Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice (with Coconut)

Quick vegan side dish of cauliflower rice cooked with grated carrots, and tossed with cilantro and lime.

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Cauliflower is the most flexible vegetable I know. It can be roasted, fried, made into tater-tots, substituted for potatoes in mashed potatoes, used as pizza crust, and grated for a lower carb alternative to rice. What other food can do that and be such a powerhouse nutritionally? It really is the white food we should be eating.

I've had my eye on cilantro-lime cauliflower rice for ages now - and the recipe couldn't be easier. The only big decision to make is how you want to grate the cauliflower. If you have a food processor, I highly recommend using it for this. But don't throw it all into the bowl and whirl it around like crazy. You'll get an infinite number of sizes from tiny granules to large chunks. Use that grater attachment you threw into the back of the cabinet and wondered if you really needed. Trim away the leaves and bottom stem from the cauliflower, cut it in half with a whack, remove the core, and separate the large florets. They should just pull apart in your hands. Slice them in half or in thirds (including the core) to a size that fits down the shoot on the food processor. Nothing is wasted. The entire prepping of the cauliflower shouldn't take longer than 5 minutes.

The rest is easy peasy, and the cooking zips by in 10 minutes or less, making this a great, healthy side dish for a busy weeknight. 

Coconut Rice Variation

If you like this recipe and want more of a main dish, I recommend trying this chickpea coconut rice dish that's made with peanuts for extra protein, coconut milk, and broccolini. It has a similar flavor profile and is completely delicious.

For more cauliflower recipes, check out this post sharing my readers' 10 favorite cauliflower recipes on this blog!

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5 from 4 votes

Cilantro-Lime Cauliflower Rice (with Coconut)

Vegan side dish of cauliflower rice cooked with grated carrots and tossed with cilantro and lime.

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Course: Vegetable Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cauliflower rice

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 108kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

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Ingredients

• 1 small head of cauliflower or ½ of a large head
• 2 carrots
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1 cup diced spring onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• zest of 1 lime
• ½ cup cilantro coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or to taste
• ¼ - ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Grate the cauliflower and carrots, or do as I do and use a food processor. I use the grater attachment and feed cauliflower pieces through the shoot, and in the interest of reducing food waste, I cut the core of the cauliflower and feed it through the shoot too. This method gives you a consistent size of cauliflower, ensuring an even cooking, and grates a head of cauliflower in about 1 minute. You should have about 5 cups of grated cauliflower and carrots when you're done.
• Place a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, and add the coconut oil. A sauté pan has vertical sides to it, which is important to this dish as you want the vegetables to soften without browning.
• When the oil is hot, add the onions and garlic. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes, and pile in the riced cauliflower and carrots. Cook until tender, while occasionally tossing - about 10 minutes.
• Remove from the heat, and stir in the lime juice, zest, cilantro, salt and red pepper flakes.
• Serve warm.

Notes

This dish comes together quickly, but can also be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Calories were calculated using the VeryWell Fit nutrition calculator for 4 servings.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal