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Cauliflower au gratin (or simply Cauliflower Gratin) is my twist on a classic potato gratin. I’m always looking for ways to add more veggies to my table, and this cauliflower au gratin recipe is one of my go-to’s: the cauliflower is coated in a creamy, cheesy sauce, topped with crispy breadcrumbs, and baked until browned and bubbly – so good!
Table of Contents
- Recipe At a Glance
- Ingredients to Make Cauliflower Au Gratin
- Popular Substitutions & Additions
- How to Make Cauliflower Gratin
- Tips for Making the Best Baked Cauliflower Au Gratin
- What to Serve With Cauliflower Au Gratin Gruyere
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Cauliflower Recipes:
- More Side Dish Recipes:
- Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin Recipe
My kids were so-so on cauliflower for a long time. And let me tell you, roasted cauliflower covered with a cheesy, creamy sauce is a great way to get kids to eat their veggies! For that matter, it’s an excellent way to get adults to eat more cauliflower, and I’m all about that!
Now, I can tell you from experience this cauliflower au gratin goes great with Thanksgiving turkey. However, I make this side dish year-round, too. It’s an excellent creamy counterpart to a cast iron skillet steak or roasted leg of lamb.
Recipe At a Glance
Cuisine Inspiration: American
Primary Cooking Method: Oven
Dietary Info: Low-carb and vegetarian
Key Flavor: Cauliflower
Skill Level: Easy
Why This Is So Good
- Make-ahead: I’ll often make this roasted cauliflower gratin in the morning and then pop it into the oven to warm up before serving. It reheats so well!
- Low-carb: If you’re cooking for someone with dietary restrictions, this cauliflower au gratin is low-carb! I’ll tell you what: I don’t miss the potatoes one bit.
- Veggie-packed: This recipe uses an entire head of cauliflower.
Ingredients to Make Cauliflower Au Gratin
- Cauliflower: Remove the leaves and cut it into florets! Because you’ll be roasting it, don’t try to substitute frozen cauliflower. The texture wouldn’t be the same.
- Olive oil: Tossing the cauliflower with a little olive oil will help it brown, which adds flavor!
- Garlic powder, salt, and black pepper: I keep the seasonings for the roasted cauliflower simple, since the cheese sauce has so much flavor!
- Unsalted butter and flour: You’ll use these two ingredients to make a roux, which will thicken the cheese sauce!
- Milk: Whole milk has the best flavor, but you can use low-fat. If you need to use a non-dairy milk, make sure it’s unsweetened.
- Nutmeg: This adds a subtly spicy, distinct flavor!
- Gruyere: This cheese is nutty and so delicious! You’ll use half of the cheese in the sauce and the other half to layer with the roasted cauliflower.
- Panko bread crumbs: These are coarser and crispier than regular breadcrumbs.
Popular Substitutions & Additions
- Switch up the cheeses. You could try mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, or asiago instead of the gruyere.
- Add fresh herbs. Top the cauliflower au gratin with chopped, fresh parsley, dill, or chives.
- Make it gluten-free. Use gluten-free flour for the roux and gluten-free panko bread crumbs for the topping.
- Make individual-sized gratins. You could make mini gratins using ramekins! That way, everyone can have their own.
How to Make Cauliflower Gratin
I know it’s an extra step, but roasting the cauliflower before assembling the gratin adds so much flavor. The cauliflower gets a little brown, crispy, and caramelized!
Tips for Making the Best Baked Cauliflower Au Gratin
- Make sure to layer the cheese and breadcrumbs. Instead of forming one layer of cheese followed by one layer of breadcrumbs, I like to layer them for super-cheesy breadcrumbs.
- Use a hard cheese to get a crispy edge. This includes gruyere, which is what’s traditionally used in gratin, but parmesan cheese would also work well. If you care more about melting, a soft cheese like mozzarella would be fine!
- Watch the roux carefully. The butter-flour mixture can burn quickly! If it does, it’s best to toss it out and start over. Burnt roux would add an off-flavor!
- Let the cauliflower gratin sit for a few minutes before serving. That will allow everything to set properly so it doesn’t fall apart when you serve it.
What to Serve With Cauliflower Au Gratin Gruyere
Frequently Asked Questions
Store any leftovers in an airtight container. They will last up to 3 days in the fridge, but the consistency is best on the first day. To reheat, place in the microwave for a minute or in the oven at 350°F for 5 minutes.
I wouldn’t recommend it! Cauliflower contains a lot of water, so its texture can change dramatically once frozen.
Yes, alternatively, you can boil the cauliflower. However, roasting it gives the dish a better flavor.
This Cauliflower Au Gratin has crispy bits of cheese, browned breadcrumbs, and delicious roasted veggies. Oh! Did I mention the nutty, creamy sauce? In my experience, it’s a side dish that pleases everyone. I always have it on my Thanksgiving menu for this very reason.
More Cauliflower Recipes:
More Side Dish Recipes:
- Melting Sweet Potatoes
- Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese
- Holiday Brussels Sprouts
- Healthy Mashed Potatoes
If you try this feel good Cauliflower Au Gratin recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
This Cauliflower Gratin recipe was originally published on March 6, 2017 and has recently been updated with new photos, step-by-step images, ingredient substitutions and helpful tips to help make the recipe.
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Roasted Cauliflower Au Gratin
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated Gruyere divided
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Place the cauliflower florets on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Toss to coat, then roast in the oven for 20 minutes, turning at the halfway point.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly with a whisk or wooden spoon until well blended. Slowly whisk in the warm milk and stir until the mixture thickens, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from heat, season with nutmeg and mix in half the cheese.
- Pour ⅓ of the sauce on the bottom of an 8×11 baking dish. Place the roasted cauliflower on top and then pour the rest of the sauce evenly on top. Sprinkle the remaining half of the grated cheese and bread crumbs on top, alternating between them to form layers.
- Lower the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is browned and bubbly.
Notes
- Use other types of shredded cheese in place of gruyere if you’d prefer. Since this recipe is French in origin, gruyere is the traditional cheese use, but it works well with mozzarella and/or parmesan cheese.
- Instead of milk, you can use dairy-free milk like unsweetened almond milk.
- Instead of butter, you can use olive oil.
- To make it gluten-free, you can use almond flour or a GF 1:1 mix. Here’s an excellent post on how to make gluten-free roux.
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Can you make a day ahead? Can you use frozen cauliflower and not roast it?
You could use frozen cauliflower that you boil first until tender, but roasting it adds much more flavor. You can assemble this a day ahead and bake it right before serving.
Healthy and delicious
Thank you so much!