How To Make Cauliflower Rice Without A Food Processor – Two Ways
If you don’t own a food processor, you can still rice cauliflower with a knife or a cheese grater. Both take about 15 minutes and give you a nice rice-like texture with no special equipment needed. A knife gives you more control over the size of the pieces. A cheese grater is faster if you’re working with a whole head at once. Either way, you’re ricing raw cauliflower, no boiling or cooling step first, so you can go straight from cutting board to skillet.
Highlights
- Ready in about 15 minutes, no food processor to pull out, use, or wash afterward.
- Cauliflower is the only ingredient. Grab a head, a knife or a grater, and you’re set.
- Works for a single serving or a whole head at once, so it scales to however much you actually need that night.
- Customizable texture! With a knife or cheese grater, you control the rice texture.
Benefits of Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice is a great way to get more veggies in your diet while lowering your carb intake. Making it at home is simple, cost-effective, and it is fresher. I like to mix it with white rice or brown rice to add some variety and texture to my meals.
How to Select the Right Head of Cauliflower
The first step in this process is choosing the perfect head of cauliflower. You want it fresh and crisp. The color of cauliflower should be vibrant and creamy white and free of spots that are browning. If it’s fresh, the cauliflower should have bright green leaves wrapping it. These leaves shield the florets and are a sign that the cauliflower has recently been harvested.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice with a Knife
The knife method gives you the most control over the size, texture, and amount of cauliflower rice you make. I like using it when I only need a small batch because it’s quick and doesn’t require any special equipment. All you need is a knife and a cutting board. Then follow these steps to turn a head of cauliflower into rice-sized pieces.
- Cut around the base of a head of cauliflower to remove the leaves. Cut the cauliflower in half.
- Cut around the bottom to remove the core, then separate the florets from the head.
- Chop the cauliflower florets into small pieces that resemble the shape of rice.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice with a Cheese Grater
For this method, you will need a knife, cutting board, and a cheese grater. I like to use a cheese grater that sits on top of a cup or a box grater with a cup to make things easier, but a regular box grater sitting on parchment paper or a sheet pan will work too.
- As above, roughly cut the cauliflower into larger pieces that are large enough to grate on a cheese grater.
- Rub the cauliflower downward on the grater just like grating cheese, but with a bit more pressure.
- Grate the cauliflower directly into a measuring cup to catch the rice as you go. If you’re using a box grater, place a piece of parchment or waxed paper underneath to catch any bits that fall. You can also grate it onto a rimmed baking sheet, which gives you more room to work and helps keep the cauliflower rice from scattering all over the counter.
How to Store Cauliflower Rice
Once it is cut into rice, cauliflower will only last for a day or two in the fridge. It’s best to either make just what you will need, use it up quick or toss it into freezer bags and freeze it.
How to refrigerate: Store cauliflower rice in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to two days. I like to use a glass container with a tight-fitting lid or stasher bags.
How to freeze: Freezing is a great way to keep your cauliflower rice fresh. Press any excess moisture out of the cauliflower and freeze it in a sealed freezer bag or a stasher bag for up to 3 months. You can cook cauliflower rice right out of the freezer or you can thaw it out before using it.
Tips
- Be sure to use the medium-sized holes on the cheese grater for the best rice-like texture.
- Hold the florets firmly and grate gently on the grater to avoid injury and ensure even results.
- Avoid soggy cauliflower rice by placing the cauliflower in a clean kitchen towel and squeezing out excess moisture.
How to Use Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice is a fantastic substitute for traditional rice in just about any dish that is made with rice. It offers a low-carb and nutritious twist without sacrificing flavor, and it’s a great way to sneak in more veggies to your meals without anyone noticing the difference.
You can use cauliflower rice as a base for bowls such as burrito bowls or poke bowls. It’s also great with stir fry, fried rice or stuffed peppers.
Cauliflower Rice Recipes
- Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice Bowl – A delicious and healthy light meal that is full of fresh flavor.
- Pork Fried Rice with Cauliflower Rice & Cauliflower Rice – Filled with veggies, and a mix of rice and cauli rice.
- Cauliflower and Black Bean Tacos – Vegetarian tacos filled with veggies, beans and cauliflower rice.
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How to Rice Cauliflower Without A Food Processor
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
Instructions
How Rice Cauliflower with A Knife
- Cut around the base of a head of cauliflower to remove the leaves, and cut the cauliflower in half.
- Cut around the core and remove the florets from the head of cauliflower.
- Chop the florets into small pieces that resemble the shape of rice.
How to make Cauliflower Rice with A Cheese Grater
- Roughly chop the cauliflower into pieces large enough to hold onto while grating.
- Rub each piece downward on the grater, using a bit more pressure than you would for cheese, until it's rice-sized.
- Grate directly into a measuring cup, or onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, to catch it as you go.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
How to Rice Cauliflower Frequently Asked Questions
It doesn’t take long to cook cauliflower rice. Saute it in a skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it becomes tender.
It’s not always necessary, but pre-cooking can improve the texture and flavor.
It depends on the size of the head of the cauliflower. A medium-sized cauliflower will make 3 to 4 cups of homemade cauliflower rice.
