7-Minute Cilantro Cauliflower Lime Rice

Who knew cilantro cauliflower lime rice can be so good and healthy? In only 7-minutes, this side dish is the perfect companion to your main meal that actually makes you want to eat your vegetables!

So long white rice… (I know, this is hard to write) and hello cilantro cauliflower lime rice! While white rice is a favorite in Filipino cooking, this is a great healthy alternative!

Very similar to the Chipotle cauliflower rice, this nutritious side dish is super flavorful with the fresh lime juice and zest combined with the different seasonings!

This cauliflower cilantro lime rice can easily pair with any type of cuisine (super yummy!) and make you feel good about yourself eating your vegetables!

This post will go over everything you need to know to create this cilantro cauliflower lime rice.

Recipe difficulty: Baby to beginner recipe
There are only 9 ingredients in this cauliflower lime rice (and that’s including salt and pepper folks..) that require very little prep! Furthermore, I’ll give tips below on using frozen cauliflower rice to save you some time or if you want to use that extra cauliflower in the refrigerator to make fresh rice!

Sam’s Pro Tips for this Cilantro Cauliflower Lime Rice

Fresh versus Frozen Cauliflower

• Frozen cauliflower rice or fresh? For a quicker option, I totally use frozen cauliflower rice and jazz it up! This saves a lot of prep work and allows me to make this recipe in 7 minutes easily. Once all the seasonings, lime juice, and cilantro is added, this cauliflower lime rice is delish! Plus, there is no need to thaw the rice!

• How can I make cauliflower rice using fresh cauliflower? If you have fresh cauliflower that you want to use, you’ll want to cut the florets off the stalk. The QUICKEST way to prep the florets is to use the grater blade in your food processor. If you don’t have the grater attachment blade, you could use the food processor to pulse the cauliflower a couple seconds at a time until that rice consistency is reached. The LAST RESORT is to manually grate the cauliflower using the hand-held grater. (Be careful with your fingers as this could hurt!)

Prevent Soggy Cauliflower Rice

• Less heat is better! So, what do I mean by this? A common complaint with frozen cauliflower rice if it’s not prepared right is it tastes soggy. Not good! The reason for this is that the rice was left on the heat for too long. Remember, less heat the better! Sauté the rice for 5-6 minutes with olive oil and it only needs another minute more for the delicious seasonings and lime juice to blend together.

Don’t Forget….

• Make sure to use a non-stick pan! I know this may sound like the simplest tip ever, but trust me, don’t forget! Unless you’re coating your stainless-steel pan with a high fat content like butter, don’t risk it! Using a non-stick pan makes it easier to toss the rice with the seasoning and cilantro, along with plating the cauliflower lime rice with your main dish!

Key Ingredients – Cilantro Cauliflower Lime Rice

Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:

Cauliflower

• Cauliflower rice: For this recipe, I used frozen cauliflower rice to get this pumped out in 7 minutes! You can use fresh cauliflower, but just adjust your prep time accordingly. Make sure to read my Tips section above for using fresh cauliflower!

Lime and Cilantro

• Lime juice and zest: The lime juice gives the perfect tart flavor to the cauliflower, but the SECRET SAUCE is the lime zest. By zesting one lime, you elevate the lime juice without making the rice too sour! Plus, the little green specks totally makes the cauliflower rice look put together!

• Cilantro: A ½ cup of chopped cilantro will be tossed in at the end! No need to make this perfect as a rough cut will still look beautiful in this dish!

Seasoning

• Olive oil: Coat the rice with olive oil to make all the flavor stick to the rice! I discuss this more in my Filipino Garlic Fried Rice Recipe, but the olive oil will be what binds all that flavor together and prevent the cauliflower rice from turning mushy!

• Garlic: Use two cloves of garlic to add to that incredible flavor! You can either press or mince the garlic, but it needs to be finely cut. I like to use a garlic press for this recipe.

• Cumin: Totally the best seasoning in this dish! The cumin gives a nice, earthy flavor to the cauliflower cilantro lime rice and should definitely not be skipped!

• Salt and pepper: Just the basics are used! Season to preference! I tend to go heavier with the pepper in my cauliflower.

More Variations to this Recipe

There are a few ways you can variate this cilantro cauliflower lime rice. Here’s how:

• Add an onion or even a jalapeno! You have some options here! I kept this recipe basic as I like to whip this out in just 7 minutes, but you can throw in some diced onion or even a jalapeno for some spice. Make sure to finely dice either one so that it can cook evenly with the cauliflower rice.

• What can I pair with this dish? So many good options! As this is a great substitute for white rice in many dishes, give this a try with a soup like my Flavorful Filipino Sinigang Recipe with Pork Belly. For something heartier, this cauliflower lime rice will also pair great with our 25-Minute Simple Chicken Adobo Recipe or even our Nutritious Honey Baked Salmon with Dijon Mustard. Let me know which one you will try!

• Savory Chicken Tinola with Spinach | Filipino Ginger-Chicken Soup
• 25-Minute Simple Chicken Adobo Recipe | Filipino Chicken Recipe
• 20-Minute Chili Brown Sugar Salmon
• Filipino Bistek Recipe | Steak and Onions

Frequently Asked Questions

Does cauliflower rice taste like rice?

Cauliflower rice does have a distinct taste that is different than rice. However, once all the seasonings and lime juice are tossed in, you won’t even consider it a vegetable.

How do you make cauliflower rice not soggy?

If your cauliflower rice is soggy, it was left on the heat for too long. Less heat is better with cauliflower lime rice!

Is cauliflower rice high in carbs?

Cauliflower lime rice has a lot less carbs than that of white rice, which makes it a great healthier alternative.

This post was all about how to create this cilantro cauliflower lime rice.

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