Cauliflower Gratin (Video)

This delicious Cauliflower Gratin uses sharp cheddar and Parmesan, and this is a perfect low-carb side dish for a special meal! And I’ve also enjoyed this as a meatless main dish.

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This Cauliflower Gratin that uses sharp cheddar and Parmesan cheese is a recipe that has quite a few fans and it’s low-carb, delicious, cheesy, comforting, and also ridiculously easy to make. There’s something so perfect about the combination of cauliflower + cheese; don’t you agree?

This recipe is a close cousin to the Broccoli Gratin that’s also one of my favorites (and something I’ve made over and over for Thanksgiving or other special dinners.) 

Both of these easy gratin recipes are great as a cheesy side dish, but recently I ate the cauliflower for a low-carb main dish (kind of a mac-n-cheese wanna-be) and thoroughly enjoyed it as a meatless meal with a green salad on the side.

What is a Gratin?

The word Gratin refers to any dish that’s topped with cheese (and sometimes butter and breadcrumbs) and then cooked in the oven or under a broiler until the top is well-browned and slightly crisp.

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is ONLY a list of ingredients for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• cauliflower
• finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
• mayo
• sour cream
• fresh squeezed lemon juice, I used my fresh-frozen lemon juice
• Dijon mustard (affiliate link)
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• finely grated Parmesan cheese

Can you make this Cauliflower Gratin recipe with frozen cauliflower?

Personally I would use fresh cauliflower for this recipe, and I haven’t tried making it with frozen cauliflower. But if you’re a frozen cauliflower fan I’m guessing you can probably get a pretty good result using thawed and well drained frozen cauliflower that’s slightly pre-cooked.

More Gratin Recipes to Savor:

If you like cheesy vegetable gratins you might also like Delicata Squash and Sausage Gratin, Ham and Broccoli Casserole au Gratin, Sweet Potato Gratin, Easy Brussels Sprouts Gratin, or Spaghetti Squash and Chard Gratin.

How to Make Cauliflower Gratin:

(This is ONLY a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Cut a medium-sized head of cauliflower into bite-sized pieces; then cook the cauliflower in boiling water for 10 minutes.
2. While cauliflower is cooking, mix together finely grated sharp cheddar cheese, mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and pepper.
3. When cauliflower has cooked ten minutes, drain well in a colander placed in the sink.
4. After cauliflower drains well, place in baking dish that you’ve sprayed with non-stick spray or a little olive oil.
5. Use a rubber scraper to spread the cheese mixture over the cauliflower.
6. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake 25-30 minutes, or until cauliflower is bubbly and lightly browned on top.
7. Yum! I’d love this for a meatless dinner or a cheesy side dish!

More Cauliflower with Cheese:

• Twice-Baked Cauliflower
• Cheesy Broccoli and Cauliflower Soup
• Pureed Cauliflower with Garlic, Parmesan, and Goat Cheese
• Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup
• Cheesy Baked Cauliflower Tots 

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep  to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: 6 servings

Cauliflower Gratin

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Low-carb Cauliflower Gratin uses sharp cheddar and Parmesan can be a tasty side dish or a nice stand-in for Mac-n-Cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese
• 4 T mayo
• 4 T sour cream
• 1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 3 T finely grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375F/190C.
2. Cut cauliflower into bite sized pieces. (To avoid the little broken pieces of cauliflower all over the cutting board, cut through cauliflower stem, then pull apart the flower end.)
3. Put cauliflower in a small pot, add water to cover by a few inches, then bring to boil and cook 10 minutes, or until cauliflower is just starting to get tender.
4. Drain cauliflower into a colander placed in the sink and let it drain very well.
5. While cauliflower cooks, stir together mayo, sour cream, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, and black pepper. Stir in finely grated sharp cheddar.
6. Spray a large glass or crockery baking dish with olive oil or non-stick spray, then pour the well-drained cauliflower into the dish and spread out evenly.
7. Use a rubber scraper to spread gratin mixture over the top of the cauliflower. (This is not a sauce that completely covers the cauliflower, more like a topping.)
8. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until cauliflower is bubbling and lightly browned.
9. Serve hot.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Broccoli Gratin recipe in A Pinch of Salt Lake (affiliate link).

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 268Total Fat: 22gSaturated Fat: 10gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 48mgSodium: 375mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This recipe would be great for low-carb or Keto eating plans. It could be suitable for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, but it would be recommended to use low-fat sharp cheddar, low-fat mayo, and low-fat sour cream if you’re making this for South Beach.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Side Dishes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2009. It has been popular ever since and was last updated with more information in 2023.

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