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.
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.
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💛 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
⏲ 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.
👉 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
- Burritos: Use as a base for a copycat Chipotle burrito bowl with pollo asado, black beans, corn, salsa, guacamole, fresh cilantro, and sour cream. You can also scoop some into a burrito.
- Chicken: Plate alongside green chile chicken, air fryer chicken fried steak, Chinese bourbon chicken, or Crock Pot chicken verde with potatoes.
- Savory Dishes: Serve with vegan butter chicken or coconut curry Thai turkey meatballs.
➜ 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
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Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of cauliflower, chopped into florets
- 2 Tablespoons 30 milliliters avocado oil
- ½ medium white onion, chopped
- 1 small jalapeño, de-seeded, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon 15 grams minced garlic
- ½ cup finely chopped cilantro, divided
- 2 Tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth, or vegetable broth for vegetarian and vegan
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 lime, zested then juiced
Instructions
- 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 large pan over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add in onion and, optionally, jalapeño and cook until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add Minced Garlic: Add in minced garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds.
- 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.
- Final Steps And Serve: Remove pan from heat, then stir in remaining cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.
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