Who says you have to give up eating your favorite macaroni and cheese dish while following a keto diet? Try this creamy low-carb Keto Baked Mac and Cheese to indulge in this delicious mac & cheese without all the added carbs!
Is macaroni and cheese one of your favorite foods? You might have had to give it up since switching to a keto diet. If you miss the taste of this classic cheesy dish, try tasty Keto Mac and Cheese.
You will use an alternative to traditional macaroni pasta to make the meal but will still get to enjoy the creamy flavor of blended cheeses. After finishing this dish, you can eat it for lunch, dinner, or even as a side with your favorite meaty entree.
What You’ll Need to Make the Keto Mac and Cheese
If you want to make Keto Mac and Cheese that you can enjoy for lunch or dinner, be sure to have the following ingredients:
- Cauliflower. Grab a head of cauliflower and cut it into florets before using it to prepare this dish.
- Heavy Cream. The heavy cream is keto-friendly and brings a creamy texture to the dish.
- Cream Cheese. When you want to have the cheesiest macaroni and cheese, use cream cheese! It melts perfectly over the cauliflower.
- Garlic Powder. Bring flavor to the dish with garlic powder.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese. Do not forget to add your sharp cheddar cheese, which makes the dish cheesier and tastier.
You will also need salt, dried parsley, ground mustard, and black pepper to prepare the macaroni and cheese. Use almond flour, parmesan cheese, unsalted butter, parsley, and salt to create the perfect crunchy topping for your Keto Mac and Cheese.
How to Make the Keto Mac and Cheese
Making Keto Mac and Cheese is much easier than you might think. Start by heating your oven to 375F while greasing a casserole dish and setting it off to the side.
In the meantime, boil water in a saucepan, place your florets inside the saucepan and cook for several minutes until your cauliflower becomes tender. Remove the excess water and place your cauliflower on a plate or in a bowl on the side.
Add heavy cream to the saucepan, wait for it to boil, and then place your cream cheese into the saucepan.
Wait until the cheese melts to lower the flame and add your cheddar cheese, melting the cheeses together.
You can then start adding in all your spices before pouring your cauliflower into the homemade cheese sauce.
Place the cheesy cauliflower into a casserole dish and add more cheese on top.
To Make the Crunchy Topping
The crumb topping adds a crunchy texture and a buttery flavor to this baked mac and cheese that really takes it to the next level.
Make the topping is as easy as combining almond flour (panko breadcrumbs if it’s just low-carb), parmesan cheese, butter, parsley, and a pinch of salt.
Pour the topping on top of the cheese, place your dish in the oven, and bake for up to 20 minutes.
How to Store Your Keto Mac and Cheese
Store the Keto Mac and Cheese in a food storage bag or container. Add the casserole dish’s contents to the bag or container and then put it in your fridge for as long as five days or in the freezer for up to six months. You can defrost the macaroni and cheese in the refrigerator before reheating it in the oven or the microwave.
Keto Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 head Cauliflower, (around 3 cups), cut into florets
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
For topping
- 2 tbsp almond flour
- 2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 tsp dried parsley
- Salt, a pinch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray and keep it ready.
- In a saucepan; boil some water with salt. Add the cauliflower florets and cook for 5 minutes until the cauliflower turns tender. Drain the water and keep the cauliflower aside.
- To the same saucepan add the heavy cream and once the cream starts boiling add the cream cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted.
- Reduce the flame low and add 1 cup of cheddar cheese to the saucepan and allow the cheese to melt completely. And then add in the spices; garlic powder, parsley, ground mustard, ground pepper, and salt.
- To the prepared cheese sauce add the cooked cauliflower and coat well and transfer it to the prepared casserole dish.
- Add a layer of remaining cheddar cheese on top of the cauliflower.
- In a small bowl, combine almond flour, parmesan cheese, melted butter, parsley, and salt. Add this crunchy topping over the cheddar cheese layer.
- Bake until the cheese has completely melted for 18-20 minutes.
- Serve the keto mac and cheese while it is still warm.
Equipment
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can I substitute coconut flour for the topping?.
I’ve never tried that so I don’t know how that would turn out but please do report back if you do!
Absolutely delicious!!! My son wanted to eat the whole pan! Definitely making it again. It was super easy to make also.
So happy to hear that, Becky 🙂
Are those nutrition facts for the whole dish? Or one serving? Thank you
That is per serving
Is 1 gram the correct serving size? How many cups is in a serving? Thank you.
The serving size is about 1/4th of the dish because the recipe serves 4.
This was excellent. My kids, husband and myself loved it. I doubled the recipe, added turkey kielbasa and had this as our main dish. You’d never know there was no Mac in this Mac and cheese.