This Mexican Cauliflower Rice has been one of my most popular keto dinner recipes for many years now. Even people who swear up, down, and sideways that they don’t like cauliflower enjoy this simple one-pan meal. That includes my own children.
Easy, cheesy, and secretly healthy, it’s one of the best cauliflower rice recipes you will ever try!
What readers are saying
“I have been slow to get on the cauliflower rice train due to the taste/smell, but I just made this… and my oh my, it is delicious! No one would know that there is cauliflower rice instead of regular rice in the dish. Definitely a make again recipe! Thank you for the recipe” — Angie
We love Mexican food, but the traditional versions are usually not very keto-friendly. I struggle to find decent low carb choices when we go out to eat, and often end up with a salad.
So I have to take matters into my own hands and create my low carb versions. They may not be authentic Mexican, but they always taste fabulous. It’s what makes recipes like Taco Pie and Easy Keto Chicken Fajitas so popular with my readers.
And this easy Keto Mexican Rice recipe has been a fan favorite since I first published it in 2017. Now I’ve tweaked the recipe to make it slightly higher in protein and lower in fat, without sacrificing flavor.
Why we love this recipe
- Easy weeknight meal: Not only is Mexican Cauliflower Rice full of bold flavor, but it’s also astonishingly easy to make. It takes eight basic ingredients that you can find at any grocery store. And it’s ready in 25 minutes, start to finish.
- One pan: I adore meals that can be made all in one pan, because clean up is a snap! Of course, I make my kids do all the clean up anyway.
- Meal prep recipe: This is a wonderful make-ahead meal. It stores well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You could even freeze it in individual portions for easy meals.
- High protein: Each serving has 28 grams of protein and 7.2 grams of carbs so it’s a perfect high protein low carb recipe.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground beef: I like to use good grassfed beef from Wild Pastures. But you can also use ground turkey or chicken for a lighter meal.
- Onion: Just a little onion adds flavor, without adding too many extra carbs.
- Red pepper: Sweet peppers add color and flavor. You can use green or yellow as well.
- Taco seasoning: You can make your own or purchase pre-made seasoning. Just be sure to choose a spice mix that doesn’t have any additives, fillers, or sugars.
- Tomatoes: I like to use fresh tomatoes, but canned works too. I recommend draining off any extra juices.
- Cauliflower rice: It really doesn’t matter whether you use fresh or frozen. They both take about the same time to cook.
- Chicken broth: You need a little extra liquid to help everything cook through properly.
- Shredded cheese: I like to use cheddar, but you can also use pepper jack, monterey jack, or a Mexican blend.
Quick Overview: How to Make This Recipe
- Brown the beef: Cooking the beef on its own first helps get it nicely browned and creates deeper flavor in the dish. Spoon off some of the fat after it cooks, if desired.
- Add the flavorings: Add the onion and pepper and cook for a few more minutes, then stir in the taco seasoning. Make sure to mix it in well.
- Add the cauliflower rice: At this point, you will need a little more liquid to help things cook through so stir in the tomatoes, cauliflower rice, and the broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Allow to cook: Reduce the heat a bit and continue to cook until the cauliflower rice is becoming tender.
- Cover with cheese: Sprinkle the whole skillet with shredded cheese and cover. Let cook until the cheese it melted.
Tips for Success
I’ve started spooning off some of the fat after I’ve browned the beef. It helps make this dish a little lower in fat and calories. I can’t really estimate by how much, because it’s very inexact. But I feel that it helps me enjoy this Mexican Cauliflower Rice more and not feel too full afterwards.
Make sure you use a large skillet, at least 12 inches in diameter, in order to accommodate all the ingredients. They will cook down but it’s hard to stir everything together in a smaller pan. Trust me, I’ve tried!
Both fresh and frozen riced cauliflower take about the same amount of time to cook through. Frozen does release a little more liquid as it cooks, but that doesn’t really affect the outcome.
Taco seasoning usually has plenty of salt in it so don’t add any until you know how this tastes. You can taste it after stirring in the seasoning and decide if you need to add more salt and pepper.
What to serve with Mexican Cauliflower Rice
As with any delicious Mexican dish, feel free to customize it with your favorite toppings!
- Sour cream
- Salsa
- Black olives
- Chopped avocados
- Guacamole
- Fresh cilantro
- Green onions
- Hot sauce
- Chopped jalapeños
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, these two terms refer to exactly the same thing. Cauliflower that has been “riced” means that it has been grated until it resembles grains of rice. However, most people simply call it cauliflower rice.
Those of you who like to meal prep will be thrilled to know that this one-pan meal can be made two or three days in advance. As several readers have noted, it tastes just as good re-heated. Store the leftovers in the fridge in a covered container. It’s good for up to 5 days.
This recipe for Keto Mexican Rice has 6.4g of carbs and 2g of fiber. So it has a total carb count of 4.4g per serving.
More delicious cauliflower rice recipes
Mexican Cauliflower Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 lb (604.79 g) ground beef, (lean if you can find it)
- 1/4 cup (40 g) onion, diced
- 1/2 medium (1/2) red pepper, diced
- 3 tbsp (7.61 g) taco seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup (149 g) diced tomatoes
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen
- 1/2 cup (118.29 ml) chicken broth
- 1 cups (113 g) shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef until almost cooked through (just a little pink). Add the onion and pepper and continue to cook until no longer pink. Stir in the taco seasoning.
- Stir in the taco seasoning. Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning and salt and pepper as desired.
- Add the tomatoes and cauliflower rice and stir to combine. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the cauliflower rice begins to soften, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Sprinkle the skillet with the cheese and cover. Let cook until the cheese is melted, 3 or 4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and top with your favourite toppings like sour cream, avocado, and chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.
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Anyone know what the Smartpoints would be for this? Can’t wait to try it! Are your nutritional information numbers for the recipe as a whole or per serving? THANKS!
I have no idea what Smartpoints are. And nutrition is always calculated per serving.
Thank you. Love your work.
Thanks!
When you say 12 oz cauliflower raced you by by weight or by volume, i.e. 1 1/2 cups? I ask because I cannot get it frozen where I live so I must make it myself.
Thanks.
A small head turned into rice would be about right.
I enjoy your recipes very much. But sometimes the ingredients are different in Europe than in the U.S.
So my question is: What do you mean by cauliflower rice?
Thanks from Germany,
Elizabeth
It means cauliflower that is grated finely so that it resembles grains of rice. It’s a great rice replacement. You can do it yourself in a food processor.
Thankyou for your reply, Carolyn. I will definitely try it out. I have never liked cauliflower very much, but as a rice replacement, it may become a regular.
This website is a treaure trove for me:-)
I love this recipe!! I can’t tell you how many times I have made it. I do have one question on the nutritional value information. Does this recipe have any saturated fat in it?
With beef and cheese? You bet it does – and that’s a good thing. Saturated fat is not the villain it’s been made out to be. If you want to know the amount, you will need to run the numbers yourself.
How many cups is in a serving? I would love to try this recipe!
That’s a good question, I didn’t measure it that way. Maybe 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups? It fed my hungry family of five, with a portion leftover. My husband is 6’7″ and likes to eat so that says something!
This was my thought and question also, I have gestational diabetes and have to log in my meals so I wasn’t sure what you meant by “one serving”… I’m pretty sure I had more then a cup (it was sooo good and so easy to make) abut my numbers were good so I guess that’s all that matters!
It’s hard to measure a serving in a recipe like this. You just have to eyeball what amounts to about 1/6 of the recipe.
OMG – Yasss. I used to make something similar to this, years ago on that other eating plan — the one with two w’s in the name. It was so, so, sooo tasty. (Oddly, I never lost weight on that other plan. Maybe because it had actual rice in it. DUH.) (That is not to say others don’t lose … I just didn’t. LC is the only way I can lose/maintain). Adding avocado and sour cream? Bonus!! Can’t wait to make this tonight.
This looks great. I never knew that frozen cauliflower existed, so now I will have to look for it. This recipe may have been produced with children in mind because one pound of ground meat spread over 6 servings would leave 6 adults very hungry. I would think that it would actually be 3 servings if one is feeding adults.
You’d be VERY surprised at how filling it is. My husband is 6’7″ and both he and my kids are hungry eaters and eat quite a lot. This made dinner for the 5 of us PLUS a serving of leftovers. I was surprised by it too. Keep in mind that the nutritional info does not include addition like sour cream and avocado. So that adds some fat and calories.
Where do you get the cauliflower rice?
I got that package at Trader Joe’s.
Your recipes must be a blessing for these families!!! I’m still watching my carbs and this cheesy skillet dinner sounds fantastic!! Not sure if Bill would go for cauliflower rice, but I could make a 50/50 recipe with regular for him. I know I’ll love it.
Oh Carolyn I adore you!
We are still eating cold meats from Carters Birthday mixed grill. But, this is saturdays dinner for sure!
I’m one of those T1 mums and I massively appreciate your recipes every single day! I also appreciate just how much goes into you producing these recipes! As a (poor) baker, I’ve been trying out your recipes for my sons birthday and it’s no mean feat, to make them up from scratch classifies you as some sort of super-hero-human!!
We are currently loving your Boston poke cake with no blood sugar issues from it at all! It’s amazing!! I’ve been telling everyone how they ‘have to try it’!!!
Thank you so much ??
I am so so glad. This is clearly a mutual admiration society we’ve got going. 😉
I have been following this website for sometime now not all my recipes come out great however I am trying this tonight, my kids love cauliflower rice!!!!
Thanks Carolyn
Hope they love it!
It never stops amazing me how well we can eat low carb. I have eaten better AND have had more fun cooking and baking then ever before. I never used to experiment much but now whenever I see a high carb recipe my mind goes to “how can I change this” mode.
Love all your recipes and always look forward to new ones. Thanks so much!
So glad and I feel the same…scheming to make all the high carb recipes into low carb healthy ones!
Your low-carb recipes never fail to delight. This one looks muy bueno. Sunday dinner, you have been planned!
Thanks, Candace! Would be divine with Cabot, of course. I used pre-shredded for simplicity’s sake this time. But with some sharp Cabot? Heaven.
Thanks very much Carolyn for thinking about T1 moms and making our lives easier. This recipe looks amazing and I am definitely trying. Love your blog!!
What an absolutely beautiful post and a scrumptious looking recipe that I cannot wait to try. I appreciate all you do to help make delicious recipes which help keep my son’s blood sugar steady. You’re greatly appreciated!
What brand of taco seasoning do you use; or do you make your own?
This looks great, btw!
I linked to it in the recipe. 🙂
Do you have a recipe for homemade taco seasoning?
Not one that I’ve ever published! ;). I do have one going into my cookbook, though. I don’t know that I am allowed to share yet… But I have seen some good ones on Pinterest if you want to check there. Or google it.
Made this twice now – it’s considered a winner because I got my husband to eat cauliflower rice without knowing it!!!!
Nice!
Pioneer woman has
an easy one.
I use this blend for about 2lbs of meat:
1/2T Garlic powder
1/2T Onion powder
1/2 T Salt
1T Chili powder
1T Cumin
1T Smoked Paprika
I substituted the beef with beans and added alfalfa sprouts, lemon, cumen powder and it was superb. Everyone was asking for the recipe …thanks a lot
Looks really good! I can’t wait to try it.