How to make cauliflower rice

Want to make your own cauliflower rice at home, but don’t know where to start? Check this easy recipe for homemade cauliflower rice! It’s one of my favorite recipes which I use all the time.

I can’t remember when I first heard of cauliflower rice, but it hasn’t been popular for very long. One sign that cauliflower rice is becoming more popular is the fact that you can buy it ready-made in most supermarkets these days. Fortunately, making cauliflower rice is also very easy (and much cheaper)!

Versatile

Cauliflower rice is incredibly versatile and a perfect replacement for regular white rice. You can eat raw cauliflower rice in a poke bowl, for example, or make a delicious fried rice. But how do you make simple cauliflower rice? And what do you need to keep in mind?

Picking the cauliflower

The first thing (and almost the only thing) you need is a whole head of cauliflower. Make sure it is a fresh cauliflower, with firm leaves and a nice white color. You can tell if a cauliflower is not very fresh by looking at the outer leaves. Are they hanging? Are they yellow? Pick another cauliflower!

Three ways to make cauliflower rice

You can make cauliflower rice in three simple ways. The first one, and the simplest way, is to place the cauliflower florets in a food processor and briefly pulse. Make sure not to over-blend the cauliflower. You do not need to make a cauliflower puree. Also important not to overcrowd the amount in the bowl. Usually an entire cauliflower is too much to do in one go. It’s better to do it in two or three batches. You want the consistency of regular rice.

By hand

If you don’t have a food processor, or only need a small amount, you can do it by hand. In this case, I break the cauliflower into large chunks and then chop them finely with a large knife. It takes a bit of chopping to get the right size, but it’s a great way to make it if you do not have a food processor.

Grating

Another easy way to make plain cauliflower rice is with a box grater or cheese grater. Make sure to use the course grating option or large size holes. So you see there are different ways to make your cauliflower rice.

What can you do with cauliflower rice?

Once you have the riced cauliflower the sky is the limit. I love using it in stir fries as a replacement for white rice or brown rice. It’s a great low carb alternative if you’re following a low-carb diet. More than that the cooking time for cauliflower rice is much shorter making most dishes a lot quicker to make. Try and make pizza crusts from cauliflower rice for instance!

Eat it raw

My favorite way to prepare the cauliflower rice is to add it raw to dishes like a poke bowl. You can eat the uncooked cauliflower rice. It is also an easy way to add extra vegetables to your dish as well.

Stir fry

Another great way to use cauliflower rice is to stir fry it. Use a large skillet on medium heat and heat some oil. Add some fresh herbs, spices or some soy sauce to the rice. You need just a few simple ingredients to make it delicious. I love adding chicken if it is for a main dish but the sky is the limit. It’s also an easy side dish. I tend to sauté or stir fry my cauliflower rice for hot dishes. The combination of a hot curry (for instance) and cold cauliflower rice is not so pleasant. 

Not too long

The most important thing is not to sauté the cauliflower for too long. If it is slightly translucent, it is usually good enough. I don’t like mushy cauliflower, so 5-10 minutes is more than enough for me. But if you’ve never sautéed cauliflower before, give it a try and taste after a few minutes to see what you think of the texture. If it is not cooked long enough, just leave it a little longer.

Steam

You can also steam the cauliflower and add to a side of fish or make it into cauliflower gnocchi.

Keeping

You can keep the cauliflower rice in the fridge for 2 days in an airtight container. But I tend to make it fresh. If you want to eat cauliflower rice a few days in a row the best way is to rice only the amount that you need and keep the rest of the cauliflower whole or in florets. That way it will keep much longer. 

You can freeze it, but keep in mind that the excess moisture in the cauliflower will make it a bit wet if you de-frost it again. If you want to freeze it, place it in portions in small bags and lay flat in the freezer. Transfer it into a pan straight from the freezer and don’t let it defrost first to prevent extra moisture.

I personally don’t like frozen cauliflower rice and it’s the same reason I don’t buy pre-riced cauliflower. As soon as you open one of those pre-packaged bags it starts to deteriorate immediately. Making it almost impossible to eat after one day. Freshly made keeps so much better! And it is much cheaper too.

My favorite cauliflower rice recipes

• Poke bowl with pork belly
• Bibimbap
• Cauliflower gnocchi
• Cauliflower fried rice