Learn how to make riced broccoli with different techniques, and watch the video to see how easy it is to do in a food processor! Instructions on how to cook, season, and freeze riced broccoli are also included.
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Move over cauliflower, there’s another rice-able vegetable in town! In all seriousness, I love riced cauliflower and think it’s an AMAZING way to pack more veggies into meals. It’s a staple at our house and goes great with stir fries, among other dishes. (Check out my Greek Cauliflower Rice if you’re interested).
I’ve even been seeing people on Instagram putting riced cauliflower in their morning oatmeal lately. WOAH. I need to try that (perhaps for a future post?!). But I’m starting to experiment with another veggie: riced broccoli!
Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against rice. I just like riced veggies a little bit more. Because, well, they’re veggies. With some dishes, you really can’t skip the rice, and I get that. But if you’re looking for a fun and different way to increase your vegetable intake, read on for an easy tutorial on how to make riced broccoli.
If you’re tired of eating steamed broccoli or munching on crunchy, raw florets, this style of broccoli may be for you. It’s incredibly easy to make and cooks up quickly as a side dish or when mixed in with other vegetables.
How to Make Broccoli Rice from Scratch
There are three main ways to make riced broccoli:
- Food processor: Place broccoli florets in your food processor and pulse until you get a rice-like texture (see the video in this post). This is my favorite technique. It takes 30-60 seconds, and you can throw the stems in there too. Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to do this in batches.
- Grater: Run each broccoli floret back and forth on a box or hand grater. This technique is more time-consuming, but it’s great for those who don’t have a food processor or don’t want to get it out.
- Chef’s knife: Broccoli florets will naturally start to fall apart into tiny pieces if you trim off as much of the stem as possible. This technique yields the biggest “rice” pieces, but it’s still a great option.
For other methods of preparing vegetables, check out my post on basic cooking techniques.
How to Cook Riced Broccoli
- Saute: Heat some olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add the broccoli rice and cook for 4 to 5 minutes until tender.
- Steam/boil: Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a large skillet. Cook the riced broccoli in it for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain before serving.
- Seasoning ideas: Cilantro, lime juice, and garlic; red pepper flakes and garlic; or turmeric, ginger, and coconut milk.
- Alternative uses: Use it raw in smoothies, salads, or “grain” bowls, like this riced broccoli bowl recipe. You can also use it as a base for fried “rice” by combining it with garlic, onions, peppers, carrots, scrambled eggs, and soy sauce.
Can you freeze riced broccoli?
Making riced broccoli to store in the freezer is a great option if you have a lot of broccoli on hand and want to preserve its shelf life. Transfer it to plastic or Stasher bags, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Some people like to let it thaw in the fridge before adding to recipes, but I just cook it straight from frozen.
More Broccoli Recipes
- Broccoli Soup with Potatoes and Peas
- Roasted Frozen Broccoli – 5 Ways
- Peanut Soba Noodles with Roasted Broccoli
- Broccoli and Sweet Potato Frittata
- Healthy Greek Yogurt Broccoli Salad
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear how you like it! Please rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments section, and sign up for my weekly newsletter while you’re here.
Easy Riced Broccoli
Ingredients
- 2 heads broccoli
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the broccoli heads. Trim the stalks and slice them into pieces. Pull apart the florets.
- Food processor: Add broccoli florets and stems to a food processor. You may need to do two batches depending on the size of your food processor. Pulse until broccoli has a fine, rice-like texture.Grater: Grate the broccoli florets using a hand or box grater to get tiny pieces.Chef's knife: Trim off as much of the stems as possible so that the florets fall apart into tiny pieces. Chop them into your desired consistency.
Video
Notes
- Storage: Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or in the freezer in bags for up to 3 months.
- Cooking instructions: Saute riced broccoli in a skillet with some olive oil over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until tender. You can also steam/boil riced broccoli in a skillet with 1 inch of simmering water for a few minutes until tender. Drain before serving.
- Seasoning ideas: Lime juice, cilantro, and garlic; red pepper flakes and garlic; coconut milk, ginger, and turmeric; or onions, peppers, carrots, garlic, scrambled eggs, and soy sauce for a fried "rice".
Nutrition
That’s it! Can you believe how easy it is?! – Lizzie
This post was originally published in April 2018. It was updated with more tips and a video in April 2020.
Kim
It seems to be very tasty and healthy. thanks for sharing.
Lizzie
Thanks Kim! It’s definitely a great way to incorporate more veggies :-).