait to make this with the proper cheeses! My mom said it’s the best cauliflower and cheese she’s ever had and my husband has already requested it again!
Well, I’m originally from the UK, and I will definitely be making this dish. I think roasting veggies enhances the flavour so I’m with u there.
Yes 100% Isabel – it’s SO much better! N x
Always, who doesn’t. And we love dearest Dozer. We once had a very beloved, very daft dog who thought w everyone loved her as much as we did. She was a rescue dog.
Why pre cook the cauliflower????? Ive made cauli in sauce for years. Just put the raw seperated florets in a dish, cover with sauce and cheese and bake for 30mins at 180. Absolutely the best way.
Hi Craig, if you read the blog post above, I talk all about this 😉 it’s time to take your cauliflower next level! I hope you try this way! N x
Hello Nagi, Thank you for all the great recipes. I need your help please. When I thaw frozen chicken thighs and drumsticks, it oozes blood and continues to do so when it’s cooking. (Even after several washes in cold water) Is there a solution to what I consider a problem because I don’t like to see the blood which often curdles and leaves dark patches in the gravy. Many thanks, Nagi.
Hi Esther, always thaw your chicken and pat dry thoroughly. If you find it’s still oozing liquid, it sounds like the meat is stewing – depending on the recipe, sounds like you need to turn the heat up a little to help sear and lock in those juices. N x
If you ever decide to put a calendar together of Dozer I would buy it. He’s so adorable and he keeps my little girl smiling.