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Get It NowThis cheesy loaded cauliflower casserole recipe is my go-to side dish for weeknight dinners, potlucks, and even holidays. My family, friends, and even kids all love it. I always get asked for the recipe — so here it is! And while I like to sneak this veggie into many meals in unexpected ways, this cauliflower bake is my absolute favorite. It reminds me of a loaded baked potato, but is also a lighter take on comfort food.
Why You’ll Love My Cauliflower Casserole Recipe
- “Loaded” with flavor – See what I did there? 😉 With creamy cheddar cheese sauce, bacon, and green onions, this dish has all the flavors you love in a loaded baked potato.
- Quick and easy – My cauliflower casserole recipe uses simple, natural ingredients you can find at any grocery store, and takes only about 30 minutes from start to finish. Must be why I make it so often?
- Major comfort food factor, but lighter – Just like my cauliflower potato salad and cauliflower mac and cheese, replacing the starch with cauliflower works amazingly well when the sauce is right (and it is). This dish is naturally low carb and gluten-free, but feels like you’re eating potatoes!
- Minimal cleanup – Many casserole recipes leave a lot of dishes to wash, so I absolutely love that I just need a bowl and a baking dish to make this one.
- Versatile for any occasion – It’s quick enough for a weeknight, but crowd pleasing enough for a potluck or holiday meal. Even the leftovers are amazing the next day.
Ingredients & Substitutions
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for my loaded cauliflower casserole, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Cauliflower – I use fresh cauliflower (cut into florets), but frozen will also work (but takes longer to roast). You can take a shortcut and use bagged florets from the produce section, but it’s not my favorite thing to do because they tend to be different sizes.
- Butter – I wouldn’t normally use it for roasting, but since I roast the florets in a baking dish, the butter adds extra richness and never burns for me. You can use olive oil or avocado oil if you’re concerned about it.
- Heavy Cream – Thins out the sauce and makes it rich. You can also use half and half. Other milks, such as almond milk or regular dairy milk, are not ideal, as the sauce will be too thin. If you want to try one of those to lighten it up, use less.
- Sour Cream – For that classic “loaded” experience! I prefer to use full-fat sour cream, but lower fat sour cream or even plain Greek yogurt works as well. I’ve also made this with cream cheese when I ran out of sour cream. Just melt it in the microwave first, and add a little extra heavy cream for the right sauce consistency.
- Garlic – I love the taste of fresh minced garlic, but have also used jarred minced garlic to save time. If needed, you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shredded sharp cheddar cheese adds that classic loaded baked potato flavor to my cauliflower casserole recipe. I use a pre-shredded variety (all about convenience over here), but you can shred it yourself if you like. You can also opt for other types of shredded cheese, but to me the dish loses some of that “loaded potato” vibe if you do.
- Bacon – I typically use leftover oven baked bacon, air fryer bacon, or even microwave bacon, but ready-made bacon bits are an easy time-saver. You could also replace the bacon with cooked turkey bacon for a lighter option.
- Green Onions – For a pop of color and flavor. Fresh chives also work, if you prefer something more mild.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper
How To Make Cauliflower Casserole
This section shows step-by-step photos together with the instructions, to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.
- Roast the cauliflower. If you’ve seen any of my other cauliflower recipes, you know that I’m a big fan of roasting cauliflower! So, let’s do this. In a large mixing bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with melted butter (or oil of your choice), salt, and pepper. Transfer to a casserole dish or sheet pan, and roast in a preheated oven until fork tender. (You can boil, steam the cauliflower, or even make Instant Pot cauliflower instead and then drain it, but roasted tastes better!)
- Make the sauce. In the same bowl (wipe it down first but no need to wash), whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream, until smooth. Add the garlic, cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper, if needed.
- Mix the cauliflower with the sauce. Add the roasted cauliflower to the cream cheese mixture, and stir to combine. (Feel free to try it here if you can’t resist, I often do!)
- Assemble and add toppings. Return the cauliflower to the casserole dish. Top with more cheese and bacon.
- Bake the cauliflower casserole. Place the dish in the oven and bake until the cheese on top is melted. This goes pretty quick! When it’s done, I like to sprinkle it with more green onions for a pretty finish.
My Recipe Tips
- Make sure your florets are uniform in size, and not too large. Consistent sized pieces ensure that they cook at the same rate. And the sauce mixes in better if your florets are small or medium, rather than large.
- Roast in the casserole dish to save on cleanup time. Although roasting on a sheet pan is a little bit faster (more airflow), I prefer to cook the vegetables in the same baking dish I’ll use for the actual cauliflower casserole. Fewer dishes to wash = win!
- Go light on the salt. When mixing the sauce and adjusting salt to taste, keep in mind that the sauce will get saltier as cheese melts later. The right amount will vary depending on your preferences and the brands of cheese you use, but oftentimes I don’t even need to add extra salt to the sauce. (I do always salt the cauliflower before roasting, though.)
- Add protein for a one-pan meal. Turn this into a full dinner and call it a day! Simply stir in about 2 cups of shredded chicken or cubed chicken breast, leftover turkey, or cooked ground beef or sausage. I typically increase the amounts in the sauce by 50% to account for the added meat.
Storage Instructions
- Store: The leftovers from this dish are great the next day! Keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The cauliflower does soften a bit, but I still think it tastes delicious.
- Meal prep: One of my favorite things about this loaded cauliflower bake is that I can make it in advance — so convenient for holidays when cooking is hectic, or weeknights when I know we’ll be home late. Just assemble the whole thing, cover with plastic wrap, and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Bake it fresh right before serving. Keep in mind that it does take longer if you place in the oven directly from the fridge.
- Reheat: You can warm up the entire casserole in the oven at 350 degrees F, or reheat individual portions in the microwave.
- Freeze: I’ve frozen this dish both before and after baking, and both ways work quite well. This was a bit surprising, since there is so much dairy, but it just works! The cauliflower casserole keeps well in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before heating if you can, or you can bake from frozen at 325 degrees F, but it takes a while.
Serving Suggestions
I’ve served this loaded cauliflower casserole in dozens of ways over the years — it goes with just about anything! Try it with one of the options below, or choose one of my other healthy dinner recipes:
- Chicken – Simple baked chicken legs make a nice main dish with this, or make healthy chicken breast at the same oven temperature, so you can cook them together. When I want something even faster and more hands off, I make Instant Pot chicken drumsticks.
- Beef – Since we’ve got major comfort food vibes going on with this casserole, beef is one of the best main dishes to go with it. I like to keep it simple and serve it with juicy burgers or a sirloin steak.
- Pork – Make some quick air fryer brats or juicy cast iron pork chops while the cauliflower casserole is in the oven.
- Salad – Since this dish is so rich, you can even serve it as your main entree! When I do this, I tend to balance it with a colorful pomegranate salad or a light arugula salad on the side.
More Cauliflower Casserole Recipes
Cauliflower is one of my favorite real-food “fillers” for casseroles! Here are a few other ways I like to do this:
My Baking Dish For This Recipe
You might have seen this baking dish in many of my recipe photos, because it’s the one I use the most! It’s durable, heats evenly, and looks elegant when I bring it to the table. And it still looks new after all these years.
Cauliflower Casserole (Loaded Style!)
Bake this cheesy loaded cauliflower casserole recipe with sour cream, bacon, and cheddar in just 30 minutes. Tastes like loaded potatoes!
Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (232 degrees C).
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In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower florets with butter. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
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Transfer the cauliflower to a small 1.5 quart (1.4 L) casserole dish in a single layer. (Roasting in the baking dish saves on dishes, but you could also roast on a sheet pan to make it faster.) Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes if using a sheet pan, or 25-30 minutes if using the baking dish (stir halfway through if using this method), until crisp-tender.
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Meanwhile, in the same bowl, whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream, until smooth. Stir in the minced garlic, half of the cheddar cheese, half of the bacon, and half of the green onions. If desired, season sauce with sea salt and black pepper. (Don't over salt — it will get more salty as the cheese melts later.)
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When the cauliflower is done roasting, take it out and leave the oven on. Add the cauliflower to the bowl and mix with the sauce.
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Return the cauliflower mixture to the casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and bacon.
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Bake for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese melts. Top with remaining green onions.
Did You Like It?
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Recipe Notes
Serving size: 3/4 cup
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂
443 Comments
Bec
0Absolutely loved this! It was so delicious!
Irene
0Delicious! I didn’t want to use the heavy cream so I just used 1 cup sour cream vs. 2/3 cup. Consistency was fine. Even good without garlic or bacon!!!
Holly
0I want to make this for the 4th of July. Can I precook and reheat or should I cook cauli in the morning and assemble and bake at dinner?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Holly, For the best consistency, I would assemble early and do the final bake right before dinner. Enjoy!
Jennifer Gross
0Love love love this recipe!!
Amy
0Delicious!! All 4 of my kids cleaned their plates! Will definitely make again.
Kelley
0This was absolutely delicious as a side for dinner, but hearty enough that I’ll have it as a main dish for lunch. I forgot to buy the sour cream, so I substituted cilantro crema that I had on hand. It was great with the substitute, but I’m sure it would be great as is, too.
John
0Dangerously good. I made this as a side to compliment my Alaskan king crab legs and ribeye steak. After our fancy, and expensive, feast the only thing on everybody’s minds, including mine, was how awesome that cauliflower casserole was. This one goes into the recipe folder to revisit for sure. Thank You
LISA
0LOVE this recipe! I have become creative adding a few things here and there like minced jalepenos to give it a bit of a kick or mandolin-thin slice zucchini and bell peppers. It is always soooo delicious! Thanks for sharing!
Stephanie
0My grandma has BEGGED me to make this for every gathering for years. Things got put on hold obviously, but I’m so excited to make it for her now that we can get together again. So simple yet makes someone so happy. Thank you so much!!
Jean grainger
0This was so delicious! My husband really liked it too. I can’t wait to make it again. I kind of want to add shredded chicken to add some more protein .. I just don’t know how much more cream and sour cream and cheese to add to do that.
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Jean, Feel free to increase the sour cream to 1 cup and adjust the amount of cheddar to up to 2 cups. This should be enough to coat and incorporate approximately 1 cup of shredded chicken. Enjoy!
Jenney
0This was absolutely delicious! My husband said it’s a keeper!
Juli-Ann
0Have you ever made this (absolutely delicious) recipe with panko bread crumbs on top to create a crispy crust on top?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Juli-Ann, I have not personally tried that, but I’m sure it would work great on top! Keep in mind that the nutrition will change and the recipe would no longer be considered low carb.
Nancy StJean
0Delicious, made this casserole with a nice steak dinner for my husband’s birthday and all nine of us loved it! It was very easy to prep! I made the recipe just like it was written!
Connie
0This recipe is amazing! People who said they didn’t like cauliflower ate this and loved it. SO easy to make and even great leftover…if you have any!
Lan H.W.
0I really enjoyed the use of the cauliflower as the vehicle for the rest of the ingredients. I am always looking to add more veggies in any dish that I make. I used a blend of Colby Jack and smoked Gouda cheeses as they were leftovers from a previous recipe. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Birdie Harms
0After reading the comments, I am excited to use some of the ideas, especially with the chicken. I made the comment that adding broccoli to it would also really taste great. I think I would steam it and spice it a few min before adding it.
Birdie Harms
0I made this tonight and followed your recipe except I used olive oil instead of butter on the cauliflower. After it was done, I had my portion and my husband asked me how it was. My response was, “YUM!!” So, he asked if he could have some. I having it again for my lunch tomorrow and Tuesday and as a side dish on Wednesday. Thanks for a GREAT recipe that is only 4 net carbs for a nice side dish and 8 net carbs for a filling main dish. YUM!!!!
Melissa
0Best dish/recipe I’ve ever made. And I’ve made it 20 times!
Kasey
0Absolutely delicious! I made this for dinner tonight and my whole loved it! I can’t wait
to try more of your recipes. Thank you!!
Patrice Norris
0This was SUPER DELICIOUS and I took it a step further and put it over shredded pork and made a Pork shepherds pie.
Thanks for sharing
Laura B Simpson
0This was amazing just as recipe was written–highly recommend and would definitely make again. Made it for Easter dinner and had multiple requests for recipe. I love the idea before about adding rotisserie chicken, this would definitely make it a main dish casserole. Make with confidence and dont’ skip the roasting the cauliflower stage, this is what makes it!
CTPerkins
0This recipe was super easy and delicious I will definitely be making this again thank you
keep them coming!
Jen Byrne
0This was soooooooo good – even my non-keto family members liked it (win!).
Elizabeth Hess
0Delicious!
Laurie
0AMAZING!!! I do not like cooked cauliflower, even with cheese, but roasting it first got rid of the wet mushy texture I don’t like. I didn’t have any garlic, so I used garlic paste, I also added about 1/2 cup cream cheese. (I really like cream cheese). We loved it! Thank you for the great recipe
KRISTINA ATKINSON
0Was very yummy, I added a layer of rotisserie chicken on the bottom , put cauliflower mixture on top
Lori Cote
0How does it freeze?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Lori, This dish freezes well. I suggest storing in single-serve portions. It’s much easier to reheat when ready to eat.
Linda Poliak
0I really love this dish. My husband dislikes cauliflower but completely loves this casserole. Tonight will be the third time I’ve made it.
Kara
0Omggggg. AMAZING.
Sara
0Yum, this was delicious! I made a few changes though to anyone else who might prefer- I used real bacon. I always use thick-cut, put it in a cold oven turn on to 400 for about 16 minutes total and then just chop it up! I also used a 12 oz bag of already cut cauliflower florets to make life a little easier and chopped them a little, this seemed to be the perfect amount. I personally felt like it didn’t get cooked through enough. I put the oven down to 400 when I combined all the ingredients and put it back in the oven for 20 minutes. I felt like this helped cook the garlic and melt the cheese more!
Kara
0Fantastic! I think we like this better than the keto Mac and cheese out there. Fabulous!!
Kathy
0Great!
Michelle
0So easy to make and we loved it!
Sarah
0I made a double size of this, in a 9×11 Pyrex, and husband and I loved it! My kids were not fans which I think is because the garlic flavor was too strong since it doesn’t really get cooked in the end process. I’ll likely make it again and reduce that or just use garlic powder. Yum!
Maria
0Excellent, I added a large potato diced and used 4 slices chopped back bacon.
Christine
0This was an absolutely fabulous recipe. Thank you!
monique robertson
0This was a hit!!
Patrice
0I used the recipe but substituted with almond milk, grated parmesan in the cheese mixture and ground turkey instead of bacon. Delicious!
Julie
0I love the flavors in this recipe (what’s NOT to like…bacon, sour cream, cheese?!?!) but my husband and I don’t really care for cooked cauliflower in a recognizable form 🙂 so, instead of using whole cauliflower, I use frozen riced cauliflower. To cook it, I heat a tablespoon or so of garlic olive oil in a wok then stir fry it (from frozen) until it’s thawed. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Then continue to stir fry for approximately 7-10 minutes until it’s dry and turning brown. Then I finish with your recipe. It’s awesome :-).
Marisa
0That sounds like a great idea- I’m trying it that way next.
Arlene M
0Really loved this recipe. Maybe I would cut down a bit on the heavy cream and sour cream a bit, but that’s because of my personal taste for things a bit less saucy. I am sure most people would like it as the recipe states. Very nice and can’t wait to share ti with my friends.
Marisa
0This is easily the best low carb side dish recipe I’ve ever tried. We’ve made this 3 times and I’ve never charged anything about it. Is perfect as written. I crave it even when we’re not on low carb days!
Kim Ange
0I LOVE this recipe! Second time I’ve made it.! Thank you!
Lisa Workman
0Love this! Easy, tasty, satisfying. Great side dish for family picnic, potlucks. I have used turkey kielbasa instead of bacon and called it dinner.
Denise T.
0Just perfect and delicious. I didn’t have a whole head of cauliflower, so I added in some broccoli… just yum and fits right into my thanksgiving meal as a low carb substitute for my normal baked macaroni and cheese.
Alysse
0If I want to make ahead today for thanksgiving, can I bake it today’ & reheat tomorrow?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Alysse, Yes! That will work great.
Mindy
0Very good!! Used skim milk instead of heavy cream. My husband who says he doesn’t like sour cream…really liked it. Thanks for the recipe.
Cathy Saddler
0Can you make this a day ahead and bake the next day?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi Cathy, Yes. That would work just fine.
Rosa Whalen
0Oh my goodness, this is amazing and the smell is intoxicating. Is was very easy to put together and roasting the cauliflower added a depth to the dish. I couldn’t find a heavy cream that didn’t have carrageenan so I substitute with Half & Half. It did cause it to be a little watery so next time I will make sure to use heavy cream. This however did not detract from the flavor. I wish there was a way for me to attach my picture of the final product, it looks just like yours
Jack Q W Cantwell
0Awesome. Super easy, not many ingredients, delicious.
Linda
0your recipes are the BEST! To make it a meal I throw chicken or like i did tonight or especially left over ham! And always roast my cauliflower after trying it your way one time…I was hooked! Thank you Maya for all these wonderful recipes !
Gretty W Bosaw
0Delicious! I cant stop eating it.