Spanish Riced Cauliflower
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Give this low carb Spanish Riced Cauliflower side dish a whirl if you miss the traditional Mexican side.
Is it exactly the same as Spanish Rice? Nope. But is it a tasty low carb alternative? Absolutely.
The secret ingredient keeps this rice low carb and doesn’t add any of the mushiness of my former attempts at making this side dish for taco night.
It’s flavorful and nice and has a chewy mouth feel…just like Mexican Cauliflower Rice should.

Ingredients:
- 1 lb Cauliflower Riced – frozen or fresh.
Frozen is easiest because it’s ready to go.
- 1½ tbsp butter
You can use olive oil if you prefer but butter really is best in this recipe.
- 2 tsp Tomato Bullion
This is the secret ingredient. It has big tomato flavor without adding extra water or carbs to this dish
This is the brand that we use for any dish that needs an extra tomato kick. Seriously…if you are a low carb lifer you should pick some of this up.
- ½ tsp cumin powder
The cumin is a really important flavor in this riced cauliflower.
I have been told that you are only supposed to use cumin in meat if you are cooking in the traditional Mexican manner. But, I am breaking the rule in this side dish because it NEEDS this flavor.
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
You can use fresh garlic in this dish but don’t over do it. The cauliflower has a habit of really picking up any flavor you add to it.
With that being said..you are the boss of your flavors. Just add with caution and taste everything.
- ½ tsp Allulose or preferred sweetener
I know, I know, this sounds weird. But the tiny bit of sweetness makes this dish special and kills that last bit of pesky cauliflower flavor.
Optional
- pinch Red Pepper Flakes for an extra kick
- chives
- cilantro
How to make the Cauliflower Spanish Rice:
- Melt the butter in a frying pan on med/high heat. Spread riced cauliflower evenly across the pan and sprinkle all of the spices over the top.
Flip the rice with a spatula and stir until the spices are incorporated and you have a uniform result.
- Taste for seasoning and serve hot. Keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Yep, that really is all there is to this recipe. See, it really is easy.
Tips & FAQ’s
Can I make this dish ahead of time?
Yes! The flavor improves in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Can I freeze the Spanish Riced Cauliflower?
Yes. But it so quick to make that I doubt anyone is going to need to do this.
What can I serve this Cauliflower Rice with?
I’m so glad you asked lol. I love Mexican food and we have a lot of recipes that have been low carbized…..
- Chicken Tinga
- Pork Carnitas
- Tamales
- with Grilled Avocados
- in Breakfast Burritos
- an add-in for Beef Chili
I hope you love this version of Spanish Cauliflower Rice as much as we do!
It’s been a week long Fiesta over here at Castle in the Mountains. And this recipe was perfect with the Chicken Tinga Tacos.
As always, if you have any questions or just want to say hi, please leave a comment below!
¡Hasta luego!
Spanish Cauliflower Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Cauliflower Riced – frozen or fresh. Frozen is easiest because it's ready to go.
- 1½ tbsp butter
- 2 tsp Tomato Bullion
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp Allulose or preferred sweetener
Optional
- pinch Red Pepper Flakes for an extra kick
- chives
- cilantro
Instructions
- Melt butter in a frying pan on med/high heat. Spread riced caluliflower evenly across the pan and sprinkle all of the spices over the top. Flip the rice with a spatula and stir until the spices are incorporated and you have a uniform result.
- Taste for seasoning and serve hot. Keeps in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information for the low carb Spanish Riced Cauliflower is provided as a courtesy.
We are pretty careful about our figures but if you ever feel like anything is off please feel free to do your own calculations.
Psst, new to Keto?
You can find a ton of great info and the answers to the most common Low Carb Eating questions in this Keto Tips Section.
Or…shoot Thom an email @ Thom@castleinthemountains.com and he’ll help you find the answers you’re looking for.
Cheers!
Hi Leanne! I know what you mean about the sweetener. It escaped my attention for a long time that the reason my tomato sauces tasted weird was the lack of sweetener. You can use tomato paste though. Maybe you could sub in some (dry) chicken bullion for that salty + flavor layer if you have it. The tomato bullion does include chicken bullion in the ingredients so a combo of the tomato paste and chicken bullion should give you that yummy Spanish rice flavor. If you make it, let me know how it turns out. Have a great day! Brenna
Hi Brenna, this sounds like an awesome recipe, I don’t have any of that tomato bullion seasoning on hand, I’m not even positive that I can get it, but I will try for future recipes. I’m wondering if I could use some tomato paste instead, I buy it in a tube so it’s easy to put a couple of squirts in to the cauliflower rice without adding a lot of carbs, what other ingredients could I add to replace the bullion? Perhaps salt, some dehydrated parsley, chives? Thank you! Also I always use a drop or two of liquid stevia to anything that I add tomato paste to ensure it’s not overly acidic, I didn’t know anyone else did that, I thought I was strange because I did that. Lol!