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.
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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.
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
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Originally Published March 3, 2021. Revised and Republished December 29, 2025.
Absolutely phenomenal! I added in shredded Rotisserie chicke and it was incredible as a main dish. Now I’m trying to talk myself out of eating the entire thing in one sitting.
Can this dish be made ahead of time and frozen?
It can if you use fresh steamed or sauteed cauliflower rice. I wouldn’t use frozen cauli-rice and then thaw it and refreeze it. Just make sure to drain the cauliflower very well.
This recipe is to die for. So delicious. Everybody loved it
This sounds so.yummy!! Is the frozen cauliflower rice thawed and drained but not cooked? Thanks
Yes, it cooks as it bakes.
Looks yummy! Would you suggest a sub for someone who detests sour cream? Thx
Greek yogurt or a soft cheese like ricotta or mascarpone.
Hi! I am trying to cut back on dairy (higher cholesterol) do you think greek yogurt or cottage cheese would be a good substitute for the mayo in your recipes? I love this recipe. Would it be the same amountt Thanks so much.
Cottage cheese would work better. But mayo is dairy free and your suggestions do contain dairy.
This was so delicious! A really good take on “hash brown potato casserole”. I like to serve one savory dish as part of my meal and this is a winner! My husband & I like your spinach casserole, too. Well done.
Thanks, Judy! I do also have a different hashbrown casserole made based on the one from Cracker Barrel. It’s a bit different from this and just as delicious 🙂 https://joyfilledeats.com/cracker-barrel-hashbrown-casserole/
Omg this was so delicious!! I used Colby Jack because it’s what I had on hand. I also added some paprika. Instead of topping with the Colby Jack, I topped with shredded Parmesan. Holy smokes!! So, so good! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
I was very nervous about making this dish. I followed the directions but found it bland in taste. Then I reheated it the 2nd night and WOW… all the flavors POPPED!!!!
Thank you… delicious recipe.
I lightened up this recipe a bit out of necessity and curiosity. I accidentally bought a jar of expired mayo, so I subbed in tahini, and I used neufchâtel instead of cream cheese. It’s still very good!
I have recently fallen in love with cauli rice. So versatile! This cheesy version does not disappoint.
My whole family loved this recipe, even my picky one!
I served this to low-carb and non-low-carbers alike: everyone loved it and asked for the recipe. Thanks!
Made this with roast chicken. Amazing! I could have eaten the whole 8×8 myself! Definitely going in my rotation.
You mention that there is no substitute for mayonnaise but what if you cannot eat eggs?
You can use vegan Mayo