Cauliflower rice makes an easy side dish for a variety of different meals. Plus, just like traditional rice, there are lots of ways you can add flavor to it.
In addition to serving it plain under stir fry vegetables, a curry dish or a beef stew – you can also season cauliflower rice.
Give it a unique taste of its own for a quick and tasty meal or snack. I also like flavored salts or everything bagel seasoning.
Plus, many seasonings don’t have a ton of carbs – or even calories. Therefore, you can keep your cauliflower rice healthy and low calorie without giving up flavor!
How to Season Cauliflower Rice…
1. Soy Sauce
Cauliflower rice with soy sauce make a simple and satiating dish. You can also add ginger, garlic, sesame oil or wasabi for additional flavor and kick.
2. Curry
For a quick Indian curry fix, some people combine curry powder with chicken broth or with coconut milk. Alternatively, you could follow a recipe for curry sauce or get a pre-made Indian simmer sauce.
3. Peanut Sauce
Lately, I have started adding peanut sauce to virtually everything – salads, vegetables, meat dishes and cauliflower rice. It makes a good choice when you can’t decide what you want, because you get a little of everything: salty, sour and sweet.
Actually, I make it with peanut butter powder, soy sauce, a squirt of lemon juice, water and avocado oil. Sometimes I also add a drop of stevia. Add your ingredients depending on if you want your sauce more savory, sour or sweet. Or, you could buy Thai peanut sauce.
4. Bacon Bits
A little bacon goes a long way, as far as flavoring a dish. Cook your own meat or get real bacon bits that require no cooking time. Sprinkle them in, and you’re ready to go.
5. Garlic Butter Riced Cauliflower
I think garlic butter can turn any vegetable into a comfort food. Whether you use real garlic with butter, garlic salt with butter or garlic without the butter, you get really flavorful cauliflower rice.
6. Cajun Seasoning
Give your dish a little taste of the South with Cajun spices like paprika, chili powder, cayenne pepper, oregano and thyme. If you want to make your own seasoning mixture, here’s a recipe.
7. Lemon
Make lemon cauliflower rice with just a few simple ingredients: lemon, salt, pepper and garlic. In addition, I like to add cilantro and some lemon zest. This citrus gives this dish a lighter, fresher taste – good warm or cold.
8. Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Coconut milk gives you a richer, more dense dish. Keep in mind that it will be higher in fat content (if you care). You just need coconut milk and shredded unsweetened coconut and a pinch of salt – or you could follow this recipe.
9. Spanish/Mexican Rice
Switch out the traditional high carb Spanish rice for the lower carb cauliflower version. You still use tomato sauce, garlic, onions and salt – or you can follow the recipe in the video below:
10. Parmesan Cheese
If you like cheesy rice (or mac and cheese), then try this low-carb idea. Ingredients include cauliflower rice, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, garlic (and parsley if you want it).
This recipe requires few ingredients and you can make it faster than the traditional version if your cauliflower is already riced. Plus, you get to forgo most of the carbs!
11. Sriracha
Just drizzle this hot sauce right on your cauliflower, and it’s ready to eat. Because Sriracha has such a strong, pungent flavor, it works well to suppress the appetite. If you want to lower your calories as well as carbs, this could be the way to go.
12. Pesto
Just because you’re on a low carb diet doesn’t mean that you have to forgo all of those delicious pesto dishes. Take pesto sauce and toss it on your cauliflower rice. You get the fresh basil and garlic taste you want without having to eat the carbs!
13. Antipasto Cauliflower Rice
You can also take your cooked cauliflower rice and turn it into cold vegetable or antipasto salads with low carb veggies and meats. This cold salad recipe works well for people who meal prep or want to cook once and get several meals out of one dish.
14. Vanilla
Contrary to popular belief, not all cauliflower rice recipes need to be savory. In fact, here’s how to season cauliflower rice to make a dessert-like rice pudding! For instance, just add cinnamon, raisins, vanilla and stevia. This tastes great as an after-dinner treat or for breakfast.
15. Chocolate Cauliflower Rice?
Speaking of sweet treats that you can enjoy at breakfast as well as after dinner, let’s not forget chocolate. Carrie at CleanEatingKitchen.com has a great recipe for chocolate cauliflower rice “oatmeal”. It includes coconut milk, cauliflower rice, cocoa powder, eggs, cinnamon and sweetener (I like Stevia). In addition, you can add blueberries as a topping.
