Brown Butter Cauliflower Rice
Nutty, crispy, and buttery cauliflower rice made with brown butter. A shockingly tasty low carb side dish you’ll actually want to eat.
In an effort to be a slightly healthier human (emphasis on slightly), I’ve been swapping out some carbs with veggies. Just a little. Let’s not get wild. I used to be a full-on cauliflower rice hater. Bland. Mushy. Sad little veggie crumbles pretending to be carbs. Hard pass.
But I started seeing cauliflower rice pop up again, looking all crispy and golden in a few recipes. So I figured, why not give it one more shot?
This time, I did it my way. Brown butter. Fry it till it’s crispy. Don’t treat it like rice, because it’s not. It’s cauliflower, folks. It will never be chewy like rice and that’s okay. Cauliflower has other talents. It gets nutty, golden, buttery, and actually delicious when you treat it right. This version? I’m obsessed. It’s going into regular dinner rotation over here.
Gather your Ingredients
- Package of cauliflower rice. Please, I don’t have time to rice a whole cauliflower.
- Butter
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh herbs (like parsley)
How to Make Brown Butter Cauliflower Rice
- Grab a big skillet and melt a few tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Don’t rush it. You want the butter to get golden brown and smell like heaven.
- Toss in your cauliflower rice straight from the package. Stir it around to coat in that glorious butter.
- Now here’s where the magic happens. Stop stirring. Let it sit and sizzle so it can actually get crispy. Give it a toss every few minutes to let the other side crisp up too.
- Once it’s golden brown in spots and smells like you know what you’re doing, season with salt and pepper.
- Finish with a handful of chopped fresh herbs and serve it up.
Recipe Tidbits
If you’re trying to sneak in more veggies, this cauliflower rice is your new sidekick. You can use it anywhere you’d normally use rice—stir-fries, bowls, even in a cheesy rice casserole situation. It’s especially good with anything saucy because it soaks it all up without turning to mush.
Just make sure you crisp it up and don’t steam it into oblivion. This is key. Use a big enough pan so it doesn’t steam and the pieces have enough room to touch the bottom and crisp up.
Storage / Make Ahead Tips
You can absolutely make this ahead and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge all week. It reheats like a champ in a skillet. Add a tiny bit of butter if you’re feeling wild.
Brown Butter Cauliflower Rice
Equipment
- frying pan
Ingredients
- 10 oz package frozen cauliflower rice
- 3 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
- handful chopped fresh herbs, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a skillet to medium heat and throw in the butter. Stir until the butter starts to get golden brown and smell a bit nutty – about 5 minutes.
- Toss in your cauliflower rice straight from the package. Stir it around to coat in that glorious butter.
- Spread the cauliflower rice around and let it sit so it can actually get crispy. Give it a toss every few minutes to let the other side crisp up too. It will turn golden brown in spots when it’s ready – anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes.
- Season generously with salt and pepper. And finish with a handful of chopped fresh herbs if desired.
A fantastic low carb side dish! This is so much better than the mushy, bland cauliflower rice I remember for years ago.