You won’t believe that the base for this cauliflower rice pilaf is made entirely from riced cauliflower! It’s unbelievably fluffy and jam-packed with tender broccoli, crunchy almonds and soft golden raisins.
Just a pan full of pure rice gold filling all your side dish needs!
As you may have guessed by now, the “rice” part of this pilaf is actually cauliflower all ground up into rice-shaped pieces and pretending to be legit rice.
And may I say, doing a damn good job at it. This pilaf is a dead ringer for the real thing only without the extra carbs!
You’re pretty dang sneaky, cauli. You’re gonna love this kind of sneakiness, trust me.
This Pilaf features…
- Tender homemade cauliflower rice
- Sauteed broccoli and shallot
- Crisp toasted almonds and golden raisins
- Ready in only 30 minutes with a handful of ingredients
Making the Pilaf
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cauliflower
- Unsalted butter
- Shallot
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Almonds
- Golden raisins
- Parsley
How to Prep Cauliflower
All you need to make riced cauliflower is a food processor. Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized florets and pulse them several times in the food processor until cauliflower is finely-minced and close to rice consistency.
If you would like to rice the cauliflower in advance it stores well in refrigerator up to 4 days.
Tips for Perfect Pilaf
- Finely chop broccoli – this will make for a quick cook time.
- Toast almonds – toss the almonds around in a nonstick pan over medium heat until a light golden brown. This will add a lovely crunch to the pilaf.
- Sauté riced cauliflower – a quick cook on the stovetop will tenderize the cauliflower and make it fluffy.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on this pilaf.
- Add a different dried fruit – try dried apricots, regular raisins, or dried cranberries.
- Try another nut – toasted walnuts, pecans, or pine nuts work great in place of the almonds.
- Add more veggies – try adding peas, sweet pepper, or corn.
Reheating Pilaf
This pilaf reheats great if you would like to store leftovers for later. Reheat larger servings on the stovetop over medium heat or heat smaller individual servings in the microwave 1-2 minutes on high.
Who knew cauliflower could be so sneakily amazing? This pilaf is packed with so much flavor from the crunchy almonds and golden raisins and omg, the fluffiness of the cauliflower itself is almost unreal!
Meet your new favorite side dish for any and every occasion.
More side dishes you definitely need to try next!
Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
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Ingredients
- 6 cups chopped fresh cauliflower florets
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small shallot, minced
- 2 cups finely-chopped fresh broccoli
- 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chopped cauliflower florets in a food processor. Pulse several times until cauliflower is ground up into tiny rice-like pieces.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and broccoli and sauté 4-6 minutes until broccoli is tender.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon butter to skillet and swirl until melted. Add riced cauliflower and saute an additional 4-6 minutes until cauliflower is tender. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute until fragrant.
- Remove pilaf from heat and stir in almonds, raisins, and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This post was updated with new recipe adjustments and photos on 9/5/25.
Arpita@ The Gastronomic Bong says
Wow!! Culiflower rice is genius.. and this looks so delicious… absolutely loving this incredible pilaf.. 🙂
Sarah says
Thanks, Arpita! 🙂
Mary Frances @ The Sweet {Tooth} Life says
You really just read my mind. I was making lo mein yesterday and was like, I should try the cauliflower rice thing that’s going around Pinterest.
This looks waaaay better.
The almonds and broccoli make this such a pretty side dish!
Sarah says
Hahaha YES. Girl, you so need to hop on board the cauli-train—you’ll be glad you did. 😀
Amber @ Dessert Now, Dinner Later! says
I bet your family just loves when you cook for them! Sounds like your mom for sure does! I would love a big bowl of this! I wish I could get my kids to eat this healthy!
Sarah says
You should totally try and trick your kids with this cauli-rice, Amber! They’ll never be any the wiser. 😉