How to Make Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is a great low carb recipe that fits nearly any meal plan (keto, paleo, Whole30, vegan)! It's easy to make a big batch—and stock your refrigerator or freezer with a ready-to-cook, 5-minute side dish that goes with just about anything. Here's how to make cauliflower rice for multiple meals.

It sounds too good to be true, right? Nope! Believe it! Cauliflower rice is amazing stuff! From one simple vegetable comes a base that mimics the taste and texture of white rice. This is a game-changing food discovery for many people. It's perfect for stir-fries, makes excellent fried rice and can be enjoyed for any meal (even breakfast)!

The easiest way to make cauliflower rice

When you’re ready to make your cauliflower rice, you don’t need much: a medium-sized head of cauliflower and you’re ready to go. The fastest and easiest way to make cauli rice is with a food processor.

Most cauliflower rice recipes call for pulsing the cauliflower, working in batches. It couldn't be simpler, just pulse the raw cauliflower with the chopping blade until it's as small as rice (this method is demonstrated in the video).

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To get the best texture you’ll need to use the grater blade or shredding disc in the food processor. It takes just a few seconds to grate the whole head of cauliflower and will give you more uniform size cauli rice pieces.

How to make cauliflower rice without a food processor

To make cauliflower rice without a food processor, you can simply grate by hand with a box grater. Cut the head of cauliflower into large pieces and then grate it on the course shred (largest) side of the grater to rice it.

A word to the wise: If you grate your cauliflower by hand you may want to work over a rimmed baking sheet. Making cauliflower rice can get a bit messy, particularly when you’re using a box grater. Fortunately, a baking sheet will make cleanup a breeze.

Once the cauliflower is riced, just cook what you need—or use it as directed in another cauli-rice recipe. A head of cauliflower makes many servings, so prepare only the amount of cooked cauliflower you’ll need for your upcoming meal, and store the rest, uncooked, in the refrigerator or freezer.

How to freeze cauliflower rice

I like to keep a big bowl of riced cauliflower in the refrigerator. It lasts for a few days, and it's easy to just scoop out a couple of cups to cook with dinner. If you need to keep it longer, riced cauliflower freezes beautifully.

Here's how to freeze cauliflower rice:

1. Freeze cauliflower rice before cooking it in one or two cup portions in a reusable bag or freezer-safe glass storage dish. I always freeze it raw since it thaws and cooks so quickly.
2. To use frozen cauliflower rice, just pull as much as you need out of the freezer. You can add it to the pan frozen and you'll only have to cook it a few minutes longer than if you were using fresh cauliflower rice.

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How to cook cauliflower rice

My favorite way to cook cauli-rice is a quick saute in my cast iron pan. The only essential ingredients are a little bit of cooking fat, salt, and pepper. You can cook as much, or as little as you need. And add whatever flavorings you like. I like my cauliflower rice al dente, so I cook it about 5 minutes in a large skillet over medium heat.

Lately, I've been adding a drizzle of truffle olive oil at the end and topping the cauli rice with fried eggs for a low-carb breakfast. (I told you—enjoy it for every meal!). Of course, you could also do scrambled eggs if you prefer for a quick take on fried rice. Eggs and cauliflower are a great way to get more vegetables into your day.

Cauliflower rice topped with crock pot pulled pork is an easy weeknight dinner and a favorite at our house. With this rice swap, the sky's the limit! Any dishes you love with regular rice or couscous, work perfectly served with cauli rice. Indian, Mexican or Asian meals all pair seamlessly with cauliflower rice as the base. There are plenty of meal ideas for cauliflower rice—even sushi!

So, if you’re ready for a great low-carb rice swap, give cauliflower rice a try. It’s a fast and easy weeknight side, especially if you rice the cauliflower ahead of time. Keep some on hand and you may start to wonder how you ever managed without cauliflower rice on the menu!

How to make cauliflower rice

Print Recipe

Easy Cauliflower Rice Recipe

Great for meal prep—stock your refrigerator or freezer with this ready-to-cook, 5-minute side dish that goes with just about anything.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time5 mins

Total Time15 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Food Processor, Quick and Easy

Diet: AIP, Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Keto, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Whole30

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 57kcal

Author: Lisa Wells

Ingredients

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 tablespoon olive oil ghee, or bacon fat
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Instructions

• Cut cauliflower into large florets.
• Pulse cauliflower in food processor with chopping blade, rice cauliflower using the shredding blade on the food processor, or grate by hand on a box grater.
• Heat fat in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Add cauliflower rice and saute until just cooked through (about 5 minutes). Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 57kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 32mg | Potassium: 319mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 51.6mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 0.5mg

More Easy Paleo Recipes Using Cauliflower

Crock Pot Cauliflower Chicken Chili

Easy Paleo Gravy

Roasted Cauliflower Hummus