Twice-Baked Cauliflower (Video)
This Twice-Baked Cauliflower is a low-carb side dish that’s one of the most popular cauliflower recipes on Kalyn’s Kitchen! This is a recipe the entire family will love, and I bet once you try it your family will ask for it over and over.
Click here to PIN Twice-Baked Cauliflower!
For many years now this low-carb, Keto, and gluten-free Twice-Baked Cauliflower has been one of the most popular cauliflower recipes and one of the most popular side dish recipes on my blog. Literally thousands of people make this recipe every month, and I like the recipe so much myself that I love knowing other people are enjoying it too.
In fact, this recipe is such a trademark of my site that back in 2017 when I switched my blog to WordPress and couldn’t make any changes to the site for a week, this was the post I chose to have front and center during that time. Now there’s been another update to the site, and it seems like it’s time to remove all that talk about the blog platform and focus more on the recipe itself. So let’s talk about low-carb Twice Baked Cauliflower!
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- head of cauliflower
- cream cheese
- sour cream
- green onions
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- bacon
- grated sharp cheddar cheese
What makes this recipe so popular?
Of course the combination of cauliflower + cheese is one of the things that starts this recipe out to be a winner. And the recipe has cream cheese, Parmesan, and sharp cheddar for lots of cheesy flavor. There is also some sour cream to up the creamy factor, and just enough crisp bacon to add plenty of bacon flavor. And the dish is finished off with just enough sliced green onions to add a bit more flavor.
Is this cauliflower recipe really baked twice?
Through the years a few readers have gently pointed out that the cauliflower is not really baked twice. And they’re right, it is boiled and mashed and then baked. But I wanted the title of the recipe to remind people of twice-baked potatoes, and twice-cooked cauliflower didn’t seem to have the same ring to it!
Can you use other kinds of cheese in the Twice-Baked Cauliflower?
Of course you are always free to switch out the ingredients in a recipe any way you prefer. But for this mega-popular recipe I really urge you to try it as the recipe is written the first time. The recipe has been consistently popular since 2008 (!) and personally I think this combination is just right!
How to Make Low-Carb and Keto Twice-Baked Cauliflower:
(Scroll down for complete printable recipe with nutritional information.)
- Cut up the cauliflower and cook in boiling salted water until it’s barely soft, then drain well.
- Mash the cauliflower, leaving some chunks. (I mashed it a few times in the colander and then transferred to the pan I cooked it in and mashed a bit more.)
- Cook the bacon until it’s very crisp; then crumble bacon, slice green onions, cut cream cheese into cubes, measure sour cream, and measure Parmesan.
- Combine mashed cauliflower, cream cheese, sour cream, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon.
- Put the mixture into a glass casserole dish (with a lid) that you’ve sprayed with olive oil or non-stick spray, and top with sharp cheddar and the rest of the bacon.
- Bake with the lid on at 350F/180C until the mixture is bubbling and all the cheese has melted, about 30-35 minutes total. (I take the lid off for the last 10 minutes or so to brown the top a little.)
- Serve hot, and totally expect that even cauliflower-avoiders are going to go crazy over this recipe.
Make it a Low-Carb Meal:
Seriously, this Twice-Baked Cauliflower recipe is so popular that many people must be serving it regularly as a side dish, and I think it would be good with almost anything. But if you want some recommendations I think this would taste amazing with Chicken Cutlets with Mustard Sauce, Air Fryer Fish Sticks, Air Fryer Marinated Chicken Breasts, Pan-Grilled Steak with Olive Sauce, or Grain-Free Breaded Pork Chops.
More Popular Low-Carb Cauliflower Recipes:
- Instant Pot Loaded Cauliflower Soup
- Loaded Cauliflower Mock Potato Salad
- Cauliflower Rice Sausage Casserole
- Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin
- Roasted Cauliflower with Parmesan
Weekend Food Prep:
This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep where you’ll find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

Low-Carb Twice Baked Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 4 oz. cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/4 cup green onions, minced
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or more)
- 6 slices bacon, cooked until very crisp, fat blotted with paper towel and then crumbled
- 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Spray a glass casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray.
- Cut out stem and core from cauliflower, and cut into small pieces.
- Cook in large pot of boiling salted water until cauliflower is tender, but not overly soft.
- Drain well and mash with potato masher (affiliate link), leaving some chunks.
- While cauliflower is cooking, cook the bacon and crumble, slice green onions, cube the cream cheese, measure sour cream, and measure Parmesan.
- Mix cream cheese, sour cream, green onion, Parmesan, and 3/4 of the crumbled bacon into the drained cauliflower.
- Spread evenly in a 1.5 Quart Glass Casserole Dish (affiliate link).
- Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and reserved bacon.
- Bake 20-25 minutes covered, or until hot and bubbly.
- Remove the lid and bake about 10 minutes more, or until the cheese is slightly browned. Serve hot.
Notes
This reheats very well and can be frozen and thawed in the fridge, then reheated.
Recipe created by Kalyn.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 292Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 12gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 468mgCarbohydrates: 6.4gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 14g
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.

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Cauliflower is very low in carbs, and this should be a good dish for any low-carb eating plan, including Keto. For the original South Beach Diet this is probably a once-in-a-while treat due to the amount of saturated fat, although you can make a more South Beach friendly version with light cream cheese, light sour cream, low-fat cheese, and even turkey bacon if you prefer, and it will still be delicious.
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 popular recipe was first posted in 2008, probably with photos that would make me shudder if I saw them now. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2022.
334 Comments on “Twice-Baked Cauliflower (Video)”
I wanted to take this dish to my office party. Do you think that I bake it and bring it into work I could transfer it into a crock pot to heat it up on low?
I haven’t ever done that but I think it will work.
I would think you could add some diced cooked chicken to make this like a casserole.
Yes, I like that idea. Or ham or sausage would also probably be good.
Made this tonight 16/06/2022 the only thing I didn’t have was cheddar cheese for the top but I wasn’t bothered as I’m keeping a watch on my fats I also added broccoli with the cauliflower and oh my gosh it turned out absolutely gorgeous I served it with loin of cod another dish I will add to my favourites list and this will be a regular at teatimes.
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
So glad you enjoyed and I really like the idea of making it with a combination of broccoli and cauliflower.
Made this with refrigerated cauliflower rice, 1/3 less fat garden vegetable cream cheese and plain Greek yogurt. Very good!
Sounds good! Love the way you made it work for you.
Love this recipe. I have made it several times.
Thanks Kellie! So glad you are enjoying it.
This is my absolute favorite low carb side dish! If I were blindfolded I would think it was potatoes!
I love that! So glad to hear you are enjoying it!
This meal was so amazing, i incorporated it into my weekly meals. I do not like to cook, to be honest, so i love this recipe. it’s easy and I can freeze it and take it out for quick dinner nights. It’s my hubbies favourite, and he likes when I add peas to it too.
So glad you are enjoying it Amanda!
Can you use frozen cauliflower rice
I wouldn’t because I like the chunky texture and flavor of fresh-cooked cauliflower. But if you scroll through the comments you can see there are people who have done it that way who liked it just fine, so your choice!
What is the best way to freeze this casserole?
I freeze it in individual containers that have a snap-tight lid. Then when I want to eat some I take it out to thaw in the fridge and reheat in the microwave when I want to eat it.
You can also freeze a bigger container of it if you have a large container with a snap-tight lid. I would definitely thaw in the fridge for the larger size before you reheat.
Excellent and truly delicious. Really appreciate the way you cook this. I am going to make and have this in our buffet dinner. Looking forward for more like this in future too.
I made this and it was amazing. So easy to make. I am a pescatarian and so I don’t eat bacon. I substituted it with vegetarian bacon and it worked out well. Next time I’m going to try adding soy chorizo instead of the back. Thank you love your recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it and are enjoying the recipes. And thanks for sharing what you used; often that is helpful for other people.
I added some boneless chicken..was delicious…
I like that variation, thanks for sharing.
This twice-baked cauliflower looks so zesty and tasty! Absolutely love your creative idea! Thanks for sharing,