August 3, 2018
Cauliflower Bread
by Kirbie
This cauliflower bread is the best cauliflower bread I’ve ever made. It is low carb, gluten free, paleo, keto. It can be used as toast, sandwich bread, and any other bread substitution you need.
I am super excited to share with this recipe with you today. I have shared a lot of cauliflower bread alternatives like my cauliflower crusted grilled cheese or cauliflower bread buns. And even though I adore those recipes, I have always wanted something more.
I really wanted to be able to make a loaf of cauliflower bread. A loaf I can slice up and treat like any regular bread loaf. It’s something I’ve been testing for nearly two years.
Bread Texture
This cauliflower bread looks similar to a loaf of white bread, though it doesn’t rise quite as high. It is sturdy enough to be sliced, toasted, used for sandwiches, etc.
The bread is much airier than your typical bread because there are whipped egg whites folded into the batter. It’s similar to texture as cloud bread, but slightly more durable and sturdy.
If you toast the bread, it will make it a little firmer and sturdier.
Bread Structure
The key to the structure of the bread is whipped egg whites. Egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks and then folded into the batter. The whipped egg whites allows the bread to rise and keeps it light and airy rather than dense and flat.
How to Dry the Cauliflower
Like many of my cauliflower bread recipes, you will need to dry out the cauliflower before adding it to the batter. Cauliflower retains a lot of moisture so it would make the bread too wet if you don’t dry it out first.
First, use a food processor to rice the cauliflower until it resembles coarse crumbs. You want the cauliflower to be finer than if you were making a cauliflower rice dish.
Next, you cook the cauliflower either by steaming it or in the microwave.
Finally, you can wring dry by hand with a tea towel or a few sturdy paper towels, or you can continue to microwave to the cauliflower until it is dry. I discuss how to dry the cauliflower using only the microwave in this recipe. For this bread, I chose to wring the cauliflower dry by hand.
Flavor Options
I intentionally made a plain loaf because I wanted something similar to white bread. However, you can easily make this bread more flavorful by adding other toppings. I recommend sticking to dry additions because if you try to incorporate liquids, that will change the batter too much.
Some topping suggestions:
- Dried or fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, oregano
- Shredded parmesan or cheddar cheese
- Garlic powder or minced garlic
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like my cauliflower crusted grilled cheese, cauliflower bread buns, and cauliflower breadsticks.
- 3 cups cauliflower finely riced
- 6 large eggs separated
- 6 tbsp canola oil (use olive oil if making paleo)
- 1 ¼ cup superfine almond flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8 inch by 4 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
Microwave cauliflower for 3-4 minutes or until tender. Allow cauliflower to cool. Once cooled, place a small amount in a tea towel and wring dry. Repeat with remaining cauliflower, working in small batches.
Add egg whites to a mixing bowl. Beat at high speed until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine eggs yolks, oil, almond flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until a smooth paste forms. Stir in the cauliflower until evenly mixed.
Add about ¼ of the egg whites to the paste. Use a spatula to fold in the egg whites, When egg whites are completely folded in, add in another batch of egg whites and repeat until all egg whites are incorporated. The mixture should look pale and fluffy. Be careful not to beat the egg whites because that will cause them to lose the air whipped into them and the bread will not properly rise.
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, or until bread is done. Allow bread to cool before slicing.
- If you are making a paleo version of this recipe, substitute the canola oil with olive oil and use a homemade paleo baking powder.
- Rice the cauliflower until it resembles coarse crumbs. You want the cauliflower to be finer than if you were making a cauliflower rice dish.
- If you do not wish to use the microwave to cook the cauliflower, you can steam it before drying.
- I intentionally made a plain loaf because I wanted something similar to white bread. However, you can easily make this bread more flavorful by adding other toppings like shredded cheese, fresh or dried herbs. If you are adding toppings to flavor the bread, add them when you add in the cauliflower.
- Recipe adapted from delish
Nutrition Facts
Cauliflower Bread
Amount Per Serving (1 slice)
Calories 204 Calories from Fat 153
% Daily Value*
Fat 17g26%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 98mg33%
Sodium 285mg12%
Potassium 301mg9%
Carbohydrates 6g2%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 7g14%
Vitamin A 145IU3%
Vitamin C 23.1mg28%
Calcium 107mg11%
Iron 1.3mg7%
Net Carbs 4g8%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This bread came out GREAT! How do you store it? Fridge or counter?
Definitely fridge! So glad it turned out well for you
I am on keto. Can I substitute the canola with melted butter?? How many tablespoon of melted butter should I add??
Regards,
Mrs.Sundram
Yes, you would do a direct substitution for the same amount of oil, replaced with melted butter.
How long will it store and can it be frozen? You have no idea how much this recipe excites me. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
I have only stored in the fridge and it lasts a few days and reheats well
I tried freezing, comes out perfectly. I just slice up a loaf and freeze and take out two slices for breakfast. Great recipe!
I have a severe nut and banana allergy. Is there a substitute for the almond flour?
Sorry I do not have a substitute at this time
I used Super Fine Tapioca Flour (store didn’t have Almond Flour). This flour is the consistency of cornstarch. It substituted wonderfully.
Is it 3 cups cauliflower before it’s riced or 3 cups after it’s riced?
3 cups after it is riced
It turned out great! Don’t get discouraged if your initial egg yolk/oil/almond flour mixture doesn’t resemble a “smooth paste.” Mine was actually quite lumpy but everything turned out fine. I’m going to cube it, toast it and put it in my Thanksgiving stuffing to keep it low carb 🙂
I love the idea of adding it to Thanksgiving stuffing!!
Can I add pre-riced cauliflower without cooking/steaming? Or does it need to be cooked first before making the bread?
It needs to be cooked and it needs to be dried out to remove all the moisture.
I didn’t understand by the directions that it needed to be cooked and THEN remove the moisture. I did not cook mine first. I riced it (more or less) then put about a half cup or a little more into a folded paper towel, I rolled that up like a burrito with ends folded in and everything. Then I rolled that up inside a dish towel and twisted it. When it was good and tight, I then held it between myself and the counter and thumped with my fist on the middle of the lump. My bread turned out great! I LOVE IT! I am wondering something though, in order to keep the center of the loaf from falling, would adding cream of tartar to the egg whites before whipping help?
I haven’t had issues with the center falling. Cream of tartar may help or you may need to eliminate more moisture from the cauliflower. The reason for cooking the cauliflower first before squeezing it dry is because cauliflower releases liquid when it is cooked. But I’m glad you got it to work!
I’m not much of a cook. Could coconut oil be used instead of canola oil?
I have not tested it with coconut oil but I think it should work
Mine came out crumbly I tried to follow exactly the recipe. It looked just like the batter and the loaf looked the same but texture was off. I cooked to internal temp of about 165f
Sorry to hear that. Did you make sure to cook and wring dry the cauliflower? If the cauliflower isn’t cooked or dried completely, I can see that causing a crumbly texture. When it’s cooked and dried it should be a mash so it wont be crumbly.
Hi can I use coconut flour instead of almond?
Coconut flour is not a direct substitute for almond flour. It may be possible to make this bread with coconut flour but it would use less coconut flour and other ingredients may need to be increased. The texture may also be affected.
Hey I’ve been making this bread almost every weekend and it’s fantastic! Thanks Kirbie!! But this weekend, I ran out of almond flour so subbed for coconut flour. As coconut flour is more absorbent, you need to use less so I used 1/2 cup or 88grams instead of the 1 1/4 cups almond, it is absolutely delicious and I intend to use coconut flour instead from now on. It is also less calories per slice.
Thanks for the recipe and thanks for the tip to substitute with coconut flour ! Going to try this now!
Thank you for the recipe!
Would it be possible to use whipped aquafaba in stead of egg whites and skip or substitute the yolks?
I have not tested it with whipped aquafaba. I don’t think it will work without the yolks.
THis is a fantastic recipe. I made 9 mini-loaves with this recipe. . It’s a good way to portion and not have to handle too much. They store great and have reheated well in the toaster oven. I am looking forward to spicing up with habaneros for the next batch. The only drawback is the time taken to dry the cauliflower. I used the dehidrator function on my toaster oven while I was at work.
I’m glad this recipe turned out well for you! I love the idea of mini loaves
How many slices in a loaf?
It is stated in the recipe box under servings: 10 slices.
Do you measure it after you rice it then cook it? Or measure it after cooked I’m only asking because I was going to make 2 loaves riced 6 cups put in microwave and lost 2 cups of volume after it was cooked
the measurement is for the riced cauliflower before it is cooked
I can’t wait to,try this. Do you think this would freeze well?
Sorry I have not tried freezing
I have about 8 cups of riced cauliflower instead of 3 can I just double the ingredients ?
Using the correct amount of cauliflower will make a big difference in this recipe. So if you plan on doubling the ingredients, only use 6 cups of riced cauliflower and bake in two loaf pans.
Can i use the frozen riced califlower?
I haven’t tried but I think it should work. You will have to make sure to really wring it dry though because frozen cauliflower has a lot more moisture
Delicious. Making dewberry jelly now with monkfruit!
Sounds delicious!
Hello I am going to make this receip do you add anything to the cauliflower to help steam it when microwaving or just the cauliflower it’s self ?? I am so excited to try this receip. I’m also looking for a good cauliflower pizza crust
You do not need to add anything to the cauliflower if you are cooking it in the microwave. Cauliflower has a lot of moisture which will release when it heats up.
So I just made it last night and left it to cool overnight. I got a good consistency but it was too moist. I think next time I have to wring the cauliflower better. Also I think I need to beat the egg whites before adding so it can rise better. And my question. Anyone felt it tasted a lot like eggs? It’s my first time making it so I know I still have some more trial and error. But overall, it’s not bad!
Hi, I’m not sure what you mean about needing to beat the eggs whites next time. The recipe does require the egg whites to be beaten to stiff peaks which is how the bread is able to rise. You mentioned your bread was too moist, that can also keep it from rising properly. I hope you can get it to work next time. Make sure to really wring dry that cauliflower!
Thanks for the recipe, turned out beautiful!
So happy to hear that!
That’s a lot of calories, could I substitute wheat flour for almond flour?
Low carb recipes tend to be higher in calories and fat. You could substitute with wheat flour but your recipe will not be low carb
I made this bread and it turned out really well but it had an eggy taste. I could only really taste the egg whites. Do you know why that is?
I’m not quite sure why that would be. Did you let the bread fully cool before eating? The egg flavor may be more apparent when the bread is first done but once it settles and cools, the other flavors should be stronger and you shouldn’t taste the egg whites.
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
I made a loaf this morning and was so surprised that almond flour/cauliflower bread could be this good. I did substitute the canola for olive oil and added a little less salt. I used one bag of frozen organic riced cauliflower from Costco ( it’s sold in a package of 4 12-oz bags). Since I don’t cook with a microwave, I steamed the cauliflower initially and then baked it for another 10 minutes or so in a 400 degree oven. Squeezed out any moisture left in a linen kitchen towel. For a light lunch, we toasted slices and then topped with a small spread of homemade pesto, arugula tossed in vinaigrette, and shaved Parmesan. Tomorrow we may add a slice of tomato!
Next time we will double the recipe and maybe add seeds to the top before baking.
I’m glad this recipe turned out well for you!
Can you substitute tapioca flour for the almond flour? Thx!!
I have not tried but I don’t think it will work.
can I just steam the cauliflower?
It’s stated in the recipe notes that you can cook the cauliflower by steaming rather than microwaving. You still need to wring dry before using
For vegan option? Can I replace the egg?
this recipe relies heavily on whipped egg whites, so it needs eggs to work
Great recipe. Does taste a little eggy (which I don’t mind) fresh but once it is toasted YUMMO. I doubt this loaf will last the day it is so moreish! ?
toasting is definitely a game changer!
This recipe is wonderful! I got 12 slices out of the loaf but the consistency is so good I can probably slice a little thinner. Also, I think I dried the cauliflower TOO much in my 1200 watt microwave. I was left with only 1 cup but the bread still turned out fine. I’ll use the tea towel next time.
I’m glad it turned out well for you!
This bread came out delicious! It was easier than I thought it would be! I sliced it up as soon as I could and bagged it up and placed them in the fridge! Whenever I want some, I just pull out a baggie! Thank you so much for sharing! ?????
I followed each step as per your recipe. Next time I’ll lessen the salt (low sodium diet). Could I lessen the oil, or would that mess with the integrity of the loaf?
????
I’m glad this turned out well for you. Lessening the oil may compromise the recipe.
Thank you for your advice! ????
Yolanda
What can ya use the cauliflower bread for? I made it last night but don’t have a clue as to eat it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated thx.
It can be a substitute for sandwich bread, etc. I love using it for grilled cheese. https://kirbiecravings.com/cauliflower-grilled-cheese/
I am wondering if food dehydrator might be useful way to dry enough cauliflower for 1 or more loafs.
I think that would work!
I’ve been looking for a way to use dried cauliflower and this has worked out wonderfully. I experimented with a shipment from North Bay Trading Co as it’s hard sometimes to get fresh veggies where I live. I take the dried cauliflower, blitz it in the food processor, add enough water to give it the consistency of riced cauliflower….and done! It’s worked quite well in this recipe. There’s never too much water and it misses that messy wringing step!
I’m glad it worked well for you!
Do you stick to the same measurements (3 cups riced) even though it’s dried already?
I go by the 3 cups once it’s already rehydrated (not the dried version). So I blitz in the food processor, adding a little bit of water at a time, then measure, and keep going until I reach 3 cups of blitzed, rehydrated cauliflower.
How many cups of dried cauliflower did you use before you added water?
Love it, and I used frozen riced cauliflower with no issues.
thanks for sharing! that’s great to know!
Made another two loaves this weekend using the frozen rice and sharp cheddar cheese. I dried out the rice in the oven, and used one package of sharp cheddar for the two loaves. Came out perfect with non of the cauliflower aftertaste. Just love your recipe!
I’m so glad you are enjoying this recipe!
BEST KETO BREAD EVER — made this about a week ago and it turned out great. Definitely a game-changer. I cut 10 slices at first, but they’re thick slices–you can definitely get more servings if you cut the bread thinner, Making it again today!
I’m so happy you like it so much!
The first time I did this I’ll admit I didn’t follow the instructions clearly but it came out edible just was too moist and salty (forgot the butter that I used was salted). I’m trying it again but my egg whites just lightly foam. I used an electric hand mixer. The batter was dry and firm until I poured the remaining egg whites in (My egg white just foamed up not sure if that’s the same as “stiff peak”). which made the batter loose like liquid 🙁
Hi, the egg whites really need to be whipped to stiff peaks, not just foam. Otherwise, the bread will have no structure. You need to keep mixing longer past the foam stage. If your egg whites never become stiff peaks that means you somehow got oil in your egg whites. Either one of the egg yolks broke when you were separating, your bowl or mixer has oil on it, etc. Egg whites will only whip up properly when everything is clean. Even a single drop of egg yolk will prevent your egg whites from whipping up correctly.
Hi. I came across this recipe and was very excited to try it out. My bread came out a little bit soggy and very dense. The density resembles that of a cake more than that of bread. Any idea what could’ve caused this or whether I’m doing something particularly wrong?
It sounds like something went wrong with you egg whites which is key to the bread being light and fluffy. Make sure your egg whites are stiff peaks before mixing. Also when you mix the egg whites in, they need to be gently folded in so that you don’t break all the air that was whipped into them. I hope this helps!