We love Tattooed Chef Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Bowls and decided to make our own version at home. This buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese is gluten-free, low-carb, cheesy, spicy, delicious and fast. You can eat it as a main dish with a side salad, or serve it as a side.
There is no pasta in this recipe--it's just cauliflower! If you're looking for real pasta, try our copycat Kraft mac and cheese or creamy taco pasta. If you're looking for a protein to serve with this cauliflower, try our marinated pan-seared chicken breast!
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Ingredients
- Cauliflower
- Milk - we use whole milk and haven't tested it with other varieties. If you try it with a different kind of milk, drop us a note in the comments and let us know how it worked.
- Chicken broth - to make this vegetarian, swap this out for vegetable broth.
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce - if you have a different favorite cayenne pepper hot sauce or buffalo sauce, feel free to use that instead.
- Cream cheese - we recommend full fat to make sure it melts smoothly.
See recipe card for amounts.
Instructions
Add 6 cups of water to a medium or large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat. While the water boils, cut your cauliflower into small florets.
Once the water is boiling, turn the heat to medium-high and add the cauliflower. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. It should be easy to pierce with a fork, but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
Add milk and chicken broth to a large pan over medium heat. Warm the milk and broth for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the milk doesn't burn. Add the cream cheese and stir until it is melted and combined, about 5 or 6 minutes. It might seem like the cream cheese isn't melting or combining with the liquid for a while--that's fine, just keep stirring.
Turn the heat to low, then add hot sauce, cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted, a couple of minutes. Then add the cauliflower and stir until combined. Enjoy!
Variations
- Omit the hot sauce to make this regular cauliflower mac and cheese
- Add a protein--chicken or bacon would be great
- Add diced pickled jalapeños for some extra heat
- If you don't want to totally give up pasta, add in some cooked macaroni and omit half of the cauliflower
Frequently asked questions
Depending on how wet your cauliflower is, it can thin the sauce a bit when added to the pan. To re-thicken your sauce, just cook it a bit longer. The liquid cooks out after a few minutes. The sauce also tends to get thicker after being removed from the heat for a while.
It's just like normal mac and cheese, but with cauliflower instead of pasta. I won't say that you won't miss the pasta (because I'd probably be lying?), but this dish is delicious in its own right.
We usually just eat it as a main dish with a side salad, but it's also great as a side! Try it with a burger, hot dog, or grilled chicken for a great summer meal.
Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe
We love Tattooed Chef Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Bowls and decided to make our own version at home. This buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese is gluten-free, low-carb, cheesy, spicy, delicious and fast.
4
servings10
minutes15
minutes390
kcal25
minutesPrevent your screen from going dark!
Ingredients
2 heads 2 cauliflower
½ cup ½ whole milk
1 cup 1 chicken broth (substitute vegetable broth for vegetarian)
4 ounces 4 cream cheese
2 cups 2 shredded sharp cheddar cheese
¼ cup ¼ Frank's RedHot Cayenne Pepper Sauce
½ teaspoon ½ salt
¾ teaspoon ¾ black pepper
Directions
- Add 6 cups of water to a medium or large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. While the water boils, cut your cauliflower into small florets.
- Once the water is boiling, turn the heat to medium-high and add the cauliflower. Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. It should be easy to pierce with a fork, but not mushy. Drain and set aside.
- Add milk and chicken broth to a large pan over medium heat. Warm the milk and broth for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure the milk doesn't burn. Add the cream cheese and stir until it is melted and combined, about 5 or 6 minutes. It might seem like the cream cheese isn't melting or combining with the liquid for a while--that's fine, just keep stirring.
- Turn the heat to low, then add hot sauce, cheese, salt, and black pepper. Stir until the cheese is melted, a couple of minutes. Then add the cauliflower and stir until combined. Enjoy!
Notes
- If you have a different favorite cayenne pepper hot sauce or buffalo sauce, feel free to use that instead.
Virginia Buyck says
can you freeze this?
Mollie says
Hi Virginia,
We haven't tried to freeze it, but I think it would work! I'd recommend freezing it in a sealed bag, defrosting in the fridge overnight, and reheating it in a saucepan. I'd store in the freezer for up to 3 months or so.
Mollie
Debbie says
Thank You so much for the recipe. We enjoyed it very much. However I did leave out the pepper and cayenne. I am very allergic to pepper so I substituted garlic. It came out excellent. Thank You so much for sharing!