Scalloped Cauliflower is baked in a rich creamy dairy free sauce and topped with a crispy breadcrumb topping. The most incredible side dish ever!
This recipe is essentially a healthy vegan cauliflower casserole that is lower on the carbs. It's just as delicious and easy to make! Make it gluten free by using gluten free breadcrumbs.
This recipe was originally published on 11/21/2016
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of WhiteWave Foods. The opinions and text are all mine.
I love surprising people with dairy free recipes that they swear have dairy! This is one of those meals and it's always a hit. While I love traditional vegan scalloped potatoes, this recipe is right in there as the best!
This gratin like recipe makes an amazing side dish. This tastes just as good even better than its dairy loaded counterpart. But this scalloped cauliflower recipe has no dairy and can be made gluten-free as well!
I swapped the typical potatoes for slices of cauliflower to get in some extra vegetables and give a low carb option. Then I whipped up a creamy sauce made of amazing whole foods, instead of using a cheese sauce loaded with butter, dairy, and flour. Finally I covered the healthy cauliflower casserole all in a crispy flavorful breadcrumb topping.
Ingredients
In order to make this creamy and comforting vegan cauliflower casserole, you'll need a variety of whole foods:
For the base you'll need:
- Cauliflower - since you need to slice the head into strips instead of breaking it up into cauliflower florets, and because you want this more on the al dente side texture wise, it's best to use fresh cauliflower.
- If you don't have another option you can definitely use frozen. The frozen cauliflower will release a little more liquid, so you may want to reduce the amount of added liquid in the recipe.
- Thyme - fresh thyme leaves have the best flavor. If you need to, you can swap it out for a teaspoon of dried thyme.
- Breadcrumbs - panko breadcrumbs are nice and crispy, but any will work. Also, be sure to choose gluten free breadcrumbs if needed. You can make your own breadcrumbs by toasting your own bread. I've found that 3 slices is sufficient.
- Pine nuts - these not only add texture to the topping, but flavor as well.
- Hemp seeds - for even more texture and nutrition!
- Sea salt - adjust to your taste preferences and dietary needs.
And for the sauce, gather:
- Cooked potato and onion - the best method is to boil both the potato and onion together until they're soft. Select a starchy potato such as russet, and a mild onion like yellow or sweet.
- Garlic - fresh garlic cloves will give you the best results, but jarred minced garlic will do the trick in a pinch.
- Raw cashews - If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind the dry cashews into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
- Unsweetened cashew milk - this is my favorite dairy free milk to use for the sauce, but any will work. Keep it vegan with plant based milks, or feel free to use dairy milk if you want.
- Veggie broth - any broth will do, but I prefer to use a vegetable broth without tomato in the base.
- Lemon juice - freshly squeeze your own for the best taste.
- Apple cider vinegar - if needed you can substitute white vinegar or white wine vinegar, but the taste will change slightly.
- Sea salt
I made this vegan cauliflower bake using Silk brand cashew milk, but any milk will work. Keep in mind that the creamier the milk is, the creamier the sauce will turn out.
How to Make Cauliflower Casserole
- Make the creamy sauce.
- Layer the sliced cauliflower with the breadcrumb topping in a casserole dish.
- Bake until tender and serve!
Serving Suggestions
Cauliflower au gratin is the perfect side dish, or even main dish! Any recipes that would normally compliment a potato au gratin would go great with it. Here are some of our faves:
- Peas with scallions and dill
- Smoky maple roasted carrots
- Oven baked eggplant fries
- Greek stuffing
- The Best Vegan Meatballs
- Vegan Moussaka
- You can also serve with some vegan parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top!
Preparation tips
To make the best scalloped cauliflower ever, keep these suggestions in mind:
- Slice the head of the cauliflower into thick slices, about ½ inch thick. Make sure to also remove most of the thick stem.
- Since you need to slice the head into strips instead of breaking it up into cauliflower florets, and because you want this more on the al dente side texture wise, it's best to use fresh cauliflower.
- If you don't have another option you can definitely use frozen. The frozen cauliflower will release a little more liquid, so you may want to reduce the amount of added liquid in the recipe.
- Don't need to keep this cauliflower casserole vegan? Add in some sharp cheddar cheese, Swiss cheese, gruyere cheese, or any other cheese you love!
Make Ahead Tips
If you want to make this cauliflower casserole ahead of time, you definitely can. Here is what I would do for the best results:
- Make the cream sauce.
- Prep the cauliflower.
- Make the breadcrumb topping.
- Store each component separately.
- When you are ready to serve, put it together and bake.
- If you want to bake this ahead of time as well, you certainly can.
- Bake the assembled cauliflower gratin, then let it cool down all the way before putting in the fridge, you can simply store in the baking dish and cover with tin foil or plastic wrap.
- When ready to serve, take it out of the fridge and allow to return to room temperature . Then warm it up in the oven but watch carefully so it doesn't burn or dry out. You may need to add a touch of broth to help.
How to Store Leftovers
If you have any of this cauliflower casserole left over, I'd be shocked. But if it happens, here's some suggestions:
- Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- You can also freeze this cauliflower au gratin recipe for future use for 2-3 months. The longer you keep it in the freezer the less the dish will keep its flavor and texture.
- When you reheat this casserole, the texture may be a little watery but if you warm it in the oven it will help thicken it again.
Common Questions
When cooking cauliflower, you want to watch it carefully because it goes from al dente to super soft quickly. Depending on what you are making, the texture you need will change.
In this recipe, you want something a little on the al dente side so it holds up when serving. Much like potatoes, if you overcook it, then it will get super soft and although still delicious, won't remain a layered type dish.
As the cooking time comes to an end begin checking it with a fork. Once the fork can go through fairly easily then it's ready!
Practically anything! It's a wonderful side for your favorite main dishes, pairs nicely with a fresh salad, or is the perfect addition to any holiday meal.
Cauliflower is an amazing veggie! It's in the cruciferous family and naturally high in fiber and b vitamins. So a great addition to your diet.
It doesn't have much flavor on it's own, and easily takes on any flavor you cook it with. Which makes it perfect for so many things! It has a little creaminess to it and makes a good sub for potatoes when you need something a little lower in carbs.
It also has a great texture when riced and sautéed so makes a good low carb rice option. We love subbing half of the rice for riced cauliflower in our recipes, like in this vegan tikka masala or these veggie sheet pan fajitas.
More Vegan Cauliflower Recipes
Cauliflower is quite the shapeshifter, and can be a magical vehicle for amazing flavors. If you liked this dish, check out these other gluten free, plant based cauliflower recipes:
Scalloped Cauliflower (Healthy Cauliflower Casserole)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 6 tablespoons breadcrumbs , gluten-free if needed (see note)
- 3 tablespoons pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Sauce:
- 1 cup cooked potato , peel before cooking (about 1 medium potato)
- ¼ onion , medium (cook with potato)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup raw cashews , see note
- ½ cup unsweetened cashew milk , almond works too (I use the Silk Brand)
- 1 cup veggie broth , low sodium if needed
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Make sauce. Cook potato and onion by boiling until soft. Place all sauce ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.
- Make breadcrumb parmesan topping by placing breadcrumbs, pine nuts, hemp seeds, and salt into a food processor and pulse until crumbly. Take half of the breadcrumb parmesan mixture and set aside for the topping.
- Wash the head of cauliflower and slice it into thick slices, about ½ inch thick. Make sure to get out most of the thick stem.
- Line the cauliflower pieces up on a tray and sprinkle with the other half of the breadcrumb parmesan mix, making sure to coat both sides of each piece. It doesn’t have to be fully coated, just looking for some added texture to the cauliflower. If your cauliflower is dry then you can always brush with veggie broth or oil to help get the mixture to stick.
- Layer the slices into a square baking dish (I used 9 x 9 inches).
- Pour the sauce over the top until it fully covers the cauliflower. You will use all but about ½ - ¾ cup of the sauce. You can save the extra for another time, it’s great with pasta!
- Sprinkle the other half of the breadcrumb parmesan mix over the top. Then sprinkle with fresh thyme leaves.
- Bake at 350°F/180°C for 35-40 minutes. Check at 35 minutes by piercing it with a fork to see how cooked the cauliflower is. I like it more on the al dente side, but you can continue to cook until your preferred texture is reached. Keep in mind it will cook a little more as it is cooling.
- Make sure to allow the dish to cool before serving to allow it to set a bit. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can make your own breadcrumbs by toasting your own bread, toast about 3 slices.
- The best method to cook the potato is by boiling it with the onion. See instructions.
- I prefer to use a veggie broth without tomato in the base.
- If you are not using a high speed blender you can either soak the cashews overnight or grind them into a fine powder using a coffee grinder.
- Make sauce.
- Make breadcrumb parmesan topping.
- Soak or grind cashews if not using a high speed blender.
- Make sure you bake it until cauliflower is soft.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Ethan
Nice. We have made it several times . Thank you for posting.
veggiesdontbite
So happy you liked it Ethan!
Long
Great instructions and tips, thanks for sharing! Just looking at these photos makes me hungry!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you!! Hope you try it!
Susan Dubose
I love cauliflower! and cheesy goodness! and Buffalo sauce! YUM! I definitely need to add this to my recipe box!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Susan!! I love making creamy things from plants!
Bonnie
We have a nut allergy in our house. This makes many of the vegan recipes I am finding harder to make. As we are just starting this vegan journey, do you have any recommendations on substitutions, or how important they are in certain recipes, leave them out all together?
veggiesdontbite
Hi Bonnie! So sorry to hear you have a nut allergy. It definitely makes it more challenging. The cashews everyone uses are because they really make the best flavor and texture for all things creamy. I have had a few people make subs but it depends on the recipe. Some common subs are white beans, cauliflower, potato, sunflower seeds (although the flavor does come through). I have had a few people make some of my creamy recipes using a combination of these subs and been happy with the end result. I personally haven't tried it because we can eat them and prefer them in the recipe, but give it a shot and let me know what you think! For this particular recipe, I am guessing that the best option would be to use a combo of white beans, potato and cauliflower to sub the cashews. You can use oat milk if you have a creamy one you love, otherwise soy would work as it's creamy too. For the toppings, don't use the pine nuts and use more breadcrumbs and hemp seeds. Or you can add in some sunflower seeds too.
Sandra
Sophia, this was delicious. Is the casserole supposed to “set” as it appears in your picture of the finished product? Mine was more of a creamy sauce.
veggiesdontbite
Hi Sandra! The cauliflower will be set but the sauce may be a little creamy depending on the liquid that comes out from the cauliflower or how your oven bakes it. As long as it tastes good I think you're good!
Jill
Wow, it was delish! I've been changing over from the regular SAD (standard American diet) to a vegetarian/vegan diet. This was great and the sauce was unbelievable. I shared some with my neighbor and she loved it.
FYI, I also decided to add a little rubbed sage to my left-over sauce and discovered it would make a great sub for "sausage" flavored gravy for biscuits.
veggiesdontbite
I'm so happy you liked it Jill! Your additions sound delicious!
Karen
I think I found your pizza burritos on IG and that led me here, so while meal planning I decided I’d make the cauliflower one night and double the sauce, and then use the rest for pizza burritos the next night. I don’t think doubling was necessary lol I cooked the potato, onion, and cashews in the instant pot for 5 minutes and then blended it all. Cooking the cashews with the potato and onion is another way to make it work without a high speed blender. It’s super creamy and yummy and now I don’t know what to do with all the sauce! Lol I did have to cook my cauliflower about twice as long as stated, but it was eventually really good!
veggiesdontbite
Hi Karen! Haha! You can never have enough creamy sauce! It actually freezes pretty well, so freeze it for later use! When you defrost, slowly bring it back to room temp by letting it defrost on the counter, then slowly heating it up mixing well. It will need a fast whisk to get the texture back, but it comes back! Love that you cooked it in the Instapot! I too boil the cashews sometimes, since I am cooking the potato it makes it easy. I have a lot of recipes on the site you can use the sauce for too. My lasagna is a really good one, or you can always mix with a marinara for a creamy pasta. Or even put it in tomato soup as a creamy soup! As for the cauliflower, we like ours al dente and not too cooked so definitely cook as long as you need! Thanks so much!
Emily
This looks absolutely delicious, love the crumbly topping. I can't wait to give it a try!
JD
This is such an inventive and delicious recipe. I love potatoes but this is so good that I’d gladly have both!
Nisha / Rainbowplantlife
I was looking for vegan cauliflower recipes and came across this one and was blown away! How creative and elegant! I never would have thought to "scallop" cauliflower. What a brilliant idea. Thanks for sharing it!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much!! It is so yummy and creamy and delicious. I served it at Thanksgiving and Christmas and it was a big hit!
The Vegan 8
This is such a gorgeous and CREATIVE dish! I love, love that this is an alternative to traditional scalloped potatoes. While I love potatoes more than anything, cauliflower is a wonderful twist and a lighter version, so I could happily stuff my face with this with lots more and not explode like I do with the potato version, lol. So delicious and the fresh thyme and breadcrumb topping is stellar!
Sarah
Having just become a WFPB diet convert, I simply LOVE this blog!!! This recipe looks phenomonal, however I have noticed that this and several of your other recipes call for cashews and cashew milk. Sadly, I am allergic to tree nuts. I can sub in soy or coconut milks, but do you have any suggestions for the cashews themselves? Perhaps seeds or beans of some kind?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much!! Yes, unfortunately I do use nuts in a bunch of my recipes, mostly the creamy sauce since cashews really are the best way to get that perfect dairy like cream flavor. However I totally get that some are allergic so something is better than nothing! For this recipe, I would maybe add a little more potato and then even some cooked cauliflower. White beans can also give a creamy consistency so you could do some of those too. Just start with 3/4 cup of whatever you choose to sub for the cashews since that's the amount of cashew, then add more until you get that flavor you like. You may need less milk or veggie broth though if you use potato/cauliflower since cashews don't have any water and the veggies do. I have tried a few recipes that use sunflower seeds or tahini instead of cashews but it just isn't my favorite, however it's an idea if you like that flavor! If you try those you may need more lemon juice and/or apple cider vinegar to counteract the flavor and get you the cream taste. Let me know how it goes, and if you have another recipe you'd like sub ideas for let me know as well! Thank you so much for being here!
Sarah
You are so awesome! Thanks for all the suggestions. After it was all said and done, I used sunflower seeds (because it was what I already had and I made this before you responded), two small red potatoes (since they tend to be creamier and less gritty), and an entire small sweet onion. I soaked the seeds overnight in hopes that they would soften up. It didn't really help. Anyhow, after quite a bit of playing with adding garlic powder and some other herbs, and reducing it on the stove it did turn out pretty good! I wouldn't necessarily recommend going this route unless you REALLY need to be nut-free, but for those of us who do, it can be done! Thank you so much for all your help!
veggiesdontbite
That's great to hear Sarah! I'd be curious to see you try it with the cauliflower or white beans. But I'm glad you got it to work! You can use that sauce with anything creamy you need too! You are more than welcome!
Trish
Super Delicious! Had this with a bunch of roasted veggies. What a satisfying meal, however, did not leave me feeling sick and bloated from a heavy meal. Def making this again. Like I said, super delicious!
veggiesdontbite
That sounds like the perfect dinner! So happy you liked it!
Ellanor @ Stray Gourmet
Wow. The pictures really sell this dish for me. I'm going to try it out tonight - especially looking forward to the pine nut, breadcrumb etc. topping - what a wonderful idea. Do you have any suggestions for delicious meals to accompany this?
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Ellanor! I really hope you like it. I have many suggestions on what you can have it with. I'd say my latest holiday dish Greek Vegan Moussaka would be fabulous with it. The link for that is https://www.veggiesdontbite.com/greek-vegan-moussaka-gluten-free/ But feel free to browse through my main dish category and find others too!
Sina @ Vegan Heaven
This looks so yummy! The perfect Christmas recipe! 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Sina!