Keto Cauliflower au gratin is a great side dish to substitute for potato au gratin while you are on the Keto diet.
I first discovered cauliflower au gratin in the Julia Child cookbook on day at the library.
The Julia Child Cookbook is filled with so many good tips for choosing the proper utensils including a heavy bottom saucepan to make the best bechamel sauce.
Thin pots apparently do not cook evenly and can end up burning the delicate bechamel sauce.
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Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking also has amazing famous recipes that you probably already know and love like Julia Child’s Coq Au Vin, Quiche Lorraine, and French Onion Soup. Get the Cookbook here on Amazon.
The original recipe I made from the cookbook called for whole milk and breadcrumbs. It also took forever to make! Personally, I really do not have 1 and 1/2 hours to spend on a cauliflower side dish.
I was able to knock the time down to 25 to 30 minutes and swap some of the ingredients for more Keto friendly choices.
Keto Cauliflower Au Gratin
Here are the ingredients you will need for this low carb cauliflower au gratin. You can get the full list with portion in the recipe card below.
Cauliflower Florets – You will start your cauliflower au gratin by chopping your cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
Cream Cheese – To make the cauliflower au gratin recipe so quickly, you will need cream cheese cut into chunks.
Heavy Cream – Instead of using whole milk which has some sugar in it, we chose to use heavy cream instead. Heavy cream is the same thing as heavy whipping cream. When we first looked for heavy cream, we could not find it anywhere. Hopefully, this little tip saves you some time during grocery shopping.
Unsalted Butter – The cauliflower au gratin’s flavor is enhanced by amazing butter. It really make the sauce creamy and delicious.
Cheese – I personally like to shred my own cheese because it melts better when it is not pre-shredded. There is a anti-caking agent in most shredded cheese bags that prevent the cheese from clumping in the bag. That anti-caking agent keeps the cheese from truly melting.
Our favorite cheese to use in this side dish are parmesan and gruyere cheese. Use whatever cheese you have on hand.
Bacon – To make this similar to a loaded au gratin recipe, we added some bacon to it. Since we eat so much bacon, I like to get the pre-cooked bacon and the bacon crumbles from Costco. Here are all our favorite Keto Items from Costco.
Spices – To spice up the dish, we use garlic powder and salt and pepper. You can also throw in an Italian blend of spices that will pair really well with this dish.
Toppings – When you are making a loaded au gratin, you can add the toppings you normally would on a baked potato. We added bacon bits and and fresh chives.
You can also add some cheddar cheese or cheese sauce along with sour cream.
How to Make Cauliflower Au Gratin Keto?
Start by taking out the butter and the cream cheese to sit on the counter to soften.
Place top oven rack in the center position and preheat oven to 400°F.
You will need to pre-steam or blanch your cauliflower.
To Steam Cauliflower Stove Top: Place the cauliflower in a steamer basket on top of a pot with boiling water and steam until fork-tender, around 6-7 minutes.
To Steam Cauliflower in Microwave: Place cauliflower and 2 tablespoons of water into a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a microwave safe plate. Then, microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.
To Blanch Cauliflower: Boil a pot of salted water with 1 cup of heavy cream. Then, add the cauliflower florets to the pot of boiling water. Boil for 9 minutes and strain. Cauliflower should be able to pierce with a fork easily.
Then, in a large bowl add cold water with ice cubes to blanch the cauliflower. This stops the cooking process.
Once the cauliflower is cold to the touch (5 to 10 minutes), you can strain it again and set aside. Drain well and pat dry.
Transfer steamed cauliflower to a large bowl and add cream cheese, heavy
cream, butter, garlic powder, and any added spice. Then, season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine.
Transfer to oven-safe casserole dish and top with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.
Place in pre-heated oven and roast until cheese is melted and nicely browned on top, around 8-10 minutes.
Remove from oven and serve immediately topped with fresh chives. Enjoy!
Keto Cauliflower Au Gratin
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower florets chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 6 oz. cream cheese cut into chunks
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter softened
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried dill
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1½ cup Italian cheese blend shredded
- 4 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
- 1 Tbsp fresh chives chopped
Instructions
- Start by taking out the butter and the cream cheese to sit on the counter to soften.
- Place top oven rack in the center position and preheat oven to 400°F.
- You will need to pre-steam or blanch your cauliflower.
- To Steam Cauliflower Stove Top: Place the cauliflower in a steamer basket on top of a pot with boiling water and steam until fork-tender, around 6-7 minutes.
- To Steam Cauliflower in Microwave: Place cauliflower and 2 tablespoons of water into a microwave safe bowl. Cover the bowl with a microwave safe plate. Then, microwave on high for 3-4 minutes.
- To Blanch Cauliflower: Boil a pot of salted water with 1 cup of heavy cream. Then, add the cauliflower florets to the pot of boiling water. Boil for 9 minutes and strain. Cauliflower should be able to pierce with a fork easily.
- Then, in a large bowl add cold water with ice cubes to blanch the cauliflower. This stops the cooking process.
- Once the cauliflower is cold to the touch (5 to 10 minutes), you can strain it again and set aside. Drain well and pat dry.
- Transfer steamed cauliflower to a large bowl and add cream cheese, heavycream, butter, garlic powder, and any added spice. Then, season with salt and black pepper, to taste, and toss to combine.
- Transfer to oven-safe casserole dish and top with shredded cheese and crumbled bacon.
- Place in pre-heated oven and roast until cheese is melted and nicely browned on top, around 8-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately topped with fresh chives. Enjoy!
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