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Want to make coconut cauliflower rice that tastes just as good as the original take-out order? You’ve found the recipe you’re looking for.
In less than 15 minutes and with just 5 ingredients, you can turn fresh or frozen cauliflower into a delicious side dish to serve with your favorite proteins, curries, and stir-fries.
Healthy Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Not only is this coconut cauliflower rice crazy delicious, but it’s also a healthy option! Every serving has only 128 calories and 5.5 grams of net carbs (8.5g of carbs – 3g of fiber).
Of course, with the rich coconut and fresh cilantro flavors, everyone will want a bite, kids included. Doubling the recipe is highly recommended, and if you’re lucky to have leftovers, this post shares how to save them for later.
Ingredients
It’s hard to believe that such a short ingredient list could make something so delicious! Here’s what you need to make this low-carb side happen:
- Riced cauliflower: make your own cauliflower rice or use store-bought, ready-to-eat.
- Butter or oil: to cook.
- Salt: enhances the coconut flavor.
- Coconut milk: use full-fat milk from the can.
- Fresh cilantro: optional but adds a nice flavor and pop of color.
How to Make Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Grab a large pan and the ingredients you need, and get ready to have a delicious healthy side dish! Here’s how:
- Prep the cauliflower
Prepare the cauliflower rice with your preferred method (listed in the section below). If using prepared cauli rice, transfer it to a clean kitchen towel and ring out excess moisture. - Sauté
In a large pan, heat the butter or oil over medium heat. Add the cauliflower and salt and cook for 5 minutes. - Add the milk
Add the coconut milk into the pan, and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute or until the mixture is heated through. - Serve
Remove from heat, sprinkle with chopped cilantro, and serve.
Pro tip: if the coconut cream has separated from the liquid, toss the contents in a blender and give it a whirl until everything is emulsified into one smooth consistency in a medium bowl; combine them by vigorously whisking.
Ricing the Cauliflower a Home
Making your own cauliflower rice at home is simple, and one head of cauliflower yields a lot more than the 12-ounce bag from the store. To do this, you’ll need to wash the cauliflower head and carefully remove the end and green leaves with a knife. Chop the cauliflower into small florets and use the blender method or a food processor to make cauliflower rice. Or, you can use a cheese grater and manually make cauli rice.
To learn more about how to make cauliflower rice at home, pick one of these three methods:
Blender Cauliflower Rice | Food Processor Cauliflower Rice | Cheese Grater Cauliflower Rice
Using Frozen Riced Cauliflower
If you’d like to make this recipe with frozen cauliflower rice, allow it to thaw first, then ring out the excess moisture with a clean kitchen towel. Once it’s cooked with coconut milk and butter, no one will be able to tell it was frozen!
How to Store Leftovers
In the rare case that you have leftovers, this coconut cauliflower rice can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to eat, just reheat it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes or sauté it over medium-high heat with a little oil.
What to Serve Coconut Cauli Rice With
Before you leave to make this coconut cauli rice, check out a few of the recipes to serve with it! The pork stir-fry and salmon would both keep it a low-carb meal, while the rest taste outstanding with this as a side.
- Jamaican Pork & Pineapple Stir-fry
- Air-Fryer Salmon
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tacos
- Sriracha Chicken with Honey & Garlic
Best Ever Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower, riced or
- 6 cups riced cauliflower, moisture squeezed out
- 2 tablespoons butter, or oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup canned coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Rice the head of cauliflower in the food processor, blender, or by hand. If using store bought cauliflower rice, transfer it to a clean kitchen towel, wrap it, and ring any moisture out.
- In a large pan over medium heat, heat butter or oil. Add cauliflower rice and salt and stir, cooking the riced cauliflower for about 5 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk to the pan, mix to combine well and cook, for about one minute, to heat up the coconut milk and cauliflower rice mixture. Turn off the heat, add the cilantro and mix to combine. Serve.
Shashi at savory spin says
This was perfect paired with tofu! So filling and tasty! Thanks for this!
Harriet Young says
Amazing cauliflower rice! So tasty with that coconut and cilantro. Thank you!
Heather says
Simple, delicious, Caribbean flavors! This is remarkably easy to make and everyone loved it! Perfect side dish, I paired it with blackened grouper and it was so good! Thank you!
Ned says
I really loved the coconut milk. It really brought out a lot of flavor! Thank you!
Charah says
I love this recipe, been starting to eat low calorie food and this is a good substitute for rice, thanks for sharing