How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is a perfect low-carb substitute for regular rice. It’s easy to make and can be substituted for rice in almost any recipe.

I know that I’m not the first person to post about how to make cauliflower rice, but we’ve been eating a ton of it lately, so I figured I would let you all know exactly how I make it! I’m usually not completely sold on the idea of vegetables replacing carbs. Still, I actually really love cauliflower rice and can’t remember the last time I made grain rice.

I find cauliflower rice satisfying and versatile. You can flavor it however you want. Once you learn the basics, you can use it in the same way you would regular rice.

I’m happy to report that my carb-loving husband and 2-year-old son love cauliflower rice! I made it into some fried rice last night, and my son kept saying, “Yummy rice,” after each bite 🙂

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

1. Cut the head of cauliflower into medium-sized pieces that are uniform in size. Add the cauliflower florets to a food processor, but do not overfill. If you overfill, the ones on the bottom will blend. It’s OK if you have to blend in two separate batches.
2. Pulse the food processor a few times until the cauliflower resembles rice grains. If you let it run nonstop, it’s easier to overprocess the cauliflower, so you want to pulse it a few times. Discard any huge chunks of cauliflower that didn’t get blended up.
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small amount of oil. Pour cauliflower rice and season with salt and pepper or your favorite seasonings. Cook until heated through and slightly softened, about 7-10 minutes.

Recipe Tips

• Cutting up your cauliflower into florets that are all the same size may seem like a small step, but keeping them similarly sized is really important. Once you put the cauliflower pieces in the food processor, you want them all to blend to the same size simultaneously. For example, if you have some large pieces and some small pieces, by the time the large pieces get to a rice-like size, the small pieces will be really tiny, and you don’t want that.
• I quickly pulse my cauliflower 4-5 times rather than letting the food processor blend nonstop. If you just let it keep blending, there is a chance that it will blend up the cauliflower too much, which I find makes it heavier and wetter. I made that mistake the first few times I made it did not have a good texture.
• Some people microwave the uncooked cauliflower rice and squeeze out all the moisture. I don’t have a microwave, so I skip this step and never feel like my cauliflower rice has too much moisture.
• You can either eat your cauliflower rice raw or sauté it. I’ve never eaten mine raw, but I think it would be fine like that! I prefer to heat a skillet, add oil, and saute the cauliflower rice with some seasonings. I cook it for about 5-10 mins, until it’s heated through and softened a little bit.

Cauliflower seems to be the most popular vegetable to turn into rice, probably because it’s white, has a good texture, and is mild in taste. But you can rice many other vegetables, too! A few others I’ve seen done often are broccoli, sweet potato, cabbage, beets, and carrots.

All of these riced vegetables can be eaten raw or cooked. They’re great for salads, stir-fries, and Buddha bowls!

Can You Freeze This Rice?

Yes! I freeze mine raw in an airtight container for up to six months. You can either let the frozen rice defrost before cooking it, or you can throw it in the pan frozen. It will have some added water after it’s been frozen, but it usually all cooks out after about 10 minutes or so. If you let the rice thaw before cooking, you can squeeze out all the moisture in a clean dishtowel.

How To Use Cauliflower Rice

You can use cauliflower rice in pretty much any way you want. Here are a few ways I’ve used it myself:

• Fried rice
• Sushi
• Veggie burgers
• As a side dish to enjoy with stir fry veggies

How To Season Your Rice!

This is really all up to you, including how you are going to use your cauliflower rice. If I’m using it to accompany a stir fry or something that has a really flavorful sauce, I add a bit of salt and pepper to it. My other favorite way to enjoy it is to add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and dried Italian seasoning. Some other ideas are:

• Garlic and herb
• Garlic and butter
• Lemon pepper
• Spanish style
• Cilantro lime

Have a question about this recipe? Ask in the comments, and I’ll get back to you ASAP.

Looking For Ways To Use Cauliflower Rice?

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers with Cauliflower Rice

Enchilada Meal Prep Bowls with Butternut Squash and Cauliflower Rice {Freezer Friendly}

30 Minute Red Beans and Cauliflower Rice

Easy Stove Top Enchiladas with Cauliflower Rice

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

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• Author: She Likes Food
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4-6 1x

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Description

Cauliflower rice is a great low carb rice alternative that is so easy to make!

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Ingredients

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• 1 head of cauliflower
• Optional: cooking oil and spices of choice

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Instructions

1. Cut the head of cauliflower into medium sized pieces that are all uniform in size.  Add cauliflower florets to a food processor but do not overfill.  If you overfill it will just blend the ones on the bottom.  It’s ok if you have to blend in two separate batches.
2. Pulse the food processor a few times until cauliflower resembles grains of rice.  If you just let it run nonstop it’s easier to over process the cauliflower, which is why you want to just pulse it a few times.  Discard any huge chunks of cauliflower that didn’t get blended up.
3. Heat a large pan over medium heat and add a small amount of oil.  Pour in cauliflower rice and season with salt and pepper, or seasonings of choice.  Cook cauliflower rice until heated through and slightly softened, about 7-10 minutes.

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 10 mins
• Category: Side, Vegan, Gluten Free
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: American