Cauliflower rice is roasted in the oven with delicious seasonings and fresh veggies to create flavorful grain-free rice with a wonderful texture! Mexican cauliflower rice is the perfect keto base for a bowl, or a healthy, gluten free side dish.
This recipe is vegan, whole 30 approved, low calorie and low carb, at only 6 net carbs per serving. It's easy to make with either frozen or fresh cauliflower and only 10 minutes of hands-on time! Enjoy it as a low carb base in this Chipotle Cauliflower Taco Bowl or this Tex Mex Egg Roll in a Bowl!
Cauliflower rice has become a low carb staple in so many households, you can now easily find riced cauliflower packaged in the refrigerated produce section at the grocery store, or in the freezer. You can also make your own cauliflower rice at home using a whole head of cauliflower.
Jump to:
How to make cauliflower rice
There are two ways to make cauliflower rice at home, in a food processor or using a box grater. If you have a food processor at home, I highly recommend this method, as it's faster and easier!
- Remove the stems and leaves from a head of cauliflower.
- Chop the cauliflower into large pieces.
- Place the large chunks of cauliflower in a food processor.
- Pulse in the food processor for 15-20 seconds or until the cauliflower is the consistency of rice. Be sure not to pulse too long or the cauliflower will turn into mush.
To make riced cauliflower with a box grater, follow the first two steps above, then carefully grate the large pieces of cauliflower, just as you would if you were grating cheese. Watch your fingers and knuckles though, as the cauliflower pieces get smaller, you don't want to grate your fingers!
How to make Mexican cauliflower rice
You will usually see cauliflower rice cooked on the stove, but I have found through extensive testing, that the cauliflower rice achieves a better texture and is more flavorful when roasted in the oven.
Try it in this recipe, I promise you'll be a fan! Simply follow these 4 steps to create the perfect Mexican Cauliflower Rice recipe at home.
- Toss riced cauliflower with finely diced onions, minced garlic, minced jalapenos and olive oil.
- Season with salt, chili powder and cumin, then toss everything together and spread the cauliflower rice out evenly on a rimmed baking sheet.
- Roast in the oven at 425°F for 25 minutes.
- Remove the cauliflower rice and stir in diced tomatoes, fresh chopped cilantro and fresh squeezed lime juice.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this recipe spicy? It does have a little kick to it, but you can easily tone it down by cutting down on the jalapenos, or omitting them altogether and cutting the amount of chili powder in half.
- How much cauliflower rice does this recipe make? This recipe will make approximately 2 cups of cauliflower rice. I like to double the recipe so I can make multiple bowls with it throughout the week.
- Quick Tip! It's easy to double, triple or quadruple the recipe using the recipe card below. Simply hover over the serving number and you'll see a slider pop up, where you can change the serving size to 8 to double the recipe, or 12 to triple the recipe. Once you've changed the serving size, the recipe card will update the amount of ingredients needed to make the recipe. Pretty cool, right?!
- How long will this cauliflower rice last in the refrigerator? Cooked Mexican cauliflower rice will last in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Can I freeze this recipe? Yes, however I do recommend freezing it without the tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice that are added at the end. To reheat this recipe, simply toss the frozen Mexican cauliflower rice in a skillet on the stove for about 5 minutes, then stir in the fresh diced tomatoes, cilantro and lime juice.
- How many carbs are in traditional restaurant style Mexican Rice vs. Mexican Cauliflower Rice? There are 22 net carbs in ½ cup traditional Mexican rice made with long grain white rice. There are 6 net carbs in ½ cup Mexican cauliflower rice. This means, you're reducing your carb intake by 16 carbs per serving when you ditch traditional Mexican rice for cauliflower rice!
- Do I need to thaw frozen riced cauliflower to make this recipe? No, you do not need to thaw frozen riced cauliflower before making this recipe. Simply toss it with the other veggies and seasonings and roast it according to the recipe instructions.
- Where can I buy riced cauliflower? Most major grocery stores now sell fresh riced cauliflower in bags near the produce section or frozen riced cauliflower in the freezer aisles. Trader Joe's, Aldi and Sprouts all sell their own brands of affordable riced cauliflower, found in the freezer at each store.
How to serve it
Mexican style cauliflower rice is the perfect low-carb substitute for traditional Mexican rice. It's delicious as a side dish with Mexican food or the perfect base for any Mexican style bowl! Try it as a side dish with these low carb Mexican recipes for Mini Pepper Nachos or Low Carb Enchiladas with Zucchini.
To turn it into a bowl, simply top the rice with black beans and guacamole for an easy Vegan bowl. Or add shredded rotisserie chicken and cheese for an easy low carb chicken and rice bowl. I also highly recommend trying it as the base in these delicious bowl recipes instead of using rice or quinoa!
- Low Carb Steak Burrito Bowl
- Vegetarian Enchilada Bowls
- Chipotle Cauliflower Vegan Taco Bowl
- Mexican Roasted Delicata Squash Bowl
- Sweet Potato Vegan Burrito Bowl
- Tex Mex Egg Roll In A Bowl
- Elote Bowl
- Chipotle Taco Bowl with Tofu Taco Crumbles
- Low Carb Spicy Fish Taco Bowls
Recipe
Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 12 oz fresh or frozen riced cauliflower see notes below for how to rice cauliflower
- ½ cup onion finely diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 jalapeno seeded & minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ tomato diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- 2 teaspoon lime juice freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Toss the riced cauliflower with the onion, garlic, jalapeno and olive oil.
- Season with the salt, chili powder and cumin.
- Place on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and into the oven.
- Roast in the oven for 25 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the tomato, cilantro and lime juice.
Notes
- Twelve ounces of cauliflower rice = 1 ½ cups cauliflower rice
- To double or triple the recipe, hover over the number "4" next to the servings above and use the slider to change it to 8 servings to double the recipe, or 16 servings to triple the recipe.
- To make your own cauliflower rice at home using a food processor, follow the four steps below.
- Remove the stems and leaves from a head of cauliflower.
- Chop the cauliflower into large pieces.
- Place the large chunks of cauliflower in a food processor.
- Pulse in the food processor for 15-20 seconds or until the cauliflower is the consistency of rice. Be sure not to pulse too long or the cauliflower will turn into mush.
Comments
No Comments