Riced cauliflower is used to make bread slices for easy low-carb keto grilled cheese sandwiches. It's a tasty way to sneak in a healthy vegetable!
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It's a struggle to get my youngest daughter to eat vegetables so I'm always looking for ways to sneak them into her. One thing she does like is cheese so I thought I'd try making a cheesy sandwich using cauliflower!
As my husband was working hard on the house, so I went to work making some healthier bread slices using cauliflower rice to make grilled cheese. It's something I recall seeing in a recipe video.
It's super easy to make cauliflower bread slices for a batch of keto grilled cheese sandwiches. The process is very similar to what I used to make my cheesy cauliflower breadsticks.
However, this time, I shaped them into slices of bread rather than a big flat bread. I suppose you could just make one big rectangle and cut it into smaller pieces as well.
📋 Ingredients
All of the ingredient amounts and step by step instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. First, I'm going to share some information about the ingredients and show you some helpful photos of my process.
Bread
The "bread" for these keto grilled cheese sandwiches is made with cooked riced cauliflower, egg, and shredded cheddar cheese. That's it!
Seasoning
I also added some of my favorite spices to the cauliflower bread:
- Sage
- Oregano
- Ground mustard seed
- Thyme
- Salt
- Pepper
Cheese
I had some holiday Queso de Bolo leftover which is just an Edam cheese that comes in a red ball shape. It's a cheese that's popular at Christmas banquets in the Philippines so I decided to use it in keto grilled cheese sandwiches.
Edam cheese doesn't melt very well so I let it sit out at room temperature to soften a bit after grating. And, it's a bit salty so there's no salt added to the cauliflower mixture.
Mozzarella cheese melts beautifully so you can use it inside the grilled cheese sandwich.
Honestly, use whatever cheese you like!
Please note: Check out the keto grilled cheese recipe card at the bottom for a full list of ingredients used to make this low carb recipe.
💭 Quick tips
- To make the low-carb grilled cheese sandwich more of a meal, you can add in some ham or bacon. Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches are what my husband prefers. I make his with sharp orange cheddar.
- Can't eat cheese? If you are dairy-free, try a coconut-based cheese in your keto grilled cheese.
- Use ghee instead of butter! Because it's just the butterfat with the proteins removed, ghee is a dairy product that can often be tolerated. Most issues with dairy are from the casein as it doesn't digest well.
- On a paleo diet? I've seen a few paleo-friendly cheese replacements. One that I want to try is at The Curious Coconut but, the tapioca starch used isn't keto-friendly. So, I may try using glucomannan instead.
🔪 Instructions
The very first step for making the keto grilled cheese sandwiches is to cut up the cauliflower and make cauliflower rice. Use this cauliflower rice recipe as your guide. After you make the cauliflower rice, drain all the extra liquid from it.
Then, combine the rice with the egg and ½ cup of grated cheese. Add the spices, and then form the mixture in what looks like slices of bread. Bake these "bread slices" for about 12 minutes.
After they are completely cooked, you'll be ready to fry your grilled cheese. Lay some cheese on top of the "bread" and top with the other slice. Add some butter to the skillet and then fry on low heat just until the cheese begins to melt inside.
That's it! It's so crispy and my daughter ate it up!
🙋 FAQs
Before I share the recipe in the printable recipe card, here are some answers to questions people ask about low-carb keto grilled cheese sandwiches.
Is cheese good on keto?
If you don't have an aversion to dairy, then cheese is an excellent thing to eat on the keto diet. It's low in carbs and high in fats. Your body needs the extra fat to burn for energy so that it stops using carbs for energy.
One ounce of cheddar cheese has 1 gram of carbs and 6.5 grams of protein. It's a fantastic protein boost too.
Can you store leftover keto grilled cheese?
This tastes the best when it is fresh off the stove. The cheese will harden if you try to store the sandwich.
If you want to save time, you can bake the cauliflower bread slices ahead of time and store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container. They will last about 4 days.
Then, when you are ready to make the sandwiches, just grab the bread and cheese and fry them up.
What cheddar is best for grilled cheese?
Any type of cheddar is wonderful for this sandwich. A sharp white cheddar will have a lot more bite to it. Mild yellow cheddar has less taste and is better for picky eaters.
Is this a breadless grilled cheese?
Yes, I would consider this a breadless grilled cheese since you are basically making your own faux bread out of cauliflower, egg, and cheese.
Although you can use a low carb bread recipe like Soul Bread instead, I like having the sneaky vegetable in the keto grilled cheese. And, it's a great way to get the kids to eat veggies without noticing.
My daughter really loves pizza cheese so I sliced up a block of mozzarella cheese. The cheese used really depends on personal preference. Some may want to use a single cheese or mix up their own blend.
🍽️ Serving suggestions
I am interested to see if I can make cauliflower bread using dairy-free cheese. And, I'd love to find an alternative to use in low-carb grilled cheese and pizza. But, if you still eat dairy, you'll really enjoy these cauliflower cheese sandwiches!
📚 Related recipes
If you enjoyed this keto grilled cheese recipe, then you will love these low-carb sandwich ideas too. They are some of my favorites:
- Cucumber Sandwiches With Cream Cheese taste perfect for a tea party or a light lunch.
- Make these Keto Bagels to use for breakfast sandwiches of any type.
- Keto Bread uses pork rinds to create a nearly no-carb bread that you can use to make cold-cut sandwiches.
- Use Keto Rye Bread Chaffles to make a low-carb Reuben.
- Keto Philly Cheesesteak Casserole isn't exactly a sandwich, but it tastes just like the iconic recipe from PA.
★ FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK, PINTEREST, AND INSTAGRAM FOR MORE EASY KETO RECIPES.
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Low-Carb Keto Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
Video
Ingredients
- one head riced cauliflower cooked
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 ½ cups cheddar or Edam cheese grated
- 12 slices mozzarella Cheese
- ⅛ teaspoon dried sage
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- dash teaspoon ground mustard seed
- dash teaspoon dried thyme
- ground black pepper
- butter for greasing
- fresh parsley for garnishing
Instructions
- Strain excess liquid from cooked cauliflower rice.
- Combine riced cauliflower, beaten egg and ½ cup of the grated cheese in a bowl then sprinkle some pepper, mustard seed, sage, oregano and thyme. Mix well.
- In a slightly greased baking sheet, form cauliflower mixture resembling a slice of bread. This recipe made 4 slices, about ½ inch thick for each slice. More slices for thinner pieces.
- Bake cauliflower slices in a preheated oven of 350F for about 10 to 12 minutes.
- In a skillet, melt butter at low heat and lay one slice of cauliflower “bread,” cover with slices of mozzarella cheese, sprinkle with the grated cheese, then top with slices of mozzarella cheese and cover with another slice of cauliflower “bread.”
- Cover skillet and watch closely as mozzarella cheese melts over low heat. Occasionally check the bottom side to avoid burning. If the heat may seem too low, turn to medium heat but move the queso de bola cauliflower “bread” at the sides then cover the skillet again.
- Flip to the other side and continue to melt mozzarella cheese. Edam cheese doesn’t melt quickly so it will just blend with the melted mozzarella cheese. Use a multi-serving wide flat/wide-slotted tongs to safely flip the cauliflower sandwich. I used a multi-serving wide flat/wide-slotted tongs to safely flip the sandwich.
- Once mozzarella has melted to your desired consistency, transfer to a plate, garnish with parsley and enjoy!
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
Teresa Konopka
These keto grilled cheese sandwiches came out good. I would definitely recommend adding extra eggs and being patient when it comes to flipping. Also, smaller “slices” will flip better. Instead of 1 regular sized “sandwich”, try making 2 or 3 smaller ones.
Lisa MarcAurele
The eggs are the binder so more will help as well as making them smaller. Same thing goes for keto pancakes. Thanks for sharing!
Olga
Loved this sandwich,just made it,will def make again,thanks
Asha
Delicious with tomato soup! The recipe was fairly forgiving. I used thawed cauliflower and must have used too much because I made 8 slices. They stayed together, but I imagine they would have been sturdier if my ratios were correct. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
Pauly V
So is the point of cooked rice cauliflower to hold it together when baking? I tried uncooked on the fry pan and it fell apart pretty easily. Tasted amazing though!
Thanks
Lisa MarcAurele
It may just need more egg to bind it together. I find baking works better than frying.
Wendy
Very tasty for sure! I did need to fry the “cauliflower bread” individually in butter on medium high heat on both sides. That made them to solidify together & feel more like bread. In the future I’m going to make them much smaller, like the size of a half sandwich or even a quarter sandwich. I think that would make them a lot easier to flip and handle to pick up to eat . I’m keeping this keto grilled cheese recipe! Thanks!
Lisa MarcAurele
Smaller sizes are definitely easier to flip. That's why I make silver dollar sized pancakes.
Loulou
Merci beaucoup pour toutes ces recettes, je dis heureuse d'en trouver ici, il y a très peu de recettes de ce genre dans mon petit coin de France.... Bonne journée à vous ?
Lisa
Je suis content que vous trouviez les recettes utiles en France.
Melissa A Wade
I had a disgusting "hash" for dinner. Bread slices? Ok...I even took the last of my "riced" cauliflower, added two more eggs and 1/2 cup of organic flour. Still didn't get "bread" slices. Not quite sure what kind of cauliflower you all are using. Seeing now that someone asked if the "riced" cauliflower should be cooked first...yes seemed to the answer. That should absolutely be in the recipe. Basic recipe writing 101. Thanks for ruining my dinner.
Perhaps we should stop being so carb paranoid and eat like our ancestors did, using wild grasses, acorns, cattail root etc....for breads. This reminds me a lot of the equally irrational "low fat" craze of the 90s. Maybe it's the glyphosate in our grains that are the REAL peoblem???!!! What a dumb recipe. BOOO!
Lisa
Sorry about that. I updated the recipe to clearly state the riced cauliflower is cooked.
Sarah
Wow, settle down. Did you die from this recipe? No (unfortunately) ...So nasty, life not going great? spread your hate elsewhere.
Gretchen
Unfortunately the same thing happened to me. I am not sure how you were able to adhere the cauliflower together so well with just one egg and the cheese, but mine, also came out like hash.
Maryann Matthews
Common sense dictates you already are aware the Cauliflower is COOKED before using it. Most experienced Savvy Keto cooks are aware of this.
kimetha moye
New to keto, where can I find riced cauliflower ?
Lisa
You can buy it fresh or frozen at most grocery stores or make your own using the quick and easy cauliflower rice recipe.
Margo
Do you cook the riced cauliflower prior to mixing with eggs, etc.?
Lisa
I do use cauliflower rice that's been cooked.
shelby
Do you know what the approximate measurement is for one head of cauliflower? I am time challenged and would probably buy it already riced in the grocery store. I haven't made the breadsticks yet either, but plan to do both VERY soon! I love the idea of bacon in these sandwiches. Has my mouth watering! Your recipes have been a great resource for me to use since starting the Keto diet. Thank you so much! (P.S. Hubby saw the photo of the breadsticks and promptly informed me I had to make them!
Lisa
A medium head of cauliflower gives about 600 grams of riced cauliflower which is about 1 1/3 pound or roughly 21 ounces.
Ashley Zimmerman
I made perfect bread slices… then forgot to use nonstick paper or put oil/butter on the pan so they got stuck before I could flip! Lesson learned!
Lisa MarcAurele
I use either parchment paper or a silicone baking mat for easy release.
Dawn
Thank you for the sandwiches recipe. I’m going to try it , my daughters and their husband and I are trying the ketodiet and the recipes I saw in the book most I didn’t like. I’m looking for something besides eggs for breakfast. Lol
Lisa
I rarely eat eggs for breakfast these days!