Recipe

This simple Spanish Cauliflower Rice recipe is a low carb alternative and keto-friendly.

Hands down, this will be the best Spanish cauliflower rice you'll make. Yes, I'm confident that with this easy recipe, you'll continue to eat low-carb and healthy all at once without missing grains or classic flavors.

plate of spanish cauliflower rice, topped with fried egg sliced avocado, and limes

Best Spanish Cauliflower Rice

Laura fuentes holding a skillet of food standing in front of a blue door

What sets this simple Spanish-style cauliflower rice apart from other recipes is that it's full of authentic flavors: I'm from Spain and can attest to this.

Whether you make the "rice" from a head of cauliflower or use a store-bought bag, it will become a staple in your low-carb meal planning quite often.

Ingredients

This recipe can be made with store-bought or homemade cauliflower rice, which you’ll sauté with olive oil. The incredible Spanish flavor comes from adding onions, garlic, cumin, paprika, salt, tomato paste (and water to dissolve it), lime, and fresh cilantro.

Fresh or Frozen Cauli Rice?

You can use fresh or frozen cauliflower rice; just note that if you’re using frozen, be sure to thaw it first and ring out some of the water by placing the thawed cauli rice on a clean kitchen towel and ringing out the excess water. Frozen rice has more moisture than raw rice, so you may not need as much (or any) water to help dissolve the tomato paste.

How To Make Spanish Cauliflower Rice

As I’ll show you in the video recipe below, this side comes together super quick. Here’s how:

Cook the onion.
Sauté the onion, add the garlic, and cook for a few extra minutes.
Cook the riced cauliflower.
Add the cauliflower rice to the same skillet and cook. Pour the seasonings into the skillet and stir to cook.
Add the tomato paste.
Once the cauliflower rice has started to soften, add the tomato paste and water and stir. Once it’s combined and mixed well, serve with fresh cilantro and lime on top.

Another method to do this would be to mix everything in a bowl and roast it following the method in this Roasted Cauliflower Rice Recipe since the oven brings out the caramelized flavors of the cauliflower.

What to Serve with Cauliflower Spanish Rice

I love to serve this side with a fried egg on top or pair it with oven-baked chicken thighs, Hawaiian pineapple pork tacos, pan-seared chicken cubes, or roasted parsnips.

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Spanish Cauliflower Rice

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 10

This simple Spanish Cauliflower Rice recipe is a low carb alternative and keto-friendly.

5 from 24 votes

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Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, riced or
16 oz bag riced cauliflower
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup onion, diced
3 cloves garlic , minced
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¼ cup water*
1 lime, divided
Fresh cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

If using a head of cauliflower, rice it first.
Heat up a large skillet to medium heat, once hot, heat up the oil. Add the onion and saute for 3 minutes, until softened, then add garlic and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
To the skillet, add the cauliflower rice and stir to combine with the onions and garlic. Add the cumin, paprika, and salt, and stir to combine the seasoning with the cauliflower rice while it cooks.
Once the cauliflower rice has begun to soften, about 4 to 5 minutes in, add the tomato paste and water, and stir to combine. Once the mixture has heated through and incorporated into the rice, turn off the heat. Squeeze half a lime and mix to incorporate it into the cauliflower rice.
Serve hot garnished with additional cilantro and a slice of lime.

Notes

If using frozen cauliflower rice, thaw it first and ring out some of the water with a kitchen towel. Since frozen rice has more moisture than raw cauliflower rice, you might not need as much (or any) water to dissolve the tomato paste.

The nutritional information below is listed for the Spanish Cauliflower Rice recipe only. Any additional toppings or sides will change what’s listed below.

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