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How to Make and Cook Cauliflower Rice

Martina SlajerovaUpdated 10 January 2026★★★★☆4.1 (83 ratings)

Ready in 10m
3.6 g net carbs
30 kcal
Serves 8

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Cauli-rice

Cauliflower is not just a perfect low-carb and grain-free alternative to rice and potatoes. If you follow a healthy low-carb diet, you should always have some cauli-rice ready in your fridge.

Al you need to make cauli-rice is either a food processor with a grating blade, an S blade , or even a hand grater if you don't have any of these. Check out the recipe below for more information on how to do this step by step.

Cooking Tips

Steaming: Place in a steam pot and cook for 5-7 minutes. Otherwise, place in an airtight container and store up to 4 days.

Microwaving: Place the processed cauliflower in a microwave safe bowl and cook on medium-high for 5-7 minutes. You won't need any water when cooking in the microwave. Season with salt and pepper (if desired).

Pan roasting: You can briefly cook the "rice" on a pan greased with butter or ghee or add directly to the pot with meat or sauce you plan to serve it with.

Oven cooking: Preheat the oven to 200 °C/ 400 °F (fan assisted), or 220 °C/ 425 °F (conventional). Spread the grated cauli-rice over a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and cook for 12-15 minutes flipping 2-3 times.

You can even make cauli-rice in a blender - what a great idea! You can keep the cauli-rice sealed in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Step-by-step

Remove the leaves and the hard centre core of the cauliflower and cut into florets.
Grate with a hand grater or in a food processor with a grating or an S blade. Pulse until it looks like rice. A grating blade will make it look closer to real rice. Don't overdo it - it only takes a few more seconds to make purée out of it. If you don't have any of these, use a hand grater.
Place in an airtight container and store up to 4 days.

How to Make and Cook Cauliflower Rice

Recipe

How to Make and Cook Cauliflower Rice

★★★★☆4.1 (83 ratings)

The ultimate guide to making cauliflower rice step-by-step. A healthy grain-free and low-carb side dish ...

Hands on: 10m
Overall: 10m
Servings: 8

3.6 g
Net carbs: 2.3 g
Protein: 0.3 g
Fat: 30
kcal

Ingredients makes 4 servings

1 medium head cauliflower (600 g/ 1.3 lb)

Instructions

Remove the leaves and the hard centre core of the cauliflower and cut into florets.
Grate with a hand grater or in a food processor with a grating or an S blade. Pulse until it looks like rice. A grating blade will make it look closer to real rice. Don't overdo it - it only takes a few more seconds to make purée out of it. If you don't have any of these, use a hand grater.
Place in an airtight container and store up to 4 days.

Nutrition per serving, about 150 g/ 5.3 oz

Carbs 54%Protein 35%Fat 11% of calories

Net carbs: 3.6 g
Total carbs: 6 g
Fiber: 2.4 g
Sugars: 2.3 g
Protein: 2.3 g
Fat: 0.3 g
Saturated fat: 0.2 g
Calories: 30 kcal
Sodium: 36 mg · 1.57% RDA
Magnesium: 18 mg · 4.5% RDA
Potassium: 359 mg · 17.9% EMR

Nutrition by ingredient

Per about 150 g/ 5.3 oz	Net carbs	Protein	Fat	kcal
Cauliflower, fresh	3.6 g	2.3 g	0.3 g	30
Total	3.6 g	2.3 g	0.3 g	30

Serving size about 150 g/ 5.3 oz

Gluten free
Dairy free
Egg free
Nut free
Nightshade free
Pork free
Avocado free
Coconut free
Fish free
Shellfish free
Beef free
Pescatarian
Vegetarian
Vegan

Serve it with

Dishes that go well with cauli rice.

Comments & ratings (21)

4.183 ratings

5 ★40
4 ★25
3 ★12
2 ★1
1 ★5

Cathy Roylance13 March 2018
Can this be Frozen? After Cooking not before. I have tried Freezing some Foods before cooking and they just smelled up my[b][/b] Freezer.
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor27 March 2018
  Hi Cathy, I do freeze my cauli-rice when I know I won't be able to use it but have to admit that it is not the same. It's ok but I prefer to keep it in the fridge, in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Roberta15 May 2017
I have a tip for this rice. After its cooked. Sautee in 1 5BSP of vegetable oil, 1 clove of minced fresh garlic. When garlic is beginning to cook, add the cauliflower and mix well. If you want to look like Spanish rice, put some sweet paprika and mix well. Its delicious!
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor12 July 2017
  Thank you Roberta, you may like this recipe: Keto Golden Cauliflower Couscous
  Also, I'd avoid vegetable oils and use healthy fats instead: Complete Guide to Fats & Oils on a Low-Carb Ketogenic Diet
Tova Broide26 April 2017
I'm wondering if I could use frozen cauliflower, thawed, to make the rice, or would it be too mushy to process properly? I don't have access to fresh cauliflower where I live. Thanks.
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor12 July 2017
  It may be too mushy if you do that. I usually grate fresh cauliflower and then freeze it (uncooked) and defrost in the fridge as needed. That seems to be working best.
  1. oxana8 December 2017
    When I grate the cauli through the processor, it is wet and spoils too fast if I don't use it all of it right away. How do I dry it to preserve it from spoiling and how many cards does .75 cups have. My app shows 9gr of carbs. Is that correct?
    1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor10 April 2018
      Hi Oxana, I keep mine in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. 1 cup of raw cauli-rice is only 6 grams of total and 3.6 g of net carbs. The reason is that most apps and websites use crowdsourcing to build their food databases and there isn't much they do to prevent errors. Their priority is quantity rather than quality. As a result, you may end up with missing or inaccurate macros. I explained more about what we do in our app to prevent this in this post: Barcode Scanning and Food Database in the KetoDiet App
      We use verified sources so our calculations are accurate (this includes my books). I hope this helps!
2. Karen Smith19 April 2018
  You can make this with frozen cauliflower. I partially defrost, then chop in Cuisinart.
Barb26 September 2016
I am going to try to put this into stuffed peppers tonight. Any suggestions that are not already here?
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor27 September 2016
  Hi Barb, I would precook the cauli-rice in a pan with some ghee or duck fat, chopped onion and/ or garlic and cook it for 5 minutes (this will add flavour). Then mix it with the stuffing and bake 😊
Tina22 January 2015
I made fried rice with it. So yummy. Cook half head of cauli rice in oil til slightly brown. Add stir fry veggies and cook about 4 min. make a well and pout 2 slightly beaten eggs in the middle. Scramble and slowly pull in other ingredients. Add pepper and soy sauce..
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor22 January 2015
  Sounds delicious!! 😊
Kitty14 May 2014
Have you ever tried freezing it after you've riced it (either before or after cooking)? Just wondering if that would work for longer-term storage.
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor20 May 2014
  Hi Kitty, yes I tried freezing it but only before cooking. I haven't tried freezing it after cooking - I thought it was more practical as it only take 5-10 minutes to cook.
Sam85★★★★★5 March 2014
Thanks for the tips, I've never tried oven roasting! I bet it makes it crispy and dry - maybe closer to real rice 😉
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor6 March 2014
  It does - oven roasting reduces the moisture 😊
Susan5 March 2014
I LOVE cauliflower and always chop and microwave it and keep it sealed in the fridge. Then I add it in meat sauces or even scrambled eggs. I will try the food processor & water method, it looks very easy! 😊
1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor6 March 2014
  I've been doing the same - adding to scrambled eggs! 😊
2. JudiR13 December 2015
  I'm going to try it with eggs tomorrow. this rice was DELICIOUS. Thanks so much for this website
  1. Martina @ KetoDietAuthor29 December 2015
    I'm glad you liked it Judi! Cauliflower is amazing for anything from "rice" to "potato" mash 😊