Simple Cauliflower Rice

Simple Cauliflower Rice is the perfect grain-free substitution in any dish that uses rice for a base. This recipe takes just a few minutes and can be easily customized.

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of cauliflower “rice” for a while now and boy am I glad I finally tried it. This simple cauliflower rice recipe is pretty basic, but that’s what I wanted, a base for recipes that are served over rice or something I could season up for a more dramatic side. Besides being an awesome grain-free alternative, cauliflower rice takes only minutes from start to finish.

How to make cauliflower rice-

The hardest part is grating the head of cauliflower. Next time, I’ll process it in the food processor. Cut off the inner core and leaves from the head of cauliflower. Then, grate the individual florets and quite a bit of their stems. Finished quantities will depend on the size of your cauliflower, but using the largest one I could find, I got about 4 cups, grated.

Does cauliflower rice need to be cooked?

I first sautéed a bit of onion and garlic, then just added the cauliflower “rice” and stirred until heated through. This time, I simply seasoned it with salt and pepper because I was going to top it with sauce (stay tuned for that tomorrow). It was tasty just like this, but you could easily kick it up with bold seasonings like turmeric, red pepper flakes, or cumin. Whatever floats your boat! If you’re trying to amp up your veggie intake as well as cut back on grains, here’s a tasty and simple way to do it.

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5 from 3 votes

Simple Cauliflower Rice

A great gluten-free, Paleo-friendly recipe here. Even true rice-lovers will enjoy this healthy alternative. Use in any dish that tops rice.

Course Side Dish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Calories 89

Author Good Dinner Mom

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Ingredients 

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• 1 large head fresh cauliflower, free of brown spots
• ½ medium onion, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 ½ Tablespoons olive or avocado oil, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Remove the stem and inner core of one cauliflower. Cut into large florets. Process in a food processor until the cauliflower resembles grains of rice. Be careful not to over-process it. Alternately, using a regular cheese grater on the large hole side, grate all the florets and most of the floret stem.
• Mince 1 onion and 1 garlic.
• In a medium pan, heat 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for about one minute, until onion begins to soften. Add garlic and continue to cook until onion just starts to brown, stirring occasionally so garlic doesn't burn.
• Stir in ½ Tablespoon oil and add cauliflower. Continue to cook until heated, stirring occasionally.
• Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Equipment

1 Cheese grater

1 medium pan

Notes

• The cauliflower is shown grated in this recipe but you can also process it briefly in a food processor. This method is less messy but don't over process it. Break a head of cauliflower into florets pulse until the desired size.

Nutrition Facts

Simple Cauliflower Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 89 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Polyunsaturated Fat 1g

Monounsaturated Fat 4g

Sodium 44mg2%

Potassium 453mg13%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 0.3IU0%

Vitamin C 71mg86%

Calcium 36mg4%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.