Genius Cauliflower Swaps That Cut Carbs
Cauliflower is the ultimate carb replacer. It can mimic traditional starches like potatoes and bread, with fewer carbs and calories per serving. Try these healthy recipes for all your carb-filled faves, including cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, mashed cauliflower, Buffalo cauliflower, cauliflower mac & cheese and even cauliflower pizza and bagels.
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Classic Beef Burgers with Cauliflower Buns
These juicy burgers skip the traditional bread bun in favor of a savory grain-free cauliflower bun that contains a bit of Cheddar cheese. A mixture of onions, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce gives the burger patties tons of flavor, and the addition of a tangy special sauce completes the package for a burger with serious personality. Note: If you would like to make these burgers gluten-free, be sure to check the ingredients for the ketchup and Worcestershire sauce to make sure they're gluten-free.
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Low-Carb Cauliflower Soft Pretzels
These gluten-free and low-carb cauliflower soft pretzels use riced cauliflower in place of flour, with a little cheese and egg as binder, to make a fun grain-free snack. Simply sprinkle them with pretzel salt or jazz them up with seeds or everything bagel seasoning, if you'd like.
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EatingWell Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Lighten up pizza night with this low-carb alternative to traditional pizza dough. Riced cauliflower combines with egg and cheese to make a gluten-free pizza crust that's crisp on the outside but soft on the inside. Simply top with your favorite pizza toppings and bake for a healthier pizza you'll love.
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Cauliflower English Muffins
These savory, low-carb (and gluten-free) "English muffins" use riced cauliflower in place of flour, with a little cheese and egg as binder to make a grain-free breakfast bread. Try topping them with sweet jam, or use them to create a yummy breakfast sandwich.
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Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Pizza
Cauliflower rice, egg and shredded mozzarella combine to make an easy low-carb pizza crust. Top the gluten-free pizza with tangy Buffalo sauce, chicken and blue cheese for a flavorful dinner or game-day favorite. Fresh celery is added at the end for cool crunch.
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Chipotle-Lime Cauliflower Tacos
In this vegetarian taco recipe, cauliflower is tossed with a smoky-tangy sauce made with honey, lime juice and chipotles in adobo sauce before being roasted. Serve with more hot sauce, if desired.
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Sautéed Shrimp with Mango Salsa & Coconut Cauliflower Rice
Shrimp and rice get a tropical makeover in this healthy 400-calorie dinner. Instead of rice, we've combined riced cauliflower and coconut milk for light coconut "rice" topped with spicy shrimp and a juicy mango-avocado salsa to cool it all down. Squeeze on some fresh lime juice before digging in to take this easy meal to the next level.
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Cauliflower Nachos
Indulge your nacho cravings with this healthy vegetarian nacho recipe that's loaded with vegetables (thanks in part to roasted cauliflower standing in for chips) and protein-packed beans, and has a lot more fiber than traditional nachos. These baked cauliflower nachos, piled with guacamole, melty cheese, fresh pico de gallo and avocado, are great as an appetizer or could be eaten as a light dinner.
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Saucy Vegetarian Meatballs
Cauliflower, mushrooms, bulgur and seasonings combine to form the base of this healthy vegetarian meatball recipe. A quick homemade tomato-basil sauce replaces the traditional marinara to save sodium. Serve over whole-wheat spaghetti with a green salad.
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Cuban Cauliflower Rice Bowl
In this riff on a healthy grain bowl recipe we use cauliflower rice instead of another whole grain like brown rice to cut back on carbs and load up on veggie servings. A simple citrusy mojo sauce drizzled on top gives this easy lunch or dinner a Cuban flair.
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Cauliflower Tortilla Beef Tacos
These full-flavor tacos are wrapped up in sneaky lower carb "tortillas" made from cauliflower. The trick is getting as much moisture out of the cauliflower before mixing it with the cheese and eggs.
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Cauliflower Chicken Fried "Rice"
Get an extra serving of vegetables and cut back on carbs by replacing rice with riced cauliflower in this healthy chicken fried rice recipe.
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Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
You'll slash 131 calories and 19 grams carbohydrate when you trade in your brown rice for finely chopped cauliflower in this healthy cauliflower "rice" recipe. For an even faster "rice" pilaf, use 4 cups of purchased cauliflower rice instead of making your own. Look for it near other fresh or frozen prepared vegetables.
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Sriracha-Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
This recipe for spicy Buffalo cauliflower bites is a great vegetarian alternative to Buffalo wings. Roasted cauliflower stands in for chicken and provides more fiber and fewer calories. Serve this easy appetizer with carrot sticks, celery and your favorite ranch or blue cheese dressing.
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Pepperoni Cauliflower Pizza
You won't believe how easy it is to make this cauliflower pizza crust. Riced cauliflower combines with mozzarella cheese and a little egg to hold it together. The result is a delicious gluten-free crust that's crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. Top with the classic flavors of pepperoni, onion, pepper and more cheese for a lower-carb pie everyone will love.
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Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl with Cauliflower Rice
This easy-to-make and meal-prep burrito bowl is even better than takeout! You'll never miss the carbs in this protein-packed, super-flavorful meal that replaces the cilantro-lime rice with cauliflower rice. We love this with chicken but it would be just as delicious with shrimp.
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Crunchy Popcorn Cauliflower
A cunchy, savory pretzel-pecan coating turns roasted, caramelized cauliflower into an irresistible appetizer or kids' snack that mimics flavored popcorn. Serve this popcorn cauliflower straight from the oven with a dipping sauce and watch these tasty little bites disappear.
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Parmesan Cauliflower Tater Tots
Cauliflower stands in for potato in this taterless cauliflower tot recipe. Cauliflower is mashed, then mixed with cheese and given a crispy breadcrumb coating before being baked. These healthy cauliflower tater tots make a delicious side dish, appetizer or movie-night snack. Dip them in regular ketchup or make a spicy dipping sauce: Combine 1/3 cup ketchup with 2 tablespoons sriracha chile sauce and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
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Garlic Mashed Cauliflower
Whir cauliflower into a creamy low-carb substitute for mashed potatoes. This easy recipe gets a kick of flavor from garlic-infused olive oil, making it a dairy-free (and vegan) vegetable side dish.
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Dill-Havarti Mashed Cauliflower
This recipe for mashed cauliflower, spiked with dill and havarti cheese, makes a simple side dish for a weeknight dinner. The low-calorie cauliflower complements the rich creaminess of havarti cheese.
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Skillet Cauliflower Gratin
Nonfat milk and a bit of sharp Cheddar combine to make a rich sauce without all the butter usually found in gratins.
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Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
This creamy cauliflower mash makes a perfect low-carb stand-in for mashed potatoes. Here we take simple mashed cauliflower and mix in garlic, buttermilk and a touch of butter to create a flavorful side dish that has about one-quarter of the calories of typical mashed potatoes. If you like, vary it by adding shredded low-fat cheese or chopped fresh herbs.
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Mediterranean Cauliflower Pizza
In this healthy, gluten-free cauliflower "pizza" recipe, shredded cauliflower is mixed with mozzarella and oregano to make a flourless crust that echoes the flavor of a traditional pizza pie. The Meyer lemon, olive and sun-dried tomato topping adds a sophisticated Mediterranean flavor, but feel free to try more traditional pizza toppings, such as marinara sauce and mushrooms--even pepperoni.
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Cauliflower Rice
When cauliflower is pulsed in a food processor, it magically turns into a vegetable that really resembles white rice. In this easy recipe, cauliflower rice is made into an herbed pilaf.
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Cauliflower Mac & Cheese
There's no pasta here, but this gluten-free and low-carb cauliflower "mac & cheese" is as comforting and creamy as your family's favorite cheesy dish.
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Cauliflower-Broccoli Gratin
This creamy broccoli-and-cauliflower casserole is a hassle-free side dish that just about everyone loves. Our healthier version skips the heavy cream and butter found in most recipes--saving about 160 calories and 12 grams of saturated fat compared to a traditional version.
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Loaded Cauliflower Bites
Crispy slices of roasted cauliflower topped with cheese, sour cream and bacon make a tasty low-carb alternative to classic loaded potato skins.
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Cauliflower Hash Browns
These crispy hash brown patties are reminiscent of their deep-fried potato counterparts but have way fewer carbs. Serve them up with fried eggs for a veggie-heavy breakfast or a quick and healthy dinner.
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Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Restaurant-style Mexican rice (sometimes called Spanish rice) gets a healthy, low-carb makeover in this recipe that swaps white rice for riced cauliflower. Cooked with other flavorful ingredients like tomatoes, jalapeño and cilantro, this makes the perfect, festive side for taco night.
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Cauliflower Rice-Stuffed Peppers
Slash the calories and carbs of traditional stuffed peppers by swapping white rice for cauliflower "rice." The riced cauliflower is hearty and won't turn to mush during baking. Use an assortment of red, yellow, orange and green peppers to make an appealing presentation.
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Buffalo Cauliflower Dip
Roasted cauliflower florets take the place of shredded chicken in this vegetarian riff on Buffalo chicken dip. This veggie version of the popular game-day appetizer boosts your vegetable intake in the most creamy, delicious way possible.
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Cauliflower Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Not only are these cheesy biscuits gluten-free, they're also made with cauliflower for a low-carb copycat recipe of a favorite. Cheddar cheese, garlic and chives add mouthwatering flavor to these biscuits that make a great way to start a meal. Serve along with soup or eat as a snack.
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Cauliflower Risotto
Cauliflower rice stands in for arborio in this recipe that's not only lower in carbs than traditional risotto, but also way faster and easier to make! In just 20 minutes you'll have a flavorful and healthy vegetable side to go with dinner.
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Shrimp and Cauliflower Bake
This quick and easy seafood casserole gets bright flavor from fresh dill and feta cheese.
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Cauliflower Fried Rice with Steak
You could argue that fried rice is really all about the "add-ins," so why not skip the grain itself and save some calories with cauliflower while you're at it? If you want to make this recipe vegetarian, swap sliced mushrooms for the steak. Either way, you don't have to be on a low-carb diet to love this 30-minute dinner.
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Vegan Burrito Bowls with Cauliflower Rice
These meal-prep vegan burrito bowls are healthier and more flavorful than takeout. Make them early in the week for grab-and-go meals when days are busy. We use frozen cauliflower rice, a low-carb substitute for white or brown rice, to cut down on prep time.
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Korean Steak, Kimchi & Cauliflower Rice Bowls
Using riced cauliflower as the base of these "grain bowls" is an easy (and tasty!) way to up your vegetable servings. If you've ever wondered how to make those jammy eggs served with ramen, here you go! Let them simmer for 3 minutes more if you prefer a hard-set yolk.
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Shrimp Oreganata Cauliflower Gnocchi
This cauliflower gnocchi dinner is ready in just minutes on busy nights. A simple flavor-packed sauce marries the tender pasta with cooked shrimp. If you don't eat shrimp, use rotisserie chicken instead.
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Cauliflower Everything Bagels
Get all the flavor of classic everything bagels with fewer carbs and calories. These grain-free cauliflower bagels leave plenty of room for garlicky everything bagel seasoning and a schmear of cream cheese.
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Cauliflower Buns
These scrumptious low-carb cauliflower buns use cauliflower rice in place of flour, with a bit of sharp Cheddar cheese and egg as binder to make a grain-free and gluten-free bun for burgers or sandwiches. Our take on cauliflower bread is particularly good with Classic Beef Burgers with all the fixings (see Associated Recipes), but we also love these buns with turkey burgers and veggie burgers.
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Greek Cauliflower Rice Bowls with Grilled Chicken
These healthy Mediterranean cauliflower rice bowls topped with feta, olives, veggies and grilled chicken are impressive yet take just 30 minutes to make.
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Cauliflower Gnocchi Caprese
This super-easy dish is perfect for summer. Store-bought frozen cauliflower gnocchi are crisped up in a pan, then tossed with mozzarella cheese, plenty of basil and balsamic vinegar for a hearty and healthy spin on the classic caprese salad.
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Cauliflower "Potato" Salad
This cauliflower "potato" salad recipe has all the flavor of your traditional potato salad--without the potato. We slashed carbs from this classic salad by using cauliflower instead, but kept all the familiar flavors the same.
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Cauliflower Parmesan
This vegetarian version of chicken Parmesan uses cauliflower "steaks" in place of chicken, and has all the classic comforting flavors, without the meat! The steaks are cooked until just tender and topped with a rich sauce and melted mozzarella cheese. Despite their names, classic Italian-American chicken Parm and eggplant Parm don't always contain Parmesan cheese. If it's not "Parm" to you without Parm, feel free to sprinkle on a little grated Parmesan after you add the sauce to the cauliflower cutlets.
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Black Bean-Cauliflower "Rice" Bowl
This aromatic cauliflower rice bowl comes together in minutes and is a simple meal for one. Using frozen riced cauliflower instead of rice keeps the carbs in check--and makes for quicker prep.
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Shepherd's Pie with Cauliflower Topping
In this easy shepherd's pie recipe, we keep the carbs in check by using creamy mashed cauliflower in place of mashed potatoes. The ground beef filling is cooked in the same skillet used for baking the pie, making assembly (and cleanup) a breeze.
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Cauliflower Chicken Nachos
Swapping in tender-crisp cauliflower slices for chips in these cauliflower nachos ups your veggie servings for the day.
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Cauliflower Latkes
Serve these crispy cauliflower latkes for Hanukkah or anytime you want a low-carb alternative to classic potato latkes. We call for prepared cauliflower rice to make this recipe simple. Be sure to squeeze out the excess liquid so your latkes will be crisp, not soggy.