20-Minute Cauliflower Spanish Rice - Wholesomelicious (2024)

Jan 13

The perfect compliment to your Mexican side dishes! This Cauliflower Spanish Rice is full of flavor and super easy to make! Such a great and healthy alternative to rice, and one that is packed with nutrients. Only 10 minutes of prep time and 10 minutes of cook time, with 20 minutes total! This easy recipe is low-carb, Keto friendly, Paleo, and Whole30 compatible.

Why Cauliflower Spanish Rice?

As a nutritionist, I am always looking for ways to add in more fiber for digestive health. Cauliflower Spanish Rice is basically checking all of these boxes for me: flavor, nutrition, ease, and texture!

Spanish rice will forever have a place in my heart as my most favorite food as a child. Kind of weird, right? I use to devour by the bowl full. Forget the beans. I just wanted the rice.

Now as an adult who doesn’t eat grains very often, I make a lot of my favorite rice flavors into cauliflower rice recipes! A few of my favorites include:

• Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
• Cauliflower Rice Tabbouleh
• Hibachi Steak Bowls with Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Coconut Lime Cauliflower Rice

How to Make Cauliflower Spanish Rice

This cauliflower rice comes together with a few simple ingredients:

• Cauliflower (duh)
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cumin
• Salt
• Tomato paste
• Vegetable or chicken broth
• Add in some additional fresh cilantro and lime for an even tastier treat!

1. We start by chopping up the cauliflower into florets and discarding the base. This will make the pulsing in a food processor so much easier!
2. Next, pulse in a blender or a food processor. And by pulse, PULSE!!! If you keep the blender on, you may end up with mush. In my Vitamix, it only requires a few pulses (3-5). A food processor is actually better to use for pulsing cauliflower. Either way, you will most likely need to do this in a few batches! Stop when you get that “rice” like texture.
3. Now we work on the saute portion. Heat a large skillet to medium heat, then add oil, onion, and garlic. Saute for a total of 4-5 minutes. Then we add in the riced cauliflower and let it saute for another 5 minutes. Let it soften and get the onion flavor. Stir in cumin, salt, tomato paste, and broth. Give it a nice stir and cover. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. It should be ready to devour when the rice is softened and the flavor has been evenly distributed.

Can I use already riced cauliflower?

Absolutely!! I do this sometimes when I’m lazy. Most stores actually have already riced cauliflower in the produce section. Or you can also buy in the frozen section. Trader Joe’s sells the organic cauliflower rice frozen at $2!!! This will alter the cooking time a bit, and release more water. So you won’t need as much broth, if any at all.

I prefer to pulse my own cauliflower, mainly because a large head of cauliflower produces more rice then I can get in the frozen section. You could even buy pre-cut cauliflower florets. If you go with pre-made, you will most likely need 2 bags of the frozen!

Serving

Squeeze a little lime juice and add some cilantro for a more fantastic flavor! Taco Tuesday is going to be so much better with the addition of this rice. It’s perfect to just add in a protein, and toppings for a complete meal!

I love making this easy Spanish cauliflower rice for meal prep and keeping it in the fridge all week long. It is the perfect addition to burritos, enchiladas, stir fries, and so much more!

Here are a few of my favorite recipes to serve over my Cauliflower Spanish Rice:

My Instant Pot Chicken Tinga or Sheet Pan Chipotle Steak Fajitas would be great main dish to serve with this cauliflower rice. Slow Cooker or Instant Pot Creamy Southwest Chicken or Sheet Pan Shrimp Tacos would also be so delicious!

Variations

This recipe is an easy and delicious gluten-free option that is the perfect base for so many meals! Plus, you can change it up any way you would like. It would be great with some diced pepper added in, and you can change up the spices based on what you have on hand.

If you make this with regular rice, you could use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. Because rice absorbs more moisture than cauliflower, the tomato sauce would be a great way to infuse the flavor even more.

Storing and Reheating

Once you make this dish, you can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator and it will keep for an additional few days. It was Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.

You can also store this Spanish cauliflower rice recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Be sure to rate the recipe below and comment if you make it! Also, tag me onInstagram@wholesomelicious with your creations. I love to see them!