This cauliflower risotto recipe is the perfect low carb side dish. It’s full of classic mushroom risotto flavor with a mere fraction of the carbs. And it takes only 25 minutes to make!
Take my advice, my friends, and run to your kitchen to make this easy keto cauliflower risotto. It is so rich and delicious, you won’t believe it’s not made with actual rice. It’s one of my all-time favorite cauliflower rice recipes.
Back in the day, I loved traditional risotto, and I blame Trader Joe’s for that. It was my first introduction to cooking with arborio rice, and I was amazed that this gourmet side dish came from my own pan.
When I went low carb, I missed that flavor so much, I decided to give it a go with keto-friendly ingredients. And to my absolute delight, I found that I liked it just as much as the real thing. Possibly more, as it didn’t fill me up or spike my blood sugar.
Creamy cauliflower risotto recipe
I first created this recipe back in 2016 when I had a hankering for a delicious side dish. Having mastered the real thing, I decided to use all the same tricks I’d learned over the years.
The key to getting that ideal creaminess is the slow addition of liquid that evaporates before the next addition. I used this approach here as well, since cauliflower has a much higher moisture content than grains of rice.
To help the wine and broth evaporate properly, I decided to cook the whole thing in a large skillet instead of a deep pot. And also I added a little heavy cream at the end to achieve a thicker consistency.
I tested this cauliflower risotto recipe with both fresh and frozen riced cauliflower. There seemed to be very little difference between how they cooked. So you can make it with whatever is available: fresh, frozen, or cauliflower florets that you rice yourself.
Ingredients
This easy recipe takes only 9 basic ingredients that you can get at any grocery store. You will need:
- Cauliflower rice
- Butter or olive oil
- Mushrooms
- Garlic
- Chicken broth
- White wine
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
Feel free to add a little fresh thyme or sage in there as well!
How to make cauliflower risotto
This keto risotto is so easy and the results are fabulous!
- Prep the vegetables: This recipe comes together quickly so it’s good to have everything prepared before you start. Chop the mushrooms in small pieces and mince the garlic. And if you’re working with whole cauliflower, grate it or process it until it resembles grains of rice.
- Melt the butter: Set a large skillet over medium heat and let the butter melt.
- Sauté the mushrooms and garlic: Once the butter is nice and hot, add the mushrooms and garlic, and sprinkle with
- Add the riced cauliflower: It really doesn’t matter if it’s fresh or frozen, it takes just about the same time to cook through and become tender. Toss to coat in the butter and mushrooms.
- Slowly add the liquids: Just like traditional risotto, you want to add the liquid a little at a time, allowing it to evaporate between additions.
- Simmer until tender: Cover it with a lid and allow it to continue to cook until the cauliflower rice is tender.
- Stir in the Parmesan: I recommend freshly grated Parmesan for this. It will help thicken the risotto as you mix it in.
- Grab a bowl and dig in!
Frequently Asked Questions
Replace the wine with a little more broth, and proceed as directed.
Sure! Replace the butter with olive oil or coconut oil and use coconut cream in place of the heavy cream. For the Parmesan, you can use either nutritional yeast or a dairy-free cheese.
You’re in luck! I have another great keto risotto recipe that doesn’t use any mushrooms at all. Check out my Cheesy Keto Risotto.
Yes, this cauliflower reheats really well. Store it in a covered container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
What to serve with cauliflower risotto
Want to round this out for a full meal? Here are a few of my favorite pairings:
- Keto Pork Tenderloin
- Tomato Basil Chicken
- Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Easy Caprese Chicken
- Tenderloin Steak
- Keto Meatballs
Cauliflower Mushroom Risotto Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (56.75 g) butter
- 8 ounces (226.8 g) mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) riced cauliflower, (the frozen version works just as well as the fresh, no need to thaw)
- 1/4 cup (60 g) dry white wine
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup (58.75 g) chicken broth
- 2 to 4 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (50 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, add more as desired
Instructions
- In a large saute pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted and hot. Add the chopped mushrooms and garlic and sauté until mushrooms are tender and just turning golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
- Reduce the heat to medium low, add the cauliflower, and toss to coat in the butter. Add the white wine and cook until the liquid has bubbled away. Add the broth a few tablespoons at a time, stirring frequently and letting it evaporate each time.
- When the cauliflower is becoming tender, add a little more broth and a few tablespoons of cream. Cover with a lid and continue to cook, allowing the cauliflower to steam until tender. Addi a bit more broth and/or cream if needed.
- Stir in the Parmesan and add any additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional grated parmesan as desired.
Video
Nutrition
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Oh, my! What a flavorful recipe! My hus loved it! Reheats beautifully. The taste and the texture are so satisfying. As a risotto fan, I was hesitant to try the riced cauliflower (although I had been wondering how to replace the rice). No worries. When I told my hus that there was no rice, only cauliflower, he remained impressed! This is easy, fool-proof, works well as a side to so many dishes. This will be a regular in our menu rotation. Thank you for sharing this great recipe!
Very good! I don’t miss white rice. Thank you for making great tasting dishes
mmm, mmm, good! Added some chopped leftover chicken and made it into a meal! This is a keeper (first time trying this recipe).
I love love mushrooms. This mushroom risotto’ll fragrant and right up my alley.
I was looking for more ways to step it up with a flavored cauliflower rice veg recipe… Carolyn my family loves Indian pakora. How can I replace chickpea flour (besan flour) in my favorite pakora recipe? This would be DYNAMICALLY KETO at our house! “Help us Obi Wan Kenobi you’re our only hope!”
If you’re comfortable using lupin flour, you could try that. But you will definitely need an egg or at least an egg white to help everything hold together, since it has less starch.
I love this recipe so much. I really missed risotto on the keto diet. So I’m so happy I can have it again. I used the upper amounts of broth and cream, and I added 1/4 cup minced, fresh sage too. Thyme would be excellent as well. Could also throw in some chopped greens for extra nutrition. Delicious!
Bravo, Carolyn!
I made this recipe last night and it was absolutely delicious~
I have struggled with other riced cauliflower recipes, but they always seem to taste watery and bland. This will definitely be one of my go to side dishes.
Thank you for all of your creations!
So glad to hear it!
Looks yummy.
Is there any substitute to dry white wine? I can’t add this to the dish because I need to feed my two little kids.
Please read the blog post! 🙂 I gave that answer in the frequently asked questions.
Made it last night. Absolutely delicious! It’s definitely been added to our favorite recipes.
I love your recipes
I just made thumbprint cookies
They are so delicious
Thanks
This was amazing! One of my Son’s does not like mushrooms or Risotto. But loved this! This will definitely be on rotation for meals! I can’t wait to try your Cheese Risotto!!! Yum! Do not hesitate to try this, very very easy to make and so Good!!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
Forget thyme or sage — tarragon (herb) with mushrooms will make your tastebuds SING!
Sure, that’s a good one too!
I love your meals but the recipes don’t have the quantities of each ingredient and don’t tell you how long to cook, if i never cooked cauliflower to be “rice” is really difficult to do it. Sorry
LOL… I think you’re missing something. ALL of my recipes have quantities and full instructions. You might not be scrolling down far enough to the actual recipe card. Please try hitting the “Jump to Recipe” button!
I think your idea of full instructions is not the norm for full instructions.
Maybe kindly take feedback instead of LOLing and being rude.
You clearly made the exact same mistake… you didn’t go down to the actual recipe card, you just looked at the instruction section in the post. The recipe IS THERE and the lol was meant kindly, letting them know that they (and you!) just need to scroll further. OR use the jump to recipe button at the top of the post. I am deleting your other comments and your rating, since it wasn’t just “an idea of a recipe”. It’s the full recipe.
Before you go attacking people, you may want to actually make sure you know all the facts.
Absolutely amazing!! Have made it several times. Thank you!
So good to hear!
How do you think Palmini rice would fare in this, instead of the cauliflower?
I’ve never tried it so I really can’t say.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe.
This was delicious! The texture is not quite as firm as when you make actual risotto especially when using frozen diced cauliflower, but the taste is superb!
I consider myself a risotto connoisseur and this comes pretty close to the same dopamine rush! Delicious!
That was amazing, left out the wine as I didn’t have any. Splashed in a bit of lemon juice instead but I don’t think it needed it and had less mushrooms, also because I didn’t have any. Added a little oregano.It was superb. Thank you
So excited to find a low-carb option for my absolute fave, Mushroom Risotto! Thank you!
Such a small world! many years ago when I lived in AZ, that was my TJs too!! This risotto is so delicious and a great way to use the cauliflower rice. My husband didn’t even notice that it was different, haha!