The BEST Coconut Cauliflower Rice

When it comes to cauliflower rice recipes, this is the one you’d want to bookmark! Diced cauliflower is pan-fried with aromatics like onions and garli...

By Alex

• Aug 03, 2026 • 0 Comments •

4.5

Prep Time

21 mins

Cook Time

36 mins

Total Time

57 mins

Servings

4 People

When it comes to cauliflower rice recipes, this is the one you’d want to bookmark! Diced cauliflower is pan-fried with aromatics like onions and garlic, and finished with coconut cream for the most delicious and unexpected result. This cauli rice dish is great as a side and suitable for a low-carb, keto, Whole30, paleo, vegan diet, or if you just want to add more veggies into your diet.

About Coconut Cauliflower Rice

While this dish might not look as beautiful as a rainbow buddha bowl or a colourful salad, the flavour and texture are so nice that you’ll be making it over and over again. Plus, cauliflower is nutritious, full of fibre and low in carbs and calories, making it a very healthy side dish.

I first made this coconut cauliflower rice by accident.

I was making my prawn, broccoli and cashew stir-fry and wanted a low-carb side dish instead of regular rice. I thought I’d just my regular onion, garlic and cauliflower rice combo but I had a few tablespoons of leftover coconut cream that needed to be used up.

I threw it in a pan and fried it up until it was absorbed into the cauliflower pieces, then slightly caramelised and toasted. When I tasted it, I was blown away by the flavour. It actually wasn’t as coconutty as I expected. It had that toasted, nutty, slightly sweet flavour and the cauliflower rice took on a whole new meaning for me!

How To Make Coconut Cauliflower Rice

You will find the full list of ingredients, instructions and nutritional breakdown in the recipe card below. Let’s go over the ingredients you need to make coconut cauliflower rice and the steps.

Cauliflower – I used half a head of cauliflower for this recipe, which yields about 3-4 servings as a side dish. I usually find that 1/4 of cauliflower is about right per person but this was a very large head of cauliflower. To make cauliflower rice kernels, you can either finely chop the vegetable with a knife (this can take a little bit of effort but is easy) or you can use a food processor to speed things up. I often use this gadget for making cauliflower rice as it requires no power and is very compact.

Coconut cream – you can either purchase actual coconut cream or use full-fat coconut milk and simply scoop out the thickened part of the milk at the top (make sure not to shake the can before opening).

Aromatics – I am using onions and garlic as the two aromatics but you could also add some ginger or chilli; lemongrass could be a fun addition and you can add some turmeric spice to give it a gorgeous yellow colour.

STEP 1. Finely dice the onion, garlic and cauliflower. On medium heat, saute the onion in olive oil or coconut oil for a few minutes until translucent. I will often start sauteeing the onion, while I chop the cauliflower to save time.

STEP 2. Add the cauliflower and garlic, season with salt and pepper and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times.

STEP 3. Then, add the coconut cream (or thickened milk) and stir through. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes, bring the heat up at this stage. Coconut cream will melt into the cauliflower and create a bit of liquid in the pan. You want to cook it off so it evaporates/absorbs into the vegetable and ‘toasts’ a little bit. Once it feels like most of it has been absorbed, turn off the heat. Garnish with some chives or spring onions (scallions) or coriander (cilantro).

More Healthy Cauliflower Recipes

Description

Learn how to make the most delicious coconut cauliflower rice that makes for a perfect, healthy side dish. This cauliflower dish is low-carb and keto-friendly, paleo, Whole30, gluten-free, and vegan. It’s one of the BEST cauliflower rice recipes I have ever tried.

Finely dice the onion, garlic and cauliflower. On medium heat, saute the onion in olive oil or coconut oil for a few minutes until translucent. I will often start sauteeing the onion, while I chop the cauliflower to save time.
Add the cauliflower and garlic, season with salt and pepper and turn the heat up to medium-high. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring a few times.
Then, add the coconut cream (or thickened milk) and stir through. Cook for additional 1-2 minutes, bring the heat up at this stage. Coconut cream will melt into the cauliflower and create a bit of liquid in the pan. You want to cook it off so it evaporates/absorbs into the vegetable and ‘toasts’ a little bit. Once it feels like most of it has been absorbed, turn off the heat.
Garnish with some chives or spring onions (scallions) or coriander (cilantro).

Notes

See notes on ingredients above the recipe steps above

Nutrition

Serving Size: 2/3 to 1 cup
Calories: 171
Sugar: 3.8 g
Sodium: 436.4 mg
Fat: 9.8 g
Carbohydrates: 9.5 g
Protein: 3.3 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg

Keywords: Cauliflower, Low-Carb, Keto, Rice, Side Dish, Healthy, Whole30, Paleo

Very Incredible Basil Sauce Recipe

Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!

This creamy basil sauce is going on EV-ER-Y-THING in my life: sandwiches, eggs, grilled chicken and veggies, dipped with chips?! It’s so good, packed with green goodness, it’s beautifully summery, and I’m doing the most with it.

In This Post:

The main thing:

Other stuff:

How To Make This Basil Sauce

Step 1: Get All Your Ingredients Ready

You can use a blender, food processor, or a mini-chopper-type gadget. I love this mini-chopper (affiliate link). It’s not meant for sauces necessarily, but I use it all the time because it’s super compact.

Step 2: Blend Your Basil Sauce

That’s it! Just blend, taste, and adjust!

This sauce can be a bit chunky / textured, so keep it going until it has the consistency you want. I prefer something right before completely pureed – where it has just barely noticeable flecks of herbs, but it’s mostly smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Put It On All Your Yummy Things

Like so. (Here’s that recipe.)

Lindsay’s Notes

Ooh baby. Basil, chives, garlic, and a tiny hit of oregano all in a creamy, salty, bright green sauce – I love this so much.

The first time I made this, my toddler (who mostly just eats crackers) found a spatula and just sat at the counter licking the remnants of the sauce out of the blender with me. And I hear that from a lot of people – many kids seem to be very into this for unknown reasons. Sometimes it just hits right, ya know? A+ for that experience.

My favorite thing about this sauce, besides that it tastes like heaven, is that makes healthy-ish eating something I really, actually look forward to.

Baked salmon goes up about 100 notches in my book when smothered in this creamy green sauce. Same goes for shrimp, chicken, and a big fresh salad or lots of roasted veggies.

This will not be the last we see of this sauce, which is why I decided to give it its own post on POY. Welcome home, little basil sauce.

Things You Could Put It On

The possibilities! They are endless.

Description

Punchy, salty, bright green sauce packed with fresh basil, chives, garlic, and a bit of oregano. This sauce can be poured out just about anything!

Place all your sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. (I use this mini chopper for the vast majority of my sauces because it’s nice and compact!)
Blend until you get your desired consistency – I usually go for an almost-completely-smooth texture that is flecked with small bits of herbs.

Notes

Taste and adjust! More lemon juice will wake it up, Parmesan adds more umami and saltiness, and if it gets too salty for you, add a bit more mayo to dilute the pungency a bit!

Keywords: basil sauce, basil dressing

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Frequently Asked Questions For Basil Sauce

What can I use instead of mayo?

I’ve seen some people on Instagram say they used Greek yogurt and liked it. I haven’t made it this way and I know I wouldn’t like it with Greek yogurt because it’s so tangy and has a different flavor. BUT, if you’re okay with it being a bit different than the original, I think Greek yogurt could work!

I have an egg allergy – what can I use?

Vegan mayo has no eggs and tastes great! That’s what I’d use!

How long does the basil sauce last?

I usually keep it in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Can you make this vegetarian / vegan?

Yes! Use vegan mayo and vegan Parmesan! If you can’t find vegan Parmesan, just throw in a bit of extra salt to compensate for the change in flavor. And if you don’t want to use vegan mayo, try using an avocado like we did in this avocado mojo sauce.