How to Make Cauliflower Rice
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Learning How to Make Cauliflower Rice is easy and simple. Cauliflower rice makes for a low-carb alternative to regular rice. Great way to add extra veggies and nutrients to your meals. So versatile, flavorful and will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
One of the most versatile vegetables you will ever come across is cauliflower. You can make just about anything out of cauliflower. Pizza crust, cheese sticks, bread, soup, etc. One of my favorite ways to make cauliflower is turning it into rice.
Cauliflower is a great low-carb option to many different foods. One of them being rice. It’s a great way to get extra veggies and nutrients in any meal. Serve it with any dish you usually serve rice with. Freeze it and throw it in a smoothie for a boost of nutrition to your breakfast or snack.
This rice is super easy to make. Add any spices, herbs, or other veggies to add flavor to your rice. You can get super creative with this rice. There are endless ways to make it and serve it. It will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
Ingredients needed to make Cauliflower Rice:
- Cauliflower Head– Any standard cauliflower head.
Equipment needed to make Cauliflower Rice:
- Food Processor– For pulsing your cauliflower into fine rice like pieces.
How to make Cauliflower Rice:
- Step 1– Cut stem off of cauliflower completely just leaving the florets.
- Step 2– Place florets in food processor and pulse until rice like texture is reached. Don’t over pulse as rice will get too mushy. Pulse cauliflower in batches if you need to.
- Step 3– At this point you can either sauté cauliflower rice on a pan along with a bit of oil and any spices and herbs you may prefer. You can also steam it for 10 minutes, then allow to cool-off before freezing. You can use frozen cauliflower rice in smoothies. See notes below for more directions on how to use cauliflower rice.
Tips and Substitutions:
- Do not over pulse as cauliflower rice– This can cause the cauliflower to get too mushy.
- Pulse cauliflower in batches– If you have a larger cauliflower head, pulse the florets in batches. Adding too much cauliflower to food processor can cause the bottom rice to get mushy.
- Use colored cauliflower– You can use other cauliflower not just white. They have green, purple and orange cauliflower. Trying using those to make pretty colored cauliflower rice.
- Add seasonings to your cauliflower rice– Add any seasonings you’d like to add more flavor to your cauliflower rice. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh cilantro, lime, are all great.
What to serve Cauliflower Rice with:
- Gluten-Free Chicken Teriyaki
- Shrimp Fajitas (make burrito bowls)
- Avocado Kale Pesto Salmon with Asparagus
- Cilantro Lime Chicken Fajitas (make burrito bowls)
- Teriyaki Salmon Bowls
- Baked Salmon with Lemon Dill Sauce
How to freeze Cauliflower Rice:
- Step 1– Once you have turned your cauliflower into rice, steam it for about 10 minutes.
- Step 2– Line a small baking sheet pan with parchment paper and spread cooled down cauliflower rice throughout the sheet pan.
- Step 3– Place in the freezer and allow to freeze for about 2 hours.
- Step 4– Remove frozen cauliflower rice from the freezer. Place it in a freezer friendly bag and place back in the freezer to keep frozen. This will prevent the cauliflower rice from clumping together as it freezes. Which is what happens when you throw it in a bag at first and freeze it this way.
- Step 5– Keep cauliflower rice frozen for up to 3-6 months.
How to use Cauliflower Fried Rice:
For “fried rice” or to serve as a side:
Once the cauliflower is pulsed into rice, you can cook it by sautéing it to be served as a side. Use some oil such as avocado oil or olive oil, pink sea salt, black pepper, garlic powder and any other spices and herbs. Heat up oil in a pan on medium-high heat. Add cauliflower, spices and herbs and sauté until it is soft and tender. You can add more veggies such as carrots and peas if you are making “fried rice”. Along with other conventional ingredients to make a fried rice.
For smoothies:
Cauliflower is great to add to smoothies. It adds so much nutrition, makes the smoothie super creamy, and no you can’t taste it. As a cruciferous vegetable, cauliflower can make you bloated or gassy when eaten raw. This is my case. So what I like to do is lightly steam my cauliflower before freezing it to add to my smoothies. Add pulsed cauliflower to a steamer and steam for about 10 minutes. Allow cauliflower to completely cool-off before freezing.
Try adding Frozen Cauliflower Rice to these smoothies for boosted nutrition:
- Papaya-Banana Lactation Smoothie
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Green Smoothie
- Beet Red Smoothie
- Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
- Espresso Almond Butter Smoothie
Cauliflower Rice FAQ’s:
Is cauliflower rice healthy?
Cauliflowers are one of the healthiest vegetables. Cauliflower rice is a great low-carb option to traditional rice. It’s packed with nutrients and essential vitamins and minerals. Cauliflower has endless health benefits such as promoting strong bones, brain health, healthy vision, cardiovascular health and detoxes. Cauliflower also stimulates the absorption of iron. Serving it with iron packed foods such as chicken thighs or liver is a great way to boost your iron.
Why make your own cauliflower rice:
Cauliflower rice is crazy easy to make. It’s almost effortless and all you need is a food processor. Making it at home is so much cheaper than buying store-bought ones. Pre-packed cauliflower rice is super expensive. All you need is a cauliflower head and that will give you much more for your money when you make it at home.
Can you make cauliflower rice without a food processor?
Yes. Cut your cauliflower florets off of the stem. Use a good chef’s knife to chop your cauliflower florets into small rice like pieces. This will take longer than using a food processor. But it’s a great option if you don’t have one.
Storing and Reheating:
Place any leftover cauliflower rice in an airtight container. Keep it refrigerated for up to 3-4 days. Reheat by placing on a pan on stovetop. You can reheat in microwave but it will make the texture more mushy.
Did you like this Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes recipe? You may also like these other Cauliflower recipes:
- How to Make Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi Bake
- Mini Cauliflower Crusted Grilled Cheese with Spinach
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
Learning How to Make Cauliflower Rice is easy and simple. Cauliflower rice makes for a low-carb alternative to regular rice. Great way to add extra veggies and nutrients to your meals. So versatile, flavorful and will quickly become a staple in your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 large cauliflower head
Instructions
- Cut stem off of cauliflower completely just leaving the florets.
Place florets in food processor and pulse until rice like texture is reached. Don't over pulse as rice will get too mushy. Pulse cauliflower in batches if you need to.
At this point you can either saute cauilfower rice on a pan along with a bit of oil and any spices and herbs you may prefer. You can also steam it for 10 minutes, then allow to cool-off before freezing. You can use frozen cauliflower rice in smoothies. See notes below for more directions on how to use cauliflower rice.
Recipe Notes
Tips and Substitutions:
- Do not over pulse as cauliflower rice– This can cause the cauliflower to get too mushy.
- Pulse cauliflower in batches– If you have a larger cauliflower head, pulse the florets in batches. Adding too much cauliflower to food processor can cause the bottom rice to get mushy.
- Use colored cauliflower– You can use other cauliflower not just white. They have green, purple and orange cauliflower. Trying using those to make pretty colored cauliflower rice.
- Add seasonings to your cauliflower rice– Add any seasonings you’d like to add more flavor to your cauliflower rice. Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, fresh cilantro, lime, are all great.
*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.
**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used.
**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.
