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A piping hot dish of Cauliflower Cheese at the dinner table is the most comforting sight. Swimming in sauce and a crispy golden topping. Yum.
This easy Cauliflower Cheese recipe is so versatile – you can enjoy it on its own as a midweek vegetarian main course or as a side dish to your Sunday lunch.
It is so tasty and comforting (and, obviously, CHEESY!)
Thankfully, it’s also very simple to make and can even be prepped ahead of time for ultimate convenience.
Why you’ll love this quick Cauliflower Cheese recipe
⭐️ Comforting cheesy deliciousness
⭐️ Simple to make
⭐️ Gives any dinner something EXTRA
Notes on making this recipe
I think Cauliflower Cheese is massively underrated, and suspect people shy away from making it at home for fear of it being sloppy, overcooked and unappetising.
But in reality, it’s a fairly simple dish to make and SO delicious. I wanted to make sure I passed on a few tips and tricks to make sure you can make it the best it can be, every time.
So I created this FOOLPROOF RECIPE so you know exactly:
➡️ How long to boil it for
➡️ How to make sure it’s not too watery
➡️ How to prepare it in advance to save time
➡️ How to finish it in the oven or under the grill
Cauliflower Cheese Ingredients
- Cauliflower – I prefer fresh rather than frozen here as frozen can be a little easy to overcook. But frozen will work if needs must!
For the Cauliflower Cheese sauce: - Milk – Whole milk is preferable, but semi-skimmed would be fine. Not skimmed!
- Cornflour – Not regular flour, this method of easy sauce making needs cornflour
- Dijon mustard – French or other mustard would also work. If using English mustard, use half the amount
- Garlic granules – Or garlic powder
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Red Leicester cheese – I love this for the colour, but any strong cheddar is also fine
- Parmesan – The addition of parmesan gives a LOT of extra flavour (and texture to the top)
For the topping: - More Red Leicester
- Parmesan
⭐️ How to prepare the best Cauliflower Cheese the day before ⭐️
This recipe is a perfect addition to your roast dinner, Christmas dinner – or any dinner for that matter!
But as side dishes go, it can be a faff to make in real time, when you’re also trying to pull together meat, gravy, and various other veggies at the same time.
Fear not! This is where your meal prep really comes into its own, because you can do the hard work in advance (and plenty of time in advance as you can freeze it).
All you have to do is to make the cauliflower and the cheese sauce (up to the end of step 4 in the recipe), then leave to cool, cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 48 hours.
When you’re ready to cook, put it in the oven according to the instructions in the recipe, from step 5, allowing an extra 10-15 minutes’ cooking time (because it will be very cold from the fridge).
If you’d like to make it further in advance, do the same thing, but instead of refrigerating, pop it into the freezer instead. Defrost it before baking it in the oven.
How to make Cauliflower Cheese
1. Boil the cauliflower until almost cooked. Meanwhile, boil up the milk to start making the sauce.
2. Use the cornflour and milk to make a paste, then add to the pan and whisk. Cook as per the recipe below.
3. Add the mustard, garlic granules, salt and pepper and cheeses. Cook until smooth and the cheese is melted.
4. Drain the cauliflower and put in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese and bake or grill until the cheese is melted.
Hint: The cooking time will depend on the size of the florets. Be careful not to overcook them when boiling.
Substitutions
- Cheese – I like Red Leicester because of its colour, but any strong cheddar will also work fine. You can use Gran Padano instead of parmesan too as it’s cheaper.
- To make vegetarian – Make sure you use an alternative to the Parmesan if serving to vegetarians.
Leftovers
Leftovers that have been in the oven can be frozen and then reheated in the microwave but it’s much better to do it as above if possible as it’s less likely to over cook and end up soggy.
Always be sure to follow food reheating guidelines and be sure everything is hot through.
TOP Tips
Drain well
Make sure you drain the cauliflower really well after it’s boiled up and before you add it to the dish, otherwise it will end up too watery.
Add breadcrumbs
You could also add a sprinkling of breadcrumbs (I like Panko) to the topping before you bake or grill, which will give it a bit of extra crunch.
More tasty side dishes…
Side Dishes
Honey Roasted Carrots and Parsnips
Side Dishes
Braised Red Cabbage {with Apple}
Side Dishes
Roast Potatoes {Best Ever Easy Recipe!}
Side Dishes
The Best Stuffing Recipe {with Sausage meat}
FAQs
This would be perfect with a full roast and Yorkshire Puddings, or a pared-back version. It goes wonderfully with my Slow Cooker Roast Beef recipe, or my Slow Cooker Ham recipe, my Slow Cooker Roast Chicken or even my Meatloaf recipe.
Try out my Crispy Cauliflower Tacos. Honestly, they’re so good! And very easy too.
Also try my Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup. Yum.
Yes, it is gluten free and suitable for vegetarians if you use an alternative to Parmesan.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Cauliflower Cheese {Easiest Ever Recipe!}
Ingredients
- 700 g Cauliflower (medium cauliflower), Cut into florets
- 500 ml Milk, Whole or semi-skimmed
- 30 g Cornflour
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp Garlic granules
- 100 g Red Leicester cheese, Grated
- 75 g Parmesan cheese, Grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the topping:
- 25 g Red Leicester cheese, Grated
- 25 g Parmesan, Grated
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200℃ fan/220℃/Gas Mark 7.
- Cook the cauliflower in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 5-7 minutes, until the florets are almost, but not quite, cooked. (When you poke a knife into a stem it should be just tender.)
- While the cauliflower is cooking, start making the cheese sauce. Measure the milk in a measuring jug. In a small bowl mix the cornflour with a splash of the milk from the jug. Use just enough to whisk the cornflour to a thick, lump-free paste (this feels a bit tricky, but it will come together eventually).
- Pour the remaining milk into a small saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add the cornflour paste, whisk in, and cook for 5-10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken, whisking often. Add the mustard, garlic granules, plenty of salt and pepper and the grated cheeses. Whisk and cook for another 5 minutes until the cheese is melted and the sauce is thick and smooth.
- Drain the cauliflower well (make sure it's as dry as possible) and place in an ovenproof dish. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle the extra cheeses on top.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until the cheese on top is melting and golden.
To make ahead:
- Prepare to the end of step 4. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 48 hours until you're ready to cook. Finish in the oven as per step 5, allowing an extra 5-10 minutes' cooking time (because it will be very cold from the fridge). Ensure the centre is piping hot before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Simple fuss free recipe with plenty of tips to avoid mistakes. I was impressed by the layout.
Just a quick tip you want comments you want ratings don’t force people to give you their details- all the best – yummy sauce cheers
Hi there,
I’m interested to try your cauliflower cheese recipe but would like to advance cook and freeze which you mention you can?
Might I just ask, have you successfully tried this? Whenever I’ve defrosted anything vegetable based in the past it always goes really watery and horrible . Thoughts or tips please?
Can I make this the day before? If I’m doing it for Xmas can I prep it Xmas eve?🤞
Hi Danielle, all of the information is in my Christmas plan post!
Best cauliflower cheese I have ever made. Thank you.
2024.
Very nice cauliflower cheese.
Never would of thought making it this way without butter or flour.
But using corn flour as a thickener .
Thank you for this recipe.
Have just made this in preparation for Christmas Day – without the hassle of making a bechamel sauce (which can be a bit hit and miss!). So much quicker and managed to get one extra for the freezer out of the recipe. I have some panko breadcrumbs that I will pop on with the Parmesan before baking. Had a sneaky taste of the sauce and is not different to the ‘regular’ way of making cheese sauce – this will definately be a go to recipe!
Do you have to add mustard I’m really not a lover
I’m looking at making this ahead of time. Could I make it and just put the whole thing into the freezer, ready for cooking on the big day?
Super easy and delish. I used parmesan and panko crumbs on top.
Fantastic site. Added this recipe and the others here to my Collections.
Many thanks Jenna