Learning how to cook frozen cauliflower rice will make your evening meals so much easier! Simply cooked in your skillet in just 15 minutes, this low carb side dish has so much flavor from herbs and garlic and adds another veggie to your plate!
Adding more vegetables to our plates is something many of us like to do, and this tasty cauliflower rice is the easy way to do it! Much like my pesto Brussels sprouts and cheesy cauliflower mash, it's a simple side dish with a bit of a twist!
The beauty of this frozen cauliflower rice recipe is that we simply turn to the freezer and pantry for it to come together. Forget simply steaming your rice, we up the flavor with a few extra ingredients to take it to the next level!
Love healthy light side dishes? My steamed ginger garlic pak choi would work so well with this cauliflower rice!
Jump to:
⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Adds another veggie to your plate! Instead of rice or couscous, this cauliflower rice gives you an extra vegetable, but one that feels like a typical starchy side.
Low carb recipe. Cauliflower is one of the lowest carb vegetables, and is suitable for a keto diet. Swap for your regular rice!
Quick and easy. Transform a frozen packet into a tasty side dish in just 15 minutes on the stove top.
🍚 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Frozen cauliflower rice - this can either come in large bags or smaller individual portions. Pick ones that aren't already flavored for this recipe.
- Garlic - I use fresh garlic cloves, but garlic powder can be used in a pinch.
🧂 How to season frozen cauliflower rice
Seasoning frozen riced cauliflower is very simple, and can easily be adapted to the flavors you love best!
Herbs - I think dried thyme and parsley work so well, and go with many main dishes too, but you can also use oregano, basil, cilantro or other herbs.
Spices - while we stick to herbs in this recipe, you can always choose spices such as ground ginger, turmeric or sweet paprika for another day!
🔪 Step by step instructions
How to cook frozen cauliflower rice? It's so easy, so let's go through the couple of steps to do it!
Before starting to cook, just make sure your cauliflower rice isn't in big frozen clumps! Give it a bit of a bash with a wooden spoon if it is to break them up.
Step 1
Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and add the garlic. Let it bubble for a few minutes to release the fragrance.
Then tip in your frozen cauliflower rice, along with the herbs (image 1). Cook on a low-medium heat. The cauliflower rice will release liquid as it heats, so will initially look a little mushy.
Step 2
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally. The water will evaporate, and you will get a nice cauliflower rice that isn't soggy. Cook until you have slight browning to the rice, about 6-10 minutes of cook time (image 2).
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Break up any clumps of the cauliflower rice before adding to the skillet with a good bash of a wooden spoon!
- Don't thaw the cauliflower rice before cooking. Tip in the skillet from frozen.
- Add more garlic or herbs to taste preference.
- Cook so the water evaporates and you have slight browning.
📋 Frequently asked questions
No, it isn't necessary to thaw the cauliflower rice before use. It will thaw in your skillet, and then cook to perfection!
Transfer the cauliflower rice straight from the freezer to the skillet, and don't let it thaw first. Be sure to cook in your skillet until the water evaporates. If you have water still in your skillet this will make it mushy.
The water should have evaporated from the skillet, and the cauliflower rice will have slight browning to it.
🍽 How to serve cauliflower rice
Cauliflower rice works so well as a swap for potatoes, rice, couscous or other higher carb options to pair with your main dishes. Some ideas:
- Serve with dishes that have a sauce such as my creamy paprika chicken, blueberry chicken or my turkey with sage cream sauce. The cauliflower rice will 'mop up' as my mum calls it, the fragrant sauce.
- Enjoy with my sweet potato fritters, my cod and sweet potato fish cakes or my baked cod with pesto as a vegetable side.
- Add a few spoonfuls to soups at the end of their cook time, such as my chicken and cabbage soup or my easy vegetable quinoa soup.
- It's also such a good substitute for beans in salads and stews, and gets you some extra veggies in your meal!
🥣 More tasty side dishes
Find so many side dishes to enjoy for your evening meals, or special occasions, including my honey roasted vegetables and my coconut turmeric rice. Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And I love to hear from you - so please do leave a star rating ⭐ and comment if you have tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
How to Cook Frozen Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups frozen cauliflower rice
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 garlic clove minced or finely diced
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- If your frozen cauliflower rice has any clumps, give it a bit of a bash with a wooden spoon to break them up.
- Drizzle olive oil in your skillet and add the garlic. Heat gently so the garlic is sizzling.
- Tip in the frozen cauliflower rice along with the dried thyme and parsley. Cook for 6-8 minutes on a low-medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until the water has evaporated and you have slight browning on the rice.
Notes
- Break up any clumps of the cauliflower rice before adding to the skillet with a good bash with a wooden spoon!
- Don't thaw the cauliflower rice before cooking. Tip in the skillet from frozen.
- Add more garlic or herbs to taste preference.
- Cook so the water evaporates and you have slight browning.
Annie says
I made this tonight but with freshly riced cauliflower using my food processor. I cooked it a little longer (like maybe 10-12 minutes), and it came out great. Husband said it didn’t taste like cauliflower either! I think next time, I would use more garlic. Thanks for this!
Claire says
Thanks for taking the time to comment Annie! I'm glad to hear the recipe works for fresh cauliflower too!
Angela Gilbert says
I added extra of the spices and additional salt. It think I'll try basil next time. Definitely a healthy alternative that has a little crunch, which I love!
Claire says
Basil sounds good! And I love the little crunch too 🙂
Sheryl says
Thanks for the tips, they worked great for when I made them for dinner tonight. I always having trouble with mine not clumping at least a little, so thanks again!
Claire says
You're welcome Sheryl! It works well to cook the cauliflower in a skillet doesn't it - so easy!