Low carb & paleo friendly Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice – make it in 20 minutes or less for a healthy & filling side dish! Gluten Free + Whole30 + Vegan
Where do you sit on the whole cauliflower rice thing? Are you pro or against?
I’ve come to learn that people on the internet have very strong opinions when it comes to vegetables imitating grains. Like….aggressively so. And I get it! I really do! Sometimes you just need a bowl of carb-y, delicious pasta or rice to get you through the day.
I’m not going to say that zoodles have no detectable differences from actual spaghetti and cauliflower rice is the exact same as rice. But really – you’re missing out on a whole lot of delicious tasting foods if you’re not on board!
Foods that are
✔️Delicious
✔️Filling
✔️Healthy
✔️Versatile
✔️& EASY
And if that isn’t enough to convince you that’s cool – more lasagna spirals for me!
How to Make: Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
This recipe is pretty simple requiring just 10 ingredients.
You start off with a full head of cauliflower which you’ll need to make into a more rice-like texture. You can do this a couple different ways:
- Cut the head into florets and then pulse in a blender or food processor a couple of seconds at a time. If you do this in a blender you may need to work in batches.
- If you don’t own a blender/food processor you can use a box grater and grate the cauliflower using the large holes normally used to grate cheese.
From this point on it’s an easy process – just sauté your onion, garlic and jalapeño until soft. Stir in the cauliflower and then mix in some vegetable stock for added flavour along with the cilantro & lime. Im getting hungry again just thinking about it!
The whole thing takes 20 minutes at most to make and makes for a perfect side dish!
If you’re on the lookout for Whole30 meal ideas this would be a great side to my Coconut Lime Chicken or Taco Stuffed Peppers.
For a couple of meatless options you could serve this alongside my Sweet Potato Enchiladas/Enchilada Casserole.
Whatever way you have it – I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Low carb & paleo friendly Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice - make it in 20 minutes or less for a healthy & filling side dish! Gluten Free + Whole30 + Vegan
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup white onion, chopped
- 1 large clove garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 green jalapeño deseeded & chopped (optional)
- 3 cups riced cauliflower (about 1 medium head)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or as needed)
- zest from 1/2 lime
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped and divided
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet. When the oil is hot add the onions and sauté for 4-5 minutes on a medium heat or until they become soft and translucent.
- Add the garlic jalapeño and cook for a minute until the garlic becomes fragrant. Stir the whole time.
- Add the cauliflower to the skillet. Stir to mix everything together well.
- Stir in the vegetable stock, about half the cilantro salt and zest. Turn the heat up to high and cook for another minute. The high heat will draw out excess moisture in the cauliflower so it doesn't get too mushy. Lower the heat again and add the lime juice. Mix in to the rice well.
- Taste and season with more salt as needed. Stir in the remaining cilantro. Serve warm and enjoy!
Notes
Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-4 days.
MGR says
Great recipe! Served with enchiladas. Used frozen riced cauliflower [same measurements] and let it sit longer on med-high heat to reduce the water. Cooking longer helped the texture [since frozen]. The jalapeño + lime is a nice combo!
Sarah Nevins says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for coming back to let me know what you thought 🙂
Jasmine says
coooking this for the second night in a row — it was great with some Skinny taste fast Cuban black beans.
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it – love the combo with the black beans too!
Jennifer Decker says
FIVE STARS
The BEST cilantro lime cauliflower rice recipe. I personally like this better than using actual rice.
Sarah Nevins says
Thank you so much, Jennifer! I’m so pleased to hear you’ve enjoyed it so much 🙂
Tanya Kotze says
This is a winner! Divine and easy to make. My family had sphagetti and I had Coilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the pasta at all, in fact they were eating the cauliflower as well. I am going to make this a every week meal in my home going forward.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Tanya! That’s so great to hear 🙂 Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know what you thought!
Maggie says
This was so good!!! Thank u!!! My faith in cauliflower rice is restored. I didn’t know how to fix that frozen little bag- this is a game changer!!!
Sarah Nevins says
Yay! That makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad you were able to enjoy your cauli rice 🙂
Corine says
I made this last night and it was so delicious! I omitted the jalapeño. Next time, I will add it. This dish will definitely be made again in our house. Super simple and quick once you have your ingredients prepped. Thank you for a great side dish!
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Corine! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂