You’ll love how easy it is to make these cheesy cauliflower breadsticks! They’re the perfect finger food to serve at parties, or whip up a batch when you need a tasty, satisfying snack.
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When used to its full potential, cauliflower is an amazing ingredient for a low carb diet.
Many of us first encounter cauliflower as a potato substitute. It’s the key ingredient in my keto cauliflower mashed potatoes with spinach and loaded cauliflower casserole. Both make super delicious and satisfying side dishes.
But cauliflower goes far beyond just a potato substitute.
Years ago, I discovered that cauliflower can make a fantastic pizza crust. Since then, I’ve used it in a huge variety of recipes, from chocolate pudding to pie crust. It’s also a great ingredient to simply chop and cook, like in my cheesy broccoli cauliflower soup!
So when I found myself craving cheesy breadsticks, I knew exactly which ingredient to start with.
How to make cauliflower breadsticks
Prepping the cauliflower rice
- Cut cauliflower into florets and then rice in a food processor.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes, or steam in the microwave for 5.
- Alternatively, if using premade frozen cauliflower rice, cooked according to package instructions.
- Once cooled, place the riced cauliflower in a kitchen towel and strain the liquid.
Making the dough for the cauliflower bread sticks
- Pour rice into a mixing bowl and season with sage, oregano, thyme and mustard seed. Mix well.
- Season the beaten eggs with ground black pepper, then add the eggs and 3 tablespoons of cheese to the cauliflower.
- Combine well, then allow to sit for a moment. Any egg not absorbed by the cauliflower will accumulate at the bottom of the bowl. After a few minutes, spoon the excess egg out of the bottom and discard.
Baking the breadsticks in the oven
- Spread the cauliflower onto a greased baking sheet about ¼ inch thick.
- Bake at 450°F for about 10 to 15 minutes.
- Top with ½ cup cheese and bake in the oven for 5 to 8 more minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.
- Cool for about 2 to 3 minutes and slice with a pizza cutter.
Festive bread shapes
To celebrate a special occasion like Halloween or Christmas, you can use cookie cutters to shape the dough into shapes. I tested it out with some various sized hearts and they were perfect for Valentine’s Day!
Serving the low carb cauli bread
Garnish with freshly minced parsley and serve with your favorite dipping sauce! I personally like to use marinara sauce or creamy cheese sauce. And they go well served with keto chicken nuggets for a kid friendly meal.
How do cauliflower breadsticks taste?
These cheesy cauliflower breadsticks are packed with delicious, cheesy flavor! They are truly a perfect comfort food.
The cheese and herbs dominate the flavor. Even my picky kids couldn’t tell there was a hidden vegetable in this dish.
In fact, they’re very similar to a cauliflower pizza, but without the red sauce. Just lots of gooey, melty cheese.
Trust me, the taste of this cauliflower cheese bread is a total crowd-pleaser. Everyone loves them! If you’ve been looking for a way to sneak in more vegetables, this is a great option.
Can you use frozen cauliflower rice in these breadsticks
If you buy premade, frozen cauliflower rice, you can use that in this recipe.
Simply prep the riced cauliflower according to the directions on the packaging. You need it to be cooked, not frozen. Once it’s ready, strain the excess liquid out with a kitchen towel and then follow the rest of the recipe like usual.
I personally like using whole cauliflower because it’s inexpensive. And as long as you have a food processor, it’s very easy too.
However, I know premade riced cauliflower is way easier for some. Or it might just be what you already have in your kitchen, so you can make this recipe without a trip to the grocery store.
Either way, you will end up with delicious, cheesy, low carb cauliflower breadsticks!
How to store cauliflower breadsticks
Cauliflower breadsticks should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge. They should last for up to a week. That is, assuming your friends and family don’t eat them all in one sitting!
If you want to store low carb cauliflower breadsticks longer, you can also freeze them. They will last for a few months, so you can have an easy snack ready for you any time.
Other low carb appetizer recipes
Looking for other easy appetizers to share with friends and family? Check out a few of these favorites:
- Keto Mozzarella Sticks are a tasty, satisfying snack or appetizer that can be kept in the freezer for a quick bite anytime!
- Instant Pot Meatballs are easy to make, perfect for meal prep, and freezer-friendly! Make them ahead and have them ready any time.
- Oven Baked Zucchini Chips make for an amazing snack. Then oven-baked, crispy chips are perfect with your favorite dip!
- Cucumber Salsa is made with fresh tomatoes and has about half the carbs of traditional salsa.
- Dill Veggie Dip is a simple dip made with cream cheese and grated cucumbers. Pair with raw veggies for a healthy snack!
You may also want to try making your own low carb cauliflower crackers.
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Cheesy Keto Cauliflower Bread Sticks
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups cauliflower riced (about 3.75 ounces)
- 1 ½ cups Monterey jack cheese freshly grated (about 6 ounces)
- 2 large eggs beaten
- ½ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon ground oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
- ground black pepper to taste
- fresh parsley minced (for garnishing)
Instructions
- Remove the base or leaves and cut cauliflower into florets. Rice cauliflower by using a food processor. Cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, you can use a microwave or a toaster oven. Allow to cool.
- Pre-heat oven at 450F.
- Once riced cauliflower has cooled, place in a kitchen towel and strain the liquid. Transfer to a mixing bowl.
- Season cauliflower with sage, oregano, thyme and mustard seed. Mix well.
- Season egg with ground black pepper. Pour beaten egg, 3 tablespoon cheese and combine with seasoned cauliflower. Allow for eggs to set at the bottom of the bowl and spoon the excess eggs out.
- In a greased baking sheet, spread cauliflower until about ¼ inch thick, rectagular shape.
- For the heart-shaped Cauliflower “Bread” Sticks, use a heart-shaped cookie cutter. ½ cup of cauliflower mixture makes about 9 heart-shaped in different sizes. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. Top with ½ cup cheese and bake in the oven for 5 more minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.
- For the remaining 1 cup of cauliflower mixture formed into a rectagular shape, bake for about 10 to 15 minutes. Top with the remaining cheese and bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden in color.
- Cool for about 2 to 3 minutes and slice with a pizza cutter.
- Garnish with freshly minced parsley. Serve with marinara sauce or with a Creamy Cheese Sauce (see note).
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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First Published: January 23, 2017… Last Updated: December 23, 2019.
Angel
Im part way through making these and see the ingredients call for 1.5 cups cheese, but the instructions only account for half cup plus 3 tablespoons of cheese. Where does the rest of the cheese go – into the cauliflower mix? Thanks
Lisa MarcAurele
The recipe is written to make different shapes and the remaining ingredients are used to make the rectangular shape in step 8.
Mary
This is a fantastic recipe! I find that straining the excess water out of the cooked riced cauliflower is a bit time-consuming (and hard on arthritis in hands). I have purchased the “Just About Foods” brand of cauliflower flour; has anyone attempted substituting this in the cheese sticks recipe? I’m not sure of proportions. Thank you for advising.
Lisa MarcAurele
I don’t have a good conversion a I’ve never worked with cauliflower flour. But since it’s dried, I’d say you’d need to hydrate it some first and then use about half the volume amount. You’ll likely need to make a few adjustments so start with less and add more if needed.
Jamie
Just to make sure, each breadstick contains 1.1 net carb?
Lisa MarcAurele
That’s correct. It’s an approximate value based on 8 sticks and depends on the size of the sticks.
Andrea
Hello! Im part way through making these and see the ingredients call for 1.5 cups cheese, but the instructions only account for half cup plus 3 tablespoons of cheese. Where does the rest of the cheese go – into the cauliflower mix? Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
Cheese is used in step 5, step 7, and step 8. I think you missed adding it with the egg in step 5.
Jennifer Fisher
yum! these remind me of the garlic cheesesticks on the pizza buffet my teen boys like to go to, but waaaaaaaay less carbs 😉
Jessica
So cheesy and delicious! Looks like the perfect low-carb remake 😉
Jean Choi
Such a genius recipe! Love all the cheese. Sounds amazing.
Carina
Mmm cheesy deliciousness, I make the same but as a pizza base.
ChihYu
So delicious! I could eat the whole pan!
Heather H
These are bomb! I love cauliflower substitutes like this one.
Raia Todd
How can anything be bad with that much cheese? Haha! These sound delicious!
Ladyj!225
OH YEAH … THIS!!!! I was craving some kind of cheesy breadsticks and this recipe came up. Exactly what I wanted. So quick and easy and cheesy – what could be better?!!? And I love cauliflower so not a problem, but even people who claim not to like veggies, especially cauliflower, were wanting more of these. I’m glad I doubled the recipe and I think next time I can make even more since they disappeared so quickly. Thank you = )
Ellen
I have a question what is consider a serving ?for 120 cal is that each bread stick ?
Lisa MarcAurele
It depends on how you cut them. But it’s based on eating 1/8th of the recipe.
Janis Merritt
Can I use frozen riced cauliflower with the same results?
Lisa MarcAurele
You should be able to used frozen cauliflower that’s cooked and skip the first step.