This slow cooker cauliflower recipe is rich, creamy, and oh-so-cheesy. With a sprinkle of crispy chopped bacon, it’s the ultimate keto side dish!
Okay, all of you cauliflower naysayers! I dare you NOT to fall in love with this easy Slow Cooker Cauliflower. You won’t believe how creamy and flavorful it is. Warning, you may like it so much, you will want to make it every day.
I kid you not. I created this Cauliflower Mac and Cheese in 2017 and it has been one of my most popular keto side dish recipes ever since. Sixty 5-star reviews can’t be wrong!
Just like cauliflower risotto and cauliflower potato salad, this recipe proves to the world how versatile and delicious this low carb vegetable can be.
Why this recipe is so awesome
The best slow cooker recipes are the ones where you just dump the ingredients in and walk away. I like to call them “dump and run” recipes. And that’s exactly how you make this cheesy slow cooker cauliflower. You do need to add in the grated cheese toward the end, but that’s it. There’s so little work involved and you end up with a super creamy, super flavorful low carb side dish.
It goes perfectly with all of your favorite mains like Air Fryer Pork Chops and Spinach Stuffed Chicken. And I can tell you from experience that the leftovers make a great breakfast, too.
And with only 4.7g net carbs per serving, you can dig in with gusto!
Ingredients you need
- Cauliflower florets: You can cut the florets from a head of cauliflower or get them pre-cut. I don’t suggest using frozen cauliflower as they will become mushy.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese helps make the cheese sauce rich and thick.
- Whipping cream: You need a little liquid to help the cauliflower cook and become tender.
- Butter: Butter adds additional fat and flavor.
- Pepper Jack cheese: If you aren’t a fan of Pepper Jack, you can use Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese.
- Bacon: Because everything tastes better with bacon! You will need to have it already cooked up nice and crispy.
- Salt and pepper
Reader Reviews
“I made this and it is superb!!! Sometimes cauliflower recipes are not easy to pull off and make ‘tasty’”’. Carolyn has done it with this recipe! My daughter and grands (5,6,7yrs) LOVE IT!!! This is now added to MY go to side dish library. Thank you Carolyn for all you do! Makes living a healthy, keto friendly, lifestyle so much easier and FUN.” — Sandra
“This is perhaps our favorite side dish recipe. As a matter of fact, I’ve been known to have some of the leftovers for breakfast the next day! This is my idea of a “Breakfast of Champions”! Your talent, imagination and creativity in the kitchen never fails to amaze.” — Diane
“Girrrrrllll! I love this recipe!!! This recipe is my replacement for mac & cheese. Love that it is a crock pot meal. My family members loved it. I am looking forward to making this dish for Thanksgiving as a side side whichThank you for sharing and demonstrating one of many of your delicious recipes.” — Pamela
Step by Step Directions
1. Dump in the ingredients: Add the cauliflower, cream cheese, whipping cream, butter, salt, and pepper into a greased slow cooker. Cook on low for 3 hours.
2. Add the cheese: Add the Pepper Jack and stir to combine. Continue to cook another 30 minutes to an hour, until cauliflower is fork tender.
3. Top with bacon: Add the bacon crumbles and serve.
Tips for Success
Choose a cheese that melts well. I prefer grating my own, as it has no fillers and will melt more smoothly. But you can use pre-shredded if that’s all you have.
In a rush? You can also cook this on high for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
I do not recommend cooking this in an Instant Pot or pressure cooker. The pressure tends to force too much liquid out of the vegetables, making the sauce too soupy and thin.
Frequently Asked Questions
For those of us following a low-carb diet, cauliflower is an excellent vegetable choice. It has a mild flavor so it takes on the flavors of the other ingredients. It is also low in carbohydrates and can be steamed, roasted, boiled, fried and grilled.
This easy keto “Mac and Cheese” is best the first day you make it, but the leftovers are good for several days. Keep leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This keto slow cooker pepper jack cauliflower recipe has 6.3g of carbs and 1.6g of fiber per serving. That comes to 4.7g net carbs per slice.
More delicious slow cooker recipes
Slow Cooker Pepper Jack Cauliflower
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound (453.59 g) cauliflower, cut into 1 inch florets
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) cream cheese
- 1/4 cup (59.5 g) whipping cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 4 ounces (113.4 g) Pepper Jack cheese, shredded
- 6 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Instructions
- Grease the inside of a 4 to 6 quart slow cooker.
- Add the cauliflower, cream cheese, whipping cream, butter, salt, and pepper. Cook on low for 3 hours.
- Add the Pepper Jack and stir to combine. Continue to cook another 30 minutes to an hour, until cauliflower is fork tender.
- Add bacon crumbles and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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My go to Keto Cauliflower dish, yummo.
And l make it without the bacon and it’s still the best.
Making this creamy delight for dinner tonight! Mmmm!
Hi! Just thought I’d let you know – I had all the ingredients to make this, then a friend brought some chicken thighs over to BBQ, and I knew what I wanted to make – this! Unfortunately, when I looked at the recipe, it called for 3 hours in the slow cooker. Not having that kind of time, I boiled up the cauliflower, drained it, added all the ingredients, mixed it up, then into the oven at 350 for about 30 minutes. Perfection!! Both hubby and friend want this on a regular basis! Thank you so much for what you do…..
It is absolutely delicious, so easy to make, thank you!
I made this and it is superb!!! Sometimes cauliflower recipes are not easy to pull off and make “tasty”. Carolyn has done it with this recipe! My daughter and grands (5,6,7yrs) LOVE IT!!! This is now added to MY go to side dish library.
Thank you Carolyn for all you do! Makes living a healthy, keto friendly, lifestyle so much easier and FUN.
Glad to hear it!
This is perhaps our favorite side dish recipe. As a matter of fact, I’ve been known to have some of the leftovers for breakfast the next day! This is my idea of a “Breakfast of Champions”! Your talent, imagination and creativity in the kitchen never fails to amaze.
Hi Carolyn,
First let me say, this might just be may *favorite* side dish! So thank you!
Next, I hate be a tattle tale and struggled with saying anything but with the struggles you’ve been having with Facebook algorithms, I feel it’s only fair for you to know. Another keto site “Keto Diet for Beginners” showed up in my feed, posting what looks to be this recipe – right down to the photo. Not as a share, and not giving you credit. I tried tagging your site in the comments but I’m sure you get a bazillion of those a day. And maybe you can’t do anything about it, but you work too hard on this for folks to basically steal it, so I wanted you to be aware.
Thanks again for all your hard work!
~ Jennifer
Thanks, Jennifer. Can you send me a link to it? If they are using my photo, I can do a Facebook copyright violation.
I think this will work…
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02iBHKGrjhyAk3u8cwRnbY3wv3E3cuUEW6k2vAFBFmHMtVwB7MvpwR6tB1BJnWfTwUl&id=100076268053662&mibextid=qC1gEa
I found it and reported it. Thanks!
This cauliflower dish is easy to make and tastes great!
So good! Very creamy with just the right zing! My non low carb spouse asked me to keep this recipe for future use.
Nice!
This is delicious & sooo easy to prepare. It’s always a hit worth my family. I’ve taken it to potlucks & it’s one of those dishes that’s gone fast. Sometimes I’ll add a can of diced green chilies.
I make this ALL the time, and my family LOVES it. I make 4 times the recipe because the leftovers are a favorite snack. I do it in the InstantPot. (Mine is an 8 quart.) I dump in all the ingredients except the pepper jack and bacon, cook on High Pressure for 2 min with manual release, add the pepper jack, and stir to combine and coat. I crisp up Costco bacon bits and each person garnishes their own. Soooooo delicious!!!!! Thank you, Caroline for another amazing dish that my family loves!
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!! Thank you for sharing this one! Daughter brought it for Easter and had doubled the recipe…with seven people, the double batch had a tiny bowlful as “left overs”…IT WAS DELICIOUS!!.. She said she roasted her cauliflower on the grill the day before for just a little bit, and she added a little bit of “Slap Yo Mama Cajin Seasoning” and before serving she sprinkled some green onion tops along with the bacon. THIS IS A KEEPER!!
Sounds awesome!
recipe is very easy to follow…..
was very filling….we really enjoyed it….would definitely recommend…..
Has anyone tried to convert this to the instant pot?
I have not.
The downloaded recipe calls for heavy cream, but the video doesn’t mention it. Which is the updated version? Thanks for all the great recipes!
Either works… go with the printed recipe.
Is there a way to make this recipe faster ie without a crockpot ? I’m not a great cook and I’m usually really pressed for time, could I steam it and throw everything together and let the cheese melt? I know that I could steam the cauliflower and throw the rest together but it would probably end up as mush and I thought maybe you would have a tip to avoid that lol I LOVE your recipes and articles by the way,i read them every single day.
I think you will need to experiment!