Cauliflower Risotto

Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List

Get It Now

This post may contain affiliate links, which help keep this content free. (Full disclosure)

What do you do when you’re craving a bowl of rich and creamy risotto, but you’re keto — or just want something healthier? There’s only one suitable solution, and it’s an easy one… you make a creamy cauliflower risotto recipe instead! This cauliflower rice risotto is the lighter, healthier version of a traditional one… except it’s made with cauliflower rice.

What Is Cauliflower Risotto?

Cauliflower risotto has a similar flavor and texture to traditional risotto, but it’s made with cauliflower rice instead of regular rice.

With a regular Italian risotto, rice is cooked with broth until it gets creamy. Cauliflower mushroom risotto is made in a similar way, but is much faster. Cauliflower cooks more quickly (just a few minutes instead of close to an hour for the kind made with grain rice!), and requires much less liquid.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for this cauliflower risotto recipe, what each one does, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

• Butter – I prefer to saute the mushrooms and onions in butter for flavor, but you could also use olive oil or avocado oil.
• Onion – Dice it finely.
• Mushrooms – I used cremini mushrooms, but white mushrooms would also work. I buy these pre-sliced to save time, or you can slice them yourself.
• Garlic – Use fresh minced garlic for the best flavor, or jarred for convenience.
• Fresh Thyme – I highly recommend using fresh herbs here if you can. If you have to substitute dried, use about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
• Cauliflower – You can make your own cauliflower rice from fresh cauliflower florets, or use bagged frozen cauliflower rice for convenience.
• Broth – I used chicken bone broth for both flavor and nutrition, but regular chicken broth would also work. Use vegetable broth for a vegetarian option. If you like, you could also replace half of the broth with white wine.
• Heavy Cream – Makes the cauliflower risotto creamy! You can substitute full-fat coconut milk (the kind from a can) if needed.
• Grated Parmesan Cheese – This provides flavor and thickens the sauce.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper

How To Make Cauliflower Risotto

This section shows how to make keto risotto, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

1. Brown the mushrooms and onion. Melt the butter in a saute pan and add mushrooms onions. Saute until veggies are soft and browned.

TIP: The mushrooms should reduce in size by at least half, and no liquid should remain.

If needed, you can increase heat at the end to help evaporate the liquid.

2. Add garlic and thyme. Saute until fragrant.
3. Simmer cauliflower and broth. Add the cauliflower and bone broth to the pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until tender and liquid has reduced.

TIP: Riced cauliflower will reduce much faster than real rice — it will only take 3-5 minutes!

It’s done when the cauliflower is tender and the pan is dry, as shown below.

4. Stir in parmesan cheese. Reduce the heat, and stir in cream and parmesan. Continue to heat, stirring constantly, until cheese melts and sauce is smooth.
5. Serve. Your cauliflower rice risotto is ready to eat! I like to serve it with additional fresh thyme for garnish.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep cauliflower risotto in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will last 3-4 days in the fridge.
• Reheat: Warm in the microwave or a skillet on the stovetop, until hot.
• Freeze: Cool completely, then freeze in a freezer bag or freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.

What To Serve With Keto Cauliflower Risotto

This creamy cauliflower risotto recipe makes the perfect side to just about any protein, or even as a vegetarian dish on its own. Try one of these low carb dinner recipes:

• Steak – Serve this dish with sirloin steak, filet mignon, or ribeye for a spectacular rich and hearty (but healthy!) steakhouse-style meal.
• Chicken – Try asparagus stuffed chicken, chicken leg quarters, or baked chicken thighs for an easy meal.
• Seafood – Risotto pairs well with fish, such as baked salmon, pan seared halibut, or air fryer tilapia. Make the meal more fancy for special occasions by serving it with lobster tail or garlic butter shrimp.
• Pork – Stuffed pork chops, Crock Pot pork tenderloin, or crispy pork belly are all delicious options.
• Salad – Serve cauliflower mushroom risotto as the main dish and pair it with a veggie salad, like creamy cucumber salad or Caprese salad.

4.95 from 53 votes

Cauliflower Risotto With Mushrooms (Keto)

Make creamy mushroom cauliflower risotto in just 25 minutes! It has the same flavors as regular risotto, but is faster, easier and healthier.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 6 (adjust to scale recipe)

Convert:

US Customary – Metric

Un-save Recipe Save Recipe Go Ad-Free

Recipe Video

Tap on the image below to watch the video.

Like this video? Subscribe to my YouTube cooking channel for healthy recipes weekly! (Click the bell icon to be notified when I post a new video.)

Review Print

Pin

Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.

• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter ▢
• 1/2 large Onion (diced finely; ~3/4 cup) ▢
• 1 lb Cremini mushrooms (sliced thinly) ▢
• 2 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1 tsp Fresh thyme ▢
• 1 medium head Cauliflower (riced; ~4 cups) ▢
• 1/2 cup Chicken bone broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian option) ▢
• 3/4 cup Heavy cream ▢
• 1/3 cup Grated Parmesan cheese ▢
• 3/4 tsp Sea salt (to taste) ▢
• 1/4 tsp Black pepper (to taste) ▢

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

1. Melt the butter in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and onions, and saute for about 10 to 15 minutes, until the onions are translucent and browned, and the mushrooms are soft and browned. The mushrooms should reduce in size by at least half, and no liquid should remain. (If needed, you can increase heat at the end to help evaporate the liquid.)

2. Add the minced garlic and thyme. Saute for about 1 minute, until fragrant.

3. Add the cauliflower and bone broth. Increase heat to bring to a simmer, then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and liquid is reduced, about 3-5 minutes.

4. Reduce heat to low. Stir in the cream and Parmesan. Continue to heat, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, until the cheese melts and sauce is smooth. Season with sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Last Step: Leave A Rating!

Rate this recipe

Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our Facebook support group, too – I’d love to see it!

Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:

• 
  Keto Ground Beef Cauliflower Lasagna Recipe
• 
  Keto Cauliflower Hummus
• 
  Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
• 
  Cauliflower Mac and Cheese

Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 200

Fat 16g

Protein 6g

Total Carbs 8g

Net Carbs 6g

Fiber 2g

Sugar 4g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Keywords: cauliflower mushroom risotto, cauliflower rice risotto, cauliflower risotto, keto risotto

Calories: 200 kcal

Want to save this recipe?

Create a free account to save your favorite recipes!

Sign Up To Save Recipes

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂