How to Make the Best Cauliflower Rice – an easy, step-by-step tutorial so you get that perfect texture every time!
Why I Like Cauliflower Rice
- Whole30/Paleo: As someone who eats a lot of Whole30 and Paleo recipes, cauliflower rice can really be a great substitute for regular rice that can make a meal feel “complete.” Especially if you have a recipe that has a nice sauce to it (like this Ultimate Shrimp + Chicken Curry) – sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference!
- Less Bloat: While I definitely eat rice (love this Instant Pot version), it is admittedly something I eat in moderation – I have found that if I eat too much of it, I can get stomach aches and unwanted bloat. So, I frequently use cauliflower rice as a substitute!
SEE ALSO: How to Make Cauliflower Rice Sushi
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Grate your cauliflower: I have included TWO ways to make your cauliflower rice (grating + food processor), and either will work! BUT as someone who makes cauliflower rice A LOT, I personally prefer the uniform texture of the grated version. Pro tip: place a plate in your sink and then grate it in there – helps mitigate some mess!
- Try not to grate the stem: Try not to get too much of the stem in there when grating (or processing). Save that for a cauliflower mash – the stem is just a different texture than the rest of the cauliflower – it doesn’t get as “rice-like.”
- You don’t need to cook it in a lot of liquid: You really just need to sauté your cauliflower in a hot cast iron for a few minutes (season with some salt and pepper). Cauliflower already has some water in it so adding more liquid to it to cook in will result in mushy (yucky) cauliflower rice!
- Seasoning: You gotta add some salt and pepper! I also made a note in the recipe card note section if you want to really beef up your flavor!
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
Step One: Peel off leaves.
Step Two: Cut off stem and then cut cauliflower into small chunks.
Option 1: Grate by Hand
One option to turn your cauliflower into cauliflower rice is to take those small chunks and use a grater – this is my preferred method, but I know it is a little messier! The texture is just spot on though!
Option 2: Food Processor
The other option is to use a food processor! Less messy, but I feel like the result isn’t quite as amazing (I think because it is hard to get all of the bit of cauliflower as uniform as with the grating method).
Just pulse until they have reached your desired consistency (about 2-4 pulses – sometimes a couple more). Don’t over-process!
How to Cook Cauliflower Rice
To cook, bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add enough avocado or olive oil to just barely coat the pan (if you add too much your cauliflower rice may get soggy – we don’t want that).
Add cauliflower rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until hot. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Sesame Ginger Salmon
- Tikka Masala Meatballs
- Easy Burrito Bowls
- Salsa Verde Chicken (Instant Pot + Slow Cooker)
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram account for some behind-the-scenes action! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
How to Make the Best Cauliflower Rice
- Prep Time: 7 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 cups 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
An easy, step-by-step tutorial so you get that perfect textured cauliflower rice every time!
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- olive oil or avacodo oil
- ground black pepper
- salt
Instructions
Grating Preparation Method:
- Remove stem and leaves from the bottom of your head of cauliflower. Cut cauliflower into small pieces.
- Take a large plate and set it in the bottom of your sink. Place a grater on top of the plate.
- Take cauliflower one chunk at a time and grate the top of the cauliflower, leaving the stem to discard (or save to make cauliflower mash).
Food Processor Preparation Method:
- Remove stem and leaves from the bottom of your head of cauliflower. Cut cauliflower into small pieces.
- Place small cauliflower chunks into your food processor.
- Pulse until cauliflower is rice-like, about 3-4 times.
- Remove any extra-large chunks that haven’t broken down.
Cooking:
- To cook, bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat.
- Add enough avocado or olive oil to just barely coat the pan (if you add too much your cauliflower rice may get soggy – we don’t want that).
- Add cauliflower rice and sauté for 2-3 minutes, or until hot.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Serve as desired.
Notes
- Preferred Method: I know, I know – the food processor IS easier and less messy… I get it! BUT as someone who makes cauliflower rice a lot, I can tell you from experience that I (personally) much prefer the hand-grated cauliflower rice because the texture just seems to be much more rice-like. Do what what works for you though!
- Beef up the flavor: If you want to increase the flavor of your cauliflower rice you can modify the cooking method as follows:
- Bring large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add enough ghee to just barely coat the pan.
- Sauté a tablespoon of minced garlic and approx. 1/4 of a sweet yellow onion (diced) for 3-4 minutes.
- Add a splash of chicken broth to the pan and then add cauliflower rice. Stir constantly on medium/medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice: I have an amazing Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice version on the blog too – check it out here!
- Cauliflower Rice Sushi – I also haver a cauliflower rice sushi recipe here!
Leave a Rating & Comment