How to Make Cauliflower Rice Three Ways
Going low carb? Learn how to make Cauliflower Rice at home in minutes. My favorite way to substitute regular rice, pasta or potatoes and not feel deprived. Cauliflower is incredibly simple to make with just a few kitchen tools you already have.
I don’t usually preach about a low carb diet but bathing suit season is right around the corner and those last 10 pounds are still hanging around. With spring slowly creeping up on us, I am trying my best to stick to a healthier diet lately and not indulge in my usual favorites like pasta, white rice and cheesy potato dishes. Instead, I’ve been swapping them out for my favorite low carb trick, Cauliflower Rice!
I shunned cauliflower rice for the longest time but slowly learned to love it over the years because it’s texture does resemble rice and a great way to reduce the added carbs and calories. It’s perfect for topping with chicken stir fry or stuffing into burritos.
I’m sharing three different ways to make cauliflower rice quickly and easily right in your own kitchen.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice with a Food Processor
This Cauliflower Rice recipe couldn’t be simpler to make. All you need to prep it is a few kitchen helpers like a food processor and you have fluffy, tasty Cauliflower Rice in just a matter of minutes.
I love to use it as rice substitute for my favorite stir fry recipes like this quick and easy Hunan Shrimp! My go-to appliance when I make my Cauliflower Rice from scratch at home is the food processor.
The best way to make cauliflower rice is in the food processor. Nothing beats the speed and ease of the food processor when it comes to creating the perfect “grain” for your rice.
- Chop your fresh cauliflower into florets, I usually discard the stems or freeze them to make this cauliflower soup later.
- Toss your florets into the bowl of the food processor and pulse several times until a fine grain forms.
- Transfer your cauliflower rice to a container or zip top bag and store until ready to cook.
How to Cook Cauliflower Rice
- Transfer the raw cauliflower rice into a large skillet and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes to remove the moisture. The cauliflower rice will be dry and fluffy when done.
- Use the cooked cauliflower rice in your favorite recipes calling for rice.
If you don’t want to cook the cauliflower rice immediately, you can transfer to a freezer bag and freeze for later. However, you will still need to remove the moisture from the cauliflower before using it in your favorite recipe.
Also, if storing homemade cauliflower rice in an airtight container the gases will build up from the cauliflower and that smell, hmmmm, that smell will make you want to set your refrigerator on fire. Just saying. So to avoid that whole scenario, I like to saute and remove all that moisture, the lovely cauliflower smell and dry things up a bit before storing during my meal prep.
How to make Cauliflower Rice without a Food Processor
If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make Cauliflower Rice with an old fashioned cheese grater, you know the box grater that your grandma or mom uses for cheese? This is definitely one of my favorite kitchen tools but it will definitely take you longer to achieve the same consistency for your Cauliflower Rice.
- Simply cut the head of your cauliflower in half, then grate the florets on the box grater. The whole head may take about ten minutes total.
- Transfer the grated cauliflower rice to a container and store until ready to cook.
Then, you can saute it for 5-7 minutes in a dry nonstick skillet as we did before. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Last, if you don’t have a food processor or box grater, you can still make Cauliflower Rice with a kitchen staple….the chef’s knife. To do this, you will need about 15-20 minutes and a sharp knife.
Cut all the cauliflower florets off the stem and then chop finely to form the rice. I like to chop everything up into big chunks and then run my knife through it several times to chop it up into teeny, tiny pieces.
And I think you know what’s next, saute it all in a skillet for 5-7 minutes to remove the moisture before storing in an airtight container.
How to Serve Cauliflower Rice
Now you’re ready to use the plain cauliflower rice in all your recipes to substitute regular white rice! Besides using pre-riced cauliflower in my favorite stir fries, or drizzled with a little soy sauce, I also use it for these Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks, which are so obviously NOT bread but believe me when I say you won’t even miss it.
Or use it for the base of this easy Cauliflower Pizza Crust!
Looking for more Cauliflower recipes? Try these favorites!
- Easy Hot Giardiniera
- Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Cauliflower
- Baked Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Giardiniera Pizza
- Cauliflower Tabbouleh Salad
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Get the Recipe: Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups cauliflower florets, or 1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- skillet
- chef's knife
Instructions
- Add the cauliflower florets to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. (Alternatively, you can grate the cauliflower on a box grater or chop finely using a knife.)
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large nonstick skillet over medium heat and saute for 5-7 minutes until the moisture is removed and the rice is dry.
- Serve immediately or allow to cool to room temperature and transfer to an airtight container.