Coconut Cauliflower Rice {Whole30}

Coconut cauliflower rice is a healthy, low-carb alternative to traditional coconut rice. Enjoy this nutritious veggie side dish with your favorite main courses.

Coconut Cauliflower Rice

Coconut cauliflower rice is really simple to make and bursting with rich coconut flavor that is synonymous with most Caribbean rice dishes. In Guyana, we call this dish, when it is made with real rice, Shine Rice.

My late grandmother, Miss Inez Glen, made the best shine rice I’ve ever had. With just a few ingredients that dish was worthy of all of the praises. When I am not doing Whole30 I will share her recipe for those who are interested in making Shine Rice. 

Why You’ll Love This Coconut Cauliflower Rice Recipe

• Healthy Alternative to White Rice: This recipe is not only great for Whole30, but it’s low carb and keto-friendly too.
• Quick & Easy: Learn how to make cauliflower rice with a few simple ingredients and you have a delicious healthy side dish in just 30 minutes.
• Tasty: Although this doesn’t taste like rice, it has a similar texture and a neutral flavor so it tastes however you season it. This coconut cauliflower rice is fluffy and flavorful.

Ingredients for Coconut Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower rice with coconut milk is made with just a few pantry staples. This dish requires 5 ingredients; four if you don’t like spicy, and it cooks in 10 minutes. P.S. I am not counting salt as an ingredient here!

• 1 head of cauliflower: See the instructions below to learn how to rice cauliflower.
• Green onions: Thinly sliced.
• Cloves of garlic: Grate fresh garlic for the best flavor.
• Salt: This enhances the taste.
• Coconut milk: Use this instead of water for rich-flavored dish. It also thickens the “rice.” I prefer this one from Thai Kitchen when making cauliflower rice dishes.
• Coconut oil: Use this to sauté the aromatics.
• Wiri wiri pepper: If you want a kick of heat, add finely chopped peppers with the seeds and ribs removed (optional).

See recipe card for quantities.

Why I prefer frozen cauliflower rice

I am probably in the minority here when I say I PREFER FROZEN CAULIFLOWER RICE. Here’s why: I noticed a long time ago that the frozen cauliflower rice was all stems and none of the florets. This gave the riced cauliflower a coarser texture which for me (someone who grew up eating rice at least twice every day) this texture is closer to rice than the fresh cauliflower. I admit I am in the minority here as most people prefer making their own cauliflower rice versus buying frozen and often consider the fresh product more economical.

How to Make Coconut Cauliflower Rice

How To Rice Cauliflower

There are two methods and three options for ricing cauliflower. First there is the cheese grater method. This method is simple and requires a little bit of man power to grate the cauliflower using the shred side of your cheese grater, but it does the job!

Second option is to use a food processor. There are two ways of ricing the cauliflower with the food processor. One method is to use the regular blade and pulse pieces of cauliflower until it becomes the consistency you are looking for. Whenever I try this method I always end up with cauliflower crumbs and mush.

Another method is to use a shred blade. This is my favorite method when using the food processor. I always end of with riced cauliflower that is the consistency of long grain rice, which is perfect for the dish I am making. 

My food processor came with this attachment as well as a slicer/mandoline attachment. Click here to see the food processor that I have.

If you like more of a toasted cauliflower rice, feel free to spread this out on a sheet pan and broil for a minute or two to dry it out a bit. 

Making the coconut cauliflower rice

Green onions, garlic and a wiri wiri pepper (a Guyanese chili pepper) are sautéed in a saucepan. Then cooked in coconut milk for a few minutes before adding the riced cauliflower.

After mixing the riced cauliflower with the other ingredients I sauté everything for another 5 minutes and then it’s done. This is a great side dish, if you are looking for a low carb option that still has some of the Caribbean flavor and richness you’ve come to love. 

Storage

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover coconut cauliflower rice in the microwave until warmed through.

Tips for the Best Coconut Cauliflower Rice

• Frozen cauliflower is preferred but you can use fresh. For this dish I made fresh cauliflower rice with a cauliflower I found in the back of my fridge. I forgot I picked it up while I was stocking up on groceries a few weeks ago. I rarely ever make fresh cauliflower rice and had intended to use this for a whole roasted cauliflower but I’m currently out of frozen cauliflower rice so had to use the next best thing.
• For thicker, creamier cauliflower rice, use coconut cream instead of coconut milk.
• You can rice fresh cauliflower and then freeze it for later use. Store it in a Ziploc bag or airtight container for up to 1 month.

How to Use Coconut Cauliflower Rice

You can use cauliflower rice just as you would regular rice. Use it to make rice bowls, a stir fry, or as a side dish. Try it in one of my recipes like Cauliflower Rice and Split Peas and Cauliflower Chicken and Veggies Fried Rice.

Frequently Asked Questions