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Real Balanced

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Home Recipes Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Net Carbs:7.6g
Published:05/04/23Updated:05/07/23
5 Comments This post contains affiliate links.
Jump to Recipe·★★★★★5 from 5 reviews
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This Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice is a delicious, flavorful, and low-carb side dish that is made quickly and easily with straightforward ingredients.

Make this side dish and serve it alongside Pollo Asado or Green Chile Chicken.

A bowl of cilantro lime cauliflower rice.

Cauliflower rice is a constant in my kitchen. Along with this one, we love these other cauliflower rice recipes: Cauliflower Risotto, Creamy Ground Beef And Cauliflower Rice Skillet, and Meal Prep Tuscan Chicken.

If Chipotle cauliflower rice is a favorite of yours, you’ll love this copycat recipe!

This dish is simple to prepare, features fresh ingredients, and yields a delicious side dish that can be paired with your favorite main dishes.

A bowl of cilantro lime cauliflower rice with a spoon.

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Jump To... hide
💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make this cilantro lime cauliflower rice recipe
👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions
✨ Variations
〰️ How to serve
➜ Cooking and recipe tips
💬 FAQs
📚 More cauliflower recipes
🍽 Recipe

💛 Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Made in only 20 minutes.
  • Naturally low-carb, keto-friendly, gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo-compliant.
  • Simple ingredients that are easily accessible at most grocery stores.
  • A healthy vegetable side dish that’s full of nutrients.
  • High in fiber, vitamin C, and potassium.

➡️ Ingredients

Labeled ingredients needed to make cilantro lime cauliflower rice.

⏲ How to make this cilantro lime cauliflower rice recipe

This is an overview of the recipe’s instructions. The full instructions can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

  • Pulse Cauliflower: To a food processor, add cauliflower florets and pulse until riced. (Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to divide the florets into 2 batches.) Set aside.
  • Saute Onion And Jalapeño: In a hot, oiled large skillet over medium heat, add in your chopped onion and, optionally, jalapeño and cook until those have softened, which should take about 5 minutes.
  • Add Minced Garlic: Then, add in some minced garlic and stir until that’s fragrant, which should take about 30-60 seconds.
  • Cook Cauliflower Rice: Increase the stovetop heat to high, add in the cauliflower rice, half of your cilantro, chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and stir until combined. Cook that on high heat for 1 minute.
  • Final Steps And Serve: Remove the pan from the stovetop heat, stir in the remaining chopped cilantro leaves, lime zest, and lime juice, then serve.
The step-by-step process of how to make cilantro lime cauliflower rice.
The final steps for how to make cilantro lime cauliflower rice.

👉 Ingredient substitution suggestions

  • Cauliflower: Use store-bought pre-packaged fresh or frozen cauliflower rice. Note that if you use frozen cauliflower rice, it’ll be a little mushier.
  • Avocado Oil: Olive oil can be subbed here.
  • White Onion: Use yellow onion or shallots.
  • Minced Garlic: Finely chop up 3-4 garlic cloves to yield the 1 Tablespoon minced garlic that you’ll need for this recipe. Alternatively, use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder; if you go this route, only allow the garlic powder to saute in the pan for about 20-30 seconds to avoid burning.
  • Low-Sodium Chicken Broth: Use vegetable broth to make this recipe vegetarian-friendly and vegan. You can also use chicken stock, beef broth, or beef stock. If you don’t have low-sodium or unsalted broth, omit the added salt from the recipe, taste the dish before serving, and, if needed, stir in a little added salt.

✨ Variations

  • If you don’t like the flavor of cilantro, use roughly chopped fresh parsley or fresh chives.
  • Sprinkle in a little ground cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, and/or cumin for added flavor. Add these in when you add the minced garlic.

〰️ How to serve

  • Use as a base for a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl with pollo asado, black beans, corn, salsa, guacamole, fresh cilantro, and sour cream.
  • Scoop some into a burrito.
  • Serve as a veggie side dish at your taco bar, with fajitas, or carne asada.
  • Plate alongside green chile chicken, air fryer chicken fried steak, coconut curry meatballs, or vegan butter chicken.

➜ Cooking and recipe tips

  • Use a box grater instead of a food processor, if needed. If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. Use a box grater and carefully grate the cauliflower until riced.
  • You can use the stems and the leaves from the cilantro. The stems are edible and add a lot of flavor.
  • Avoid soggy cauliflower rice. Cook on high heat, don’t overcook the cauliflower, and don’t cover the dish with a lid while it’s cooking. Cooking it on high heat will ensure excess moisture will be drawn out. Cooking it too long will yield soggy cauliflower rice. Covering the dish with a lid while it cooks will lead to it steaming and the rice will be watery.

💬 FAQs

Can I make cilantro lime cauliflower rice with frozen cauliflower rice?

Yes, instead of pulsing the cauliflower florets in a food processor, you can use pre-riced frozen cauliflower rice. I like the steamable frozen cauliflower rice from Green Giant. Note that the cauliflower rice in the resulting dish will be a little mushier.

How should cilantro lime cauliflower rice be stored?

Store the cauliflower rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How do I reheat cilantro lime cauliflower rice?

Reheat leftover cilantro lime cauliflower rice in a large skillet on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave in 30-second increments until warmed throughout.

📚 More cauliflower recipes

  • Mexican Cauliflower Rice
  • Keto Loaded Cauliflower Salad
  • Buttery Whole Roasted Cauliflower
  • Roasted Garlic Goat Cheese Mashed Cauliflower
  • Cauliflower Risotto
  • Meal Prep Saucy Salmon With Parsley Cauliflower Rice

🍽 Recipe

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A bowl of cilantro lime cauliflower rice.

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice


★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

  • Author: Sara Nelson
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

This Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice is a delicious, flavorful, and low-carb side dish that is made quickly and easily with straightforward ingredients.


Ingredients

  • 1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
  • 2 Tablespoons (30 milliliters) avocado oil
  • 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
  • 1 small jalapeño, de-seeded, finely chopped (optional)
  • 1 Tablespoon (15 grams) minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, divided
  • 2 Tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth for vegetarian and vegan)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 lime, zested then juiced


Instructions

  1. Pulse Cauliflower: To a food processor, add cauliflower florets and pulse until riced. (Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to divide the florets into 2 batches.) Set aside.
  2. Saute Onion And Jalapeño: In a large pan over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add in onion and, optionally, jalapeño and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
  3. Add Minced Garlic: Add in minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
  4. Cook Cauliflower Rice: Increase stovetop heat to high, add in cauliflower rice, half of the cilantro, chicken broth, salt, and pepper, and stir until combined. Cook on high heat for 1 minute.
  5. Final Steps And Serve: Remove pan from heat, then stir in remaining cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.

Keywords: cilantro lime cauliflower rice, cilantro cauliflower rice, chipotle cauliflower rice

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5 Comments

  1. Elizabeth S says

    May 10, 2023 at 2:43 pm

    This was so good. I always crave cilantro lime rice (can’t have it anymore) but never thought to use cauliflower. Will make this again, it was perfect.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  2. Addison says

    May 10, 2023 at 12:47 pm

    This was great. Perfect addition to a burrito bowl!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  3. Shelby says

    May 10, 2023 at 12:26 pm

    This lime rice was such a nice switch up from our usual. Paired it with jerk chicken and it was perfection.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  4. Lindsey says

    May 10, 2023 at 12:20 pm

    Loved this cauli rice recipe!!! The flavors were fabulous and no one, not even my husband, missed the rice. 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
  5. Kris says

    May 10, 2023 at 11:40 am

    This had the perfect amount of lime and cilantro. Will be on regular rotation!!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

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My name is Sara Nelson, and I am the face behind Real Balanced. I am a Mom to two and a proud Wisconsinite. Here, you will find easy and delicious tried-and-true recipes that can often be made in minimal time. Read More
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