Cauliflower Recipes to Eat on The Bulletproof Diet

Cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse that deserves to be the star of any dish. This cruciferous vegetable is high in fiber and vitamins C and K, B vitamins, folate and a good source of antioxidants.^[1]

From a culinary perspective, it’s a blank canvas that can be used as a low-carb, grain-free alternative for your favorite carb-heavy dishes. This includes bread, rice, oatmeal, macaroni and cheese and even pizza crust. Here are the best cauliflower recipes to eat on the Bulletproof diet.

Is Cauliflower Good for You?

Cauliflower has been hailed as a nutritional superstar. It’s high in fiber (one cup of raw cauliflower (107g) contains 2g, which is 7% of your daily needs and vitamins A, E and K.^[2]

Fiber aids in digestion by preventing constipation, promoting good bacteria in the gut and keeping you fuller for longer. A diet high in fiber has been found to lower the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer.^[3][4]

The nutrition behind cauliflower is equally impressive. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, one cup of cauliflower (chopped into ½” pieces), contains:

• 27 calories
• 2 grams (g) of protein
• 0.3 grams of fat
• 5 g of carbohydrate, including 2.1 g of fiber and 2 g of sugar
• 24 milligrams (mg) of calcium
• 16 mg of magnesium
• 47 mg of phosphorus
• 320 mg of potassium
• 51.6 mg of vitamin C
• 16.6 micrograms (mcg) of vitamin K
• 0.197 mcg of vitamin B6
• 61 mcg of folate

Cauliflower Recipes

Cauliflower in Smoothies

Cauliflower in smoothies? Don’t knock it until you try it. This cruciferous vegetable offers the same creamy, milkshake-like texture as a banana, minus all the sugar. Each sip offers a boost of nutrition, including fiber, water and vitamins (one cup of raw cauliflower contains almost an entire day’s worth of vitamin C).^[5]

Cauliflower has a neutral flavor, so feel confident to whip it into any kind of smoothie, like our Cauliflower Berry Smoothie. If you’re busy in the morning, use a bag of frozen cauliflower, much like you would a bag of frozen strawberries or spinach. But if your stomach is sensitive, opt for steamed cauliflower since cruciferous vegetables can be hard to digest when eaten raw.

Cauliflower in Bread

One of the biggest perks is its distinct superpower of substituting calories and carbs in your favorite dishes. Cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower sandwich thins, cauliflower tortillas and even cauliflower bread may rival your favorite brunch spot’s avocado toast.

Binding ingredients, such as eggs, milk and protein powder are essential to forming the perfect dough for cauliflower bread recipes. They add structure and prevent the bread from falling apart. Making tortillas or a thin-crust pizza? Steam the cauliflower first then drain out extra moisture by pressing it through cheese cloth.

Cauliflower Instead of Oatmeal

You can’t go wrong with cauliflower instead of oatmeal for breakfast. Cauliflower is a grain-free, gluten-free, low-carb and fat-free alternative that tastes almost the exact same as oatmeal and features a similar consistency. Since it’s a low-calorie substitute, you get more bang for your caloric buck. This means that you can eat a bigger portion that will keep you full and energized for hours.

After grating your cauliflower or breaking it into small pieces in a food processor, cauliflower oatmeal can be dressed up to your taste. Add in fresh or frozen fruit, natural sweeteners or nuts and seeds. You can still use oatmeal in your recipe, or you can go the full noatmeal route, like our cauliflower noatmeal that cooks down cauliflower rice with full-fat coconut milk and incorporates whole eggs to achieve a thick, oatmeal-like consistency.

Make a big batch of it so you have breakfast for multiple days and consider subbing in cauliflower for other breakfast favorites, such as overnight oats.

Cauliflower Rice Recipes

Cauliflower rice belongs on your roster. It adds the comfort you love from rice, minus all the heaviness. One cup of white rice has 242 calories, while one cup of cauliflower has 28 calories.6 Add a healthy cauliflower twist to your favorite dishes, such as Cauliflower Fried Rice, butter chicken and stir-fries. For a pop of color, use purple, orange or green cauliflower.

Get couscous-sized cauliflower from a grater or food processor. Two of the best cooking methods are to either sauté it or roast the cauliflower rice in the oven. Sautéing it with some olive oil in a pan brings about a rich flavor. Roasting it in the oven brings out a sweetness thanks to the caramelization of the cauliflower.

Since cauliflower has a large water content—92 percent of cauliflower is made up of water—one of the biggest issues people find with cauliflower rice is the mushiness. To prevent excess moisture, transfer the cauliflower to an absorbent cloth or paper towel, and squeeze it until no more excess water remains.

Additional cauliflower rice recipes to try including:

• Paleo Cauliflower Rice Sushi Rolls
• Sweet Potato Curry with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
• Turmeric Pulled-Pork Curry and Cilantro Cauliflower Rice

Cauliflower is a nutritional powerhouse that has earned its place as the main course, not a side dish. It can be eaten raw, steamed or roasted. As one of the most versatile veggies around, you can use it as a grain-free substitute for carb and legume dishes, such as bread, pizza, rice and tortillas.

There are many tips and tricks to keep in mind when making cauliflower recipes on the Bulletproof diet. For example, using frozen cauliflower for your cauliflower smoothies and utilizing whey protein powder to form the perfect cauliflower bread dough.

Additionally, freeze any raw cauliflower rice you don’t plan to use right away to prevent a sulfur smell. Cooked cauliflower rice can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to four days.