Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Mexican cauliflower rice comes together in 25 minutes using simple ingredients. This popular side dish just got its stamp on low-carb diets without skimping on texture or flavor!

Why this recipe works

Mexican cauliflower rice has all the flavors you know and love from traditional Mexican rice but with much fewer carbs. Making this side dish is actually super simple with the help of pre-riced cauliflower from the store on top of Rotel tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, and flavorful spices.

Cauliflower rice is the perfect sub-in for regular rice, and you can make it so many different ways (cauliflower fried rice, copycat cauliflower chipotle rice) all while sneaking in some vitamin-rich veggies.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CAULIFLOWER – You can purchase bags of “riced cauliflower” in the produce section at the grocery store. To make your own riced cauliflower, cut apart a head of cauliflower into smaller florets. Working in batches, place the florets in the bowl of a food processor with the regular blade. Pulse several times until the cauliflower is in small, even pieces (do not over chop the cauliflower or it will become a puree). If you’d like to substitute with frozen riced cauliflower, I would recommend thawing it completely and then squeezing any excess water/moisture from it before proceeding with the recipe.

ADDITIONS – You can use one or two diced tomatoes instead of the canned tomatoes if preferred. Feel free to add a diced bell pepper or jalapeno into the pan with the onion and garlic during the initial saute for additional flavor.

How to Make Mexican Cauliflower Rice

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Heat oil over medium in a large skillet. Add yellow onion and minced garlic; saute for 7-8 minutes or until the onion begins to soften and becomes translucent.
2. Mix in the tomato paste, cumin, and chile powder – the ingredients will form a thick paste-like consistency while mixing, but will combine and loosen up as they heat.
3. Add in the riced cauliflower and tomatoes. (The canned tomatoes do not need to be drained. Add some of the juice right along with the tomatoes. I used about 1⁄2 a can and about 1⁄2 of the juice.)
4. Stir and saute the cauliflower mixture over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes longer. At this point, the cauliflower should be tender, but still have a bit of crisp. The rice will have absorbed the colors and flavors of the tomato paste and spices.
5. Remove from heat. Squeeze a lime over the cauliflower rice and garnish with chopped cilantro and jalapeno.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

Serving Suggestions

Mexican cauliflower rice is one of our favorite side dishes when it comes to tacos, enchiladas, and carne asada but it can also be rolled into burritos, layered in a taco dip, or served as a base for burrito bowls.

More Cauliflower Recipes

• Cauliflower Risotto
• Cauliflower Casserole
• Cauliflower Pizza Bites
• Sticky Garlic Cauliflower
• General Tso’s Cauliflower
• Cauliflower Pizza Bites

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Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Mexican cauliflower rice is easy to make using pre-riced cauliflower, Rotel tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, onion, and flavorful spices.

5 from 9 votes

IMPORTANT – There are often Frequently Asked Questions within the blog post that you may find helpful. Simply scroll back up to read them!

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Course: Side Dish, Vegetarian

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Servings: 4 servings

25 minutes mins

Calories: 108

Author: Amanda Davis

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Tbsp canola oil or other cooking oil
• ▢ 1 cup yellow onion diced. 1/2 large onion
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced. 2-3 cloves
• ▢ 3 Tbsp tomato paste
• ▢ ¾ tsp cumin
• ▢ ½ tsp chili powder
• ▢ 16 oz riced cauliflower or 1 large head cauliflower
• ▢ 15 oz Rotel tomatoes 1/2-1 can
• ▢ juice of 1 lime
• ▢ ciltanro for garnish
• ▢ jalapeno sliced, for garnish

Things You’ll Need

• ▢
  Large skillet

Before You Begin

• You can add additional chili powder or saute a finely diced jalapeno with the onion and garlic to make a spicier dish. Omit the chili powder and substitute regular diced tomatoes for the Rotel to make a very mild rice.
• To make your own riced cauliflower, cut apart a head of cauliflower into smaller florets. Working in batches, place the florets in the bowl of a food processor with the regular blade. Pulse several times until the cauliflower is in small, even pieces (do not over chop the cauliflower or it will become a puree).
  If you’d like to substitute frozen riced cauliflower, I would recommend thawing it completely and then squeezing any excess water/moisture from it before proceeding with the recipe.
• Add a diced bell pepper or jalapeno into the pan with the onion and garlic during the initial saute for added flavor.
• Don’t overcook the cauliflower. It takes about 5 minutes to cook to a perfect al dente consistency. If you overcook it, the cauliflower will become mushy and won’t hold its texture.

Instructions

• Heat oil over medium in a large skillet. Add yellow onion and minced garlic; saute for 7-8 minutes or until the onion begins to soften and become translucent.
• Mix in the tomato paste, cumin, and chili powder – the ingredients will form a thick paste-like consistency while mixing, but will combine and loosen up as they heat.
• Add in the riced cauliflower and tomatoes. (The canned tomatoes do not need to be drained. Add some of the juice right along with the tomatoes. I used about 1⁄2 a can and about 1⁄2 of the juice.)
• Stir and saute the cauliflower mixture over medium heat for approximately 5 minutes longer. At this point, the cauliflower should be tender, but still have a bit of crisp. The rice will have absorbed the colors and flavors of the tomato paste and spices.
• Remove from heat. Squeeze a lime over the cauliflower rice and garnish with chopped cilantro and jalapeno.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 108cal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 146mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 387IU | Vitamin C: 71mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2mg

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