Keto Spanish Cauliflower Rice
Published January 5, 2020 • Updated March 14, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
My go-to keto meal prep side. I make a double batch every single week. Tomato, onion, garlic and cumin sauteed with cauliflower rice, and it tastes like actual Spanish rice without the carbs.
I started making this Spanish cauliflower rice back in 2019 when I was trying to find a side dish that could hold up through five days of meal prep. This is the one that stuck. I make a double batch every Sunday, portion it into containers, and by Friday it still tastes good reheated in a pan with a little extra oil.
The trick that took me a few batches to figure out: blend the tomato sauce for a full minute, not just a quick pulse. My first few attempts, I gave the tomatoes and garlic maybe 15 seconds in the blender and the sauce came out chunky and uneven. It pooled in some spots and left other bites dry. Once I committed to a solid 60-second blend, the sauce coated every single grain of cauliflower rice evenly. That one change made the biggest difference in how the finished dish tasted.
The other discovery came from a reader who accidentally doubled the cumin. She’d made it six times already and on batch four, she went heavy on the cumin by mistake. Said it tasted so much closer to real Spanish rice that she just kept doing it on purpose. I tried it myself and she’s right. If you want that deeper, more authentic flavor, go with a full teaspoon of cumin instead of half. I do it every time now.
This pairs with almost anything I’m making for dinner. I serve it alongside keto tortillas for taco night, next to grilled chicken thighs, or stuffed into peppers. If you’re into cauliflower sides, my cauliflower fried rice is the Asian-inspired version of the same idea, and the cilantro lime cauliflower rice is what I make when I want something lighter. Throw a Mexican coleslaw on the side and you’ve got a full keto spread without spending an hour in the kitchen.
What I like about this recipe is that it doesn’t try to be complicated. Five steps, one pan, and about 3.5g net carbs per serving compared to 45g+ in regular Spanish rice. That’s the kind of low carb swap that actually makes sense because you’re not sacrificing flavor for it. The cumin and tomato do all the heavy lifting, and the cauliflower just absorbs everything.
How to Make Spanish Cauliflower Rice
I’ve made this with both fresh and frozen cauliflower rice, and both work as long as you handle the moisture right. Fresh gives you slightly better texture. Frozen is faster (I grab it when I don’t feel like hauling out the food processor), but you need to thaw it completely and squeeze out the extra water with a clean towel before it hits the pan. Skip that step and you’ll end up steaming the rice instead of sauteing it.
If you’re starting from a whole head of cauliflower, cut it into florets and pulse in a food processor until the pieces are rice-sized. Don’t over-process or you’ll get cauliflower paste. I do about 8-10 short pulses and that gets it right.
The sauce is where most people go wrong. Blend the tomatoes, onion, and garlic for a full 60 seconds until it’s completely smooth. A quick 15-second pulse leaves chunks that don’t coat the rice evenly. I learned this the hard way and a reader confirmed the same thing independently. Once you commit to a proper blend, every bite tastes like the last.
For a low carb side dish with even more depth, try adding a quarter teaspoon of smoked paprika with the cumin. I haven’t officially added it to the recipe yet, but it’s the next variation I’m testing. If you like your cauliflower roasted instead of sauteed, my air fryer cauliflower is worth trying too.
Explore 685+ keto recipe videos with step-by-step instructions, tips, and tricks to make keto easy.
Ingredients
4 cups riced cauliflower -
1/2 cup diced tomatoes, canned or fresh
-
2 tablespoons minced onion
-
1 clove garlic
-
3 tablespoons avocado oil
-
1 teaspoon salt
-
1/2 teaspoon cumin
-
1/4 cup chicken broth
-
1/2 cup diced zucchini
-
1 tablespoon stone ground mustard (optional)
-
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Make sauce
Add tomatoes, onion and garlic to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Set aside.
Sauté cauliflower
Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add cauliflower and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add flavor
Add broth, salt, cumin, mustard and zucchini. Cover and continue to cook until cauliflower rice and zucchini are softened and most of the liquid is evaporated.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
Your Macros. Your Recipes. Calculated in 60 Seconds.
Get personalized keto macros and instantly see which recipes fit your targets. No more guessing what to eat.
Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen cauliflower rice instead of fresh?
I use frozen cauliflower rice at least half the time and it works great. The key is thawing it completely first, then squeezing out the excess moisture with a clean kitchen towel. If you skip that step, the rice steams instead of sauteing and you lose that slight toastiness you get from the hot oil. I've made this side by side with fresh and frozen, and once the sauce is on, my family can't tell the difference.
How many net carbs does this have compared to regular Spanish rice?
I calculated about 3.5g net carbs per serving with this keto version, compared to 45-53g in a typical serving of regular Spanish rice made with white rice. That's a massive difference for basically the same flavor profile. The cumin, tomato, and garlic do all the work, so you're not missing anything except the carb load.
How do I rice my own cauliflower at home?
I cut a head of cauliflower into florets and pulse them in my food processor about 8-10 times until the pieces are rice-sized. The mistake I made early on was holding the pulse too long and ending up with cauliflower paste. Short, quick pulses are the move. One medium head gives me roughly 4 cups, which is exactly what this recipe calls for.
Can I add bell peppers or other vegetables?
I've added diced bell pepper a few times and it works well. Dice it small (about the same size as the zucchini) and toss it in with the cauliflower rice during the saute step. Red or orange bell pepper adds a little sweetness that plays nicely with the cumin. I've also tried spinach stirred in at the very end, and it wilts down in about 30 seconds without adding much volume. Both are solid additions if you want a little more going on. My broccoli cauliflower salad is another good way to use up extra cauliflower if you bought a big head.
Can I make this spicy?
One of my readers threw a small seeded jalapeno into the blender with the tomatoes and garlic, and I tried it myself after reading her comment. Completely hollow, no seeds, so there's no real heat. But it adds this background warmth underneath the cumin that makes the whole dish taste more layered. I've been doing it that way ever since. If you want actual spice, leave a few seeds in or add a pinch of cayenne with the cumin.
What protein pairs best with this for a full keto meal?
I serve this with chicken thighs more than anything else. Season them with cumin and chili powder to keep the Mexican flavor going, and you've got a full plate. It also works next to carne asada, ground beef taco bowls, or grilled shrimp. On nights when I'm keeping it simple, I just add a fried egg on top. If you want to round out the meal with another side, grilled vegetables or a simple salad balance it out.
How should I store and reheat leftovers?
I store mine in airtight containers in the fridge and it stays good for 4-5 days. For reheating, I always use a pan over medium heat with a little avocado oil rather than the microwave. The pan gives you back some of that sauteed texture. The microwave works in a pinch but the rice gets softer. I make a double batch every Sunday specifically because this reheats so well. Try my cauliflower tots if you're looking for another cauliflower side that meal preps well.
I make this low-carb Spanish rice to go with pretty much any Mexican meal. It meal preps beautifully – make it on Sunday and you’re set for the week. Great alongside lettuce wrap tacos, 
I usually grab cauliflower rice pre-made at the grocery store – you’ll find it in the produce section near the bagged lettuce. Frozen works great too.
Making your own is easy and cheaper – plus you know exactly what’s in it. Cut the stem off a whole cauliflower, then use a cheese grater or food processor to rice it.
If using a cheese grater, first cut the cauliflower into large chunks. Then using the large hole side of a cheese grater, grate into “rice.”
To make cauliflower rice using a food processer, cut the cauliflower into large chunks. Then using the grater attachment, grate the cauliflower into “rice.”
Swapped in fire-roasted tomatoes for the blender step and the smokiness it adds makes the regular version feel like practice.
Every other cauliflower rice recipe just tastes like sad cauliflower. Blending the tomatoes into the base is what finally makes this taste like actual Spanish rice.
I've tried cauliflower rice probably four times. Every time: steamed cauliflower with seasoning on top. That's it. Kept seeing people say it could actually replace Spanish rice and I did not buy that. Made this on a whim last Sunday because I had half a head going soft and needed a side.nnThe step where you puree the tomatoes with the onion and garlic first before adding it to the pan is one I'd never done before, and it changes everything. The flavor is cooked INTO the cauliflower instead of just coating it. My roommate had regular rice at the same dinner and I couldn't figure out why I'd ever bother. Every version I'd made before was just cauliflower pretending. This one isn't pretending.
That puree step took me so many test batches to land on. Blending the tomato into the aromatics first is what makes it Spanish rice and not just cauliflower with tomato sauce on top.
Spanish rice was the one thing I genuinely grieved when I went keto two years ago. It was my mom's default Tuesday side and nothing came close. Made this last week and the second that tomato-garlic puree hit the pan with the cumin, something shifted. This isn't a substitute. It's just Spanish rice, and I'm already planning a double batch.
That cumin-tomato moment gets me every time. My family doesn't even know it's cauliflower anymore.
Made this probably six times now and on batch four I accidentally doubled the cumin and it tasted SO much closer to actual Spanish rice that I just keep doing it on purpose now.
Six batches and a happy accident. Updating the recipe card to a full teaspoon of cumin.
I'm still pretty new to cooking and not usually the type to go off-recipe my first time, but I threw a small seeded jalapeño into the blender with the tomatoes and garlic and I think that's the one change I'll keep doing every time. Not spicy since I seeded it fully (like completely hollow), but there's this background warmth underneath the cumin that makes the whole thing taste more layered than it has any right to. Made it on a cold Sunday with some chicken thighs and kept stealing bites while plating. Also figured out the hard way: really blend that sauce until smooth before adding it to the pan. My first attempt I gave it like 15 seconds and the texture was patchy, ran it for a full minute the second time and the sauce coated everything evenly, totally different result. Still figuring out the seasoning ratios and thinking about trying smoked paprika next, but this one is already in my Sunday rotation.
Seeded jalapeño in the blender is next on my list. The full-minute blend thing is real, I should have noted that in the recipe. Smoked paprika next.