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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This is as good as it gets recipe which is a reguşar in our house, thanks a million Carolyn. Your recipes never get boring
This is such a great and easy dish to make. My whole family loves it!
This is our absolute favorite recipe of all!!!
I make it every week!!! We never get tired of it. Hubby loves to eat it on a zero carb wrap.
Try it. You will love it!!!
I love this recipe!! I had forgotten about it but it will be in my rotation this week! It is such a great high protein meal and easy to make. I am not a big fan of cauliflower except in stronger flavored dishes. This hits the spot for even my non-keto family
This is a great recipe and pretty quick and easy to prepare. I don’t like to cook so I’m always looking for easy quick recipes. I add the cheese to individual servings because I always make 1.5 recipe to have leftovers to freeze & prefer to add the cheese after thawing & reheating
One of my fav dishes!
I had never tried cauliflower rice, but this recipe caught my attention. I used sausage to make this but it was really good. Definitely will make it again.
This one’s great for when you’re not in the mood to cook (but you have to ‘cause the days of picking up a big bag of frozen pasta are gone🥴)
Easy to make and very good! My husband loved it!
Very quick to make, enough to last several days, and tastes AMAZING!
I made this last night. what an easy delicious meal to make. I had green beans as a side. This will be a regular meal in our rotation.
This was killer. I made it for my son and I. We eat keto and stay away from carbs. I added a half chopped jalapeño in it too and my god this turned out great. We eat only A2 dairy too. I used Gaot cheddar cheese.and added cilantro in it as well. Thanks for the great quick recipe.
Always looking for ground beef recipes and this one is top of the list. I mix up my own taco seasonings and I have started mixing about a tablespoon of baking soda into my ground beef before cooking to soften it up (velveting)… I don’t like the tough texture in my old age 😁
Oh. My. Goodness. This is delicious! Made the recipe as written and my husband raved. He suggested stuffing it in bell peppers next time which I think would also be fabulous! Thank you so much!
I really enjoy this recipe it’s just really tasty. Thank you so much!!
Once again, your recipe is a hit at my house. My husband and I are pretty strict keto so I make a lot of dishes from online recipes. Your site is my go to because all your recipes are great. I don’t like wasting expensive ingredients on bad recipes. We finished it off with your White Chocolate Macadamia Nut cookies 😉