You can make Italian Cauliflower Rice Salad in less than 10 minutes! You'll love this Caprese-style dish with tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and balsamic glaze. If you're wondering how to make cauliflower rice taste good, you've got to try this!
Let's face it, cauliflower rice can taste bland. We need to surround it with more dominant flavors. This is one veggie that works best as the backup singer, not the lead.
Cue the delicious components of an Italian tomato salad, Caprese-style. We're bringing this act together for a beautiful, low-calorie, cauliflower side dish.
It's perfect for your 4th of July menu or any summer meal!
Recipe ingredients
Cauliflower Rice: For convenience, I always buy fresh cauliflower pearls or frozen cauliflower rice. If you prefer to rice the cauliflower yourself, see the next bold section for the best ways to do so.
Tomatoes: I prefer using sweet, juicy cocktail tomatoes here, but use what you have.
Cheese: You can cut up a regular block of mozzarella or use fresh mozzarella balls in this Caprese salad. Provolone would be another good choice.
Balsamic Glaze: Syrupy, sweet balsamic glaze (affiliate link) brings the X factor to our cauliflower rice salad! Don't skip it, or this dish will seem bland. If you must use a substitute, go with dark balsamic vinegar.
How to rice cauliflower
If you're starting with a head of cauliflower, you can use a food processor (affiliate link) or a box grater (affiliate link) to turn it into cauliflower pearls.
Using a food processor:
- Rinse the head of cauliflower and pat it dry. Cut away the leaves and discard them.
- Cut the cauliflower, including its core, into large chunks.
- Place the cauliflower pieces in the bowl of the food processor, being careful not to overfill it.
- Pulse just until the texture resembles rice. Repeat with another batch if needed.
How to make Italian cauliflower rice salad
See the card at the end of this post for the full recipe, but here's an overview.
- Heat frozen cauliflower rice in the microwave according to the package directions, or heat fresh cauliflower pearls on high for 4 minutes.
- In a medium serving bowl, add the riced cauliflower, quartered tomatoes, mozzarella cubes and basil.
- Add olive oil and seasonings, then toss with two spoons to combine.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze.
What to serve with it
For a low-carb meal, serve this cauliflower rice side dish with a pork loin roast, ribeye steak with butter or baked pesto chicken breasts.
It also works well with broiled cod, garlic butter cod or pesto salmon.
More recipes to try
- Salmon Caprese with Balsamic Glaze
- Slow Cooker Cauliflower Cheese Soup
- 33 Italian Side Dishes (Contorni)
- Italian Farro with Cauliflower (One-Pot)
- Caponatina (Eggplant Caponata)
And you're looking for more cauliflower rice recipes, check out this Cauliflower Rice Stuffing or Cauliflower Caprese Skillet featured on Food Fanatic.
Enjoy!
If you try this Italian Cauliflower Rice Salad recipe, please leave a comment and a rating!
Italian Cauliflower Rice Salad
Ingredients
- 21 ounces frozen cauliflower rice (Or fresh cauliflower pearls. See notes if starting with a head of cauliflower.)
- 4 cocktail tomatoes (or 5)
- 4 ounces mozzarella, cubed (regular or fresh)
- 7 fresh basil leaves
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon balsamic glaze (or more; see notes)
Instructions
- Follow the microwave directions on 2 (10.5-ounce) bags of frozen cauliflower rice, or bags of fresh cauliflower pearls. Whether fresh or frozen, you'll need to heat the cauliflower rice in the microwave on high for 4 minutes or a bit longer.
- While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the tomatoes. Rinse and pat the tomatoes dry, and cut out the cores. Cut the tomatoes into fourths and scrape out the seeds. Cut the tomatoes into 1 ½-inch pieces.
- Cut the mozzarella into cubes and set them aside.
- Pour the cooked cauliflower into a medium serving bowl. Add the tomatoes and mozzarella.
- Lightly rinse the basil leaves and pat them dry. Stack the leaves 2 or three at a time, roll them up tightly, and slice them into ribbons. Add the basil to your bowl.
- Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Use a spoon to mix the cauliflower rice salad until it's combined.
- Drizzle balsamic glaze over the top and serve with extra glaze if desired.
- Store leftovers in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can serve the salad cold or at room temperature.
Notes
- Rinse the head of cauliflower and pat it dry. Cut away the leaves and discard them.
- Cut the cauliflower, including its core, into large chunks.
- Place the cauliflower pieces in the bowl of the food processor, being careful not to overfill it.
- Pulse just until the texture resembles rice. Repeat with another batch if needed.
Nutrition
(Recipe Source: Cooking with Mamma C. Originally published on Food Fanatic as a Cauliflower Rice Caprese Recipe and then here on May 30, 2017. Updated in June 2026 with a tweaked recipe plus additional photos and information.)
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser says
Andrea-too funny the cauliflower bandwagon!? LOL You must try cauliflower rice pizza crust! Or Fresh Cauliflower steaks Caprese! Hubs thought the first try was bland? Tough Critic there! Sounds like a winner to me!
Mamma C says
I do need to try cauliflower rice pizza crust! And I can only imagine my hubby's reaction if I said we're having "cauliflower steaks." Bahaha! Thanks, Cheryl!
Lindsay Cotter says
I'm a big fan of cauliflower rice too! So I'm excited to try this recipe! Love the caprese flavors you used! This side dish will be making many appearances at our table this summer!
Mamma C says
I hope you enjoy this, Lindsay! Thanks so much.
Mamma C says
I love this for summer and am eager to try other recipes with cauliflower rice. Thanks, Dawn!
Mamma C says
It's ridiculously easy! Thanks, Lisa.
Mamma C says
It's guilt free! Thanks, Brandi.
Mamma C says
Me too! With the cauliflower, it can be a whole meal in itself. Thanks, Edyta!
Mamma C says
It's so good! Thanks, Kristina.