Cheesy Cauliflower Rice
My easy Cheesy Cauliflower Rice recipe is a comforting and delicious side dish to complete any of your meals. You only need five ingredients, and it’s one of the best side dishes you will ever taste.
If you haven’t eaten a lot of cauliflower, trust me that it can be transformed into comfort food with the right recipe. This cheesy cauli-rice is so comforting, rich, and delicious, it’s hard not to go back for seconds. Try it for yourself, and you will see what all the fuss is about.
If you love this cauliflower recipe, be sure to try my Keto Mashed Cauliflower with Cream, Loaded Cauliflower Casserole, Mediterranean Cauliflower Rice, and Dirty Cauliflower Rice.
Ingredients
- Frozen Cauliflower Rice: Head to your local grocer and grab a couple of bags of frozen riced cauliflower. It’s easy because it’s already made, and you just have to thaw and drain it. I always buy extra because I use it in many keto recipes.
- Sour Cream: What makes this recipe stand apart from others is the sour cream. I love the richness and creaminess it provides.
- Cream Cheese: It’s best to start with softened cream cheese. Cold cream cheese is going to result in lumpy rice, and it’s just not very good. You can place it on the counter for an hour or so before you begin, or place it in a microwave-safe dish and heat for 10 – 15 seconds until it’s softened.
- Mayo: You need full-fat real mayonnaise for this recipe. Trust me, it’s incredible, and there aren’t any acceptable substitutes.
- Cheese: I use a combination of cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. If possible, shred it yourself because it will melt better in your low carb recipes and doesn’t have additives like potato starch.
- Salt & Black Pepper – Feel free to add extra or omit it depending on what you like. Cheese is naturally a little salty, so you don’t need a lot of added salt.
How To Make Cheesy Cauliflower Rice
Prep
Heat the oven to 350 degrees and coat a baking dish with cooking spray.
1️⃣ Mix Ingredients
Add all of the cheese except ⅓ cup for the topping to a dish. Stir the cauliflower, sour cream, mayo, cream cheese, salt, pepper, and the rest of the shredded cheese together.
❓ Can You Make Cauliflower Rice with Fresh Cauliflower?
Yes, you are welcome to use fresh cauliflower rice if you’d rather. To make it, you will need to cut it into pieces and add it to your food processor. Mix until it resembles rice, and you are good to go. Be sure not to overprocess it, or the texture is going to be off.
You can also buy fresh riced cauliflower in the produce section of some well-stocked grocery stores.
2️⃣ Add to Pan & Add Toppings
Pour the cauliflower mixture into the pan and add the rest of the cheese.
3️⃣ Bake the Cheesy Cauliflower Rice
Bake the cheesy cauliflower rice for 40-45 minutes or until it becomes bubbly and golden brown.
Storage
If you have any leftovers, you can store them in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Variations
- Spices – Add some black pepper, garlic powder, and/or onion powder to boost the flavor.
- Loaded – Make loaded cheesy cauli-rice by adding bacon crumbles or real bacon bits, sliced green onions or scallions, and then topping it with pork rind crumbs that have been browned in butter. This is an amazing variation of this recipe!
- Saucy – If you like to have a lot of cheese sauce, you can add some heavy cream or chicken broth to thin the sauce. Or even double the ingredients (minus the cauliflower)
- Broccoli – You can also try other types of riced vegetables in this. Riced broccoli works well as do blends of cauliflower rice with other chopped veggies.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email below & we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus get great new recipes from us every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Joy Filled Eats
Cheesy Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 8 x 8 baking dish with cooking spray.
- Set aside ⅓ cup of the shredded cheese to use as a topping. Stir together the remaining ingredients. Spread in the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the reserved cheese.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, until the casserole is golden and bubbly.
Notes
Nutrition
Like what you see? Follow me on Facebook and Instagram! Love this recipe? Leave a comment & a 5-star rating right here! Make sure you don’t miss new recipes by getting email updates!
Originally Published March 3, 2021. Revised and Republished December 29, 2025.
Delicious and very cheesy. Yum!
My frozen cauli is 16oz. Would you suggest cutting down on all ingredients, or use 2 bags (32oz instead of your recommended 24oz. I am in no way an experienced cook, so I don’t know if I should use one 16oz bag and cut all the cheeses & milk, or use 32oz and increase all of the cheeses & milk? Your advice will be greatly appreciated by this learner! Thank you!
Hi! That depends on how many servings you want. Either option will work. All my recipes have the option to change the number of servings. When you are looking at the recipe card you can click the number shown under ‘SERVINGS’ and change it to your preference. Just change it until the cauliflower rice says approximately 16 oz (5 servings) or 32 oz (11 servings). This recipe is very forgiving, the measurements do not have to be exact.
I hate riced cauliflower, but this was amazing! Is it even cauliflower? I used the steam in bag kind and cooked it before combining with the other ingredients. It was a delicious Mac and cheese like perfection.
can I use cooked cauliflower I already have in the frig.
Yes. The texture would be different but it would still be delicious.