An easy cauliflower cheese recipe, the perfect side dish for your roast dinner! This indulgent cheesy cauliflower is tasty, quick to make, and a real crowd pleaser!
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Baked in the oven for that deliciously crispy golden topping, underneath, the smooth cheese sauce envelopes perfectly cooked cauliflower florets for the most delicious cauliflower cheese you have ever tasted!
Enjoy it as a side dish, or even on its own with some crusty bread.
👩🍳 Love cheesy vegetable sides? Try my easy cheesy leeks too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- The perfect side for roast chicken, beef, or turkey!
- Easy to follow recipe.
- Smooth and rich cheese sauce made with extra mature cheddar and Parmesan.
- Freezer-friendly.
🛒 Ingredients
Cauliflower - one large cauliflower broken into florets.
For the cheese sauce - butter, flour, milk, grated cheddar and Parmesan, Dijon mustard, and smoked paprika.
🔪 How to make easy cauliflower cheese
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Melt the butter in a saucepan and add in the flour.
Two: Stir with a whisk for 2 minutes until a paste forms (a roux).
Three: Pour in the milk and whisk over a medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken.
Five: Take off the heat and whisk in the grated cheddar cheese, Dijon mustard, and smoked paprika.
Six: Place the cooked cauliflower florets in a baking dish (you can boil or steam the cauliflower).
Seven: Pour over the cheese sauce.
Eight: Top with the grated Parmesan and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Top Tips
- Use a whisk when making the cheese sauce to prevent any lumps from forming.
- Drain the cauliflower after boiling it, to prevent it from releasing water into the cauliflower cheese when baked.
- Use an extra mature cheddar cheese for the cheese sauce for extra flavour.
- Don't skip the Dijon mustard and smoked paprika! They give the cauli cheese a wonderful flavour and colour.
- The recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the cauliflower cheese as part of a roast dinner (honey roast gammon is a favourite here) alongside roast potatoes, honey roast parsnips and carrots, red cabbage, and if you're serving this for Christmas lunch you'll definitely want Brussels sprouts too.
It's also delicious on its own with some crusty bread and a glass of white wine.
📖 Variations
- Try using different cheeses! Blue cheese, and gruyere both work well.
- Make a healthy cauliflower cheese by using skimmed milk in the sauce and low fat cheese.
- Add crispy bacon pieces for cauliflower cheese with bacon.
- Garnish with chopped parsley for colour!
- Add half a teaspoon of marmite to the cheese sauce for extra umami flavour.
- Add 200g of cooked macaroni for cauliflower macaroni pasta bake.
🥡 Storage
Store - Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat - Microwave until piping hot.
Freeze - Cauliflower cheese is best eaten fresh. Cauliflower has a tendancy to go a bit soft and mushy if frozen and then thawed. That being said, it can be frozen for up to 3 months if you don't mind the altered texture.
❓ FAQs
Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked. Boil the cauliflower florets in salted water until just al dente and drain well to prevent it from releasing water when baked with the cheese sauce.
Absolutely! Just microwave until piping hot.
😋 More delicious side dishes
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Recipe
Easy Cauliflower Cheese
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We'll email you this post for easy access later! You'll also join the Effortless Foodie mailing list and receive my popular 'No Bake Bars and Slices' eBook for free!
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Equipment
- Chopping Board
- Knife
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 1 Cauliflower large or extra large, broken into florets
- 50 g Butter
- 50 g Plain Flour
- 550 ml Milk
- 200 g Extra Mature Cheddar grated
- 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
- ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 3 tablespoon Parmesan grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220°c (200° fan/ Gas 7).
- Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and cook the florets for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.1 Cauliflower
- In another saucepan melt the butter then whisk in the flour to form a roux.50 g Butter, 50 g Plain Flour
- Pour in the milk and keep whisking over a medium heat until the sauce starts to bubble and thicken. This should take 2-3 minutes.550 ml Milk
- Take the white sauce off the heat and stir in the grated cheddar, Dijon mustard and smoked paprika.200 g Extra Mature Cheddar, 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard, ½ teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- Place the drained cauliflower florets into a baking dish and pour over the cheese sauce.
- Sprinkle over the Parmesan and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden and bubbling.3 tablespoon Parmesan
Notes
- Use a whisk when making the cheese sauce to prevent any lumps from forming.
- Drain the cauliflower well after boiling it, to prevent it from releasing water into the cauliflower cheese when baked.
- Use an extra mature cheddar cheese for the cheese sauce for extra flavour.
- Don't skip the Dijon mustard and smoked paprika! They give the cauli cheese a wonderful flavour and colour!
- The recipe can be doubled to feed a crowd.
- Try using different cheeses! Blue cheese, and gruyere both work well.
- Make a healthy cauliflower cheese by using skimmed milk in the sauce and low fat cheese.
- Add crispy bacon pieces for cauliflower cheese with bacon.
- Garnish with chopped parsley for colour!
- Add half a teaspoon of marmite to the cheese sauce for extra umami flavour.
- Add 200g of cooked macaroni for cauliflower macaroni pasta bake.
Danielle Wolter
This recipe came out soooo delicious! I just loved how easy it was too.
Lauren Michael Harris
Cauliflower is hands down my favorite vegetable. Cover it in cheese and it's a definite win-win!!
Katherine
Such a tasty, classic British side dish! Yum!
nic
The picture of that bubbly cheese is mouth-watering and so is this dish! Thanks for the recipe! yum!
Claire
This was only the second time I’ve made cauliflower cheese. My first attempt at a different recipe was not best, very bland, but this one OMG it was amazing. I added the macaroni that you suggested in your notes, and made it into a meal rather than aside. it was absolutely delicious 100% recommend.