If you are Paleo, doing the Whole30 food challenge, or just eating healthy, learning how to prep and freeze cauliflower rice can save you a lot of time in the kitchen and help you have healthy food on hand when you need it.
When we did the Whole30 food challenge this past fall I thought the two hardest parts were not having any grains and having to make everything from scratch all of the time. The grains were so hard because I really missed having the filler in the meal. I never realized it before but we were pretty addicted to the carbs. We almost always have rice or potatoes or some sort of bread with our meal.
I had heard of cauliflower rice and after the first few days of Whole30 REALLY needed something to fill up the meal and shake things up a little bit. So I tried it and I liked it! Now to be clear, it didn’t really taste like rice, and the texture wasn’t exactly like rice, BUT it was really good in it’s own right. I served it just like I would rice at any meal and it was a perfect compliment to the meal. In fact, every time we had the cauliflower rice I always felt satisfied and not like I was missing anything.
{To see ALL of our Whole30 Recipes, click here!}
Making the cauliflower rice is pretty simple, but even better, I tried a couple of methods and found a way I could prep a super-sized batch and then freeze it so that I could quickly pop it in for dinner. HUGE win! It was a big time saver not to have to get out the food processor and wash all the pieces each time I wanted cauliflower rice for dinner.
I wanted to share my process to help make healthy eating quick and easy for you too.
How to Prep Cauliflower Rice
There are a couple of methods you can use to make cauliflower rice. My good friends at Stay Fit Mom swear by the cauliflower rice blender method. I have a serious infatuation with my food processor though, so I knew that I wanted to use it. Pick your favorite kitchen tool and go for it.
First wash your cauliflower. I usually get 2 pound bags of precut cauliflower florets at Costco, but you can also by a head at your local grocery store and roughly chop the florets and stalks and discard the stems and greens.
Place about a pound of the cauliflower in the food processor. Pulse the food processor until the cauliflower resembles the texture of rice. Be careful to watch the texture not to pulse too much or you can turn the cauliflower into more of a mash and not a rice.
Super simple!
How to Freeze Cauliflower Rice
Once you have your cauliflower riced, you can get it ready to freeze.
First make sure your rice is nice and dry. If you used the food processor it should be good to go. If you used the blender method you will want to make sure to pat it dry and make sure there is not much excess moisture.
Next portion it out into separate freezer bags in the quantity that you need for each meal. I usually account for 1/2 cup per person, or 1 cup if it is a main element of the meal like in a burrito bowl or fried rice.
I use quart sized freezer bags, scoop the cauliflower in then squeeze the air out and seal.
To help store the rice, flatten it out before you put it in the freezer then stack the bags on top of each other to minimize the amount of space you need.
Make sure to use a sharpie to label the bags with the date. Standard freezing guidelines say cauliflower can stay frozen for up to 6 months.
The whole process ends up to take less than an hour and you can make enough cauliflower for many meals. I like to do about 4 pounds at a time which usually gives me about 8 bags in the freezer to pull out for a family sized easy dinner.
To use the cauliflower you can either pop it in the refrigerator the night before and let it thaw over the day, or use the defrost on the microwave. But I usually just put it in the frying pan with the lid on for a few minutes and it thaws right up and is ready to be seasoned and cooked any way you like it!
Update: Since writing this post I have received many helpful messages from readers. You can actually buy pre-made cauli rice in the freezer section at many stores. I got the opportunity to sample the cauli rice from Boulder Canyon which was really good, especially when you don’t have time to prep it yourself.
Check out some of my FAVORITE ways to cook cauliflower rice!
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice – We have a SERIOUS addiction to this stuff. I am long off of Whole30 now but we still eat it because it is just that good. Plus, gluten free, dairy free, and low calorie and low carb… you just can’t beat it!
- Roasted Cauliflower Rice– My friend Tracy made this recipe for me the first time I ever had cauli rice and it is a classic and a keeper! Perfect to compliment any dish but not overpower it.
- Indian Spiced Cauliflower Rice– Ok I admit that i have not actually tried this recipe yet, but anything my friend Karen makes is DELISH and we have been on an Indian kick lately so this is absolutely next on my list!
Hungry for more family-friendly recipes? Sign up for my free recipe club to get new family-friendly recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
How to Prep and Freeze Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cauliflower florets
- 4 quart sized freezer bags
Instructions
- Place one pound of cauliflower into the food processor and pulse until the consistency resembles rice. Be careful not to over process.
- Scoop about 2 cups of riced cauliflower into each freezer bag.
- Press air out of bag and seal.
- Repeat with remaining cauliflower.
- Flatten bags and stack to freeze.
- To thaw place the cauliflower into the refrigerator 24 hours before you want to use it.
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
Rachelle says
This method MAY work if you use the cauliflower in a week or so. I’m concerned that you deem it safe with a shelf-life of 6 months, That is totally incorrect. That shelf life is for BLANCHED cauliflower. Most vegetables require blanching to kill the enzymes that will spoil the food. I’ve been seeking a way to safely freeze cauliflower rice and not get food poisoning. This method should only be used if the cauliflower will be used within a week or so. Otherwise, people will play roulette with food poisoning.
Melyssa says
I’m confused…freezing unblanched vegetable is not safe? I’ve never heard of that.
Erin says
Sorry but this information is incorrect. Blanching is not done for food safety – it’s done to preserve color, taste, and nutrients. Also, enzymes have nothing to do with food safety. Enzymes can cause loss of nutrients and loss of flavor, so deactivating them makes your food more nutritious and better tasting (and brighter/better looking) for longer periods of time. Yes, blanching kills microorganisms on the surface of vegetables, but freezing also slows/halts the growth of most microbes. (When you thaw unblanched food, however, the surviving microbes can resume growth.) When there are time limits placed on frozen food storage, it has to do with quality/taste… not food safety. Properly frozen food can be stored, safely, indefinitely… it just might not taste great. Unblanched vegetables can be frozen safely, but again, they might not look or taste as good.
Melynda says
I appreciate this clarification very much! I thought there had to be something misunderstood about the blanching since freezing food is a very safe method.
Geraldine Denise Kuss says
I blanch the cauliflower florets before ricing, I’ve never ever heard that veggies are good for six months without blanching!After blanching into the food processor and then I rice it all and freeze. THEN, yes it’s all good for a long time!
M.V Clarke says
I checked online and found out that I can soak cauliflower in salt and water instead of blanching. Tried this and it works like a charm.
Dede says
Now Costco sells double bags of the cauliflower rice. I always pick up a few when I can’t slow down enough to process my own. I use one bag to make our pizza crust (my son and husband say it’s THE BEST), one bag for our mashed potatoes (a BIG hit at our family gatherings. They always ask me to make it), fried rice, etc. I also make a big batch of my own super healthy spaghetti and turn it into 3 to 4 different meals. 1st Spaghetti, of course. Over Zucchini noodles. 2nd: stuff red or green pepper with some of the ‘spaghetti’ mixture (you can add different spices at this time to change the flavor), for stuffed peppers, adding cheese on top after pepper and mixture is heated. 3rd, mini Shepherd pies. I take some of the ‘spaghetti’ and add like peas, carrots, what you like, heat all that up in a skillet, then put into ramekin dishes and top with my cauliflower mashed potatoes and bake in the oven till potatoes are brown. 4th. I make my zucchini lasagna. I take like 1/2 lb to 1 lbs of the spaghetti and add 1 lb of spice or mild italian sausage that I pre cooked. Make my cheese layer mixture. Now do the layers! I love being creative and trying to cook large amounts ahead of time to make several meals during the busy week.
Kimber says
What great ideas! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m going to have to see if our costco carries it too!
Morgan says
Trying this recipe this coming week!
Teri says
I’m I’m doing something wrong 🙁 ! After I defrost the rice I like to steam it In saute pan, no liquid added, just a little grass fed butter. The frozen rice turns into absolute mush, the fresh rice comes out perfect. Please help ! 🙂
Kimber says
Hi Teri- I usually cook my frozen rice in a skillet on high heat with just a tiny bit of olive oil. The high heat steams out the moisture so it still has a really good texture. When you freeze vegetables it changes their cellular structure since the water inside the vegetables expands when frozen. I am not sure you will ever get the same result as you do with using fresh cauliflower if you are steaming but if you defrost the rice then wrap it in a tea towel and squeeze out as much liquid as you can it would probably help. You can do this before freezing, after freezing or both! I hope that helps!
Virginia L Sierra says
I have a question, I wanted to try this cauliflower rice first before I made my own. and it was great. now I shredded my own and froze it. now the first bag that I bought had me microwave it and then use it in my recipe, and it came out great. why can’t I do that with the cauliflower that I freeze instead of putting it in the frig, or on the counter to defrost, do you think it will be the same?