How to Make Cauliflower Rice

You can find cauliflower rice in most grocery stores these days, but if you’ve never made (or eaten) it, learning how to make cauliflower rice may seem difficult or time consuming. But trust us, it’s easy peasy! We’re offering two different methods on how to make it, giving you all the tips you need to know about storing it and letting you in on our favorite way to cook it up.

Cauliflower Rice How To

Cauliflower rice is not new to this site, in fact we’ve been talking about it for years. But we realized that there wasn’t one comprehensive guide here that tells you all you need to know about cauliflower rice, whether you are new to adding it to your meals or you’ve been eating it for a while but buying it in the store. So we’re filling you in on all the cauliflower rice knowledge we’ve gained over the years!

Ready? Let’s dig in!

Why eat cauliflower rice?

If you’ve never eaten it before, you may be wondering what it is and why you should eat it. Putting it simply, cauliflower rice is rice-sized pieces of cauliflower that is cooked and served in place of regular rice.

When compared to regular white or brown rice, cauliflower rice is:

• Grain-free
• Low-carb
• More nutrient dense
• Fast to cook (5 minutes only!)

Why make cauliflower rice at home?

1. It’s easy!
2. It’s inexpensive.
3. Some recipes actually do best with finally made cauliflower rice versus store-bought larger pieces, like our ‘Everything Bagel’ Topped Cauliflower Rolls, Cauliflower Hash Browns (Keto!), and Cauliflower Pizza Bites (Gluten-Free and Grain-Free)! These recipes call for VERY FINE cauliflower rice that can only be achieved at home.

Does is taste good?

To be clear, cauliflower rice does not taste like white rice. It surely taste like cauliflower. So if you are strongly opposed to the taste of cauliflower, this is not the rice alternative for you. But if you like or don’t mind cauliflower, much like white rice, it takes on the flavor of whatever it is served with, such as this Paleo Asian Beef, Fried Rice, Chicken and Broccoli or Stir Fry.

Making Cauliflower Rice:

While we definitely love using the food processor to make cauliflower rice as our preferred method, if you don’t have one you can just as easily use a box grater.

How to make cauliflower rice with a food processor:

Cut the cauliflower into 2” florets (making sure they are all similar in size). Add the florets to the food processor and pulse 7-9 times until they are all broken down into “rice sized” pieces. 

How to make cauliflower rice without a food processor:

Cut the stem out of the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower into 4 pieces. Using the larger holes in the box grater (the ones you would typically use to grate cheese), grate the cauliflower.

Freezing Cauliflower Rice

Just like you can buy frozen cauliflower rice at the store, you can make your own at home and freeze it. It’s truly cheaper and we do prefer the quality of cauliflower riced at home (though we buy our fair share at the store too, since it is so readily available). Place your riced cauliflower in a bag or container and freeze for around one month. It’s easiest if you freeze it in the portion you are most likely to use. We find that about 4 cups uncooked cauliflower rice is a generous portion for 2 people.

How long will it last in the refrigerator?

Uncooked riced cauliflower will keep about 5 days in a closed container or bag in the refrigerator. Cooked cauliflower rice will last about 3-4 days.

Best Ways to Cook Cauliflower Rice

We love using a nonstick skillet to quickly cook up cauliflower rice, with a touch of garlic powder and salt that is then topped with a few pieces of thinly sliced green onion. Scroll down for the entire recipe.

Recipes to use Cauliflower Rice

• Kimchi Fried Rice (Cauliflower Rice or White Rice)
• Greek Cauliflower Rice Pilaf Bowls
• Greek Veggie Bowls
• Cauliflower Pizza Bites (Gluten-Free and Grain-Free)
• 8 Budget Friendly Lunches with Cauliflower Rice
• Paleo Asian Beef and “Rice” Meal Prep
• ‘Everything Bagel’ Topped Cauliflower Rolls [VIDEO]
• One-Pan Shrimp and Green Beans in Chinese Garlic Sauce
• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Cauliflower Hash Browns (Keto!)

How to Make Cauliflower Rice

If you've never made (or eaten) it, learning how to make cauliflower rice may seem difficult or time consuming. But trust us, it's easy peasy! We're offering two different methods on how to make it, giving you all the tips you need to know about storing it and letting you in on our favorite way to cook it up.

Servings 2

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 10 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

  

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• 1 medium head cauliflower about 16 ounces
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• 1 green onion sliced thin

Instructions

• Using a food processor: Cut the cauliflower into 2” florets (making sure they are all similar in size). Add the florets to the food processor and pulse 7-9 times until they are all broken down into “rice sized” pieces. Using a box grater: Cut the stem out of the cauliflower and cut the cauliflower into 4 pieces. Using the larger holes in the box grater (the ones you would typically use to grate cheese), grate the cauliflower.
• You can store uncooked cauliflower rice either frozen (for up to 1 month) or in the refrigerator for 5 days.
• When ready to cook: Heat a large pan of medium heat (we like using our nonstick skillet here). Once hot and then add cauliflower “rice” with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon garlic powder. Cook until the cauliflower is tender about 5-6 minutes. The longer you cook it, the more water it will exude.
• Garnish with green onion and serve immediately, or let cool and place in the refrigerator for meal prep. Cooked cauliflower rice will last about 3-4 days.

Course: meal prep, Side Dish

Cuisine: Gluten-free grain-free vegan low-carb

Author: Lexi

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