Mexican Cauliflower Rice [Keto Recipe]

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!

I 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 my 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, I saw a recipe for cauliflower rice and gave it a try. I 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 I 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. As one of my favorite authors, Mark Twain, once said, “A cauliflower is nothing but a cabbage with a college education.” I’m not sure what that means, but I also love cabbage, and there are just too many nutritional benefits of cauliflower to be ignored.

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

How to make Keto Mexican Cauliflower Rice

1. 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.
2. Add in the cauliflower rice, stir to combine and cook another 3-5 minutes until most of the moisture has evaporated.
3. 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 my mention of using a blender above and how I made mashed cauliflower instead of cauliflower rice? Yeah, don’t do what I did the first time I 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 my personal favorite way to make cauliflower rice at home when I’m out of my trusty frozen cauliflower rice. Using a box grate 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 and squeeze.

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

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!

4.5 from 8 votes

Print Rate Pin Recipe

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: keto mexican cauliflower rice, low carb mexican cauliflower rice

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Servings: 8

Calories: 60kcal

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 1/4 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

Toppings:

• 2 tablespoons minced cilantro
• 1 sliced lime
• 1 jalapeño sliced
• 1 avocado diced or sliced
• 6 tablespoons sour cream

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.

Notes

*Nutritional information does not include optional toppings.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Amount Per Serving

Calories 60 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Fat 4g6%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 5mg2%

Sodium 50mg2%

Potassium 298mg9%

Carbohydrates 6g2%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 2g4%

Vitamin A 353IU7%

Vitamin C 41mg50%

Calcium 34mg3%

Iron 1mg6%

*

Nutritional values are estimates only and do not include carbs from sugar alcohols.

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