Keto mac and cheese is perfect for anyone with a macaroni cheese craving! Roasted cauliflower and broccoli florets, crispy bacon and a suuuper creamy cheese sauce… this easy recipe is low carb comfort food at its best.
If you’re looking for a low carb replacement for macaroni cheese, you have come to the right place!
I am fully aware this recipe does NOT contain pasta. But it really is the next best thing! With its gooey, creamy cheese sauce and topped with MORE melted stringy cheese this dish is absolutely swoon-worthy…let me tell you, you’ll want seconds! So, while we could call this recipe simply “cheesy cauliflower and broccoli casserole”, I think it deserves the “Keto mac n cheese” name tag 😉
As a child growing up in Germany, I used to have the occasional carbonara, but generally, I was firmly a pasta with tomato sauce kinda girl. It wasn’t until I started University in London that I discovered macaroni and cheese. It was easy, it was cheesy…basically, cheap and cheerful comfort food. In those days, I never thought about what was healthy and what wasn’t. I used to do a lot of sport and as far as I was aware, pasta was a food group!
Now I’m rocking my 40s and I need to watch my carbs, for health reasons and to keep my waistline in check. That high metabolism certainly is a thing of the past!
Cauliflower seems to be one of the cornerstones of low carb cooking. You can use it to make “fauxtato” mash like I did in my low carb fish pie or enjoy it as a rice replacement like in my cauliflower egg fried rice or this Moroccan cauliflower rice. I’ve even seen people bake cakes with it – but you could argue that may be taking things a little too far!
So, while cauliflower may not exactly LOOK like macaroni, with its neutral taste (if it’s fresh!!) and soft texture it is a good stand-in for macaroni – especially when it’s smothered in yummy cheese sauce.
How to make a super easy, crazy delicious Keto mac and cheese:
1.) Place the cauliflower and broccoli florets on a non stick baking tray and toss with olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes. 
2.) Add the chopped bacon and bake for a further 20 minutes until cooked and the broccoli slightly crisp.
3.) While the veggies are in the oven, fry the garlic in butter over medium heat. Cook until the garlic starts to become fragrant, about 30 seconds.
4.) Add the heavy/double cream, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, cream cheese and half of the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted using a hand whisk and then simmer on a low heat for about 2 minutes until fully melted.
At this stage, if you wish to have a thinner sauce, you can stir through 2 – 4 tbsp of almond milk (or even water) until the cheese sauce is to your desired thickness. Also optional: season the sauce with salt & pepper (keep in mind the bacon is salty).
5.) Pour all that cheesy goodness over the roasted veggies….
6.) … and top with the remaining shredded mozzarella and cheddar!
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and slightly golden on top. Before serving, sprinkle the lot with cracked black pepper and 1 tsp of freshly chopped chives.
Recipe tips and variations
I think roasting the cauliflower and broccoli is absolutely essential to the recipe. Not only does it give the veggies a nuttier taste and better texture, you also avoid smelling out your kitchen. Boiled cauliflower can taste dull and watery – I avoid boiling it unless I want to use it in cauliflower mash, when I mix it with sour cream, cheese and spices.
The broccoli in the recipe is optional. If you are not a broccoli person, by all means, replace it with more cauliflower. I think the two make a good pair and enjoy the different tastes and a glimpse of green here and there.
Did you notice I sneaked in some crispy bacon? Everything tastes better with a sprinkling of crispy salty bacon! It’s optional, of course. You can make this Keto mac and cheese vegetarian by simply leaving out the bacon. In this case, definitely add additional salt to the sauce.
If you’re looking for a twist, you could season the sauce with grated nutmeg – it works exceedingly well with cauliflower and cheese sauces.
We love to serve this as a side with a roast on Sundays, but I’m known to devour it as a main course for lunch, too!
If you love cauliflower, you could also try this crispy version! My Cauliflower Popcorn is getting lots of great reviews. Or head over to my post about broccoli fritters. They are kid-approved and so good.
Don’t miss these easy low carb comfort food recipes:
- Best Italian Keto Meatballs
- Low Carb Keto Turkey Chili Recipe
- Chicken Green Curry Recipe
- Keto Roast Chicken Soup
Tried this low carb mac and cheese? Give it a star rating below!
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Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli Mac and Cheese
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Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower florets only (600g)
- 2 small heads of broccoli florets only (315g)
- 1.5 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp of salt
- 6 small slices of streaky bacon 90g
Cheese Sauce and Cheese Topping
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1.5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup / 240ml heavy/double cream
- 3/4 cup / 90g shredded mozzarella
- 2/3 cup / 150g cream cheese
- 1/2 cup / 60g shredded cheddar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F / 200C /180 fan.
- Place the cauliflower and broccoli florets on a non stick baking tray and toss with olive oil and salt. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Add the chopped bacon and bake for a further 20 minutes until cooked and the broccoli slightly crisp.
- Meanwhile, in a sauce pan heat the butter and garlic over medium heat.
- Cook until the garlic starts to become fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add heavy/double cream, 1/2 cup (60g) of mozzarella, cream cheese, and 1/2 of the cheddar cheese. Stir until melted using a hand whisk and then simmer on a low heat for about 2 minutes until fully melted. Stir through 2 - 4 tbsp of almond milk (or water) if you prefer a thinner sauce.
- Add the broccoli, cauliflower and bacon to a baking dish. Pour over the cheese sauce and top with the remaining cheddar and mozzarella.
- Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and slightly golden on top.
Notes
Nutrition
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Susi says
I love this cheese sauce, I had missed it so much… I put a teaspoon of mustard in, as I always did… It’s a lovely sauce, thank you….
Katrin Nürnberger says
Mmmmh, adding mustard is a great idea!
Susana says
Hello! I’m just wondering how large is 1 serving size? A cup? 2 cups?
Katrin Nürnberger says
Probably about 1 cup. A generous one 🙂
Jeanette says
I made this, had some ham with it and OMG it is fantastic, I LOVE IT! The garlic makes it for me YUM…..
Christina Sivesind says
Bomb!
Katrin Nürnberger says
Awesome! 🙂
culbia says
Hello, I just had this recipe (found it googling savoury dishes I can do with double cream Ineeded to use up – different veg, but same sauce, and I added some smoked paprika – absolutely divine, thank you 🙂
Katrin Nürnberger says
Glad you liked it! Loooove smoked paprika 🙂
Alice says
Can I make this a day or two ahead? If so do you suggest any changes?
Katrin Nürnberger says
I think that should be fine!
Liz Machin says
Made this tonight and couldn’t believe just how good it is. The cheese sauce works so well. You’d never know it wasn’t a conventional cheese sauce made with flour etc. I will definitely be making this again. Thanks again for another great recipe!
amy says
this looks amazing and I am planning on making it as a side option for thanksgiving. Do you think I could prepare it the day before then cook it fully on thanksgiving? or would it get mushy? thank you so much!!!
Katrin says
Hi Amy, you can definitely prepare this in advance and finish cooking at Thanksgiving!
Deborah Coupland says
Just discovered your site. This is the first of your recipe I have tired . It is amazing so delicious. Can’t wait to try so more of them. Many thanks.
silvia tirado says
I’m cooking this as we speak with a bag of frozen cauliflower and a bag of broccoli
Wish me luck!!!
I.m loving all your recipies, thank you so much x
Katrin says
Oh, I hope you’ll like this one too!!!
Julie says
How did it come our using frozen?
Peri says
This looks delicious. Question though, when I click on the get ingredient button it asks for a zip code, not a post code. Is this a Londoner in the United States or United Kingdom?
Katrin says
Hi Peri, I live in London, UK, but many of my readers are based in the US. That’s why I always give my ingredients in both metric and cups and write both “double cream” and “heavy cream” as to not confuse people on either side of the pond. The Chicory service that puts your ingredients in the shopping basket is only available in the US, unfortunately. Hope you’ll try the recipe anyway, it’s all available at Tesco/Sainsburys/Waitrose!
Tera says
Hello,
How many total servings doe the recipe yield? I’m sorry if I missed this somewhere in the instructions.
Katrin says
No worries Tara – it’s enough for 6 people as a generous side.
Carolyn Chambers says
Hi
Having just read your comments about baking cauliflower because if boiled it leaves a badish smell (same for broccoli) did you know if you add 1 or 2 bay leaves to the pan while boiling it removes the smell (or at least lessens it a lot)
Thanks for the recipes I’ve tried a few and they’re good.
Best wishes ,
Carolyn
Katrin says
That’s such a good tip, thank you for this! I’ve heard it before but never tried it myself and then forgot about it 🙂
silvia tirado says
Thank you for this tip!!!
Sue says
I am going to fix the Mac &cheese but one question.. what is heavy double cream? I love broccoli but I have 2 heads of cauliflower.. lol ❤
Katrin says
Here in the UK we call it double cream, in the US it’s heavy cream. I always write both so everyone knows what it is… and in the process confused you. Sorry about that, hope this clarifies 🙂
Sue lockwood says
Thanks for the clarification.. and speedy reply. Will let you know when I get it done…