This easy Keto Mexican Cauliflower Rice is a great low carb side dish that goes great with any fiesta themed meal! Made with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and spices, you're going to love this healthy dish!
We hate to sound spoiled by modern conveniences, but what would we do without cauliflower rice? So many cultures around the world serve their cuisine with a side of rice, or rice as the main ingredient itself. Going Keto and inherently grain-free could close a lot of doors in the way of variety, so in our opinion cauliflower rice is golden. Our newest creation is this easy Mexican Cauliflower Rice and we can't wait for you to try it!
The best part is cauliflower rice, or riced cauliflower is more readily available now than it has ever been. When the paleo diet started to take off, we saw a recipe for cauliflower rice and gave it a try. We started off by dropping a whole head of cauliflower in a blender and ended up making more of a puree than anything resembling rice. Trader Joe’s was the first grocery store we saw to carry cauliflower rice and actually finding it in stores was like locating the Ark of the Covenant or the Holy Grail (cue the Indiana Jones theme music!). Now, cauliflower rice is available both frozen and fresh in just about every grocery store across America.
Cauliflower is also super nutritious. When you think of vitamin C, you probably think of oranges, but cauliflower is absolutely packed with vitamin C and K. It is also a great source of antioxidants and fiber. Cauliflower is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family's along with broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.
Check out the links below for more information on the amazing health benefits of cauliflower:
- 28 Science-Baked Health Benefits of Cauliflower
- Top 8 Health Benefits of Cauliflower
- Worlds Healthiest Foods - Cauliflower
Let's chat specifics on how to make this Mexican Cauliflower Rice!
What ingredients are in Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- oil (we use avocado oil)
- onion (we use a white onion here)
- garlic
- chili powder
- cumin
- cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen)
- Rotel
- salt
- cilantro
- lime
- jalapeño
- avocado
- sour cream - dairy-free or regular
How to make Keto Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Heat the oil in a 10" or larger cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add in the onion and garlic, cooking 1 minute just until starting to soften. Add in the spices and cook, stirring, another 15-30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in the cauliflower rice, stir to combine and cook another 3-5 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated.
- Add in the Rotel and stir, cook another minute or so. Season with salt to taste and top with any desired toppings before serving.
How to rice cauliflower
If you don't have already riced cauliflower on hand you can easily make your own. While it may be a bit of a mess, you'll have fluffy cauliflower rice in no time. There are a few ways to make cauliflower rice at home:
Blender - did you see our mention of using a blender above and how we made mashed cauliflower instead of cauliflower rice? Yeah, don't do what we did the first time we tried this method many moons ago and set the blender on high and walk away. No, you'll want to work a little at a time, about 2 cups of florets, and pulse the blender in short bursts until you have what resembles rice. Dump that out into a bowl and repeat with your remaining cauliflower.
Food Processor - same idea as above with the blender. If you have a fancy food processor it may have even come with a ricer attachment. If so, use that!
Box Grater - this is our personal favorite way to make cauliflower rice at home when we're out of our trusty frozen cauliflower rice. Using a box grater is simple, just use the large hole side and grate the cauliflower over a bowl.
Removing excess moisture - to remove the excess moisture from the "rice" simply give it a squeeze with your hands or wrap it up in a clean tea towel or nut milk bag and squeeze out the excess water.
Using frozen cauliflower rice
This is by far the easiest way to have cauliflower rice on hand and our go-to for every recipe you'll find on Cast Iron Keto that uses cauliflower rice. There's no need to thaw the rice, just add it straight to the skillet and cook while breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon.
What to serve with Mexican Cauliflower Rice
This recipe goes great with any Mexican inspired dinner. Here are some of our go-to's:
- Chicken Stuffed Poblano Peppers
- Chicken Tinga Recipe [authentic + GF/low-carb/keto]
- Keto Enchilada Meatball Skillet
- Salsa Chicken Bake (3 ingredients)
- Keto Nachos
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
How to store leftover cauliflower rice
Refrigerator - store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Freezer - store in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Reheat on the stovetop until fluffy.
What is the nutritional information?
As always, you can find the full nutritional breakdown including the carb count (total carbs and net carbs) at the bottom of the recipe card. You can find the serving size/yield at the top of the recipe card. You should always double-check your specific ingredients as different brand’s ingredients may have different values.
To get a specific serving size you’ll want to weigh the final dish then divide by the number of servings. We can’t provide this information as your cooking style will vary from ours as well as the brand ingredients you choose to use.
Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ cup minced onion
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 24 ounces cauliflower rice we use frozen Trader Joe’s
- 1 14.5 oz can Rotel
- Salt to taste
Optional Toppings:
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Jalapeño sliced
- Avocado diced or sliced
- Sour cream dairy-free if desired
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a 10" or larger cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot add in the onion and garlic, cooking 1 minute just until starting to soften. Add in the spices and cook, stirring, another 15-30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add in the cauliflower rice, stir to combine and cook another 3-5 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated.
- Add in the Rotel and stir, cook another minute or so. Season with salt to taste and top with any desired toppings before serving.
Crystal Matula says
Making this tonight topped with carnitas.
evy says
Yummmmmm! Loved this ♥️ I put all the ingredients for the bread part into my mixer instead of doing the melted cheese thing. I added some more almond flour as the dough was a bit too wet. SO GOOD!!!! Great recipe!
Trish says
This is the best! I made this for fajita night. You're recipes are saving my keto diet. After 18 months the food was getting boring.
Brianna says
This was so good, I made it into healthier burrito bowls with some taco ranch chicken I did in the Crock-Pot! It was amazing and just what I needed to curb my Mexican cravings!
Susan Gravina says
This rice is fantastic!! My first attempt at any cauliflower rice. This has made me a believer! It's super tasty. I've loved every recipe I've tried from your site. Thank you!!!
Lisa says
That looks delicious!