How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is a great alternative to brown or white rice and can be used to make any recipe that calls for rice. It's so tasty and easy to make.

Cauliflower rice is amazing. It's a wonderful alternative to rice and you can use it to make pretty much any recipe that calls for any type of rice. In addition, it's a delicious and fun way to include more veggies into your diet.

It's a popular way to replace rice for people who follow low-carb diets like paleo or keto diets, in recipes like risotto, fried rice, curries, etc.

However, I really think you need to eat carbs to fuel your body (the healthy and unrefined ones, of course), so I usually serve it as a side dish, not as the main dish. Although it's a good recipe if you want to eat something light when you're not very hungry.

Cauliflower is not always a popular veggie, but if you don't like it, it's probably because you don't know how to cook it properly. I used to hate it, but not anymore! You can actually find so many cauliflower recipes on the blog because I like it so much.

My favorite way to enjoy cauliflower rice is cooked, but it can also be eaten raw. You can also combine regular cooked rice and cauliflower rice (half and half) to make any recipe lighter and also to eat more vegetables.

How to make cauliflower rice – Step by step

• Wash the cauliflower, remove the outer leaves and the stem and cut it into small pieces (photo 1).
• Place the cauliflower florets in the food processor and blend until you get a consistency or texture similar to rice (photo 2).
• Add some oil to a skillet and when it's hot, add the cauliflower rice, salt, and pepper, stir and cook over medium-high heat for 5-10 minutes or until it's cooked, stirring occasionally (photo 3). Water and vegetable stock can be used instead of water.
• Serve immediately (photo 4) or keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or in the freezer.

Pro tips

• I prefer to use a food processor because it's so simple and convenient, but you could also use a blender (just don't over-blend) or a box grater (use the medium-sized holes or the side used to grate cheese).
• Some people use the grater attachment to grate the cauliflower into rice when use the food processor, but I don't. I think it's not necessary, but it's up to you.
• Cauliflower rice can be eaten raw and used to make salads or other raw vegan recipes. However, cooked cauliflower is easier to digest and I think it has a better texture and flavor.
• Use it to make pretty much any recipe that calls for regular rice.
• I usually discard the outer leaves and also the stem, but you can also use the stem if you want, just keep in mind you'll probably need to blend it longer.
• Add any spices and herbs you have on hand.
• You can cover the skillet while you're cooking your cauliflower rice, that way you're steaming it and will save some time, but I don't do this, because the texture is more crispy and less mushy if you don't cover it.
• To avoid a mushy consistency, use a large skillet and remove the excess water from the cauliflower after you wash it with a kitchen towel.
• Feel free to keep the raw or uncooked cauliflower rice in an airtight container in the fridge (for 3-5 days) or in the freezer (for 1-2 months).

Can you freeze cauliflower rice?

Yes! You can freeze it in an airtight container before or after you've cooked it. It lasts about 1 to 2 months. Just transfer the container to the fridge the night before you're going to use it and then cook it following my instructions or reheat it in the microwave or a skillet (add more oil if needed).

What is cauliflower rice good with?

Although cauliflower rice can be used to make all kinds of recipes that call for rice and it's pretty popular among people who follow a low-carb diet, I'm a huge healthy carb lover, so I usually enjoy it as a side dish, like any other veggie recipe.

I usually serve it with some plant-based protein (like beans, other legumes, tofu, seitan, tempeh, etc.) and some type of healthy or unrefined carb (like bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.).

Looking for more cauliflower recipes?

• Roasted Cauliflower
• Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
• Cauliflower Steak
• Mashed Cauliflower

Did you make this cauliflower rice recipe?

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📖 Recipe

How To Make Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice is a great alternative to brown or white rice and can be used to make any recipe that calls for rice. It's so tasty and easy to make.

5 from 4 votes

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Course: How to, Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegan

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Iosune

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Ingredients 

½x1x2x

• ▢ 1 large head of cauliflower

Optional ingredients:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper

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Instructions

• Wash the cauliflower, remove the outer leaves and the stem and cut it into small pieces. 
• Place the cauliflower florets in the food processor and blend until you get a consistency or texture similar to rice. If you don't have a food processor, cut the cauliflower into 4 pieces and use a box grater instead (the medium-sized holes or the side used to grate cheese). You could also use a regular blender, but don't over-blend or you'll get a cauliflower paste. Cauliflower rice can be eaten raw or used to make salads or all kinds of raw vegan recipes. However, I prefer to eat it cooked as it's easier to digest and much more flavorful.
• You could cook the fried rice just by itself in a skillet, but I prefer to add some ingredients to make it taste amazing, like oil, salt and pepper.
• Just add some oil to the skillet and when it's hot, add the cauliflower rice, salt, and pepper, stir and cook over medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes or until it's cooked, stirring occasionally. I usually cook it until it starts to golden brown. Water and vegetable stock can be used instead of water.
• Serve immediately or keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days or in the freezer for 1-2 months.

Notes

• Some people use the grater attachment to grate the cauliflower into rice when use the food processor, but I don't. I think it's not necessary, but it's up to you.
• I usually discard the outer leaves and also the stem, but you can also use the stem if you want, just keep in mind you'll probably need to blend it longer.
• Add any spices and herbs you have on hand.
• You can cover the skillet while you're cooking your cauliflower rice, that way you're steaming it and will save some time, but I don't do this, because the texture is more crispy and less mushy if you don't cover it.
• To avoid a mushy consistency, use a large skillet and remove the excess water from the cauliflower after you wash it with a kitchen towel.
• Feel free to keep the raw or uncooked cauliflower rice in an airtight container in the fridge (for 3-5 days) or in the freezer (for 1-2 months).

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.2g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.5g | Sodium: 210mg | Fiber: 5.3g | Sugar: 5g

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Update Notes: This post was originally published in February of 2017, but was republished with new photos, step by step instructions and tips in October of 2019.