Gooey melted mozzarella combined with savory garlic and herbs makes this Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks recipe the perfect go-to when you want a low carb version of cheesy garlic bread.
I made this recipe a couple weeks ago and it was so good that just looking at the pictures now is making me giddy about it all over again.
And I’m not really the giddy type (unless I’m antique shopping for blog props, lol!).
Let me back up a minute.
The Story Behind These Cauliflower Breadsticks
Lately I’ve been seeing cauliflower crust pizza recipes pop up all over the place. It seemed like the new fad, so of course I didn’t want to make it.
When it comes to food, I’m drawn to the real deal with things like pizza and breadsticks, and I didn’t see how a “crust” made out of cauliflower could be good, let alone reminiscent of a real crust.
The other day when a friend called asking if I’d tried cauliflower crust pizza and I said no, she insisted I do so in no uncertain terms.
She even threatened to not make her veggie-stuffed-and-smothered chicken breasts for me again until I try it. (Her veggie-stuffed-and-smothered chicken breasts are killer, so this is huge in my world.) She was as giddy about cauliflower crust then as I am now.
I agreed to make cauliflower crust, but as breadsticks instead of pizza. (As far as I’m concerned, pizza, specifically New York-style, holds a special place in my heart and a cauliflower-crusted impostor has no place masquerading there.)
So I made the breadsticks.
I took my first bite and had to stop and really enjoy what I was eating. Never would I have thought that a simple mixture with cauliflower as the base ingredient could simulate bread. It’s mind-blowing, really.
For someone who eats low carb or can’t eat regular cheesy garlic bread because of allergies or for any other reason, I can see this Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks Recipe being a go-to.
The Best Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks Recipe
This recipe has minimal ingredients. The base is cauliflower rice, and it uses eggs and cheese as the binder. Garlic, herbs, and cheese lend tons of flavor!
Cauliflower Breadsticks Ingredients
- Cauliflower rice or fresh cauliflower
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Eggs
- Italian herb seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
How to Make Cauliflower Breadsticks
- If you’re making your own cauliflower rice, grate fresh cauliflower on a cheese grater.
- Next, microwave the cauliflower rice. Alternatively, you can sauté it in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, sauté garlic until it’s fragrant.
- Add the garlic, eggs, cheese, and seasonings to the bowl of cauliflower rice.
- And give it a good stir to combine.
- Now spread the mixture evenly into an 8 by 8-inch baking dish that’s lined with parchment paper and sprayed with olive oil cooking spray.
- Bake until the loaf is golden, and then carefully invert it onto a baking tray that’s lined with foil, parchment paper, or a silpat liner and sprayed with olive oil cooking spray. The bottom is now on top! Bake again until the bottom (now on top) is golden.
- Top with more shredded mozzarella and herbs. Lastly, broil until the cheese is melted and golden in spots. Slice it into 8 breadsticks and enjoy!
Pro Tip: You can buy fresh cauliflower rice in the produce section of the grocery store, or you can easily make your own cauliflower rice.
Tips for Making Cauliflower Breadsticks
- Don’t over-cook the cauliflower rice. It should be tender, but not mushy because it’ll cook more in the oven.
- I know 5 cloves sounds like a lot of garlic, but don’t skimp on it. It’s one of the main flavors in our cheesy garlic breadsticks!
- If you have leftovers, I recommend reheating them. I like to do this in a 400F oven until warm, or in an air fryer set at 375F for 3 minutes.
Do Cauliflower Breadsticks Taste Like Bread?
This really is the million dollar question!
This recipe for Cauliflower Breadsticks is meant to taste like cheesy garlic bread. The savory flavor of garlic and herbs is prominent, as well as the flavor of cheese.
In addition to acting as binders, the eggs in this recipe help yield a fluffier texture, and the cheese helps give it a chewiness.
You can definitely taste the cauliflower in this recipe, but it’s not overwhelming and it blends well with the other flavors.
More Cauliflower Crust Recipes to Try
- Hawaiian Pizza by Recipe Girl
- Cauliflower Pizza Crust by One Good Thing by Jillee
- Vegetarian Pizza with Mushrooms and Olives by Kalyn’s Kitchen
Even More Ways to Use Cauliflower
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Pav Bhaji
- Keto Cauliflower Hash Browns Recipe
- Cheesy Loaded Cauliflower Mash
- Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Gluten Free Pad Thai Cauliflower Side Dish
- Ground Bison and Cauliflower Bowl
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xoxo, Faith
Cheesy Cauliflower Breadsticks Recipe
Ingredients
Cauliflower Breadsticks:
- Olive oil cooking spray
- 3 cups cauliflower rice see Notes
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic crushed
- 2 large eggs lightly beaten
- 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning divided
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese divided
Other:
- 2 tablespoons freshly-grated Parmesan cheese for topping
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley for garnish
- 1/2 cup no-sugar-added marinara sauce for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Line an 8 by 8-inch or 9 by 9-inch baking dish with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with olive oil cooking spray.
- If you're making your own cauliflower rice, use a cheese grater to grate fresh cauliflower.
- Put the cauliflower rice in a large microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 8 minutes on high. Cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and once hot, add the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
- To the bowl with the cauliflower, add the garlic, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning, salt, black pepper, and 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella. Stir to combine.
- Spread the cauliflower mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Bake until the loaf is set and starting to turn golden, about 30 minutes.
- Line a baking tray with foil, parchment paper, or a silpat liner, and spray it with olive oil cooking spray. Place the prepared baking tray on top of the baking dish and flip it upside-down, so the cauliflower loaf is now upside-down on the prepared baking tray. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes.
- Spread the remaining 1/4 of the shredded mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning on top.
- Broil a couple minutes until the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
- Cut into 8 breadsticks. Serve warm, topped with Parmesan and parsley along with marinara sauce if desired.
Faith’s Tips
- Net Carbs: 4g per serving
- Nutritional Information: Information for this recipe was calculated without the optional marinara sauce.
- Cauliflower Rice: You can use store-bought fresh cauliflower rice, or make your own cauliflower rice. To make your own, grate fresh cauliflower on a cheese grater. You will need to grate about half of a large head of cauliflower (about 6 ounces) to get 3 cups of cauliflower rice for this recipe.
- Stovetop Method Instead of Microwave: Instead of microwaving the cauliflower rice, you can sauté it in 1 tablespoon of avocado oil in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-high heat until it starts to soften, about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Nutrition
This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on October 12, 2012. I updated it with more information on September 6, 2021.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Tried this yesterday, made my whole family taste and everyone loved it. I have very picky boys, they ate it and THEN I told them it was cauliflower! They were shocked! I’m off to another one you have! :)
Tastes great! I may have rolled it too thin, and I used wax paper instead of parchment ….( I read that you shouldn’t after I put it in the oven) After about 15 min., I flipped it, because I noticed the ends browning, it stuck pretty bad to the paper, but I was able to salvage most of it ; ) I used pepper jack cheese instead of mozzarella….I will defiantly make it again, fixing my mistakes next time ;)
Hi there, thanks so much for this lovely recipe. I made it, but I confess that I cannot just follow a recipe too religiously and inevitable add to it. I made it once as per your recipe and the second time I added 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp mustard powder. Fabulous either way. :-)
I made this last week and we loved it (also my 6 year old daughter). Thanks for the recipe!
This is such a great idea and perfect for serving our Gluten free friends!
I featured your recipe in my latest cauliflower recipe round up, thank you!
Has anyone tried this and omitting the cheese? I am wondering if adding another egg would help?
I’m making the family pizza tonight but I’m gluten free. Do you think this would work for my pizza crust? I was thinking of adding the toppings after flipping the bread. What do you thing?
Bobbi, Yes, I think it would work well like this!
Can you use silpat instead of parchment?
Debbie, I haven’t tried this recipe using silpat instead of parchment. The parchment is there not only to coat the bottom of the pan, but also the sides, not only to prevent sticking on the sides, but also so that the parchment can be used to easily flip the breadsticks over. It might work with silpat if you have a silpat liner that fits nicely into a loaf pan and you take care to grease the sides well (since they’ll be in direct contact with the pan). Hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy it if you make it!
First, congratulations on the move – how exciting! Secondly, these were amazing! I brought them to work as a test taste – no one guessed they were made with cauliflower. I’ve seen the recipe floating around Pinterest, but until I saw your post, I had no real interest in making it. So good!
This looks like my perfection aperitif!
Could I possibly use nutritional yeast instead of cheese ?…Wish I could digest dairy better!
Donna, I haven’t tried this recipe with nutritional yeast instead of cheese. Along with the egg, cheese is needed for a binder in this recipe, so in order for it to turn out properly you might need to replace the cheese with something else that is just as good a binder. Keeping it grain-free might be hard to do if the cheese is removed. If you decide to try it with nutritional yeast instead of cheese, let me know how it turns out!
Just found this on Pinterest – it looks amazing. I bet I could fake my cauliflower hating husband out with this, not to mention getting my picky eater to eat it. I’ll just tell him it’s homemade pizza. ;)
Did this tonight with a whole head of cauliflower. I added an onion and used the food processor to grate the cauliflower, onion and garlic. I’m not big on the micro – so I sautéed these three things in a pan with the olive oil. Then I added the rest of the ingredients (quadrupled). I then spread the mixture in a thick layer on two silpat lined cookie sheets and baked, flipped with the assistance of two additional silpats and proceeded. I cut into large pieces before broiling, topped with sautéed mushrooms and a homemade marinara. Coupled with roasted brussel sprouts and a glass of red and this was absolutely heaven. Thank you!!!!!
Faith,
A friend of mine posted this on facebook and it looked wonderful. I made it today and could not believe how wonderful this was! I did not have parchment paper so I used non-sick foil and that worked fine.
Thanks for posting this!
Kellady, Thanks for the info! I actually didn’t hear of the cauliflower crust recipe from that website, otherwise I would have included a link. You probably noticed in my post above, I didn’t take credit for the original recipe; I mentioned that it seemed like a new fad and recipes for it are popping up all over the place. :)
Thank you for taking the time to troubleshoot. I’m going to try again – regardless, my family loved them!
What a great way to get picky kids to eat their veggies! I can’t wait to try this!
Mine didn’t come out crispy – where did I go wrong? thank you!
Hi Sofia, Without being in the kitchen with you it’s hard to know, but I can try to help troubleshoot. Did you make sure to follow the recipe exactly, especially where it says not to add water to the cauliflower when you’re pre-cooking it, and to flip the loaf over and bake for 10 minutes more? Also, like the recipe says, if you let the breadsticks cool for about 10 minutes before eating, they will crisp up a bit. Ingredients may have also been the cause – did you use fresh cauliflower? (Frozen cauliflower may have too high a liquid content for this recipe.) I hope this helps a bit with troubleshooting!
Thanks. I did some googling and I think I’m going to use your recipe but bake it on a parchment lined pizza stone instead. I’ll let you know how it turns out. We’re excited to try it. My wife and I are on a “diet” and are cutting white flour etc so this seems very tasty!
Making these tomorrow. Wondering if you can skip the loaf pan and go right to baking on a cookie sheet?
Renzo, I found that the loaf pan helped shape it, but baking it on a cookie sheet may work just fine. Let me know if you try it!
I tried making this before without a baking sheet, and it just wasn’t coming out right… The loaf pan made it perfect!!! I can’t wait to make this again. It’s all about the loaf pan and the final cut/browning step.
do you think you could use frozen cauliflower?
Jill, I haven’t tried it with frozen cauliflower, so I can’t say for sure; I think the biggest issue would be that frozen cauliflower has quite a bit more liquid than fresh so it might cause the breadsticks to be soggy. You could try wringing out the frozen (and thawed) cauliflower in a kitchen towel or pressing it down in a fine mesh to remove excess liquid, and it might work that way. Let me know how it turns out if you give it a try!
Hey everyone!
What a great recipe! My family and I are doing Weight Watchers, Points Plus Program, and with our calculations and a little bit of changing we got the recipe to 2 points a serving, without marinara sauce. We also got about 2 sticks a serving.
We changed the eggs to egg whites which worked just fine. We also cut the cheese down to 3 oz instead of four. This brought each serving down to the 2 points instead of 3.
Use your favorite low marinara sauce and you can stick to two points. Enjoy!
Saw this on Pinterest and HAD to come see the recipe it looked SO good. I have ‘pinterested’ it for now, but will surely have to make an eggless version of this.. one of these days.
Thanks for sharing your recipe as well as the other sites for more ideas!
These are delicious! I’m sensitive to gluten so after making a test batch, then a 3x batch to bring to work tomorrow I can see myself making this “crust” weekly at least to use as a sandwich base. Thanks for sharing!
Is it possible to make this dairy-free? I suppose some sort of vegan mozzarella would work. Any suggestions?
Is there a way to make this recipe without microwaving the cauliflower? I hate nuking stuff because it is so bad for you.
L.K., I haven’t tried it, but I think steaming the cauliflower on the stovetop would work fine. I think you could either steam it before “ricing” or after…let me know what works best if you try it!
Also, in Recipe Girl’s recipe for Cauliflower Crust Pizza, she gives a tip at the end on how to make it without a microwave! Here’s the link, and the tip is at the bottom: http://www.recipegirl.com/2012/01/16/cauliflower-crust-hawaiian-pizza/.
HI,
I made these tonight and they were really yummy. I riced my cauliflower in a food processor and since I don’t have a microwave I baked it at 350 for about 6 minutes after ricing it. I was not mushy but I would have liked it a but crispier, next time I would bake it a little longer.
Thanks!
Mine stuck to the parchment. Did you run into this.
Kristie, No, mine didn’t stick at all. There are a couple things I wanted to mention: 1) be sure you’re using parchment paper instead of wax paper – although they look similar, wax paper won’t work here; and 2) like the recipe says, be sure to lightly spray the parchment paper with cooking spray. Hope this helps!
HI Faith, Just wanted to let you know I’m trying this breadstick recipe tonight. I hope you don’t mind if I link back to this post when I talk about it on my blog. (want to give you credit for this) I’m excited to try it!!! Thanks too for your fantastic site. Just found it today via a google search for cauliflower crust. Can’t wait to check out more of your posts, and big congrats on your book. All the best from Vancouver. Roz