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/5
30 minutes mins
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By: Rachel GurkPosted: 06/17/2015
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This roasted cauliflower and cheddar dip is unbelievably creamy and flavorful – blending the cauliflower into a silky dip helps greatly reduce the calories in this dip.
This wholesome dip starts with lots of cauliflower – an entire head of it. I roasted the cauliflower to give the dip an extra dimension of flavor. If you’re scratching your head about the roasting – here’s how to roast cauliflower. Your life will never be the same.
While the cauliflower roasts, you can concoct a quick white sauce – a little butter, flour and milk is all it takes.
Once the cauliflower is nice and brown and crispy, I purée all of it except a few pieces which I use for garnish. A few garnishes on this dip are a good idea since the color is a bit boring.
You’ll add a bit of your sauce to the cauliflower to help the blender along. All that’s left to do after it’s blended smooth is stir it into the remaining sauce and then add cheddar. I used the sharpest white cheddar I could find to give a punch of great flavor without having to add too many calories. If you taste it and feel like it needs more cheese, feel free to add it! More cheese is always a good decision, especially extra sharp white cheddar.
Serve the cauliflower and cheddar dip warm with bread, crackers or vegetables. Enjoy!
Looking for more great dips like this one?
- Hot caprese dip
- Broccoli and bacon beer cheese dip
- Healthy queso dip with butternut squash
- White queso in the slow cooker
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Recipe
Get the Recipe: Roasted Cauliflower and Cheddar Dip
5 from 1 votePrep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 30 minutes mins
Print Rate Recipe
This roasted cauliflower and cheddar dip is unbelievably creamy and flavorful – blending the cauliflower into a silky dip helps greatly reduce the calories in this dip.
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower (roughly 6 heaping cups), [roasted]
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk (I use skim)
- 1 cup grated extra sharp cheddar
- salt and pepper to taste
- optional: chives for garnishing
Instructions
In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Whisk in flour and continue to cook for 1 minute.
Slowly add milk while continuing to whisk.
Continue whisking over medium heat until thickened slightly.
When the cauliflower is roasted, add it to a blender with 1/2 cup of the white sauce and puree until smooth. Stir this into the rest of the white sauce until combined. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted.
Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Serve warm.
Notes
If you don’t want to turn your oven on to roast the cauliflower, you could alternatively steam it. However, make sure to thoroughly drain the steamed cauliflower to prevent the dip from becoming watery.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1/4 cup, Calories: 131kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 175mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
© Author: Rachel Gurk
Verdict: Delish! It tastes like cauliflower with cheese sauce…probably because that’s basically what it is.
Husband’s take: He liked it! I think he would have preferred more cheddar and less cauliflower but I love the easily identifiable cauliflower flavor in this dip.
Changes I would make: None are necessary!
Difficulty: Easy!
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Beer Cheese Dip with Broccoli and Bacon
Roasted Cauliflower - How to Roast Cauliflower
Reader Interactions
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denise says
simple and tasty!
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Maureen says
I love cauliflowers! Your dip is so creamy! So who’s ready for some appetizer? I know I am! It looks really delicious. Now, let’s sing the song “when I dip, you dip, we dip.” :)
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That is definitely one of those songs that gets stuck in a person’s head! I love this dip and how you used cauliflower to make it healthier!
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I love that this is so much healthier than a regular dip but sounds and looks just as good. Such a great idea to use the cauliflower!
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That looks incredible! I’m all for appetizers.
I could live with just them for dinner. Who wants to join me for an all appetizer meal? :-)Reply
Sues says
Haha I always sing that song when I make dip, too! So funny. I love a good cauliflower cheddar soup, but have never thought about having it in dip form. I love the idea!!
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I LOVEEEE blending cauliflower into dips to make it ULTRA smooth and creamy, but not so hard on my almost-bikini-season waistline!
I want to dip my whole face into this all. day. long!
P.s Now that song is stuck in MY head. Pinned!Reply
