Cheesy Cauliflower Bake (Air Fryer Recipe)

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By Karly Campbell on September 2, 2021 | Updated October 7, 2022 | 2 Comments

This CHEESY CAULIFLOWER BAKE is a simple, hearty low carb side dish that the whole family loves! It cooks quickly in the air fryer and comes out cheesy and loaded with bacon!

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Frequently when dieting side dishes become a sticking point. It is hard to find substitutes for the potatoes that we have been eating all our lives. I mean, you don’t realize how often you eat potatoes until you try to stop eating potatoes!

So you mix things up and eat a whole lot of other types of sides, like air fryer asparagus, air fryer mushrooms, and air fryer zucchini.

Then you get into the caulilfower. It’s not a 100% replacement for potatoes, but oh man…if you treat it right, it’ll be delicious!

This cheesy cauliflower is one of those tasty dishes that we did right. We roast the cauliflower in the air fryer with bits of bacon and then we top it all with cheese and green onion. You could even dollop some sour cream on top before serving, if you like.

Table of Contents

Ingredient Notes:

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Cauliflower – You can buy a bag of florets to save time, or you can buy a head of cauliflower that you will cut into florets yourself.

Bacon– We’re using thick-cut bacon and sprinkling it right in with the cauliflower. No need to pre-cook it.

How to make:

Prep- Chop your cauliflower into florets and add them to a mixing bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Stir to make sure you’ve coated the cauliflower in the seasoning.

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Cook the cauliflower– Place the cauliflower in the air fryer basket and cook at 360 degrees F for 5 minutes. Remove the air fryer basket and stir the cauliflower. Sprinkle the raw, chopped bacon on top of the cauliflower and cook for another 10-15 minutes until the bacon is at the crispness you like. Stir this every 5 minutes while it is cooking.

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Load the cauliflower– Dump the cauliflower and bacon into a small casserole dish that will fit inside your air fryer basket. Sprinkle cheddar and most of the green onion onto the cauliflower. Cook for another 3 minutes to melt the cheese. Remove from the air fryer and garnish with the remaining green onion.

Pro Tip:

Transferring the cauliflower and bacon to a baking dish before topping with cheese isn’t necessary, but it does make for a prettier final dish to bring to the table. You can absolutely leave the cauliflower in the air fryer basket and sprinkle with the cheese. Serve directly from the air fryer basket or transfer to a dish after it’s finished cooking.

FAQ:

Can I make the loaded cauliflower ahead of time?

Sure! This will reheat well in the air fryer at 350 degrees for about 5 minutes. If possible, leave the cheese off until you’re ready to heat and serve.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes, of course, but depending on the size of your air fryer you might need to cook this in batches.

Does this taste like potatoes?

While the flavors are similar to that of cheesy potatoes, the texture of cauliflower is a lot different from potatoes. This dish is similar, but you won’t fool anyone into thinking they’re eating potatoes.

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Recipe Tips and Substitutions

You aren’t a huge fan of bacon?

While rare, I do sometimes come across a person who doesn’t like bacon. You can either leave the bacon out of the recipe, or you can substitute pepperoni, ham, or even taco meat into this recipe.

Also, if you don’t have cheddar available no worries. Just use a cheese that melts easily.

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More low carb air fryer recipes:

Easy Air Fryer Cauliflower
Buffalo Cauliflower
Air Fryer Chicken Legs
Frozen Shrimp in the Air Fryer
Air Fryer Steak Bites

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Let us know your opinion!

We’d love to hear what you think of this recipe! Leave a comment and star rating down below! And don’t forget to pin and share!

Air Fried Loaded Cauliflower

Created by: Karly Campbell

Course Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

▢ 1 fresh cauliflower head around 2 lbs (note 1)
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 1 teaspoon salt
▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
▢ 1 cup chopped bacon
▢ 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
▢ 3 green onions sliced, divided

Instructions

Use a sharp knife to remove the stem and leaves from the cauliflower, then break apart the florets with your hands into similar sized pieces.
Mix the cauliflower with oil, salt and pepper and toss until evenly coated.
Transfer the florets to the basket of your air fryer and cook at 360°F for 5 minutes.
Stir, sprinkle with chopped bacon, and bake for another 10-15 minutes until cauliflower has reached desired softness and bacon desired crispness (note 2). Stir everything once or twice during that time.
Transfer cauliflower and bacon to an oven-safe dish that fits the basket of your air fryer. (note 3)
Sprinkle with cheddar and ¾ of the green onion and bake for another 3 minutes on 360°F until cheese is melted.
Garnish with remaining green onion before serving.

Notes

Note 1: You can also use frozen cauliflower but let it thaw completely and cut the florets into similar sizes.

Note 2: Cooking time depends on the model of your air fryer, size of cauliflower florets, and desired doneness. I recommend checking in after around ¾ of the suggested cooking time to see if the food is already cooked to your liking.

Note 3: You can absolutely skip the step of transferring the cauliflower to a baking dish and just sprinkle the cheese right over the top. It just makes for a messier air fryer basket. You can either serve directly from the air fryer basket or transfer to a dish to bring to the table. It just won’t be quite as pretty once transferred to another dish.

Nutrition

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FAQs

Why is my cauliflower bake watery? ›

Most recipes recommend blanching the cauliflower in boiling water for a few minutes for this initial stage, but it's important to pay close attention to this step. The watery problem happens when the cauliflower is either overcooked or not drained well enough after a quick blanching.

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Why did my cauliflower cheese curdle? ›

Cooking the cauliflower cheese at too high a temperature can sometimes cause the cheese to split, resulting in a slightly oily, grainy texture. A split sauce can also be avoided by removing the sauce from the heat before adding the cheese.

Get More Info ›

Can you reheat cauliflower cheese from frozen? ›

Cooking Instructions

Cook from frozen at about 180°C (Gas Mark 4) for about 35 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and it is heated through. Do not reheat.

How do you keep cauliflower cheese from getting watery? ›

Drain well

Make sure you drain the cauliflower really well after it's boiled up and before you add it to the dish, otherwise it will end up too watery.

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Why is my cauliflower cheese soggy? ›

A watery cheese sauce is usually because you've overcooked your cauliflower. If you need to thicken your cheese sauce, mix a tablespoon of cornflour with two tablespoons of the cheese sauce in a separate bowl and then add it back into the mixture. This should thicken it up.

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How do you get the liquid out of cauliflower? ›

The trick with cauliflower is: Don't cook it till is too soft. just 4 or 5 minutes but taste to be sure. then drain into a colander, (sieve with big holes) and leave to drain for a few minutes, asking every minute. tap dry with a little kitchen paper or a clean tea towel.

Learn More Now ›

Why can't you reheat cauliflower cheese? ›

Can you reheat cauliflower cheese? Yes you can, and it will taste fine… But just be aware that it will dry out a little and the cauliflower will be a little bit softer… not a deal breaker, but definitely not as good as fresh! Simply place any leftover cauliflower in a lidded container and refrigerate.

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Why does cauliflower cheese upset my stomach? ›

The culprit behind the stomachaches is cauliflower's fiber content, which becomes most troublesome when you increase your fiber intake too rapidly without giving your body time to adjust. Stomachaches join other side effects of overloading on fiber.

Know More ›

Can I reheat cauliflower cheese twice? ›

Each time food is cooled, stored and reheated, the likelihood of harmful bacteria multiplying increases. If you do end up with leftovers, it is much safer to either freeze them or reheat them just once.

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Why can't I freeze cauliflower cheese? ›

It can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to cook. It is possible to freeze cauliflower cheese but unfortunately the sauce can sometimes turn thin and sligtly watery on defrosting, so we prefer not to freeze the dish if at all possible.

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How do you get water out of cooked cauliflower? ›

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Why does my cauliflower cheese go watery after? ›

Cauliflower cheese can go watery if the cauliflower is overcooked. Overcooked cauliflower releases water, which will seep into the rest of the dish. So even if your sauce was thick when it went in the oven, if its in there too long, the water from the cauliflower will cause it to go watery.