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.
Ingredients in Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- 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.
More Keto Recipes
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Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- 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 (Click HERE to get up to 40% off produce)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (get 10% off Graza Olive Oil)
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces Click HERE to get FREE steak, chicken, or ground beef for a year)
- 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
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- 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
**Recipe originally posted 5/9/2019**
Debbie Landmesser says
made this as written. Used FETA cheese in place of blue cheese. Was great comfort food. thank you
Christine Rousselle says
This was fantastic! I've yet to find a perfect substitute for pasta, but this is so tasty that it didn't matter. My non-keto family all thought it was very tasty too.
nancy humphreys says
This was yummy! i used rotisserie chicken. My husband loved it, as a matter of fact he packed up the leftovers right after dinner!
Kelly H says
ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!
I cannot believe how good this was AND I also made it dairy free with vegan mozzarella, pepper Jack cheese, cream cheese and I didn’t have half and half that was dairy free so I used a dairy free plain yogurt. It was amazing. Savory, comfort food tasting and so simple.
Kelli says
Another winner! She Kendra makes low carb easy.
Linda says
This is one of my all time favorite recipes. It is the perfect mix of flavors. I'm the only one doing keto/low carb in my house so when I make this, I eat it every night for dinner until it's gone and I never get sick of it!
Chris says
This recipe was so delicious and easy to make!! Anyone can do it! Try it, you will love it!! It’s become a staple in my house!!
Tania says
I made this Monday night and we just loved it!! It was surprisingly filling too! We have just embarked on a no/low card diet and this was recipe #1 !! We will definitely have this again soon!
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.
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.