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Cauliflower au Gratin recipe is rich and creamy with a delicious cheese sauce. It is a healthy alternative to potatoes au gratin. Learn how to make this easy side dish.

Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.
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Cauliflower au gratin recipe

There is something so delicious about this creamy sauce with lots of cheese. Your family might not even notice that it’s cauliflower. This amazing cauliflower gratin is very simple to prepare and makes a great side dish.

We also love to make this Easy Cheesy Cauliflower Rice Recipe and Keto loaded cauliflower . Cauliflower is very tasty!

In fact, Cauliflower au gratin is one of our favorite side dishes. The entire family raves about it and absolutely loves it. Give it a try and see what everyone is talking about.

What is Cauliflower au Gratin?

It is a healthier alternative to au gratin potatoes. The cauliflower is a tasty substitute and the entire dish is baked in a rich cheese sauce.

Everything you love about au gratin potatoes is packed into a baking dish. Each bite is coated in the best cheese sauce.

The entire casserole is topped with even more cheese and baked to perfection. It is simply amazing.

The cheese on top makes it even better for the best blend of ingredients.

Ingredients for Cauliflower au gratin.

Ingredients

  • Cauliflower florets
  • Olive oil
  • Butter
  • All-purpose flour
  • Milk
  • Salt and pepper.
  • Sharp cheddar cheese shredded & divided
  • Gruyere or swiss cheese shredded, or additional cheddar 

Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.

How to make cauliflower au gratin?

  • Preheat oven. It should be set to to 400°F.
  • Prepare the cauliflower. Rinse the cauliflower and cut into bite-sized florets. Toss with olive oil.
  • Bake until tender. Place on a baking sheet and roast 15-20 minutes or until fork tender. Be careful that you do not overcook the cauliflower.
  • Make the sauce. While cauliflower is roasting, melt butter in a saucepan. Once melted, add the flour until smooth and let cook for 1 minute. Add the milk a little at a time while whisking until smooth.
  • Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt and black pepper. Add in 1 cup gruyere cheese and half the cheddar cheese. Whisk until smooth and without lumps.
  • Combine cheese sauce and cauliflower. Toss cheese mixture with roasted cauliflower and place in a 2 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.
  • Bake. Finally, bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
  • Broil the casserole. Then Broil 1-2 minutes or until browned.

What to serve with Cauliflower au gratin?

Why is my cauliflower au gratin watery?

Water au gratin is often the result of excessive liquid from the cauliflower. This can occur when it is steamed or boiled.

We recommend roasting the cauliflower as it does not have the excessive liquid. The roasting process helps to remove the liquid.

If you prefer to boil the vegetable, it is important to drain very well so it does not make the dish watery.

Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.

Tips for cauliflower au gratin:

  • The cheese sauce should be cooked over medium heat. Do not let it boil or the sauce might separate.
  • Don’t reduce the amount of cauliflower. The rich sauce needs the allotted amount of cauliflower to balance out the heaviness from the sauce.
  • Save time and use uncooked cauliflower that has already been washed and cut into pieces.
  • The cauliflower should be cooked until fork tender. Be careful not to overcook it or the casserole will be mushy after it’s baked.
Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.

Variations:

  • Bread Crumbs. Substitute bread crumbs instead of the cheese on top prior to baking.
  • Broccoli. Combine broccoli with the cauliflower for another flavor packed side dish idea.
  • Ham or Chicken. Dice meat and combine with the cauliflower. This will make this heartier. Bacon is another great idea.
  • Veggies. You can add onion, zucchini or any vegetables you like to the baking sheet. Allow everything to roast together with the cauliflower.
  • Cheese. If you can’t find Gruyere, substitute swiss cheese. This will have similar results. You can also use provolone cheese.
Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.

How to store:

Cover and refrigerate the leftovers up to 4 days. When ready to enjoy, reheat in the microwave or oven until heated through.

Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.

Try this easy side dish.

It is very simple to make and turns out fabulous. You might be surprised how much everyone will enjoy this cauliflower recipe.

The rich cheese sauce is so creamy and tastes amazing with the tender veggies. It is baked to perfection and each bite is so wonderful.

This easy recipe is a great way to get the kiddos to eat more vegetables. Everyone will love the cheesy sauce that is so flavorful.

Cauliflower au gratin in a casserole dish.

Print this cauliflower au gratin recipe below:

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Cauliflower Au Gratin

5 from 18 votes
Cauliflower au Gratin recipe is rich and creamy with a delicious cheese sauce. It is a healthy alternative to potatoes au gratin. Learn how to make this easy side dish.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings 8
Cuisine American
Course Side Dish
Calories 226

Ingredients

  • 8 cups cauliflower florets about 2-3 lbs
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded & divided
  • 1 1/3 cup Gruyere or swiss cheese shredded or additional cheddar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400°F.
  • Rinse cauliflower and cut into bite-sized florets. Toss with olive oil.
  • Place on a baking sheet and roast 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.
  • While cauliflower is roasting, melt butter in a saucepan. Once melted, whisk in flour until smooth and let cook for 1 minute. Add the milk a little at a time while whisking until smooth.
  • Cook over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in salt and black pepper. Add in 1 cup guyere cheese and half the cheddar cheese. Whisk until smooth.
  • Toss cheese mixture with roasted cauliflower and place in a 2 qt casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bake 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
  • Then Broil 1-2 minutes or until browned.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 226kcal, Carbohydrates 8g, Protein 11g, Fat 17g, Saturated Fat 8g, Polyunsaturated Fat 1g, Monounsaturated Fat 6g, Trans Fat 0.1g, Cholesterol 42mg, Sodium 267mg, Potassium 372mg, Fiber 2g, Sugar 3g, Vitamin A 417IU, Vitamin C 48mg, Calcium 333mg, Iron 1mg

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Carrie. Welcome to Eating on a Dime!

I’m on a mission to help you cook delicious meals without busting your budget. Together we are going to cook real food… for real families!

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Comments

  1. Oh that is a great idea. We will try to start doing that. Thank you for commenting and being a long time follower. 🙂

  2. 5 stars
    Hi Carrie,
    Thank you for all your awesome recipes, tips and and great ideas. I’ve followed your blog and we love your recipes. I Pin so many and also print them but wondered if it would be possible to add your Tips and Variations to the recipe cards also? One either has to hand write them on or go back and copy and print them after. It would be so helpful. Thanks for your consideration.

  3. 5 stars
    Friend
    Another hit awesome cauliflower augratin cheeses blended
    Perfect cauliflower Al denta wonderful recipe
    Thanks again