It was about time for me to put a basic recipe on this blog for how to make cauliflower rice. You have all been loving it in my teriyaki sweet potato bowls, but shamefully when I first posted that recipe I didn’t even tell you in my own words how to make the cauliflower rice part of it.
While I think it’s highly unlikely anyone would confuse this for actual rice, cauliflower rice is frankly delicious. Make sure to cook it al dente and you’ll find yourself with a pleasantly toothsome bowl of “rice” which pairs nicely with stews, thick curries, roasted vegetables, and more.
One thing of note: to make cauliflower rice it’s best to use a food processor. Some recipes recommend grating it, and I don’t personally enjoy the slightly mushier texture that results. When my former housemate, who had a Cuisinart food processor, moved out I thought that would be the end of my food processing days. I really didn’t want to pay top dollar for one of my own. However, seeing that it had pretty good reviews I eventually bit the bullet on this much much cheaper Hamilton Beach food processor. I’ve been using it for a few months now and I’m very happy with it – and impressed at its capabilities – you seriously wouldn’t believe how well it works for the price. It has gained a permanent space on my precious counter.
Obviously I wasn’t the first person to invent this concept, but this is my favorite way to make it. I use it all the time, but I don’t recommend putting cauliflower rice in place of real rice anywhere that the rice is meant to absorb liquid, such as in casseroles, rice pudding, etc. Those recipes will requite more modification to account for the different properties that cauliflower has, although if you can get them to work I’d be interested to hear about it!
A serving suggestion for this cauliflower rice recipe will be coming very soon. Bon appetit!
Simple Stovetop Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower roughly chopped, stem and leaves removed, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon olive oil (or other oil of choice)
Instructions
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Add the cauliflower to a food processor and pulse about 15 to 20 times, or until the size of the cauliflower resembles large grains of rice. It's best to err on the side of larger, as the cauliflower will turn to mush if you over-blend. Remove any larger pieces and discard them or chop them up.
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Warm the oil in a large skillet (preferably non-stick) over medium-high heat. Add the pulsed cauliflower rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower rice "kernels" are crisp-tender.
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Season with salt and pepper if desired, and serve with accompaniments of your choice. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator.
Try out this cauliflower rice in some of my other rice-y recipes:
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Mark says
Have you ever tried making this in the oven?
-Mark