Spanish Cauliflower Rice Recipe

This Keto Spanish Cauliflower Rice recipe was a necessity in my kitchen. We love Mexican food. So, it would have been hard to pass up the thing that accompanies almost every meal. Fortunately, this Mexican Cauliflower Rice is delicious and only takes a few minutes and ingredients. Use it as part of meal prep with a range of dishes from the site, including fajita vegetables, chicken breast, and seared shrimp to make a complete meal.

Why Make Keto Spanish Rice

There are so many reasons to love this Spanish Cauliflower Rice recipe. Here are my top few:

Low Carb and Keto Diet Option

Mexican inspired meals are a family favorite in my house. We love making burrito bowls. But, there is one major problem with most burrito bowl recipes: the rice (regardless of if it’s white or brown rice). 

Just one cup of real rice has between 45 and 53 grams of carbs. And, for most people on keto, that’s more than double the day’s allowance.

By replacing regular rice with fresh cauliflower rice, you keep your taste buds happy and stay low-carb with this great alternative. That said, this perfect side will become one of, if not, your favorite easy cauliflower rice recipe.

Easy Recipe

This Easy Spanish Cauliflower recipe is so delicious, and its simple ingredients makes this low carb side dish a pleasure to make.

Ingredients Needed

Making Easy Spanish Cauliflower Rice can include lots of ingredients. In fact, when I first shared this recipe, it included things like chopped green bell pepper, red peppers, jalapeno peppers, yellow onion or green onions, fresh garlic, diced tomatoes, and lime juice. 

However, having made this several times, I’ve realized a few shortcuts that make this dish under 6 main ingredients.

For example, you can substitute all of the fresh ingredients above for Pico De Gallo or Catina Style Salsa from your favorite grocery stores.

Besides that, the basic recipe includes:

• Taco Seasoning: I’m using a homemade spice mix, but you can use your favorite option from the store.
• Sea Salt & Black pepper
• Cauliflower Rice: I’m using pre-riced cauliflower, but if you prefer, you could use a head of cauliflower to shave your own cauliflower rice with a cheese grater or box grater.
• Tomato Paste: this has a more concentrated tomato flavor compared to tomato sauce.
• Cumin

You can get the full list of ingredient amounts and instructions from the full recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Spanish Cauliflower Rice

If you have made Spanish rice in the past, you know it can take quite a bit of time. Mainly, you’re waiting on the rice to cook. 

The process of making Spanish rice with cauliflower rice is very similar. But, it is faster because cauliflower rice cooks quickly.

This recipe has three easy steps:

1. Heat your cauliflower rice and olive oil in a nonstick skillet or pan
2. If your rice is frozen, you simply heat it until the rice is defrosted
3. Add the spices and salsa to the pan and cook until the rice is tender and the liquids clear.

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

Riced Cauliflower: Fresh or Frozen

Cauliflower rice is much easier to find today than it was several years ago. At a lot of stores, you can find it in the refrigerated section or the frozen food section. 

In this recipe, I’ve tried fresh and frozen cauliflower rice. To me, using frozen works best since I don’t have to worry about it expiring if my plans change for the week.

If you’re using frozen rice: there is no need to defrost the rice ahead of time since it will thaw quickly in the hot pan. 

Storage & Leftovers

If you have any leftover Spanish-style cauliflower rice, the best way to store it is in an airtight container for 3-4 days (up to 5 days max).

What to Serve with Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Spanish cauliflower rice is filling and it goes great with a lot of recipes to help fill them out a bit more. Some suggestions you could try include:

• Whole30 Shrimp 
• Air Fryer Salmon
• Indoor Grilled Chicken Kabobs 
• Keto Chicken Breast recipe
• Pressure Cooker Roast

Other Cauliflower Rice Recipes

If you love rice recipes and want to keep keto, check out some of my other favorite recipes that use cauliflower rice instead of white rice:

• Cauliflower Rice Risotto
• Keto Jambalaya
• Cheesy Cauliflower Grits
• Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
• Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

If you try this recipe, please stop back and leave it a star rating and/or a review in the comments. Stay connected & share photos of your creations with me & others on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!