Spanish Cauliflower Rice makes this staple of Mexican food available to those on a low carb or grain free diet. The cauli rice recipe is simple, easy to prepare, and ready in about 10 minutes.
This makes for a great weight watchers side dish and is gluten free too. It is so rice like, your family may not realize it isn't.
Spanish Cauliflower Rice - Low Carb Mexican Side Dish
When starting a low carb, keto, or grain free diet one of the first struggles you will face is finding swaps for those carb loaded side dishes.
They are what make a simple entree into a complete meal after all.
This easy Spanish Cauliflower Rice will team great with your low carb Mexican dishes, as well as entrees like Fajita Chicken Casserole,Β Blackened Chicken, easy Salsa Chicken or Chimichurri Steak.
Technically, this could be called Mexican cauliflower rice, since it uses cumin rather than saffron. Feel free to swap a few threads of saffron in place of the cumin. Most of us don't have that pricey spice readily on hand though.
As some of you may know from conversations on social media or from my Cauliflower Rice Pilaf recipe, I am a big proponent of sauteing rather than steaming riced cauliflower.
The slight caramelization of the tiny cauliflower bits along with the onions adds flavor and improves the texture. This makes the cauliflower barely distinguishable from a traditional rice dish.
Adjusting Rice Recipes for Cauliflower
Pretty much any rice recipe can be converted to riced cauliflower. The primary thing to keep in mind is that the cauliflower will not absorb liquids like rice does.
In making this Spanish rice from the vegetable, I swapped tomato paste in place of tomato sauce.
I also skipped using broth completely, since I feel the finished cauli rice has plenty of flavor. If you wish to add some, just add a small amount of paste vegetable or chicken base.
When adding thicker ingredients like this, cover the pan while cooking. This trapsΒ enough escaping moisture from the cooking cauliflower to blend them in.
How to Make Spanish Cauliflower Rice
Here is a run through of making this low carb Mexican side dish.
While I have used frozen riced cauliflower, you can easily convert a head of cauliflower.Β Rough chop it then pulse in a food processor, until chopped to rice sized bits.
Keep in mind, fresh raw riced cauliflower will take longer to cook than the frozen.
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Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this low carb Spanish rice substitute.
- 12 ounces frozen cauliflower rice
- 1 tablespoon oil (avocado, coconut, olive oil or ghee)
- Β½ medium onion, diced (approximately Β½ cup)
- Β½ teaspoon chili powder
- Β½ teaspoon cumin
- Β½ teaspoon garlic powder (or one clove of garlic minced)
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
Preparation
Gather your ingredients and a large skillet. There is no need to thaw the frozen riced cauliflower, it is actually easier to get out of the bag if you don't.
Place skillet over medium high heat and pour in the oil.
Once the oil is hot, toss in the onions and spices. Stir to coat, then add the paste and riced cauliflower. Mix well then cover.
Cook for about about 10 minutes, stirring several times while the cauliflower rice cooks.
Remove from heat and serve with your favorite dishes.
Keto Notes:
If you are on a very strict limit for carbs,Β the counts on this can be lowered by reducing or omitting the onions and using less tomato paste.
Swapping a Β½ teaspoon of onion power for the onions and using 1 tablespoon of paste rather than 2 will reduce the net carb count per serving from 6g to 4g.
Low Carb Sides
Here are some more low carb sides to team with your entrees.
- Sauteed Asparagus and Mushrooms
- Broccoli Rabe Recipe - Perfect Keto Side Dish
- Roasted Turnips, Ranch Style - Lower Carb than Potatoes!
- Baked AsparagusΒ
- Buffalo Roasted Cauliflower
Spanish Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 12 oz frozen riced cauliflower
- 1 tbs oil avocado, coconut, olive oil or ghee
- Β½ medium onion diced (approximately Β½ cup)
- Β½ teaspoon chili powder
- Β½ teaspoon cumin
- Β½ teaspoon garlic powder or one clove of garlic minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
Instructions
- Gather your ingredients and a large skillet. There is no need to thaw the frozen riced cauliflower, it is actually easier to get out of the bag if you don't.
- Place skillet over medium high heat and pour in the oil.
- Once the oil is hot, toss in the onions and spices. Stir to coat, then add the paste and riced cauliflower. Mix well then cover.
- Cook for about about 10 minutes, stirring several times while the cauliflower rice cooks.
Katie says
I've had cauli rice before but never with spanish flavors. This is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Katherine says
THis was so good! I love that it's made with cauliflower rice to make it healthier.
Sammy says
This cauliflower was just like spanish rice. We aren't on keto, just trying to eat more veggies. I'll be making this again soon.
Christy H says
This spanish rice is my new go to side dish. I love it with mexican food. I'm not on keto, but am eating a low carb south beach style diet.
Robin Gagnon says
That is a healthy diet to follow. The more extreme ones can be hard to stick with.
Nell says
This is my favorite way to make cauliflower rice. I like to top it with leftover chicken and cheese for lunch,
Cindy says
Hi- love this.
I used fresh florets chopped in my food processor to make the cauliflower rice. Next time I'll use frozen like you suggested. It will be much easier.
Robin Gagnon says
Yes, meal prep is really easy with bagged riced cauliflower.
Carol says
Great recipe! Delicious tastes just like Spanish rice. But more healthy.
Robin Gagnon says
Thank you. I'm glad you enjoyed the taste.
RenΓ©e says
I cooked this recipe and it turned out so well! Delicious! People in my home were saying how good it smelled. I cooked the cauli rice with all of your spices, plus a little bit of turmeric, dried cilantro, cajun seasoning, spinach, white onions, 2 tbsp of vegetable broth.
My boyfriend was surprised it wasn't real rice!
This is by far my favorite cauliflower rice recipe.
Thank you so much for sharing! π It was delicious.π€€π₯
Robin Gagnon says
It's my favorite too. I literally make it about twice a week, sometimes with chicken or black beans in it to make burritos with low carb wraps.
Brittnay says
Hi!! I really want to food prep this with my fajitas. How much is one serving? 1 cup? Thanks!
Robin Gagnon says
It will be roughly a cup. I just split the batch in equal parts.
Scott Oberbeck says
Delicious!! Thank you!
Teresa says
I made this tonight and it was delicious. I love the idea of cooking the cauliflower with the other ingedients in a skillet, it evaporated all of the extra moisture for a perfect consistency. I added about half a TBSP of chilies in adobo sauces (I always have some leftover in the freezer) and about 3/4 cup of diced green peppers. Thank you for a great recipe, this will be a frequent addition to my low carb repertoire!
Suzie says
Tried many cauliflower Spanish rice recipes. This is by far the best! Will be making often.
Cathy says
Thank you for this excellent, quick and easy recipe. It's delicious!
Brian says
This gives me an idea : Burritos. Layer a burrito w\ refried beans, top w\ spanish rice cauliflower and roll it up !! Maybe add some chopped scallions. π
Robin Gagnon says
Yes, it works great. I add poblano peppers, black beans and shredded chicken to this all the time for burrito filling. Cheddar, avocado and hot sauce on top with low carb tortilla.