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
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

Avocado Cauliflower Rice
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!
notes
nutrition
This recipe was previously posted and was updated this year!
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Megan Bales says
Absolutely fabulous side dish! It’s easy to whip up, healthy, versatile and delicious! It’s where guacamole meets cauliflower rice and the combination is so, so YUM! Definitely my new favorite side. I paired it with a stuffed bell pepper and it was a match made in heaven.
Kelly says
Yay! So happy to hear that and that combo sounds delicious! Thanks for trying it Megan!
Dad says
🤪looks tasty
Kelly says
Definitely is a hit here!
Andi says
I do this but use raw cauliflower rice and make an avocado cream with a little water, garlic, onion, salt, pepper and lime juice. It’s delicious and I’m not a fan of raw cauliflower.
Kelly says
Oh I love that idea and it sounds delicious with raw cauliflower rice!
Laura says
I chopped my avocado instead of mash, it was really good!
Kelly says
Love that idea! Glad you liked it and thanks for trying Laura!
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Lisa says
I made this. It took longer than I thought. It was a little bland for me so I’m going to try to spice it up next time I make it.
Kelly says
Hey Lisa! Sorry to hear that! I’ve had a few people make it and love it, but everyone has their own preference. I actually haven’t made it in a long time, but maybe I will and see if it needs some tweaking. Thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it!
Kristy Tondu says
I just Made this and WOW! It was amazing!!
Kelly says
Yay, so glad you liked it Kristy! Thanks for trying!
Helen says
Wow this looks great! I just started making cauliflower rice and I’m finding new ways to flavor it. This looks right up my alley.
How spicy is this? Like if you were in a restaurant would this be a mild, medium, or hot? Thanks.
Kelly says
Thanks Helen! It is only one jalapeño, but I would say it would fall between medium and hot. If you don’t want it really spicy you can remove the seeds or just add the right amount to your preference.