This 5-minute raw cauliflower rice makes an easy raw alternative to cooked brown or white rice. It’s marvellous with salads, in burritos, vegan sushi and more.
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What is raw cauliflower rice?
Raw cauliflower rice, also known as cauliflower couscous, is a fabulous raw alternative to cooked rice made in about 5 minutes with a food processor.
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It’s quick and easy to make and tastes quite plain rather like rice does, so it works well with other flavours.
It has a light and airy, slightly grainy texture, which easily replaces rice in many dishes. This is partly why it’s become so popular.
How to make cauliflower rice without a food processor.
If you don’t have a food processor you can make cauliflower rice with a handheld grater. The trick to making it is not to chop the cauliflower up too small at the outset.
You want to cut the cauliflower into quarters keeping the stalk intact because that gives you something more substantial to hold against the grater.
Grate the cauliflower florets onto a chopping board using the larger grating size. Grating the stem against the smaller size will work.
Chop any larger grated pieces with a knife if you need to. Then scrape it all into a container and cover with a lid until you need to use it.
Using a food processor.
When chopping the florets, try to get them a roughly similar size then it will all come together easily. I also include the stem—no need to waste it.
It’s best to pulse the cauliflower in small batches instead of filling your food processor to the top. If you process them too much, they’ll turn to mush, which you should avoid. I found that on average one small cauliflower took 8-10 pulses of the food processor then it was all done.
Raw cauliflower recipes.
You may like to check out these other cauliflower rice recipes:
How to store.
Storing cauliflower rice is easy. Keep it in a lidded container in the fridge for up to 4 days. After this, it does begin to smell a little sulphur like. I like to squeeze some lemon juice over the rice and fork it through, to help it stay fresh and take some of the bitterness away.
Freezing.
Yes, you can freeze raw cauliflower rice. Pop it into a suitable container for your freezer, and it will keep fresh for up to a month. I don’t like to keep it any longer because I prefer to enjoy food at its freshest.
It took 3-4 hours to defrost at room temperature. Note that once it has defrosted, it will feel a little softer in texture. I found it best enjoyed the same day.
Recipe variations.
Adding flavours to cauliflower rice is easy. Here are some variations for you to try. They’re all quick and easy to do.
Finish them off with a little salt and pepper to taste. Or instead of salt, you could try using a little celery salt or a pinch of mixed seaweed flakes.
Parsley - in the image below I added a tablespoon of chopped curly leaf parsley to a whole small riced cauliflower. I added a pinch of celtic sea salt and stirred them both through with a fork..
Turmeric - add ½ teaspoon powdered turmeric, cumin, sumac, with some crushed fresh garlic. Top with sprouted chickpeas raw or lightly steamed. Sprinkle with finely chopped parsley and fresh thyme leaves.
Mexican inspired - add a little lime zest and juice, some chopped jalapenos, fresh chopped coriander and sliced avocado.
I love to keep the freshest looking tender cauliflower leaves for use in a salad. These are usually the ones underneath the cauliflower closest to the stalk rather than the tough outer leaves. They’re full of nutrients. Give them a wash and a chop, and they will mix well in any chopped salad.
Ditto with carrot tops.
Recipe
Raw cauliflower rice.
Equipment
- Food processor with an s-blade.
- Sharp knife.
- Chopping board.
- spatula and fork.
- container with a lid for storing.
Ingredients
- 1 small head of cauliflower.
- ½ a lemon.
Instructions
- Wash the head of cauliflower in cold water and remove the leaves. Pop it onto a tea towel and pat it dry. You don’t want the cauliflower to be wet when you rice it or it will stick together.
- Chop the cauliflower into florets. You’ll want them to be small enough to fit into the food processor. 2 inches or so in size is about right.
- Put the chopped cauliflower into the food processor and pulse a few times until they’ve broken down enough to resemble grains of rice. You may need to intervene with a spatula to scrape it down the sides part way through this process.
- If there are any larger pieces of cauliflower left, take them out. Once you’ve removed the cauliflower rice, you can pulse these again until they’ve turned into rice.
- Remove using a spatula and pop into a suitable container. Squeeze over the juice of half a lemon and give it a stir through with a fork. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
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Juliette Young
Swathi says
This raw cauliflower rice looks delicious perfect treat. I can add some veggies to make it mixed rice.
Linda says
I have always just purchased frozen cauliflower rice so I can use it whenever. Not sure why I never thought about freezing homemade?! Duh. Thanks for the tips!
Natalie says
Wow, my picky eaters loved your cauliflower rice! Great recipe to sneak some veggies, thanks!