Keto rice – Best low carb alternatives in UK stores
Most dinner sides in the UK are either potato, rice or pasta based. None of which are keto-friendly. Luckily, there are some great keto rice alternatives that you can find in both UK stores and online!
Related – looking for keto pasta alternatives? Check out the article here.
Types of low carb keto rice
There are a few rice alternatives that are keto friendly. However, we’re focusing on the top three most popular that you can purchase in the UK. Let’s start with the most readily available type first.
Cauliflower rice
The most popular (and cheapest) is cauliflower rice. As the name suggests, it’s just cauliflower that is chopped up into very small pieces that resemble rice. You can cook it in the microwave, steam or as a stir fry.
Taste and texture
It tastes like cauliflower, no real surprise there! If you’re eating it plain, then it has that bland boiled taste. Cauliflower rice works best when you mix and season it with other ingredients. It works great with mains that have some sauce component, like curries (check out Iceland’s keto friendly range). Alternatively, check out some of the cooking ideas below.
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 45 kcal
- Fat: 2.9g
- Carbohydrate: 3.0g
- Fibre: 1.3g
- Protein: 1.1g
- Salt: 0.4g
Side note – some brands now sell flavoured cauliflower rice. This can result in a higher carb count, so always check the nutrition label before purchase.
Where to buy
Readily available in most UK food supermarkets. However, there is no one brand, each supermarket tends to sale their own named version. The average price is around £2 for 4 bags (200g bag), making it the cheapest keto rice alternative. Most can be found in the frozen aisle but some stores do have fresh versions available in the produce aisle.
Iceland 4 Cauliflower Rice Steam Bags
Available at: Iceland
Size: 600g (4 x 150g)
Price: £2.00
Price per 100g: £0.33
Asda 4 Steam Bags Cauliflower Rice
Available at: Asda
Size: 800g (4 x 200g)
Price: £2.00
Price per 100g: £0.25
Tesco Cauliflower Rice 4 Pack
Available at: Tesco
Size: 600g (4 x 150g)
Price: £1.75
Price per 100g: £0.29
Multi greens rice
Similar to cauliflower rice – as in it’s made with vegetables. The most common versions consist of one or more of the following:
- Broccoli
- Courgette
- Kale
- Spinach
- Wakame (Seaweed)
All of these vegetables have varying carb counts, so always check the nutrition label for an accurate carb count.
Taste and texture
These have a lot more flavour than cauliflower, so they don’t work as well as a plain side. In other words, I find their taste overpowers whatever I’m having them with. However, they still work great as a dish on their own. They have a bit more of a bite than cauliflower, but are still quite mushy.
Where to buy
A few UK stores sell their own versions but tend to go out of stock quite often. I don’t know if this is a demand issue, or they are just not that popular! In addition, they are also usually more expensive than cauliflower and sold in smaller quantities.
Iceland 4 Multi Greens Rice Steam Bags
Available at: Iceland
Size: 600g (4 x 150g)
Price: £2.00
Price per 100g: £0.33
Carbs per 100g: 2.0g
Vegetables: Broccoli, Kale, Spinach, Courgette and Seaweed
Asda 2 Steam Bags Broccoli & Courgette Rice
Available at: Asda
Size: 400g (2 x 200g)
Price: £1.25
Price per 100g: £0.31
Carbs per 100g: 2.0g
Vegetables: Broccoli, Courgettes and Spinach
Konjac rice
Popular in Asian cuisine, it’s made from the Japanese konjac yam. It’s formed into rice (and other) shapes that are translucent, gelatinous and almost consist entirely of water and fibre (Glucomannan). Resulting in a side dish that is almost zero calories and carbs.
Sounds great, right? However, there are some downsides:
- Price – the most expensive keto rice alternative. Mainly due to the fact that it’s not readily available in the UK, so has to be imported. However, as it becomes more popular the price should come down.
- Taste, smell and texture – it’s a lot different than normal rice, some people can’t stand it. More on that in the section below.
Taste & Texture
Rice made from konjac has a very unique taste & texture. The texture is very gelatinous and can be off putting the first time you try it. Flavour-wise, as it’s mainly water, it doesn’t taste of anything. It really is like eating nothing, though you do have to chew it due to it’s jelly consistency. The blandness works well as base for flavourful dishes. It all depends on what you mix it with.
Note on smell – when you open a packet, you’re hit with an unexpected fishy aroma. This can translate into a bad taste experience. However, one of the easiest ways to counteract this, is to pop the rice in a sieve and rinse thoroughly under cold water. Repeating the process until the smell has gone.
Nutrition per 100g
- Energy: 12 kcal
- Fat: 0.1g
- Carbohydrate: 1.0g
- Fibre: 3.9g
- Protein: <0.5g
- Salt: 0.01g
Where to buy
There a few brands that are sold in UK food stores. However, they are quite expensive at around £2 per serving. If you have a Asian supermarket near you, then they may sell them at a much better price.
Eat Water Slim Rice (Pack of 5)
Available at: Amazon
Size: 1.35kg (5 x 270g)
Note: there seems to be two versions available. One has 8g of carbs, which should be avoided.
Recipe Ideas
Sriracha spicy fried rice
- Cook rice as per packet instructions (microwave is recommended)
- Place frying pan (or wok) on medium heat hob
- Add oil to pan and allow to heat up
- Add rice to pan and mix to remove any clumps
- Add seasoning – combination of onion & garlic powder, salt and black pepper (or adjust as needed).
- Add Sriracha sauce and mix well – adjust quantity for desired spice level.
- Serve on it’s own or as a side dish.
Egg fried rice
- Cook rice as per packet instructions (microwave is recommended)
- Place frying pan (or wok) on medium heat hob
- Add oil to pan and allow to heat up
- Add rice to pan and mix to remove any clumps
- Add seasoning – combination of onion & garlic powder and black pepper (or adjust as needed).
- Add soy, oyster and fish sauce to pan – around a tbsp of each is fine.
- Mix together in pan and ensure all rice is coated.
- Move rice to edge of pan, so that the middle is exposed.
- Crack and egg in the middle and scramble it. Allow to cook until just about set.
- Use cooking instrument to roughly break egg into pieces and mix it together with the rice.
- Serve on it’s own or as a side dish.
