CAULIFLOWER RISOTTO comes out perfectly cream like a traditional risotto without all of the carbs. This makes a great side dish for just about any protein and it’s ready in about 20 minutes.
One of the things I love about living a low carb life is the challenge of recreating old favorites into healthy dishes.
Traditional risotto is tasty, for sure. It’s also full of carbs and not always the best option for those trying to lose or maintain their weight.
Recreating risotto was so easy with cauliflower rice! This dish is creamy, thick, risotto-like perfection!
Plus, it’s a whole lot easier and less involved than the traditional version, which we think is a big win in our house!
How to make cauliflower rice risotto:
This recipe starts by sauteing shallots and garlic in butter. You could also use a finely minced onion, if you don’t have shallots on hand.
Next, add in your riced cauliflower.
For the riced cauliflower, you can either add cauliflower florets to a food processor and blitz until crumbled into rice-sized pieces, or you can chop it finely with a sharp knife.
Many grocery stores sell cauliflower rice in the fresh produce section. I do not recommend using frozen cauliflower rice for this recipe.
Once the cauliflower rice has softened a bit, add in some heavy cream and Parmesan and salt and pepper.
This all cooks together for about 5 minutes – the mixture will be thick, creamy, and ready to devour.
Want another tasty cauliflower rice recipe? These keto lettuce wraps are so dang good!
What to serve with cauliflower risotto:
This creamy cauliflower rice goes well with just about any protein. We especially like it served with my pork tenderloin, stuffed chicken breast, and baked chicken legs.
It also pairs well with these air fryer pork chops or baked cod.
Round out your meal with my green beans almondine or broccoli cheese casserole.
Cauliflower Risotto
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 shallot minced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 16 ounces riced cauliflower about 1 head
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
- Add the cauliflower and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Add the cream, Parmesan, salt, and pepper and stir well. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender and mixture is thick and creamy, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the parsley before serving.
Kim says
Used this as a base for my lemon basil risotto and it came out perfect. Topped it with pan-seared scallops 🙂
Karly Campbell says
Sounds amazing!
Stacie Rokosny says
Delicious!! I’ll save you some time. 16 oz of cauliflower rice is about 4 1/2 cups. I served this with blackened shrimp. It was perfect! I my husband loved it too. This is definitely a keeper!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Stacie!
Denise Wright says
Amazing taste! Have made this twice – even taste-approved by my boyfriend (who hates riced cauliflower!). Used Garlic and Herb Frozen Riced Cauliflower (Aldi), part of a minced red onion and extra garlic, also omitted the parsley as I didn’t have any. Delicious! Thanks for this recipe, it’s a keeper!!
Kerstin Jordan says
This was excellent. We love cauliflower but never used it as a rice replacement. So yummy!!! The cauliflower itself had a subtle sweetness and the parmesan cheese gave a nice salty balance. Will make this over and over again. Next time I’ll add sautéed mushrooms. Would also be nice with some freshly cooked bacon or pancetta! Thanks for the recipe
Karly Campbell says
So glad you gave it a try, Kerstin! I’m sure this will be tasty with mushrooms and pancetta!
You’ll have to try our roasted cauliflower rice next – it’s quite popular too! 🙂
Margaret S McLane says
Has anyone used the premade, microwaveable bagged Cauliflower Rice? (I have bags of this, premade, by Nature’s intent, from Costco).
Any suggestions, other than get out as much moisture as possible?
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried, but I imagine it will work. You’ll probably end up with a mushier texture though, just because frozen veggies always are a bit softer.
Denise Wright says
Yes! I added, like recipe calls for, right after sautéing the onions then garlic. I just cooked it, stirring occasionally, until the liquid evaporated and the cauliflower was cooked (but still a bit crisp). Then added the cream, salt/pepper, and parmesan and waited for it to thicken. Delicious!
Dee says
I have made it several times with bagged cauliflower rice from Costco. I’ve made it with extra garlic, an onion sautéed and also added sautéed mushrooms and asparagus. I used less cream to balance liquid. Topped the whole thing with scallops sautéed in garlic and butter. Wonderful.
Women I go to the beach with have raved about it (and they are great cooks, I am not.)
Karly Campbell says
Sounds delicious with all of those additions, Dee! Thanks for sharing!
Olga says
Fabulous. Rich and creamy!
Ellie says
Is this able to be re-heated the next day? Or should I cut recipe in half if I need smaller amounts. So delicious, I’m adding it into my regular meal rotation!
Karly Campbell says
Hi Ellie! You can reheat it the next day, though we find most cauliflower dishes are best the day they’re made. Cauliflower tends to get a bit stinky after it sits in the fridge. It still tastes good though!
Nancy says
Since shallots come in various sizes, how much do you use in this recipe; a teaspoon, tablespoon, 1/4 cup? Thank you
Karly Campbell says
We just use a medium sized shallot. You can add more or less, to taste.
Patti Trzcinski says
I have used fresh and frozen cauliflower rice and it turns out great either way. This is one of our favorites!!!!
Karly Campbell says
Thanks, Patti!
Ellie Jones says
This was so delicious! I had a couple minor changes, but it still came out great for my first time! My cauliflower head must have been large, because it was about 4 cups once I riced it (twice your recipe), so I doubled everything. I’m pretty sure I’ve never seen a shallot (haha), so I used onion. BUT the diced onion I already had in the fridge was a “cajun blend” with chopped onion, garlic, celery, parsley, etc., and it worked beautifully. Also, I saw in an earlier comment that someone asked about mushrooms, and you suggested just adding them during the sauté, which I did. I just used fresh sliced mushrooms from the grocery store, and cut the slices a bit smaller.
We served it with seasoned grilled chicken, and the risotto was so yummy with every bite of chicken. Of course, my ridiculous 9 and 5 year olds complained that it wasn’t freakin’ spaghettios, but my husband, 14 year old, 2 year old, and I all loved it! I’m actually eating it now for lunch the next day!
Karly Campbell says
Sounds like some delicious tweaks! So glad you guys enjoyed. I’ll get to work on a low carb spaghettios recipe…my own kids wouldn’t mind that. Hahaha! 🙂
Vicki says
Made this tonight. Easy prep and soo soo good!
Karly Campbell says
Love to hear that! 🙂
Deborah J Williams says
Can I substitute light cream?
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only made the recipe as directed, so I’m not sure how that will work. My guess is that it will be fine, but a bit runnier.
Heather Felix says
This was FANTASTIC! It will be part of my normal rotation!
Karly Campbell says
So glad you enjoyed it, Heather!
Rachel says
Why don’t you recommend using frozen riced cauliflower? Is it due to extra liquid? Thanks for your feedback!!
Karly Campbell says
It just won’t have the same texture and it will have more liquid. 🙂
Sara says
This dish is absolutely amazing! I double it every time I make it. I altered it slightly by adding a pint of sauteed portobello’s. I also don’t really measure my onions on my garlic. In my opinion there can never be too much garlic!
Cindi says
If I use frozen cauliflower I usually microwave it first and then put it in a bowl with paper towel to get as much liquid out as possible.
rosa says
I use frozen, and for me the trick is to make sure you cook it until it’s tender (make sure all the crunch is gone, that way it tastes more like rice) and then put it in a large strainer and let all the liquid drain out. After all that, THEN add it to the pan with sautéed scallions and whatever other vegetables you are using. I do this because we have a deep freezer with lots of riced cauliflower and also its sometimes hard to find good fresh cauliflower where I live.
Lauri G says
I am not a fan of cauliflower but this was AMAZING!! I’ll be making more often.
Karly Campbell says
Yay! Love to hear that!
Sarah says
Made this tonight and it was fantastic! Frozen steamable cauliflower works just fine! I also didn’t have shallots or heavy cream so I substituted an onion and half and half and it was delicious. I also used 4 cloves of garlic because I love it so much. Mmmmm!
Cindy says
How would you suggest adding mushrooms, more liquid and mushrooms or what? I’ve never made normal risotto.
Karly Campbell says
I think you could just saute the mushrooms with the shallot. No need for extra liquid.
Christine says
Hi, I made this yesterday and it was absolutely delicious. My husband said that it was really good and he does not care for cauliflower. I will definitely make this again and again.
Karly Campbell says
So glad it was husband approved! 🙂
Kellye says
What is the serving size: I know it makes four servings, just wondering how to divide that up,
Karly Campbell says
I just divided it into 4 equal servings.
Magriet says
Can I freeze this cauliflower risotto? I’m the only one eating cauliflower in my house hold.
Karly Campbell says
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would freeze fine.
Belinda says
DELISH! Made this tonight using steamable cauliflower and didn’t have heavy cream so used a milk/corn starch mixture. I left it on low (covered) for an additional 10 minutes. It was amazing!! My son and husband couldn’t get enough! Thanks for the recipe.
Alicia says
Can you use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Karly Campbell says
That should work fine.
Leslie says
Can you use almond milk or something other than cream or milk?
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only made this as directed. If you use another type of milk, it won’t be as creamy so I’d probably use less.
Charyce says
Can some other type of milk be used because I can’t have heavy cream or half and half.
Karly Campbell says
I’ve only made this as directed. If you use another type of milk, it won’t be as creamy so I’d probably use less.
Kathie says
Can this be made using steamable cauliflower? And would you steam it first before adding, or just defrost it?
Karly Campbell says
I prefer this with fresh cauliflower.