Costco has cauliflower rice for sale from Nature’s Intent and it is a must have item for anyone on a low carb diet. The cauliflower rice is shelf stable and not frozen which makes it super convenient for meal prep.
Cauliflower Rice Nutrition and Ingredients
Let’s take a closer look at what you get with this rice substitute.
Nutrition Facts
You get six pouches of cauliflower rice per box with each pouch holding 8.46 ounces product. One serving is 2/3 of a cup and there are 2.5 servings per pouch.
The nutritional facts for a single serving are:
- Calories: 25
- Fat: 0g (0% DV)
- Cholesterol: 0mg 0% DV)
- Sodium: 25mg (1% DV)
- Carbohydrates: 4g (1% DV)
- Protein: 2g
A significant portion of the carbs in this product are dietary fiber and those numbers are best represented when we look at the nutritional values of the whole pouch which has 2.5 servings.
The entire pouch has 9 grams of carbs with 6 grams of dietary fiber. So, when I eat the whole pouch that still only gives me 60 calories and 3 net grams of carbs.
Ingredient List
The cauliflower rice has the following ingredients:
- Cauliflower
- Lactic acid
The product is labelled as a Product of Peru.
How to Cook the Cauliflower Rice
Cooking the rice is extremely simple and just takes a minute.
- Tear a two inch opening in the top of the pouch.
- Microwave on High for 60 seconds.
- Dress and serve.
When the steaming cauliflower rice comes out of the pouch it looks like what it is…a great big pile of hot riced cauliflower.
How Does Costco’s Cauliflower Rice Taste?
This stuff tastes like a big pile of cauliflower. Pretty simple!
The trick, of course, is finding interesting ways to season the cauliflower and work it into a recipe as a substitute for rice or potatoes.
One of my favorite recipes uses the cauliflower, seasoned with salt and pepper, as a base to soak up the flavors from mahi mahi poached in marinara sauce. This recipe uses:
- 1 pouch of cauliflower rice (60 calories, 3 grams net carbs)
- 1 four ounce mahi mahi filet (100 calories, 0g carbs)
- 1/2 cup (125 g) of Rao’s marinara sauce (100 calories, 5 grams net carbs)
This high protein dinner is delicious with only 260 calories with 8 grams of carbs. Just as important, this is a FULL POUND of food that is guaranteed to fill you up and not leave you hungry.
Costco Value
I bought the six pouch box of cauliflower rice at Costco for $9.99 which works out to a price of $1.66 per pouch.
You can buy the same 6 pouch box from Walmart for $26.97 which works out to a cost of $4.5 per pouch.
This means that you will save $2.84 per pouch (63%) when you purchase the product at Costco.
On the package it says keep refrigerated- are you sure it’s shelf stable?
Yes.
The packaging states “Refrigerate after opening pouch and consume within three days.” As long as the pouch has not been opened it is shelf stable.
Can pouches be frozen until cooked?
I am not sure. The pouches are vacuum sealed and I do not know if they would be able to expand when the cauliflower froze. That being said, you should not need to freeze the pouches as the “Best By” date indicates that they will last 12-16 months in your pantry.
My husband froze the pouches in the box not realizing they were shelf stable. I wasn’t sure if they would be ok. BUT, we put them into the fridge, keeping them there until used. It tasted fine and wet were fine.
Not sure it is recommended though?
Do you think it’s OK to eat it past the BB date?
I would heat them up and give it the smell test. If it was just a month or two past the Best By date then I would probably eat them.
I have. It is tasted the my same. Plus I did not get sick am. Pkg was forgotten at all the back of my food cabinet.
Can I make a pizza crust from Costco cauliflower rice?
You should be able to although I have never tried myself. If you want to take a shortcut then you can get the Cauliflower Crust pizza kit at Costco that is over by the bread section!
I’m going to try it tonight and see how it works. I’ve got two packages draining for the day to get all the moisture out.
Yes, I have an amazing recipe from Pinterest. It tasted really good.
It is gross and I love cauliflower.
I ordered mine and while the back of the package says each bite is white, fluffy and delicious, mine is pink. It tastes okay but the pink color kind of weirds me out. The package says it is good until Nov 03 2023. Has anyone else had this.
I just received mine from Amazon! I haven’t opened it yet. But yes that would weird me out as well. I wonder if it’s color changed because of the preservative used . The lactic acid ? 🤷♀️
I want to try this product, but I’m currently reading “Estrogeneration” (by Dr. Anthony G. Jay) and I’m concerned the pouches are plastic and they state “microwavable”. Microwaving anything in plastic leaches chemicals (estrogenic that have a plethora of issues which develop slowly, not overnight, so people think it’s safe but then maybe they end up infertile and don’t know why (the slow creep of constant exposure to estrogens. They are everywhere).
Any insight you have about plastics, or if you could note the packaging that does it right would greatly be appreciated. Just another thing we have to look out for. Oyyyyy! Thank you!
To me this cauliflower has a prounounced sourness that probably comes from the added lactic acid. I can eat it if it’s mixed with a protein in strongly seasoned sauce, like a curry or a spicy Italian red sauce. But for milder tasting dishes (such as white-fleshed fish in lemon butter sauce) the sourness of the cauliflower dominates. I bought the Costco pack and will use it but I won’t buy it again.
You don’t have to heat inside the pouch. Just put in a plate, cover and microwave.
Does Costco still carry this? I couldn’t find it. I’ve purchased a lot in the past. It’s great but you have to spice it up
This is the best riced cauliflower I have tried. I have been low carb for 3 years now and was a little tired from eating Chinese without rice. This stuff is perfect. However, I noticed the last time I was at Costco they didn’t have it anymore…only two damaged boxes on top of a pallet of regular rice. I snapped those up but in about 4 months I will be looking for more. I hope I don’t have to pay the Walmart premium.