This gluten free cauliflower cheese is homely comfort food that is easy to make with a creamy flourless cheese sauce baked with cauliflower. It's perfect eaten as a main meal, lunch, or a side dish to accompany a traditional family roast dinner.
This is hands down one of my go-to easy side dishes to accompany a Sunday roast dinner. Just like my gluten free yorkshire puddings it just pairs well with roast beef.
Cauliflower cheese can be used as a vegetarian main dish or a side dish. I also love to reheat the leftovers for a creamy delicious lunch the next day.
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Why we love this recipe
- Homely comfort food - Can be used for a main, side dish, or lunch.
- Gluten free - Use a flourless cheese sauce making it suitable for a gluten-free diet.
- Vegetarian - A popular vegetarian dish or for a meatless dinner night.
- Easy no-fuss recipe - The recipe has been kept simple but tasty.
Ingredients
- Cauliflower - I used 1 large fresh cauliflower head and cut it into florets.
- Whole milk - using full-fat milk makes for a nice creamy cheese sauce but semi-skimmed milk will also work well.
- Cornstarch - is used for thickening the sauce and is great for making cheese sauce without flour. Note that cornstarch is known as Cornflour in the UK. I go into more detail regarding this in my post is cornflour gluten free which you might find useful.
- Mustard powder - adds flavor and as dry mustard is acidic it helps balance the creamy richness of the cheese sauce. Some mustards may not be gluten free so be sure to always check the ingredients label.
- Cheese - I like to use two varieties of block cheese such as mature cheddar and Lancashire cheese. You can use your preferred cheddar cheese but I do love using mature cheddar. Always use block cheese and not the ready shredded cheese as the ready shredded cheese will result in a gritty texture to the cheese sauce.
See the recipe card below for ingredients measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
I have kept this a simple and easy cauliflower cheese but I have included some alternatives and additions you can add to the recipe that my family also loves.
- Breadcrumb topping - Add a layer of gluten-free breadcrumbs to the top of the dish and toast under the grill until golden brown before serving.
- Cayenne pepper - Spice up your recipe with a little cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.
- Almond milk - If preferred you can use almond milk in place of whole milk. Just follow the recipe as directed using almond milk.
Step by Step Instructions
Below is a brief step-by-step process with photos of how to make gluten-free cauliflower cheese. See the recipe card below for more detailed recipe instructions.
Step 1: Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut them into florets. If you have any large florets you can cut them in half.
Step 2: Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil and carefully add the florets. Cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Do not cook for longer than 5 minutes as you don't want to overcook the cauliflower.
Step 3: Gently heat on a medium setting until the milk heats slightly and add mustard powder, salt and pepper. Once the milk is almost at boiling point turn down the heat to a low/medium setting. Stirring continuously.
Step 4: Add the grated cheese gradually one small handful at a time until fully melted and combined. If the sauce thickens too much just add a little extra milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
Step 5: Carefully drain the cauliflower and then rinse with cold water to prevent it from continuing to cook. Then place in the casserole dish.
Step 6: Once your cheese sauce is ready take it off the heat and carefully pour it over the top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle the grated cheese that you previously set aside over the top of the cauliflower cheese and place the casserole dish in the oven. Bake in the oven for approx 15-20 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
Notes: Do not overbake the cauliflower cheese as this will result in a watery sauce. If you want a crispier topping after 15 minutes in the oven place the casserole dish under a hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese topping is crispy and golden.
Serving suggestions
Now you may want some ideas about what to serve with cauliflower cheese. So I have put together a few suggestions that pair well with this recipe that might help.
serve as a side dish alongside
- Gammon steak - Cauliflower cheese pairs really well with grilled gammon steak.
- Roast Meat - Traditionally served as a side dish in the UK for Roast beef, chicken, or lamb. Also, I recommend you add in my gluten free yorkshire puddings, for the complete Sunday roast.
- Jacket potato - Looking for an option for a meatless Monday. Serve with a jacket potato and green beans or roasted vegetables.
Serve as a main dish accompanied by
- Baby potatoes - I love pairing this with small boiled potatoes for a simple meal.
- Potato wedges - If you looking for an easy side dish to pair then this is perfect to have with potato wedges or cottage fries. Just cook the fries on a baking sheet at the same time as cooking the cauliflower.
- Roasted vegetables - Roasted veg is my favorite way to eat vegetables. Pair with roasted carrots, parsnip, potatoes, and onion. Really whatever your preferred vegetables are.
Recipe FAQs
Over-cooked cauliflower will release water causing the cheese sauce to be watery. To prevent watery cauliflower cheese be sure not to cook the cauliflower over the time directed in the recipe.
Once cooled, cover well and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Making it perfect to reheat for lunch the next day!
Yes, You can make this up to 2 days in advance and reheat it in the microwave or oven.
Cauliflower cheese using flour to thicken the cheese sauce is not gluten free. If you require your cauliflower cheese gluten free be sure to use gluten free flour or cornstarch to thicken the cheese sauce.
More gluten-free recipes
📖 Recipe
Gluten Free Cauliflower Cheese
Nutritional information is meant as a guideline and all information is approximate.
Equipment
- 1 Large pan
- 1 Medium pan
- Casserole dish I used 9 x 13 dish.
Ingredients
Ingredients for gluten free Cauliflower cheese
- 600 grams Cauliflower (1 large cauliflower head)
- 500 milliliters Whole milk
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch AKA Cornflour in the UK
- 1½ teaspoons Mustard powder
- Pinch Salt & pepper
- 250 grams Cheese (Use block cheese and grate at home for best results) I combined 200 grams mature cheddar & 50 grams Lancashire cheese. You can use all mature cheddar cheese if preferred.
Instructions
How to make flourless cauliflower cheese
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6
- Remove the outer leaves of the cauliflower and cut them into florets. If you have any large florets you can cut them in half.
- Bring a large pan of lightly salted water to a boil and carefully add the florets. Cook the cauliflower for 5 minutes. Do not cook for longer than 5 minutes as you don't want to overcook the cauliflower.
- Carefully drain the cauliflower and then rinse with cold water to prevent it from continuing to cook. Then place in the casserole dish.
Making the cheese sauce
- Grate the cheese and keep 50 grams aside for topping the cauliflower cheese when in the casserole dish.
- Place the milk into a separate pan keeping a few tablespoons of milk aside to mix with the cornflour.
- Mix the cornstarch and milk previously set aside until it forms a smooth liquid with no lumps and add to the pan with the milk.
- Gently heat on a medium setting until the milk heats slightly and add mustard powder, salt and pepper. Once the milk is almost at boiling point turn down the heat to a low/medium setting. Stirring continuously.
- Once the sauce has started to thicken start to add the grated cheese gradually one small handful at a time until fully melted and combined. If the sauce becomes too thick just add a little extra milk until it reaches your desired consistency.
Assembling the cauliflower cheese
- Once your cheese sauce is ready take it off the heat and carefully pour it over the top of the cauliflower. Sprinkle on the grated cheese that you previously set aside over the top of the cauliflower cheese and place the casserole dish in the oven.
- Bake in the oven for approx 15-20 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
- Do not overbake the cauliflower cheese as this will result in a watery sauce. If you want a crispier topping after 15 minutes in the oven place the casserole dish under a hot grill for a few minutes until the cheese topping is crispy and golden.
Notes
- Breadcrumb topping - Add a layer of gluten-free breadcrumbs to the top of the dish and toast under the grill until golden brown before serving.
- Cayenne pepper - Spice up your recipe with a little cayenne pepper or red chili flakes.
Nutrition
Disclaimer
Nutritional information is meant as a guideline and is always an approximate calculation. Recipes may include information of various products used. It is your responsibility to check that ingredients you use when making a recipe are gluten free.
I hope you enjoyed this Gluten free cauliflower cheese recipe.
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