One of our favorite secrets about the PURE Juicer is that it makes delicious homemade cauliflower rice–in minutes! Use this cauliflower rice recipe to make rice in a juicer, and keep reading for our how-to on making cauliflower fried rice.
Packed with protein, fiber, and other vital nutrients, cauliflower has stepped into the spotlight over the past five years as a healthy substitute for starches and grains. Considering cauliflower is keto and paleo friendly, vegan, and gluten-free, it’s no wonder so many of us are looking for creative ways to incorporate riced cauliflower into our weekly meals.
Does cauliflower rice taste like rice?
You may wonder whether cauliflower rice tastes similar to white or brown rice, and our answer is: not exactly. But because both cauliflower and rice have mild flavors, the substitution of this nutrient-dense vegetable for a starch-heavy grain seems like a no-brainer to us. Riced cauliflower will take on the flavor of liquids and spices it is cooked with, though it won’t soak up sauces like white or brown rice.
Raw cauliflower rice vs. cooked cauliflower rice
Why make cauliflower rice at home when it’s so easy to buy frozen cauliflower rice at the store and quickly blanch it?
While frozen cauliflower rice is a quick and easy addition to a meal, and contains more nutrients than white or brown rice, we still recommend you make your own cauliflower rice whenever possible. The reason? The less heat you can expose to the cauliflower, the better.
If you’ve been following us for any amount of time, you know that consuming raw produce ensures you get access to every nutrient and mineral available to you, which can often be compromised when fruits and vegetables are heated.
Raw cauliflower is incredibly nutrient-dense, and contains at least trace amounts of almost all of the vitamins and minerals your body needs to stay healthy.
Additionally, cauliflower contains a high amount of a compound called sinigrin, which may have anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Unfortunately, water-boiling and blanching can cause a severe loss of these minerals and anti-oxidant compounds.
Great news: it’s easy to make cauliflower rice
Some people like to use a box grater with medium-sized holes, or a food processor set to “rice,” to produce their riced cauliflower. Today we’re sharing two cauliflower rice recipes, and both are fast and easy. One requires cauliflower and a juicer. Yes, that’s it.
The other recipe requires cauliflower, lemongrass, a juicer, some press cloths, and a glass storage jar. Why? Because you’ll be getting a jar of delicious lemongrass cauliflower juice along with your cauliflower pulp-turned rice. Bonus!
How to make cauliflower rice using a PURE Juicer
- Cut cauliflower into small pieces.
- With the PURE Juicer off, fill the feed chute with cauliflower.
- Cover with pusher, turn on, and grind cauliflower (no grid plate needed).
- Continue to add cauliflower and grind until complete.
- Wrap cauliflower rice in a paper towel to soak up excess moisture (optional).
How do you make sure cauliflower rice isn’t mushy?
Sometimes, homemade cauliflower rice can contain extra moisture, which leaves the rice a little soggy. To ensure your dish has a consistency to your liking, we have two recommendations:
- After ricing the cauliflower, place the rice in a paper towel and soak up extra moisture.
- Make some cauliflower juice (recipe below) and use the cauliflower pulp as a substitute for the rice.
How to choose cauliflower
When choosing cauliflower in the produce section, you’ll want to look for heads that are heavy for their size with creamy white florets.
Cauliflower facts
- The head of a cauliflower is also known as the “curd.”
- Cauliflower is part of the Brassica genus family, which means it’s related to brussels sprouts, broccoli, and kale.
- While it can be found year-round, it peaks in the fall and spring.
- One cup of raw cauliflower provides 77 percent of your daily vitamin C.
Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small cauliflower, riced (about 3 cups)
- 2-3 garlic cloves
- 1 inch ginger
- 1 cup carrots, diced
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 Tbsp neutral oil
- 2 Tbsp sesame oil
- 2-3 eggs, or Just Egg equivalent
- green onions, for garnish
Directions
- Rice the cauliflower with the garlic and ginger in the PURE Juicer, using no grid. Cauliflower should resemble rice.
- In pan at medium high heat, heat up oil and sauté the cauliflower rice mixture 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Mix in carrots and frozen peas, sauté 5 minutes, until mixed together, and the carrots are slightly undercooked.
- Make a hole in the mixture, in the middle of the pan.
- Heat up sesame oil and break eggs (or Just Egg) in the middle of the pan. Scramble the eggs.
- Once egg is scrambled, mix it all together. Garnish with green onions.
- You can add any additional vegetable you enjoy – mushrooms, edamame, eggplant, green beans. Or add protein: chicken and shrimp are delicious and will make Fried Rice a full meal.
- Stir slowly.
A note about swapping coconut aminos for soy sauce
We all loved this recipe so much, we wanted to try a version without soy sauce. Coconut aminos are often recommended as a keto-friendly substitute, so it seemed natural to give that a try. Sadly, doing that made this recipe go from a one-hundred percent, PURE family thumbs up to a unanimous thumbs down. Even our vegan die-hards couldn’t manage to finish their serving. Take it from us: stick to soy sauce.
Vegan Fried Rice with Cauliflower Pulp
A fun twist on the above recipe, we made another version of vegan fried rice by making rice out of cauliflower juice pulp.
Cauliflower Juice Ingredients
- cauliflower
- lemongrass
Instructions for pressing cauliflower juice
- Cut cauliflower into small pieces.
- Gather your ingredients for the grinder: cauliflower and lemongrass.
- With the PURE off, fill the feed chute with cauliflower (no grid plate needed).
- Cover with pusher, turn on, and grind cauliflower.
- Continue to add cauliflower and grind until complete.
- Wrap cauliflower mash in press cloth.
- Press slowly and drain cauliflower juice into glass jar (store in fridge).
Instructions for Cauliflower pulp fried rice
- Unwrap cauliflower pulp
- In pan at medium high heat, heat up oil and sauté the cauliflower rice mixture 5 minutes, until soft and fragrant.
- Mix in carrots and frozen peas, sauté 5 minutes, until mixed together, and the carrots are slightly undercooked.
- Make a hole in the mixture, in the middle of the pan.
- Heat up sesame oil and break eggs (or Just Egg) in the middle of the pan. Scramble the eggs.
- Once egg is scrambled, mix it all together. Garnish with green onions.
Can you store cauliflower rice in the freezer?
Yes! If you don’t use all the cauliflower rice right away, make sure to rid it of extra moisture before storing it in the freezer. Frozen, it should last you up to a month.
Enjoy!
Health Benefits
cauliflower: cauliflower: low in calories and nutrient dense, cauliflower contains almost every vitamin and mineral your body needs to stay healthy: vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin B6, folate, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus are among its many nutrients. One cup of cauliflower contains 3 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Eating cauliflower promotes digestive health and may also lower your risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
garlic: garlic can boost immunity, improve blood pressure, and prevent food-borne infections.
ginger: ginger contains gingerol, considered to be powerfully medicinal and anti-inflammatory, prevents nausea and can help treat chronic indigestion, and may also drastically lower blood sugar levels and heart disease risk factors.
mushrooms: containing many macronutrients that support a healthy immune system, mushrooms are good sources of vitamin D, vitamin B6, and selenium. Mushrooms are prebiotic and stimulate the growth of healthy bacteria in the gut. They are also thought to promote lower cholesterol and decrease the risk of cancer.
carrots: carrots boost immunity, keep blood sugar levels under control, and keep the digestion system in check. They also keep your eyes healthy— a unique property that not many other ingredients have.
peas: green peas may be commonly cooked and sold as vegetables, but they are actually part of the legume family, which is made up of plants that produce pods with seeds inside. Peas are quite nutritious, containing just about every vitamin and mineral your body needs, such as vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, thiamine, folate, manganese, iron, and phosphate. They are high in fiber and protein, and rich in antioxidants that help protect against chronic disease such as heart disease and cancer.
Sources
The Top 8 Health Benefits of Cauliflower
Carrots 101: Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits
11 Proven Health Benefits of Ginger
7 Health Benefits of Mushrooms
Why Green Peas are Healthy and Nutritious
Medical Disclaimer
PURE Juicer is a juicing company. We are not doctors or medical experts. All content and information on this blog and website is for informational and educational purposes only, does not constitute medical advice, and does not establish any patient-client relationship by using this website.
Although we strive to provide accurate general information, the information presented here is not a substitute for professional advice. You should not rely solely on this information. Always consult a professional in your area for your health questions and concerns before making any professional, legal, medical, financial, or tax-related decisions.
