Homemade Cauliflower Rice easy to make at home with a better texture and flavor than the bagged stuff. Here’s how to make cauliflower rice using a food processor. It’s fluffy, simple to make, and takes less than 5 minutes!

Spoon in a bowl of cauliflower rice seasoned with cilantro.

What is Cauliflower Rice?

Cauliflower rice is a low carb, grain free, healthy alternative to rice. It is made by cutting fresh cauliflower florets into tiny pieces, about the size of a grain of rice.

The cauliflower is then cooked in a skillet until the “grains” of cauliflower are just tender, but not mushy. It can be used in a variety of different ways, standing in place of traditional rice when a low-carb alternative is needed. It is one of my favorite ways to enjoy this cruciferous vegetable, right alongside roasted cauliflower and cauliflower mashed potatoes.

You can find bags of riced cauliflower at most grocery stores, but I prefer to make my own. I understand the convenience factor of buying the bagged stuff, but I find that it is just not as good as homemade cauliflower rice.

In addition to not being as fresh, store-bought cauliflower rice has a chunkier, less consistent texture. It also usually includes far too much of the tougher stem portion of the cauliflower.

Making your own only takes about 5 minutes and is more cost effective than buying it in bags. You can also make several batches at once and store them in the fridge or freezer to cook up at any time.

Tips for Best Results

Pick a good cauliflower – The freshness factor is important here, so you’ll want to start by picking a good head of cauliflower at the grocery store. Look for:

  • Densely packed florets without browning or wet spots.
  • Moist and crisp leaves. Avoid leaves that are shriveled and dry.
  • The heaviest cauliflower for its size.

Pre-cut the florets – If the pieces you put into the food processor are too big, they will get “stuck” and not cut evenly. Breaking the cauliflower into smaller florets first gives you a more even end result.

Pulse in batches – For the most uniform texture, rice the florets in batches in the food processor. If the bowl is too full, it won’t be able to rice the florets as evenly.

Do not overpulse – Avoid breaking the pieces down too small, or the texture will be off after cooking. Pieces should be somewhere between the size of couscous and a grain of rice.

How to Make Cauliflower Rice:

Start with a large head of cauliflower. Wash a pat dry with a paper towel.

Make a cut horizontally in the side of the stem, so you can pull it away with your hands:

Removing the Bottom Stem off a Whole Cauliflower With Hand.

Now that the stem has been removed, cut away the florets from the core, leaving the core behind:

Cutting Cauliflower Florets Away From the Stem with Knife.

Once you have the florets separated, cut them into thinner pieces.

To give you an idea of ideal size, the florets below on the left are too big, but the size on the right is good. You don’t need to make the florets perfectly sized to one another since they’ll get broken down, just make sure they’re not too big and in really large chunks.

Cauliflower Florets on Cutting Board. Large florets that are too big for ricing are on the left side, while smaller florets are on the right side.

Working in batches, add the florets to the bowl of a food processor. As a general rule of thumb, do not fill the food processor any higher than the top of the blade, which is about halfway up the bowl. For a 14-cup food processor, I typically work in 2 to 3 batches.

Cauliflower Florets in Food Processor Bowl.

Put the lid on and pulse several times, until the florets break down into rice-sized pieces. I like mine somewhere between the size of a grain of couscous and a grain of rice.

Riced cauliflower in the bowl of a food processor.

Make sure not to pulse too many times, or the pieces will get too small.

If there are any big floret pieces that didn’t break down but the rest of it is cut well, take the big pieces out and pulse them separately in another batch.

Transfer the riced cauliflower to a bowl, then repeat with the remaining florets.

How Much Rice Does One Head of Cauliflower Make?

I find that a 2 to 2.5 pound head of cauliflower makes about 6 cups of rice. That’s enough for 4 people as a generous side. Feel free to prepare as much as you’d like if you have more people to serve, but make sure that you do it in batches.

Spatula in a mixing bowl of riced cauliflower.

The riced cauliflower can now be used! This vegetable side is low carb diet friendly, Whole30, paleo, and gluten-free. It’s also the perfect side dish for soaking up sauces and flavors from the main meal.

How to Cook Cauliflower Rice

The easiest way to cook cauliflower rice is to sauté it in a large skillet with a few tablespoons of butter or oil. Cook over medium-high heat for 5-8 minutes, or until the cauliflower loses its raw texture but is not mushy.

Cooking riced cauliflower in a nonstick pan is best, as it prevents any excess moisture from making the pieces stick to the bottom of the skillet.

Season the cauliflower rice generously with salt and pepper or your desired seasonings. I often like to add a few dashes of soy sauce or finish it with fresh herbs and parmesan cheese.

You can also use riced cauliflower to make cilantro lime cauliflower rice, my very favorite cauliflower fried rice, or even cauliflower pizza crust.

Recipe FAQ and Tips

How do you store Cauliflower Rice?

Store uncooked cauliflower rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Cooked cauliflower rice can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Keep in mind that leftover cooked cauliflower gets notoriously smelly.

Can Cauliflower Rice be frozen?

Yes. For best results, cook the riced cauliflower first to get rid of the excess moisture. Cool, then transfer to airtight containers and freeze for up to 1 month.

What if you don’t have a food processor?

You can try using a box grater or coarse cheese grater to grate the cauliflower head and break it down, turning it around the stem to help hold things intact as you grate. Use the side with the largest holes so the “rice grains” aren’t too small.

You can break down the florets by chopping them with a chef’s knife, but this will take quite a bit of time.

Tried this recipe? Leave a rating and comment below — I’d love to hear how it turned out! Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!

Cauliflower Rice in Bowl with Spatula

Easy Cauliflower Rice

Servings: 4 people
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Learn how to make cauliflower rice in just 5 minutes using a food processor. Cook this riced cauliflower as a simple side dish or use it as the base of other recipes.
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Ingredients

For the riced cauliflower:

  • 2 to 2.5 pound head cauliflower

For cooking:

  • 2 to 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
  • 1 batch riced cauliflower
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Equipment

Instructions 

Make the cauliflower rice:

  • Rinse the cauliflower, then dry well with a kitchen towel or paper towel.
    2 to 2.5 pound head cauliflower
  • Cut the stem off the cauliflower, then cut the florets away from the stem. I personally discard the stem, as I find it to be unpleasantly tough, though it is edible.
  • Cut the florets into small pieces. Working in batches, add the florets to the bowl of a food processor. Try not to add the cauliflower florets any higher than the top of the blade, about halfway up the side of the bowl.
  • Pulse the florets several times, until cut down into a rice size.
  • The rice is now ready to be cooked for any recipe you'd like. I have basic instructions below, or you can try Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice or Cauliflower Fried Rice.

Cook the cauliflower rice:

  • Heat the butter or oil in a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the riced cauliflower and cook, stirring often, until the rice has cooked enough to lose its raw flavor, but isn't mushy. It's important to keep the pan hot enough that much of the moisture cooks out, so increase the heat to high if needed.
    2 to 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil, 1 batch riced cauliflower
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste, or add your preferred seasonings such as fresh herbs or parmesan cheese.
    Salt and pepper

Notes

A 2 to 2.5-pound head of cauliflower makes about 6 cups of rice.
Nutrition calculation includes cooking the cauliflower rice in 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
Picking cauliflower at the store: Look for densely packed florets without browning or wet spots. Check that the leaves look moist and crisp instead of shriveled and dry and pick the heaviest head for its size.
Storage: If uncooked, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If it has been cooked, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Freezing: I recommend cooking it first for optimal texture (cooking gets rid of a lot of the internal moisture). After you cook it, let it cool, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 1 month.
No food processor? You can try using a box grater and grating the head on the large holes to break it down, turning it around the stem to help hold things intact as you grate. Or, you can cut it all up with a chef’s knife, but this will take more time.

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Sodium: 68mg, Potassium: 678mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin C: 109mg, Calcium: 50mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Author: Fifteen Spatulas