Cauliflower Rice

A quick and easy method to make your own cauliflower rice at home. Cauliflower rice has become increasingly popular substitute to more traditional rices like brown, white or jasmine. It has also been a common base ingredient in gluten free dishes like Cauliflower Crust Pizza Dough or Cauliflower Tortillas. I have also begun to see cauliflower rice for sale in stores like Trader Joes, which was shocking since it is so easy to make at home with just a simple blender or cheese grater.

Follow along to learn how to make reliable cauliflower rice using two different methods.

Gather the following items:

• A head of cauliflower
• A sharp knife with a larger blade
• Cutting board
• Cheese Grater (Method #1)
• Food Processor (Method #2)
• Paper towels or a dish towel

Using a sharp knife cut your head of cauliflower into quarters.

Start by breaking off the green cauliflower leaves from your cauliflower quarters as they will not become a part of your final rice product. I personally like to save them, adding them to salads or stir frys later.

This is the most time consuming method out of the two shown in this Instructable. I personally prefer this method because of the final texture and shape of the cauliflower rice but it will take you a considerable amount of time in comparison to the second method.

Grate each quarter section of your cauliflower against the coarsest setting on your cheese grater. Take your time and go slow as cauliflower tends to crumble a bit and you'll want to watch out for the safety of your fingers. Repeat with each quarter section until your entire head of cauliflower has been grated.

This second method is fast and efficient. Use it when you're short on time and need a quick and reliable result. I have found that food processors and blenders do not always produce uniform cauliflower rice pieces throughout the rice. It could also very easily be my blender/food processor as well.

To utilize this method, you'll need to first chop your cauliflower quarters into smaller segments that will fit into your food processor. Once chopped, place them into your food processor and pulse/blend your cauliflower until you reach a uniform consistency and size with your cauliflower rice. You may need to work in batches depending on the size of your food processor.

Remove any larger chunks or florets of cauliflower from your cauliflower rice. Place them back into the food processor to reprocess and grind until they are the same size as the "rice" you've already created.

Cauliflower as a vegetable, like most, has a high water content. You'll want to draw out some of that water by placing a paper towel folded on a dinner plate. Evenly spread a thin layer of your cauliflower rice, or a portion of your cauliflower rice on to the paper towel. You do not want a thick layer because it will be easier to have the paper towel wick away moisture with increased contact surface area with the rice.

Once you've set up your first layer you likely have rice left over. Lay down another paper towel and another layer of cauliflower rice. Continue this layering technique until all of your rice has been layered. The final layer should be a paper towel. Place another dinner plate on top of the entire stack to add some weight. Allow your stack to sit and absorb moisture for 10-20 minutes then flip the entire stack--I do so by placing a hand on each dinner plate, applying pressure to press them together and then gently and carefully flip the stack. Allow your rice to dehydrate for another 10-20 minutes. You may need to change out the paper towels. Continue this method until your rice has drenched the paper towels.

You're done! I've place the rice from method #1 (cheese grater) on the left hand side of the photo and the rice from method #2 (food processor) on the right hand side of the photo to give a visual side by side comparison of the final product. Again, as I mentioned earlier in the Instructable, I prefer the texture, shape and size of the rice produced using the cheese grater, but using the food processor method is noticeably faster and time efficient in comparison.

You can store your cauliflower rice in the fridge for up to a week. Use it raw in salads to add a deliciously sweet crunch or sauté it in a fry pan with a teaspoon of oil to create the base for a fried cauliflower rice. I sautéed mine, added some lime juice, cilantro and some avocado. You've now got a blank canvas for so many dishes so get creative!