This rich and cheesy Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is the ultimate in gluten free keto comfort food. With the spiciness of the buffalo sauce and the cooling blue cheese, it is perfectly balanced. Best of all, it has minimal ingredients and can be on the table in under an hour.
Ingredient notes
- Buffalo sauce - For this recipe I used Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce, but you can use any brand of buffalo sauce you prefer. Primal Kitchen makes a delicious one also. Be sure to also check out my Buffalo Chicken Wedge Salad, and Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper recipes
- Chicken - You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe. You can also make things even easier by using shredded rotisserie chicken (more keto chicken recipes)
- Blue cheese - If you are not a fan of blue cheese, this recipe is also delicious with feta or goat cheese
- Cauliflower - Roasting the cauliflower keeps it dry and imparts a beautiful flavor and texture. When you steam cauliflower or even simmer it directly in water, it absorbs all the moisture like a sponge and can turn your dish into a soupy mess.
Recipe tips and variations
- Swap the buffalo sauce for pesto sauce, add some spinach, and use goat cheese instead of blue cheese for a pesto chicken mac and cheese
- Use keto taco sauce instead of buffalo sauce, shredded Mexican cheese instead of blue cheese, and ground beef or pork instead of chicken for a keto taco mac and cheese
- If you are not concerned with keeping things low carb, use your favorite gluten free pasta in place of the cauliflower to make this a true buffalo chicken Mac and cheese recipe
- Substitute shredded rotisserie chicken to make this recipe even quicker
- Use roasted vegetables instead of just cauliflower - mix up broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onion, zucchini etc.
- Have fun and combine your favorite protein, sauce, and veggies for a custom keto mac and cheese
- Omit a protein option and double the cauliflower for a vegetarian keto mac and cheese recipe recipe
Frequently asked questions
This is because you likely steamed or boiled your cauliflower. When you steam cauliflower or simmer it directly in water, it absorbs all the moisture like a sponge and can turn your dish into a soupy mess. I recommend roasting your cauliflower to avoid this. (check out all the keto cauliflower recipes on my site)
Honestly, go nuts! You can use any combination of your favorite cheeses in this recipe. Another one of my favorite combos is cream cheese, goat cheese and sharp white cheddar.
Some of my favorite low carb pasta substitutions are spaghetti squash, cabbage noodles, vegetable noodles, zucchini noodles, Shirataki noodles or even egg noodles.
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Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This rich and cheesy keto mac and cheese recipe is the ultimate in comfort food. The spiciness of the buffalo sauce, the cooling blue cheese, paired with the crunchy celery and tender, juicy chicken, make it perfectly balanced in flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 ½ pounds), trimmed and cut into small florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (I get my chicken here)
- ½ cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup finely Parmesan cheese
- 1 rib celery, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line the cauliflower in a single layer across a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over top and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until it is golden brown and cooked all the way through, about 8 minutes. Add the buffalo wing sauce to the chicken and toss to coat.
- In a large sauce pan, heat the butter and garlic over medium heat. Cook until the butter starts to brown slightly and the garlic is fragrant. Then add the heavy cream, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the blue cheese, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Stir to melt and mix in the cheeses and then reduce the heat to low.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large casserole dish. Layer the chicken over top and then pour the cheese sauce over top. Use a rubber spatula to mix the layers together just slightly.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella, blue cheese and celery on top. Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until it is bubbling and golden brown on top.
Notes
- Roasting the cauliflower keeps it dry and imparts a beautiful flavor and texture. When you steam cauliflower or even simmer it directly in water, it absorbs all the moisture like a sponge and can turn your dish into a soupy mess.
- If you are not a fan of blue cheese, this recipe is also delicious with feta or goat cheese
- Net Carbs Per Serving: 6.6g
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛th of the recipe
- Calories: 416
- Fat: 33.7g
- Carbohydrates: 8.8g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 22.2g
Keywords: keto mac and cheese, low carb casserole recipes, Keto buffalo chicken, real food recipes, low carb Mac and cheese, low carb chicken recipes
**Recipe originally posted 5/9/2019**
Samantha Finn says
I made this exactly as written and the whole family enjoyed it. Thank you.
★★★★★
Linda says
This recipe is absolutely delicious! My husband and I loved it, and I look forward to making it again. The only change I might make would be to use more celery so that we get that crunch with every bite.
★★★★★
Carhy says
This was fantastic. I didn’t have blue cheese, so omitted it. Topped it with some sharp cheddar because that what I had.. Everyone loved it. I’m not a fan of celery, but it was great in this., it wasn’t stringy after cooking and added a nice crunch.
★★★★★
Elaine Reid says
Made this last week and loved it. My husband loved it as well. We will definitely keep this in our rotation. The celery adds a nice little crunch to it.
★★★★★
Elaine says
We loved this dish. Very easy to make and tastes great. We subbed in feta for the blue cheese because that’s what we had on hand. The celery on top gives a nice crunch to it.
★★★★★
Laurie says
My family loves this dish! My husband even took some to his coworker the next day after he told him what I was making for dinner!
★★★★★
Gg says
This recipe is fantastic! I leave out the celery and it’s still great! This is made often at my house!!
★★★★★
Ashley says
Absolutely amazing!! Hard to eat one serving 😄
★★★★★
Kiana says
Absolutely delicious! I've never roasted cauliflower before...OMG it was the best. I'm usually not a fan of blue cheese but with this dish it was amazing. My family raved about it! Definitely making again soon
★★★★★
Christie says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was sooo good! Will definitely be making it more regularly!
★★★★★
Susana Garcia says
This recipe is a total winner. I've made it several times and it's always a hit. The only thing I change is to omit the celery since I don't particularly like it. The rest is just super creamy and delicious with a bit of a kick from the Buffalo sauce. Kudos to Kyndra for this fabulous recipe! One of many that I've enjoyed making.
★★★★★
Lani says
This recipe is one of our favorites, I have made it with both blue cheese and feta and both are delicious. The little bit of celery crunch tops the dish off perfectly.
★★★★★