Today, cauliflower replaces many traditionally carb-rich foods, from bread and rice to pizza crusts and potato tots. Food manufacturers are increasingly creative and competitive with finding new, delicious ways to use the pale cousin to broccoli. With products that are as good as the original, if not better, it’s not hard to see why. We taste tested a variety of cauliflower products in supermarkets today to find the ones that are worthy of space in your fridge, freezer, or pantry. Each of these makes dinner faster and healthier, and if you’re into making your own cauliflower foods, some of these may even help save you time and prep work.
Green Giant Veggie Tots Cauliflower
A low-carb alternative to French fries and potato tots, these Green Giant Veggie Tots squeeze in one serving of cauliflower in each tot serving. After a quick bake in the oven, the tots develop a crispy, flaky crust with a tender interior that’s remarkably potato-like. Use them in place of potato tots anywhere you might use the potato version, from sides to sandwiches to the base of potato tot casserole.
Alexia White Cheddar Riced Cauliflower with Black Pepper
Cauliflower is a culinary blank canvas. It has very little flavor naturally, so it can easily adapt to other ingredients, like bright, tangy cheddar cheese and spicy black pepper. This Alexia White Cheddar Riced Cauliflower is incredibly cheesy, just-right creamy, and easy to make—you’ll steam in the microwave until each grain is toothsome with a just-right bit of crunch. Who knows, you may soon replace all your rice with this steam-in-bag option.
Caulipower Cauliflower Pizza Crust
DIY your own fantastic pizza with fewer carbs by keeping plain Cauliflower Pizza Crusts on hand. These cauliflower crusts crisp up nicely in a hot oven with a few ingredients or a load of them. They’re freezer-friendly, too, so if you don’t need or want to eat both in one meal, you can keep the second crust fresh for another day.
Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pancakes
Imagine your favorite hash brown potato patties—crunchy exterior, tender and soft interior. Then imagine they’re made with cauliflower and still manage to have that crisp-fried crust with creamy filling. That’s Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Pancakes. These pancakes pair beautifully with traditional potato pancake partners—ketchup, applesauce, sour cream and chives. They’re also great as a base for a faux eggs Benedict at brunch.
Plantpower Cauliflower Sandwich Thins
Say hello to sandwiches again, a dish most low-carb eaters have to dismiss as soon as they start counting the grams. These Plantpower Cauliflower Sandwich Thins, which come in three flavors, have just one net carb. Combine that with your favorite sandwich meat, veggies, and a rich sauce for a wonderfully easy lunch or dinner.
Birds Eye Steamfresh Veggie Made Riced Cauliflower Original
You could certainly make your own—whirr a whole head of cauliflower in a food processor—or you can keep a few bags of plain Riced Cauliflower on hand to be whatever you could imagine—the low-carb base to a burrito bowl, blended into smoothies, even fried cauliflower rice. If you’re planning to make your own cauliflower crusts, you can save a few steps by beginning with this pre-riced product, too.
From the Ground Up Cauliflower Crackers
Snack food makers have been finding clever ways to sneak veggies into their foods for a while. These Cauliflower Crackers are made with whole-grain rice and cauliflower flours, which render the snacks extra crispy and incredibly cheesy. They’re also available in Sea Salt and Nacho, which tastes an awful lot like a famous triangle chip we’ve eaten a time or two.
Urban Roots Thai Curry Cauliflower Rice
Ready-made cauliflower rice kits from Urban Roots are an incredibly flavorful way to make a fast, light dinner or low-carb base to a number of dishes. We like the Thai Curry flavor for its robust spices and comforting coconut sauce, but they also have cauliflower rice kits with flavors like chili-cilantro, broccoli fried rice, and Moroccan-spiced.
Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi
Non-flour pasta alternatives abound, with creators looking for ways to plug in more veggies where flour, egg, and water once were, but instead of mashed potatoes, these pillowy Cauliflower Gnocchi pieces are about 75 percent cauliflower. When pan seared in a bit of butter or oil or boiled quickly in water, each piece turns soft and luscious. All you need it a little sauce or a sprinkle of cheese to make a fantastic dinner. You can also make your own by following this super simple recipe.
