Avocado Cauliflower Rice

An easy side dish, this avocado cauliflower rice takes riced cauliflower and adds smashed avocado, jalapeño, lime juice, and cilantro for a delicious paleo, Whole30, and low-carb dish perfect to pair with just about anything!

Today we are kicking up your typical cauliflower rice with this easy avocado cauliflower rice. Avocado goes with just about anything, so I figured why not add it to some cauliflower rice?

This cauliflower rice recipe was inspired by a recipe we used to make with white rice. I actually really wouldn’t call it a recipe at all though. We would literally just take some sliced avocado and smash it into our white rice. It adds a nice and creamy consistency to the rice and gives it a little flavor.

While I do eat white rice, I decided to make this with cauliflower rice for all the paleo and Whole30 peeps. If rice is your thing, you can make it with white or brown. Or even quinoa! Honestly any kind of grain will work if you enjoy them.

How to make Cauliflower Rice

While you can get store bought cauliflower rice at most places, making it at home is quite easy (yet can be messy). All you need to do is roughly chop up a head of cauliflower and put it in your food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you need to get one! One of the best investments you can make for healthy living.

I was given one (the same one I still have) for Christmas from my mom in college. At the time I was probably like WTF, but now I am thankful for it. I’ve probably had it for 10+ years and it’s still going strong.

The cauliflower rice need to be made in a few batches, but just add the cauliflower florets until the food processor is about 3/4 the way full. Pulse the cauliflower until it is broken down into a rice like consistency. I do this in 1 second pulses to make sure it doesn’t blend down too much. If there are any large pieces, pull them out and do them in the next batch.

One large head of cauliflower makes about 6-7 cups of rice! It can be a lot cheaper than buyer it from the store! If you have more than you think you will be able to use, just freeze some in a bag for future use!

If you don’t have a food processor, you can also use a box/cheese grater to make the rice. It will take a lot longer and will be more messy, but works the same.

How to Cook Cauliflower Rice

Cooking cauliflower rice is really easy and it makes a quick side dish to serve with dinner. To get the best flavor and texture, I cook it on my stove until it reaches the desired consistency I like.

Start by heating a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once it gets hot, add your cooking fat – I like avocado oil, coconut oil, butter, or ghee. Once that is hot, add your cauliflower rice. Cook rice for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender and softened. I like a little texture to mine – try not to overcook it or it will get mushy.

Once it’s cooked to your liking, you can stir in any additions or add seasons to spice it up. I usually always cook fresh cauliflower rice over frozen as I find the texture is better.

Avoiding Mushy Rice

The biggest tip I would say is using fresh cauliflower (either homemade or store bought) if you can! Frozen has some liquid in it and can just make your rice or dishes a little soggy.

I understand you can’t always make it or buy it fresh, so if you are using frozen, here are a few tips:

• make sure you turn your heat up to medium-high when you are sautéing, that way some of the liquid can evaporate.
• make sure you have enough cooking fat in your pan (at least a tablespoon or so) to help crisp it up some. Since the heat should be up high, make sure you stir it pretty often so it doesn’t burn.

Avocado Cauliflower Rice

20 minutes and just 7 ingredients to up your cauliflower rice game. This cauliflower rice recipe comes together quickly, adds some healthy fats to your meals, and is practically like eating guacamole with your cauliflower rice. Here is what you need:

• cauliflower rice
• onion
• garlic
• avocado
• cilantro
• lime juice
• cooking fat – I used ghee
• salt and pepper

First make your cauliflower rice. You can either make it homemade like I explained above, or buy it fresh from the grocery store. Around 95% of the time, I just buy it from the store. It’s just one of those things I would rather pay for than bother making it.

Once your rice is prepped (or bought haha), heat up a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add your cooking fat and let it get hot. Sauté your onions for 5 minutes until softened. Then add your garlic and then you cauliflower rice and cook for another 6-7 minutes.

While your rice is cooking, make the avocado mixture by mixing together the avocados, lime juice, chopped jalapeños, and salt and pepper until somewhat smooth, but a little texture remains. Once the rice is done, remove from the heat and stir in the mashed avocado. Finally stir in the cilantro and it’s that easy!

Just a heads up, if you ever have saved avocados, they brown slightly the longer you keep them. This rice will brown on the parts exposed to the air, but it still tastes the same. Don’t worry if you are just keeping it in your house, but keep that in mind if you make it for a party or get-together.

What to serve with Avocado Cauliflower Rice

Herb Grilled Salmon

Grilled Lemon Pepper Chicken

Smoked Brisket with Dry Rub

Grilled Steak with Pistachio Pesto

Whole30 Chicken Marinade 5 Ways

Air Fryer Salmon and Asparagus

More Healthy Cauliflower Recipes

Paleo Cauliflower Hummus (Whole30)

6 Whole30 Cauliflower Rice Recipes

Maple Tahini Roasted Cauliflower

Instant Pot Creamy Curry Cauliflower Butternut Squash Soup

4.59 from 31 votes

Avocado Cauliflower Rice

Author: Kelly Nardo

An easy side dish, this Avocado Cauliflower Rice takes riced cauliflower and adds smashed avocado, jalapeño, lime juice, and cilantro for a delicious paleo, Whole30, and low carb dish perfect to pair with just about anything!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Course: Side Dish

Calories: 151kcal

Protein: 4g

Carbs: 14g

Fat: 10g

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 cups

ingredients

• 6 cups cauliflower rice
• 1 tablespoon cooking fat (avocado oil, coconut oil, ghee...)
• 1 cup diced yellow onion (120 grams)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 large avocados, diced (300 grams)
• 1 jalapeño, diced
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1/2 cup packed cilantro, roughly chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste

instructions

• Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add oil and let it get hot. Once hot, add diced onions and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cauliflower rice and let cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
• While the rice cooks, make the avocado mash. Add avocados, diced jalapeno, lime juice, and salt and pepper to a large bowl and mash with a fork until combined, but a little texture remains.
• Once caulilfower rice is cooked to your preference, remove from heat. Add avocado mixture to cauliflower rice and mix well to cimbine. Stir in cilantro. Top more cilantro and jalapeño if desired. Enjoy!

Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive so we can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.

notes

*this is about one large head cauliflower, florets removed and riced. You can make your own cauliflower rice per the directions in the post, or just buy store bought. I prefer fresh over frozen cauliflower rice.

nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Avocado Cauliflower Rice

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 151 Calories from Fat 90

% Daily Value*

Fat 10g15%

Saturated Fat 2.6g16%

Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1g

Monounsaturated Fat 5g

Potassium 715.9mg20%

Carbohydrates 14g5%

Fiber 7.4g31%

Sugar 5.4g6%

Protein 4g8%

Vitamin A 230IU5%

Vitamin C 100.6mg122%

Calcium 49mg5%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe or anything from Eat the Gains, leave a comment and rating to let people know how you liked it! Also, make sure to post it and tag me so I can see all of your creations!! @eatthegains and #eatthegains on Instagram!

This recipe was previously posted and was updated this year!

This post contains affiliate links and I may make little bit of money if you click on and purchase the products that are linked. It doesn’t cost you any extra money. The compensation helps with expenses to keep ETG up and running. I appreciate your support!

Get My Guide On
How to Build a Balanced Plate

No recipe, no problem! Learn the key factors to build a balanced plate for sustainable eating and to fuel your body to support your activity, goals, and lifestyle.

Get the Guide!