How to Make Cauliflower Rice {In the OVEN}

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Cauliflower rice is the perfect way to get in an extra helping of veggies. Tastes just like white rice but with none of the guilt!

Cauliflower Rice is one of the best healthy food switches. It makes a perfect substitute for white rice and it’s totally up there with zucchini noodles and cabbage noodles. Rice and noodles are my comfort food, so being able to enjoy them guilt free is super awesome. We like to serve it with stir fry, make cauliflower fried rice, or taco bowls, or use it as a base for ground beef stroganoff and my favorite chili recipe!

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Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower Rice Ingredients

Cauliflower – fresh cauliflower works best. Cut the florets off the head of cauliflower, then pulse the florets in a food processor or chop them finely with a sharp knife.
Oil – I use just a tiny bit of oil to help brown the rice – you can skip the oil if you want to avoid the fat or calories, but a small amount helps with both flavor and texture.

How Do You Cook Cauliflower Rice?

There are several ways to cook cauliflower rice, but I find the easiest and most effective is by roasting in the oven. Some folks will pan fry, steam, or even microwave it, but that’s not the easiest way to get the best flavor.

To get the best flavor with the least amount of work you’ll want to spread the riced cauliflower on a baking sheet and roast for a few minutes at a high temperature. If you find it’s cooking faster on one side, use a spatula to mix the cauliflower around a bit halfway through.

Step-by-step

⭐ First, pulse florets in your food processor until they are about rice-sized (you may need to do this in two or three batches).

⭐ Next, pour “rice” onto baking sheets (I use two sheets per head of cauliflower) and drizzle lightly with olive oil.

⭐ Then, toss until olive oil is well incorporated, then spread into a thin, even layer.

⭐ Finally, roast on the middle rack(s). Toss and re-spread, then roast an additional few minutes, until cauliflower is starting to brown.

What is cauliflower rice?

Cauliflower rice is cauliflower cut into rice size pieces and then cooked. It is used as a substitute for rice. It is gluten free, grain free, and full of vitamins and minerals.

When I first started making the rice, I would do it on the stove top. But much like my bacon in the oven adventures, I figured there had to be a better (easier!) way. And, of course there is. Now, I can pop it in the oven and go busy myself with other things. My favorite kind of cooking!

❤ If you love this recipe, definitely try our easy mashed cauliflower or pan roasted cauliflower next! ❤

What does cauliflower rice taste like?

Roasted cauliflower rice doesn’t taste exactly like white rice, but it does have a nice mild, slightly nutty, flavor, and the right texture to replace rice in most dishes or to eat on its own.

My kids even like it, and that’s a darn good litmus test! We like to use it to make cauliflower fried rice, cauliflower taco fried rice, and stir fry over fried rice!

❤ This is a great side dish for our easy tostadas recipe! ❤

Can you buy cauliflower rice?

You can buy cauliflower rice in the freezer section of many grocery stores, as well as at Costco warehouses. Occasionally I have also seen it in the refrigerated area of the produce section at our local market.

Even though you can buy cauliflower rice, I suggest making it yourself because it is so incredibly easy and a lot less expensive. Also, you can make extra to freeze in advance if you don’t want to drag your food processor out every time!

Is cauliflower rice good for you?

It is very good for you. It is made only from cauliflower and a small amount of olive oil (which you can even skip if you like).

One serving (100 grams) of raw white cauliflower provides 25 calories, is low in fat, carbohydrates, dietary fiber and protein (table). It has a high content of vitamin C as well as moderate levels of several B vitamins and vitamin K. source

Leftovers and storage

How to store cauliflower rice

Keep it refrigerated in a sealed container after you make it. It will last in the refrigerator for about five days. I like to reheat it in the microwave or toaster oven.

Sometimes I eat it with a little bit of butter, or mixed in with my turkey chili for a super healthy low calorie/low point (if you’re on Weight Watchers) lunch.

Can you freeze cauliflower rice?

You can freeze the rice either before or after it is roasted. I prefer to freeze it before it is cooked so as not to risk overcooking it the second time. Try to freeze it as flat as possible, perhaps in a freezer bag laid flat, so you don’t end up with a giant block of frozen rice that is difficult to use.

If you’ve ever purchased it frozen from the market, you know this is usually how it comes.

Complete this meal with our serving suggestions

I love this recipe alongside our super moist turkey meatloaf, and a pan of easy roasted tomatoes. Pair with your favorite glass of wine and finish off the meal with a helping of this tropical fruit salad recipe. Or go Asian with a skillet full of unstuffed egg roll or a bowl of chow mein soup! And don’t forget some

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Suggested Tools

Oil mister – This is the perfect gift for folks who want to make sure they know exactly what they’re spraying on their pans. We like to put olive oil in ours, but you could use anything from vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, avocado oil, or whatever you like! Just pump the top a few times and it sprays a fine mist of the oil you chose.
Santuko knife – My favorite knife for cutting vegetables! This knife is the perfect size and
Bakers half sheet – It’s cool, we only have about six of these bakers half sheets because they’re good for absolutely everything. Cookies? Yes! Steak? Yes! Cake? Oh yeh! Roasted veggies? Uhhhh huh!
Ninja blender – We. Love. This. Blender. It blends all the things! Beautifully! No scraping the sides like I did in my old blender. And for a super reasonable price. My favorite thing to blend is Strawberry Lime Slushes!

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