Make Your Own Cauliflower Rice
Over the last few years, Cauliflower Rice has become a staple of every low-carb and keto diet. Healthy people all over have proclaimed it as the miracle substitute for anyone who loves rice but wants to keep their carb count low. Most grocery stores sell it pre-made in the frozen food section. But when you realize how simple and easy it is to make yourself, you’ll never pay the higher prices for the ready-made stuff again!
What is Cauliflower Rice?
Cauliflower rice is exactly what it sounds like. It is a rice-like food substitution made entirely out of cauliflower. It stands in for rice in foods that might normally be very high in carbohydrates such as fried rice and other Asian foods, curries, risottos, etc.
While it is not an exact match for rice, it can be quite tasty when seasoned and flavored well and mixed with other foods.
What does Cauliflower Rice taste like?
While plain white rice has a very bland and neutral flavor, cauliflower rice does not. Eaten alone, cauliflower rice has more of a nutty, bitter taste, and it relies on its surrounding flavors to help it along. It is best used in recipes where there are strong spices, herbs or other flavorings to soak up. This is why it is ideal for Asian dishes, which are generally high in MSG and a mix of salt, spice and acids.
Is Cauliflower Rice good for losing weight?
Cauliflower is a great vegetable to help promote weight loss, as it is very low in calories and is high in fiber. This means you can eat a lot of it without taking in a lot of calories. The fiber slows digestion and keeps you fuller for longer, which means you don’t eat as much later.
Is Cauliflower high in vitamins?
Cauliflower is a great source of vitamins. It is very high in vitamin C, which is good for your immune system and helps with repair of body tissues. It is also full of fiber, potassium and folate.
Potassium can help with anxiety and stress, helps to lower blood pressure and prevent stroke, enhances muscle strength and metabolism and even helps with water balance and electrolytes.
Folate is a B vitamin which is extremely important during periods of rapid growth such as pregnancy, infancy and adolescence, so it is really great for kids and pregnant women.
How do you make Cauliflower Rice from scratch?
Making Cauliflower Rice could not be easier. It’s genuinely very simple. All you need is a good head of cauliflower, which you can find in any grocery store’s produce department.
Choose a cauliflower head that is firm and tightly closed. You will want a white variety that is pale and has no dark spots. Reject any head that is soft, as that is the beginning of spoilage.
It’s best to use your cauliflower right away, but if you can’t get to it immediately, store it unwashed and uncut, wrapped loosely in a plastic bag in your refrigerator’s crisper drawer. Keep it upright to prevent moisture collecting. It should be okay for up to five days, but try to use it within two.
To begin, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Then line a cookie sheet with foil, and set aside.
Cut off all the green stem and leaves from the cauliflower head.
Cut the cauliflower in half, and remove any further stem. Then begin to cut the cauliflower into florets, and place them into a food processor.
Pulse gently until the florets begin to resemble rice. Don’t overpulse, otherwise it will turn into crumbs.
Spread the cauliflower rice evenly onto the foiled cookie sheet.
Bake the cauliflower for ten minutes, remove from oven, stir it around, and bake another ten minutes.
Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt and serve with whichever dish you have prepared. Or save to add to later dishes.
Making Cauliflower Rice at home really is a cinch. It is cheap, easy and delicious, and it’s a healthy option for all. Give it a try. It’s a great way to give your kids extra veggies, and it’s full of healthy vitamins.
Cauliflower Rice
This vegetarian, gluten-free, low carb side dish is the perfect substitute for traditional rice. Full of vitamins, it's a healthy alternative everyone will love.
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Line a cookie sheet with foil. Set aside.
- Cut all the green stem and leaves from the cauliflower.
- Cut cauliflower in half and remove any remaining stem/leaves.
- Cut cauliflower into florets and place them into a food processor.
- Pulse the food processor until cauliflower resembles rice.
- Spread cauliflower onto foiled cookie sheet, making sure it is spread evenly.
- Cook ten minutes.
- Remove from oven, stir and evenly spread out again.
- Cook an additional ten minutes.
- Remove from oven.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- Serve as a side or add to prepared dish.
Notes
Be sure not to over pulse your food processor, or your cauliflower will become mushy and unpleasant.
Depending on the size of your cauliflower, you may get more or less servings from it. A normal serving is about half a cup.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1/2 CAmount Per Serving:Calories: 21Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 14mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 2g
This nutrition information is automatically calculated and may not be entirely accurate. Please do your own research if you are overly concerned about specific macros.
Katie Reed is a passionate writer and mother of four vivacious boys from Salt Lake City, Utah. Drawing from her own journey through TTC, pregnancy, and the joys of raising children, she offers a wealth of insight into the world of motherhood. Beyond her heartfelt tales, Katie delights her readers with family-friendly recipes, engaging crafts, and a curated library of printables for both kids and adults. When she’s not penning her experiences, you’ll find her crafting memories with her husband and sons—Dexter, Daniel, Chester, and Wilder.
