Perfect Cauliflower Rice
Fluffy, separate grains with a lightly toasted edge — the everyday low-carb stand-in for rice, ready in about 15 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
1 cup- Net carbs
- 4.5g
- Calories
- 68kcal
- Protein
- 2.9g
- Fat
- 3.8g
- Total carbs
- 7.5 g
- Fiber
- 3 g
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for each ingredient (optional ingredients excluded). Brands vary — check your labels if you track closely.
Ingredients
Cilantro-lime: Burrito-bowl rice: garlic in the oil, then lime zest, lime juice and a big handful of cilantro folded in off the heat.
- Let the garlic sizzle in the hot oil for 30 seconds before the cauliflower goes in.
- Off the heat, fold in the lime zest, lime juice and cilantro, then taste for salt — lime makes everything taste brighter, so you may need a pinch more. Serve with fajita bowls or carnitas.
Coconut rice (for curries): Cooked in coconut oil with a splash of coconut milk and finished with toasted coconut — a fragrant, faintly sweet rice for curries and Thai dishes.
- Toast the shredded coconut in the dry skillet for 1–2 minutes, stirring, until golden. Tip it out.
- Cook the cauliflower in the coconut oil for 3–4 minutes, then pour in the coconut milk and keep cooking uncovered for 3–4 minutes more, until it has been absorbed and the grains look glossy rather than wet. Scatter with the toasted coconut and serve with butter chicken or any curry.
Broccoli rice: The same method with riced broccoli: greener, a little earthier and quicker to cook. A good way to use up the stems.
- Peel the fibrous outer layer from the stems before ricing — the tender core rices beautifully.
- Broccoli rice cooks faster: 3–4 minutes in the skillet, just until bright green and tender-crisp. Cooked longer, it turns olive-drab and sulfurous.
- Also add
- Also add
Estimated cost $3.63 for 4 servings ($0.91 each) · how we estimate
Instructions
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Cut the cauliflower into florets, trimming away the tough core and any leaves (the tender stems can be riced too). If you wash it, dry the florets thoroughly — extra water is the main cause of mushy cauliflower rice.
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Rice it. Food processor: fill the bowl no more than halfway and pulse in 1-second bursts, 8–12 times, until the pieces look like grains of rice; tip them out and repeat with the rest, re-pulsing any big chunks. Box grater: grate the florets on the medium holes, holding each one by its stem — slower and messier, but the grains come out very even and fluffy.
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Spread the riced cauliflower on a clean kitchen towel and pat away any surface moisture. (Using frozen riced cauliflower? Thaw it, then wring it out hard in the towel.)
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Heat the oil in your widest skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower in an even layer, sprinkle with the salt and cook uncovered for 5–7 minutes, stirring only every minute or so, until the grains are tender with a slight bite and a few are flecked golden.
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Taste, add pepper and more salt if needed, and fluff with a fork. Prefer hands-off? Spread the riced cauliflower on an oiled sheet pan and roast at 425°F (220°C) for 12–15 minutes, stirring once, for a drier, nuttier rice — or microwave it in a wide bowl, uncovered and with no added water, for 3–4 minutes.
Tips for success
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Keep the lid off. Cauliflower is over 90% water, so covering the pan or adding liquid steams it into mush — a wide, open pan lets the moisture escape. - Pulse, don't purée. Running the processor non-stop turns florets into wet crumbs; short pulses give distinct grains. A few uneven pieces are fine — they cook up like a pilaf.
- Use it anywhere you would serve white rice: under butter chicken, in poke bowls, or as the base for fried rice and Mexican rice.
Nice to have, not needed
- A food processor rices a whole head in under a minute — a box grater takes longer but gives very even, fluffy grains.
Storage & meal prepMeal-prep friendly
- Keeps 4 days in the fridge
- Freezes up to 3 months
Reheat: Stir in a hot, dry skillet for 2–3 minutes, or microwave uncovered for 1–2 minutes.
Prep tip: Rice several heads at once and freeze the raw grains flat in zip-top bags — they cook straight from frozen in a hot pan.
Raw riced cauliflower keeps 4–5 days in a paper-towel-lined container in the fridge; cooked, 4 days. Freeze raw riced cauliflower flat in zip-top bags for up to 3 months and cook it straight from frozen.
Variations
3 variations, each with its own ingredients and macrosCilantro-lime
FlavorBurrito-bowl rice: garlic in the oil, then lime zest, lime juice and a big handful of cilantro folded in off the heat.
- + 1 clove garlic
- + ½ cup cilantro
- + 2 tbsp lime juice
- + 1 tsp lime zest
5.4 g net · 71 kcal · 3 g protein · 3.8 g fat · ≈$1.03 per serving (+0.9 g net carbs vs the original)
Coconut rice (for curries)
FlavorCooked in coconut oil with a splash of coconut milk and finished with toasted coconut — a fragrant, faintly sweet rice for curries and Thai dishes.
- olive oil or butter → coconut oil
- + ¼ cup canned coconut milk
- + 2 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
5.2 g net · 114 kcal · 3.4 g protein · 8.6 g fat · ≈$1.03 per serving (+0.7 g net carbs vs the original)
Broccoli rice
SwapThe same method with riced broccoli: greener, a little earthier and quicker to cook. A good way to use up the stems.
- cauliflower → broccoli
6 g net · 81 kcal · 4.2 g protein · 3.9 g fat · ≈$1.43 per serving (+1.5 g net carbs vs the original)
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