This Spanish cauliflower rice with shrimp recipe is such an easy, delicious meal. Ready in under 30 minutes this healthy Mexican inspired dish is packed with flavour and is gluten-free, dairy-free, and paleo!
Vegetable rice recipes like cilantro lime cauliflower rice, gluten free cauliflower fried rice and sweet potato rice are such a fun alternative to traditional rice recipes, and I can't wait for you to try the caulirice recipe that I am sharing with you today.
Table of Contents
Why you will love this meal:
- The taste! This Mexican cauliflower rice has the most incredible flavour!
- It's so quick and easy to make and is ready in less than 30 minutes.
- You can make this recipe with either fresh or frozen cauliflower rice.
- This Spanish rice recipe is healthy, low in carbs, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, Whole30 compliant, and keto.
- It's very versatile! If you don't like shrimp feel free to leave it out or to substitute it with another protein such as chicken, ground beef, pork, tofu or beans.
If you love shrimp recipes you will also love pan seared shrimp and air fryer frozen shrimp.
Ingredient notes:
For the full ingredient list and exact measurements refer to the recipe card later in this post.
Jump to the Recipe Card.
- Riced cauliflower – you can either use fresh or frozen cauliflower rice for making this recipe. You can rice your own cauliflower using a food processor or a cheese grater or use store bought riced cauliflower.
- Diced tomatoes – I use canned, diced tomatoes but canned chopped tomatoes also work.
- Tomato paste – to help thicken the sauce.
- Onion – you can use white onion, yellow onion, or sweet onion to make this Mexican rice.
- Seasoning and spices: garlic, ground cumin, sea salt, oregano and ground black pepper help give this dish the best Mexican flavour.
- Shrimp – use thawed, pre-cooked shrimp with the tails removed. You could easily swap the shrimp for another protein such as cooked chicken, ground beef, tofu, pork or beans.
Recipe variations and add ins:
- For vegan or vegetarian: omit the shrimp and use cooked tofu or beans instead.
- Feel free to add other vegetables such as chopped peppers or celery to this Spanish cauliflower rice with shrimp.
- You could add other spices such as garlic powder, taco seasonings, chili flakes, red pepper flakes or onion powder.
How to make Spanish cauliflower rice with shrimp:
- Step 1: Place a large pan or pot on the stove on medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is melted add the chopped onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Step 2: Next, add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, and spices to the pan.
- Step 3: Stir everything well and let everything simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
- Step 4: Add the cauliflower rice and stir everything well to combine. Cook for another 5 minutes.
- Step 5: Then add the shrimp to the pot and stir everything well to combine.
- Step 6: Cook everything for about 5 more minutes until the shrimp is warm and the caulirice has the texture you like. Then serve and enjoy!
Top Tips:
- To rice your own cauliflower: place fresh cauliflower florets into a food processor and process until you have rice sized pieces. Alternatively you could grate the raw cauliflower on a cheese grater.
- Make sure the tails have been removed from the shrimp before adding them to the dish.
- To serve: you can leave this dish plain or top it with fresh cilantro, chopped green onion or avocado.
- Storage: store any leftover cauliflower rice with shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Spanish cauliflower rice with shrimp FAQs:
Yes! You can use either fresh or frozen cauliflower rice to make this dish. You will just have to sauté the frozen cauliflower rice a little longer to remove the excess liquid.
This Spanish cauliflower rice recipe has 11 grams of net carbs per serving, so as long as you watch your carb count with your other meals this would be a keto cauliflower rice recipe.
The key to making cauliflower rice that is not soggy is to not add too many liquids, and to not over cook it. It only takes a few minutes to cook cauliflower rice so be sure to watch it closely so that it doesn’t get mushy or soggy.
To make cauliflower rice less bitter, add spices such as cumin, salt and pepper as well as other vegetables such as onion or garlic. You can also add other ingredients such as tomatoes or tomato sauce to make it sweeter tasting.
Yes, this recipe freezes well for up to 3 months.
Other healthy meals you will love:
Recipe
Spanish Cauliflower Rice with Shrimp
Equipment
Ingredients
Spanish Cauliflower Rice Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon coconut oil or avocado oil
- 1/2 white onion, chopped
- 2 cans diced or chopped tomatoes (796 mL)
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1000 grams riced cauliflower
- 454 grams cooked and peeled wild shrimp (I used frozen and thawed it before hand)
Instructions
- Place a large pan or pot on the stove on medium heat and add the oil. Once the oil is melted add the chopped onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion is translucent.
- Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, and spices to the pan and let cook for another 3-5 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower rice and stir well to combine. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or so.
- Then add the shrimp to the pot and stir everything well to combine.
- Cook until the rice is warmed and the caulirice has the texture you prefer (this usually takes about 5 more minutes).
Notes
- This cauliflower rice makes great leftovers and keeps well in the fridge for 3 days.
- You can use either fresh or frozen riced cauliflower to make this recipe.
- Nutritional values are an estimate and will vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Kristie
So yummy!
Erin Carter
Even Dad liked this one :p