Roasted Cauliflower Rice from Frozen (or Fresh)

Name: Roasted Cauliflower Rice from Frozen (or Fresh)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 4 cups riced cauliflower (12-ounce bag of frozen riced cauliflower or freshly riced cauliflower); 1 Tablespoon olive oil; ¼ teaspoon Salt (or to taste); ¼ teaspoon garlic powder (or 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced); ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (grated)

Make this roasted cauliflower rice with frozen or freshly riced cauliflower, garlic, and Parmesan cheese. Roasting gives it a light, fluffy texture with delicious brown bits, which is why this low-carb, gluten-free side dish is so popular.

White bowl of roasted cauliflower rice topped with Parmesan cheese showing golden cauliflower and brown bits.

It's perfect. I tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and curry powder, followed your baking directions and WOW! It really turned out fantastic! It was firm but still moist - but not soggy. You'd never know it wasn't rice. Thank you for this recipe! ~ Connie

Notes from my kitchen

When I roast cauliflower rice, I'm inclined to sit down and devour the entire bowl. Luckily, it's easy to double the recipe.

A bag of frozen cauliflower rice is the game changer. There's no washing, chopping, or ricing a head of cauliflower, and it goes straight from the freezer to the oven. Roasting draws out excess moisture so it becomes fluffy instead of soggy or watery.

Simply spread the cauliflower onto a large sheet pan. Toss it a couple of times during the 20 minutes of cooking time, scraping up all the delicious browned pieces when it's done.

It's a vegetable side dish that complements everything from pork piccata to Argentine shrimp scampi. It's so easy I find myself making this one weekly!

Marjory

Ingredients

Bag of frozen riced cauliflower, garlic powder, garlic cloves, olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.

Of special note:

Cauliflower rice - Buy a bag of unseasoned frozen riced cauliflower (without sauce). Most bags are 10 to 12 ounces, and some are 1 pound. This recipe easily scales up or down. Freshly riced cauliflower works just as well.
Garlic - Use garlic powder or fresh garlic. Garlic powder can be added at the beginning of cooking. If using fresh garlic, stir it in during the last 5 minutes so it doesn't burn.
Parmesan cheese - A sprinkling of cheese makes this side dish even more irresistible. For a vegan or vegetarian alternative, use nutritional yeast.

Use the same process to make roasted broccoli rice and get the same amazing result!

The recipe card below includes ingredient amounts, step-by-step instructions, and nutritional information.

Looking for more ways to use frozen cauliflower rice?

Make cauliflower muffins and cauliflower mash from frozen, too!

How to roast cauliflower rice from frozen

Prepare riced cauliflower

Frozen cauliflower coated with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper, and garlic powder on a large sheet pan with a spatula.

Break up any large frozen clumps of cauliflower with your hands or by tapping the closed bag on the counter. Do NOT defrost it.

Drizzle cauliflower with olive oil and use a spoon or spatula to coat the pieces. When you're done, spread it in an even layer in the pan. Sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder (wait to add fresh garlic if using that instead).

Partially roast

Partially cooked cauiflower rice being lifted with a spatula over a large sheet pan.

Begin roasting cauliflower rice in the oven. About halfway through, turn it over with a spatula and spread it out on the pan again. This is what it looks like halfway through. It won't be brown yet.

Continue roasting

Spatula lifting golden roasted rice cauliflower and brown bits from a sheet pan.

Continue roasting. If using fresh minced garlic, add it during the last 5 minutes. The cauliflower rice is done when it's tender, with a mix of golden-brown pieces and deeper-brown bits.

Top with cheese and enjoy

Wooden spoon lifting roasted riced cauliflower from a white bowl.

Remove roasted riced cauliflower to a serving bowl and sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top. Garnish with fresh herbs, like parsley, basil, or thyme, if desired.

Yield

Four cups of uncooked riced cauliflower will serve 4 people. However, it shrinks when it roasts, and you'll end up with about 2 ½-3 cups.

Use 2 sheet pans if you decide to double the recipe. Do not crowd the rice, which is rule number 1 for perfectly roasting vegetables!

FAQ

How do you rice a head of cauliflower?

Wash and thoroughly dry a head of fresh cauliflower. Remove the leaves, and cut the florets from the stalk. Add the florets and the stalks to a food processor and pulse several times or until the cauliflower resembles rice. A box grater can be used instead of a food processor.

What to serve with roasted cauliflower rice

Since the oven is occupied, I like to pair it with a quick and easy stovetop dish like honey mustard pork chops or seared scallops and spinach.

It's also a fantastic addition to Mediterranean bowls with black lentils.

Would you like more easy, healthy, carb-conscious recipes?

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📋 Recipe

Roasted Cauliflower Rice from Frozen (or Fresh)

Roasted cauliflower rice made with frozen or fresh cauliflower, garlic, and Parmesan cheese is irresistibly light and fluffy. It's an easy low-carb side dish everyone will love.

5 from 20 votes

Print Pin Review Save

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Servings: servings

Author: Marjory Pilley

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

▢ 4 cups riced cauliflower 12-ounce bag of frozen riced cauliflower or freshly riced cauliflower
▢ 1 Tablespoon olive oil
▢ ¼ teaspoon Salt or to taste
▢ ¼ teaspoon garlic powder or 2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
▢ ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F. Spray a large sheet pan with non-stick cooking spray.
If using frozen cauliflower, break up any frozen clumps, but do NOT defrost it.
Drizzle riced cauliflower with olive oil and use a spoon or spatula to toss and coat the pieces. Sprinkle it with salt and garlic powder (wait to add fresh garlic if using that instead).
Spread cauliflower rice into an even layer on the sheet pan.
Roast frozen cauliflower rice in the oven for about 20 minutes, turning the rice halfway through with a large spatula.
If using fresh minced garlic, add it during the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

The cauliflower rice will be tender when it's done, with some darker brown pieces alongside light golden brown cauliflower rice.

Remove cauliflower rice from the oven to a serving bowl, scraping up all the browned bits on the pan. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy.

Notes

Frozen cauliflower rice bag sizes and yield

You'll find frozen riced cauliflower in 10-ounce, 12-ounce, or 16-ounce bags. A 12-ounce bag has about 4 cups of uncooked cauliflower rice.

The cauliflower shrinks as the moisture evaporates during cooking, and the yield for cups of uncooked cauliflower is about 2 ½ to 3 cups.

Double the recipe:

Use 2 sheet pans to double the recipe so the rice is not crowded while it cooks.

To rice a head of cauliflower:

Storage and reheating:

Store leftover roasted cauliflower rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second intervals until warmed through.

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Notes from my kitchen

Ingredients