How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (2024)

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By Taylor Stinson | 13 Comments | Posted: | Updated:

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Learn how to make cauliflower rice quickly and easily with or without a food processor! Plus, try one of these 5 seasoning ideas.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (1)

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How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (2)

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Olive oil – or another neutral cooking oil like avocado or canola oil.
  • Cauliflower – I recommend using fresh cauliflower. You can use frozen cauliflower but your rice might be mushy.
  • Salt & pepper – to taste.
  • Seasonings – add in different seasonings like soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, chili powder, paprika, oregano, sesame oil, garlic, turmeric, curry powder and more.
  • Add-ins – add in a protein, fruit or veggie of your choice like ham or pineapple.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (3)

How to make cauliflower rice

  1. Rice the cauliflower.
  2. Mix together your seasonings.
  3. Sauté the rice in the seasoning.
  4. Cook until softened.
  5. Serve and enjoy!
How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (4)

How to season cauliflower rice

The sky's the limit when it comes to how to season cauliflower rice. You can season it how you'd season your favourite rice dish or even try making cauliflower fried rice. Here are some seasoning ideas:

  • Sauces: Soy sauce, coconut oil, sesame oil, salsa, lime juice
  • Spices: Chili powder, garlic, ginger, paprika, oregano, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, onion powder, cilantro
  • Protein: Ham, bacon, chicken, tofu
  • Vegetables and fruits: Onions, pineapple, bell peppers, peas, corn
How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (5)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you make it without a food processor?

If you don’t have a food processor, don’t worry; you can still make these cauliflower rice recipes! Use a box grater or hand-held vegetable grater to grate smaller sections of the cauliflower or use a sharp kitchen knife to finely dice the cauliflower into rice. You could also just use frozen cauliflower rice – easy-peasy!

Is cauliflower rice actually healthy?

Cauliflower rice is a fantastic low carb substitute for traditional rice. It's packed with nutritional benefits, including being low in calories, full of fibre, rich in vitamins (like Vitamins C, K and B6), high in folate, and a good source of potassium and pantothenic acid.

How long will leftovers last in the fridge?

Cooked cauliflower rice can be stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. I wouldn't recommend storing uncooked cauliflower rice in the fridge – if you have lots that you're not going to cook, it's best to freeze it.

Can you use frozen cauliflower rice?

Yes! You can use frozen cauliflower rice to cut down on prep time. You don't need to thaw it first, just cook it straight from frozen.

How do you prevent it from getting mushy or soggy?

The key to avoiding mushy or soggy cauliflower rice is to use fresh cauliflower instead of frozen cauliflower to make your rice. Frozen cauliflower will be more watery, resulting in mushier rice.

The Best Cauliflower Rice Recipes

Wondering how to season cauliflower rice? From Mediterranean-inspired to garlic sesame and curried, there are plenty of seasoning and flavour options that will spice up your rice!

Mediterranean-inspired cauliflower rice

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (6)

Curried cauliflower rice

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (7)

Garlic-sesame cauliflower rice

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (8)

Ham & pineapple cauliflower rice

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (9)

Chili lime cauliflower rice

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (10)

Storing and reheating

You can store your leftover cauliflower rice in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight glass container. When you’re ready to eat your rice, you can reheat it in the microwave for a minute, steam it or even heat it up in a pan on the stovetop. I wouldn't recommend storing uncooked cauliflower rice.

Freezing cauliflower rice

If you plan to freeze the rice to use for your meal prep, it is important that you flash freeze the rice before bagging it. Flash freezing is very easy to do and it will prevent the rice from freezing into large clumps. Frozen cauliflower rice will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months.

To flash freeze the rice:

  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Spread the cauliflower rice into an even layer on the pan and try to avoid crowding. Use more than one pan if you need to or flash freeze the rice in batches.
  • Pop the pan into your freezer and keep it there until the pieces of rice are frozen. This will take about an hour, but you can leave it in the freezer for longer than that if you need or want to.
  • Transfer the frozen cauliflower rice into meal prep containers or freezer-safe Ziploc bags.

When you are ready to use your frozen cauliflower rice, remove it from the freezer. Unless you plan to stir fry or make fried rice with it, you don’t even have to worry about thawing it! Just cook or reheat it as you would any other frozen vegetables.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (11)
How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (12)

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How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (16)

How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways}

Learn how to make cauliflower rice quickly and easily with or without a food processor! Plus, try one of these 5 seasoning ideas.

4.93 from 13 votes

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Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 81kcal

Author: Taylor Stinson

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Ingredients

Ham & Pineapple cauliflower rice

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, riced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari if gluten-free
  • 1/4 cup diced deli ham
  • 1/4 cup diced pineapple
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Chili Lime cauliflower rice

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, riced
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Mediterranean-Inspired cauliflower rice

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, riced
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Garlic-Sesame cauliflower rice

  • 1 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, riced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari if gluten-free
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp ginger, minced

Curried cauliflower rice

  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 head cauliflower, riced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper

Instructions

  • Make cauliflower rice by de-stemming cauliflower and chopping into finely diced pieces either by hand or using a food processor.

  • Mix together spice blend of choice in a small bowl. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower rice and saute for 2 minutes until softened.

  • Add spice blend and continue cooking for 10-12 minutes until softened to your preference. Serve and enjoy!

  • To freeze: bring to room temperature then freeze in individual portions in glass bowls. Reheat for 5-6 minutes in the microwave or in a skillet on the stovetop, stirring midway through.

Video

Notes

Mix up the seasonings until you find a combo you love.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can use a box grater or finely dice the cauliflower with a sharp knife.

You can use frozen cauliflower but it can get mushy since there’s more water in frozen veggies.

Store your leftovers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave, steam it or fry in the stovetop.

Freeze for up to 3 months. Make sure to flash freeze before transferring to airtight containers or Ziploc bags.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 81kcal (4%)Carbohydrates: 10g (3%)Protein: 4g (8%)Fat: 4g (6%)Saturated Fat: 1g (6%)Sodium: 551mg (24%)Potassium: 509mg (15%)Fiber: 3g (13%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin C: 82mg (99%)Calcium: 35mg (4%)Iron: 1mg (6%)

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Created by Taylor Stinson

Hey there, my name's Taylor! I’m the founder of The Girl on Bloor, a food blog where I share healthy meal prep recipes for busy people. I'm a busy city girl living in downtown Toronto on (you guessed it!) Bloor Street. I've got 10 years experience meal prepping, along with a Master's degree in journalism, and you can find my work across the internet featured on publications such as Buzzfeed, HuffPost, Women's Health, Reader's Digest and more. I also run the awesome 5-Day Meal Prep Challenge, which is a free email course and Facebook group where I share my meal planning strategies and easy meal prep tips and recipes. Be sure to check out my free beginner’s guide to meal prep and follow me on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram to get my latest recipes and meal prep tips!

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    4.93 from 13 votes (11 ratings without comment)

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Brandon says

    If I am making lunches for the week, can the rice can sit in the fridge for up to seven days? Or do I have to freeze each days portion? I normally cook everything ahead of time and put it all together in a glass container for each lunch for each day of the week in the fridge.

    Reply

    • Taylor Stinson says

      I would say any leftovers would last for 5 days. Beyond, you could freeze portions.

      Reply

  2. Barbara steinberg says

    How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (17)
    I made the Indian recipe, and I added a cup of coconut milk, and 1 /2 tsp sweetener. Loved it, will make agin.

    Reply

    • Taylor Stinson says

      So happy you enjoyed!

      Reply

  3. Belinda Saunders says

    How to Make Cauliflower Rice {5 Ways} - The Girl on Bloor (18)
    Yummy 😋

    Reply

  4. Laura says

    How much cauliflower rice do you get from a head? Want to estimate how much frozen cauliflower rice to substitute.

    Reply

    • Taylor Stinson says

      Hi Laura – I believe it’s about 4 cups!

      Reply

  5. Christine Martin says

    Can I make this with frozen cauliflower rice if I don’t have the fresh cauliflower?

    Reply

    • Taylor Stinson says

      Hey Christine – you can use frozen cauliflower rice for sure!

      Reply

  6. Amelia says

    I made the Mexican cauliflower rice to go with a beef and bean casserole. It was a great combo and a good way to get a vegetable into the kids. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

    • Taylor Stinson says

      I’m so happy you enjoyed, Amelia 🙂

      Reply

  7. Jade says

    Nowhere does it mention the measurements for the spices… how weird

    Reply

    • Taylor Stinson says

      Hey Jade – the measurements are there in the recipe card. Do you not see them?

      Reply

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