This cheese sauce for cauliflower is a quick and easy condiment that transforms vegetables into an irresistible side dish! Cheddar and Parmesan cheese are combined with whole milk, butter, and seasoning for a delightfully rich and creamy texture. Plus, it's the perfect way to convince picky eaters to try their veggies!
Cauliflower Cheese Sauce Recipe
If you're looking for a way to get your picky eaters to actually enjoy their veggies, my homemade cheese sauce for cauliflower is the one for you! It's rich and flavorful, perfectly seasoned, and the creamy cheese texture will have everyone wanting seconds!
This super easy sauce will definitely take all of your favorite vegetable side dishes to the next level! All you have to do is mix a handful of common ingredients in a saucepan and cook on low heat until the cheese melts.
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🥘 Cheese Sauce For Cauliflower Ingredients
This ingredient list is full of common items that you may already have in your refrigerator and pantry! Always make sure to use grated cheese over cubed cheese for the best results.
- Butter - 2 tablespoons of butter.
- All-Purpose Flour - 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
- Whole Milk - 1 cup of whole milk.
- Cheddar Cheese - 1 ¼ cup of cheddar cheese (grated).
- Parmesan Cheese - ½ cup of Parmesan cheese (grated).
- Onion Powder - ¼ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Salt & Pepper - each, salt & pepper (optional, to taste).
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Cheese Sauce For Cauliflower
Cheese sauce for cauliflower is incredibly easy and quick to prepare! To begin, take out a medium-sized saucepan, a silicone whisk, and some measuring spoons.
This homemade cheese sauce recipe yields around 8 servings! There is more than enough for dinner, plus you might even have some left over to enjoy for lunch the next day!
- Melt butter. Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat on your stovetop.
- Mix. Pour in the 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour then use a silicone whisk and mix to create a roux. *The roux should start to become thick.
- Add milk. Add the 1 cup of milk in small increments at a time and continue mixing until all of the milk is in the mixture. Whisk until it reaches a smooth consistency and there are no longer any clumps present.
- Add ingredients. Reduce the heat to low then add in the 1 ¼ cups of cheddar cheese, ½ cup of Parmesan cheese, and ¼ teaspoon of onion powder.
- Stir mixture. Stir the mixture until the cheese is completely melted, then remove your saucepan from the heat. Mix in the optional salt & pepper to taste, if using.
- Serve. Immediately serve over your prepared cauliflower.
Cheese sauce for cauliflower tastes amazing on my microwave cauliflower! I like to also pour it over baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, air fryer asparagus, or on top of some nachos. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- This recipe will make about 2 cups of cheese sauce.
- If you'd like to add some heat to this sauce, you can add in some smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- You can substitute the cheddar cheese for any of your favorite white cheeses if you desire. Make sure that the cheese is grated (not cubed) so that it will melt quickly.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
To store your leftover cheese sauce, pour it into an airtight storage container and place it in the fridge for up to 7 days. Allow the sauce to completely cool before you put it into the refrigerator.
You can either store your cheese sauce in a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag (with no excess air) in the freezer for up to 6 months. For the best flavor and texture results, enjoy within the first 2 to 3 months.
Thaw your frozen cheese sauce overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Reheating Cheese Sauce For Cauliflower
Reheat the cheese sauce in a saucepan over low heat until it is heated through to your liking. If you find that the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches a smooth consistency.
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❓ Recipe FAQs
If this is happening, it's most likely because you have the heat turned up too high. Cheese sauce should never be rushed and needs to be cooked on low heat. If the heat is too hot, you can run into the sauce splitting and having a grainy texture.
Absolutely! There are many other choices that would taste delicious too. Gruyere, fontina, and Havarti cheese all melt very well, or you can try a flavored cheddar cheese like habanero or garlic herb! In place of the Parmesan cheese, you could use Asiago or Romano!
Your sauce tastes like flour because the roux didn't cook long enough before adding in the milk. Next time, try cooking the butter and flour mixture until it starts turning a golden color, then start adding in the milk.
😋 More Tasty Sauce Recipes
- Blue Cheese Steak Sauce - This sauce is full of rich and bold flavors that will complement your favorite cut of steak!
- Big Mac Sauce - My homemade Big Mac sauce is a tried and true recipe that is perfect for burgers, fries, and salads!
- Mild Buffalo Sauce - If you love mild wings, then you'll love how easy and delicious this recipe is!
- Burger Sauce - Take your burgers to the next level with this sauce that is made with mayo, mustard, ketchup, sweet pickles, and seasonings!
- Sweet & Sour Sauce - This sauce has the perfect blend of sweet and tangy flavors that will pair well with tempura-fried chicken, pork, or shrimp!
- Cajun Dipping Sauce - My homemade Cajun sauce has a flavorful kick from a dash of hot sauce and Cajun seasonings!
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📖 Recipe Card
Cheese Sauce For Cauliflower
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ¼ cup cheddar cheese (grated)
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt (optional, to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper (optional, to taste)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat on your stovetop.
- Pour in the all-purpose flour then use a silicone whisk and mix to create a roux. *The roux should start to become thick.
- Add the milk in small increments at a time and continue mixing until all of the milk is in the mixture. Whisk until it reaches a smooth consistency and there are no longer any clumps present.
- Reduce the heat to low then add in the cheddar cheese, Parmesan cheese, and onion powder.
- Stir the mixture until the cheese is completely melted, then remove your saucepan from the heat. Mix in the optional salt & pepper to taste, if using.
- Immediately serve over your prepared cauliflower.
Notes
- This recipe will make about 2 cups of cheese sauce.
- If you'd like to add some heat to this sauce, you can add in some smoked paprika or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
- You can substitute the cheddar cheese for any of your favorite white cheeses if you desire. Make sure that the cheese is grated (not cubed) so that it will melt quickly.
- To store: To store your leftover cheese sauce, pour it into an airtight storage container and place it in the fridge for up to 7 days. Allow the sauce to completely cool before you put it into the container.
- To freeze: You can either store your cheese sauce in a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag (with no excess air) in the freezer for up to 6 months. For the best flavor and texture results, enjoy within the first 2 to 3 months. Thaw overnight before reheating.
- To reheat: Reheat the cheese sauce in a saucepan over low heat until it is heated through to your liking. If you find that the sauce is too thick, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches a smooth consistency.
Tammy Miller says
Easy recipe. Very, very good.
Jackie says
My sauce was not grainy, it had a cheesy flavor. But it was too thick. I followed the recipe exactly.
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Drizzle a small amount of milk or cream in and stir or whisk to combine. Adjust to your preferences as needed. Thanks!
Sue Armbruster says
This was terrific. I'll never buy a can of cheddar soup again.