Learn how to make cauliflower rice in a food processor without it getting mushy! Have you ever tried cauliflower rice and ended up with it bland and soggy? You’re not alone. Plain cauliflower rice has a high-water content and a distinct, bitter smell. But it doesn’t have to be that way!
Learning how to make cauliflower rice from scratch is fast, budget- friendly, and tastes so much better than buying it from the supermarket.
The secret? Is to remove the excess moisture before it cooks in the pan, then using the right cooking technique, adding flavours, all results in great texture, that a lot of people struggle with.
I will show you how to transform a basic head of cauliflower into a grain-free, delicious alternative in under 15 minutes. Best of all, we are tossing it in simple, delicious flavours that make it pop.
Years ago, I tried making cauliflower rice in my beloved Thermomix, it ended up soggy, mushy, bland and just all round not very nice to eat! It just kept too much moisture in the bowl, when cooking it, as it was more so steaming it. Needless to say, I didn’t try making it again for a long time after that!
Recently, I had a glut of cauliflower, all ready at the same time, from my veggie garden, and I had to come up with a few ways of preserving it for later use. This is where this recipe inspiration came from!
It has been great for meal prep, as I’ve tested this recipe and refined it a few times, so having some in the freezer, ready to pull and reheat has been amazing to put together a meal easily!
So, read along, and learn how to rice cauliflower in a food processor without it getting mushy.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- Quick
- Easy
- Cheap
- Can be easier on digestion than plain rice.
- A lower-carb option for a side dish that is healthy and filling
More Recipes You’ll Love:
- Our Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake is one of our most popular recipes, perfect for using up any leftover cauliflower.
- A family favourite of ours is the Fried Rice, which is full of flavour and delicious.
- Our Crustless Quiche is super quick to whip together for busy nights.
- The Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowls pair absolutely perfectly with Cauliflower Rice! See the images below, I sampled for quality control, of course!
Ingredients:
- Cauliflower– Use fresh, rinsed, and thoroughly drained cauliflower.
- Olive Oil– Any oil can be used.
- Salt– We have used sea salt here; use any you have on hand and prefer, add a little, just in case it becomes too salty. You can always add more to taste; you can’t take it out!
- Black pepper– We have used ground black pepper as our little ones seem to be able to tolerate it in meals without detecting it! Use what you have and love!
- Spring onions– You can serve them with or without; they add beautiful colour and flavour to the final dish.
How to make Cauliflower Rice:
- Rinse the cauliflower upside down under fresh, running water thoroughly. Give it a good shake to remove excess water, then drain it on a clean tea towel until it is completely dry with no water dripping.
- Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets to fit into the food processor’s hole.
- Using the grater attachment on a KitchenAid, turn onto speed 2, then place the florets into the hole until all pieces are grated into small pieces.
How To Cook Cauliflower Rice:
- Preheat a frypan to medium-high heat.
- Place oil into the pan, then add the cauliflower pieces.
- Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Add the salt and pepper and continue to stir frequently for another 1-2 minutes, until it starts to turn a little brown and fragrant.
- In the last 30 seconds, stir in the chopped spring onions, then turn the heat off.
Variations:
- Try adding garlic
- Add onion
- Spices- You could try adding some paprika, chilli powder, or curry is lovely!
Equipment:
- We have used a KitchenAid stand mixer with the food processor attached, then used the grating disc, to finely shred the cauliflower into little granules.
- Chopping board
- knife
- frypan
- measuring spoons
- spatula
What Can I Serve Cauliflower Rice With?
There are so many options, it lends itself beautifully as it’s quite mild in taste. Serve under curries, Indian dishes, with stews or my new favourite flavour combo is with Mexican Chicken Burrito Bowls. See pics above.
Serve with any savoury meal or goopy, saucy dish you can think of, and give it a try, you might be pleasantly surprised!
You can serve cauliflower rice in place of any of the normal recipes you would usually serve rice with!
Try serving this with the protein of your choice: fish, chicken, or steak, all pair well.
Tips:
Rinse the cauliflower well! Especially if it’s homegrown!
It can have tiny worms, pests or dirt trapped in its tight head. All you have to do is grab a large bowl, add warm water and 2 tablespoons of salt and dissolve it with a spoon.
Then place the cauliflower head upside down in the water for about 10 minutes and you will see any dirt or gross critters float to the top.
Rinse well, and you’re ready to start cooking with it.
Be sure to shake out all the excess moisture from the cauliflower and let it drain on a clean tea towel; otherwise, your cauliflower rice will be soggy.
You can freeze this raw, then thaw and cook when needed.
There’s two parts to this. Part 1 is making sure you shake, then drain the cauliflower on a clean tea towel to remove as much moisture as you can. Part 2 is to always fry it off in a frypan with a fat, to remove any moisture left in it, the end result? A delicious, flavoured cauliflower rice that is not watery!
Fix the textural part that people struggle with, when it comes to cauliflower rice. Remove as much moisture as you can, then add in the flavours. Add basic seasonings like salt and pepper, then try adding in garlic or chopped onions, or if you prefer, try onion and garlic powder, paprika or curry powder, depending on what you’re serving it with.
3-4 days in an airtight container.
Yes, Freeze flat in zip-lock bags or in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a star review and comment on what you thought, and the seasonings you tried.
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How To Make Cauliflower Rice From Scratch
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 Servings 1x
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Low-Carb, Vegetarian
Description
Learning how to make cauliflower rice from scratch is fast, easy, budget- friendly, and tastes so much better than buying it from the supermarket.
Ingredients
- 1 medium cauliflower head
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash of freshly ground pepper
- Serve with spring onions
Instructions
How to make Cauliflower Rice:
- Rinse the cauliflower head upside down, in fresh running water thoroughly. Shake it well to remove excess water, then drain on a clean teatowel.
- Cut the cauliflower into even-sized florets to fit in the food processor’s hole.
- Using the grater attachment on your food processor, turn on speed 2 (for the KitchenAid) or medium, and place the florets into the hole until all the pieces are grated into small pieces.
How to cook Cauliflower Rice:
- Preheat a frypan to medium-high heat.
- Place oil in the pan, then add the grated cauliflower pieces.
- Fry for about 2 minutes, stirring often to prevent burning.
- Add the salt and pepper and continue to stir frequently for another 2-3 minutes, until it starts to turn a little brown and fragrant.
- In the last 30 seconds, stir in the sliced spring onions, then turn the heat off.
Notes
Rinse the cauliflower well! Especially if it is homegrown! It can have tiny worms, pests or dirt trapped in its tight head. To do: Grab a large bowl, add warm water and 2 tablespoons of salt and dissolve it with a spoon. Place the cauliflower head upside down in the water for about 10 minutes and you will see any dirt or gross critters float to the top. Rinse well.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Sautéing
- Cuisine: Western