Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice

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Can Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice be a robust side dish or a light main dish? YES! And it’s flavored with fresh cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and sea salt! Serve it as is or add your choice of protein for added bulk! {Vegan + Paleo}

Today, Spiriteds, we are spooning up a dish of this over-the-top delicious CREAMY AVOCADO CAULIFLOWER RICE, which happens to be paleo and vegan, which also means it’s dairy-free, grain-free, soy-free, and gluten-free. But, fear not, it isn’t flavor-free. Instead it is still full of earthy, tangy, piquant tastes, and all the things in the world that are good and kind and scrumptious.

If you find yourself wondering why some foods never seem to be as healthy as they are comforting, then this is your dish. Also, let’s say you find yourself thinking a recipe that’s filling without being heavy would be desirable, then this is your dish.

Among the many reasons Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice is so amazing is that while the cauliflower provides a light, healthy base, the avocado provides a filling but healthy complement. It’s a win-win situation. Not to mention, lime, cilantro, garlic, and a dash of coarse black pepper mean this recipe is out-of-this-world tantalizing.

When you make a batch, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Let’s do this!

Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice is

• Perfect as a side dish or light main dish
• Vegan and paleo
• Creamy yet dairy-free
• Savory and tangy
• Piquant and earthy
• Herbaceous

Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice ingredients

For the cauliflower base:

• Cauliflower. Chop the cauliflower in a food processor or food chopper. Be careful not to over-chop the cauliflower or you’ll wind up with mushy cauliflower rice. And work with a head of cauliflower that hasn’t browned yet. Fresh is definitely best.
• Coconut oil. Start with 1/4 cup and add more as needed.
• Sea salt. While I often go light on sea salt in recipes, I tend to add more when making cauliflower rice because it complements the earthy cauliflower flavor.

For the avocado mix-in:

• Avocados. Two avocados that are just ripened are perfect. If they are past that window of perfection, then throw them into a Single-Serving Chocolate Chia Smoothie instead.
• Olive oil. Start with 1/4 cup and then add more as needed to achieve the desired consistency.
• Fresh cilantro. Like the avocados, fresh cilantro that hasn’t wilted is ideal.
• Fresh lime juice. Bottled will work just fine, but fresh will produce a lighter, softer tangy flavor that doesn’t overpower the recipe.
• Garlic cloves. Press or mince the garlic before adding it to the blender or food processor. This should help prevent clumps of garlic from appearing in your Creamy Cauliflower Rice.
• Sea salt. Add a pinch to bring out the flavor in the avocado and to balance the tangy lime juice.
• Coarse black pepper. It’s definitely a garnish here, but it’s also a great bringer-together of all the flavors in this recipe.

How to make Creamy Cauliflower Rice

1. Break the cauliflower into florets. If using a food chopper, then place a handful of cauliflower in the work bowl and pulse about 5-10 times. Remove the cauliflower rice to a large sauté pan. Then repeat the process for the remaining cauliflower florets and move on to Step 2. If using a food processor, then attach the chopping blade to the large work bowl and feed the cauliflower florets through the opening of the container lid until all cauliflower has been riced. Transfer the cauliflower rice to a large sauté pan and continue on to Step 2.
2. Next add the coconut oil and sea salt to the sauté pan. Sauté the riced cauliflower for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If the cauliflower rice cooks hot and starts to dry out, then add additional coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. When the desired consistency is reached, remove the pan from the heat and keep covered.
3. In a high speed blender or food processor with a small work bowl, add the avocados, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and sea salt. Pulse several times and scrape the sides of the bowl. Then process on LOW until the ingredients are combined and the desired consistency is reached. Check once to make sure cilantro leaves and garlic aren’t stuck under the blades. If you have trouble reaching the desired consistency then process the ingredients on HIGH for a few seconds.
4. Transfer the avocado mixture to the sauté pan and gently fold it into the rice. Garnish with black pepper and check the flavor to see if more sea salt is needed. Serve immediately and refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about 24- 48 hours.

Stubborn cauliflower floret note

I find when using a small food chopper, I can remove stubborn florets from one batch to be riced and add them to the next round rather than continuing to pulse the cauliflower. This prevents over-chopping. 

However, when I use a food processor, I find stubborn pieces just magically pass around the blade no matter what, and I eat them right on the spot or chop them into smaller pieces by hand. Because I can rice an entire head of cauliflower in one round using the large work bowl, there is no next batch. 

Recipe best practices and troubleshooting

• Think in ratios. If your head of cauliflower is large, then err on the side of two medium avocados or go even larger if you love the earthy flavor. Same with the garlic. If the head of cauliflower is large, then you can probably get away with two large cloves. However, smaller heads of cauliflower mean smaller avocados and maybe only one piece of garlic.
• If your cauliflower tastes bland, then add more sea salt and coarse black pepper. This is an earthy recipe, and sometimes those oft-taken-for-granted garnishes are actual what brighten the flavor.
• To prevent your rice from being too garlicky or salty, start with small amounts and taste-test as you go before adding more.
• A food processor with a chopping blade will make quick work of a head of cauliflower. However, I started on a small food chopper, which also did the trick. It just took a little longer. Word to the wise: don’t over-chop the cauliflower. If there are tricky pieces, add them to the next round or chop them down by hand.

Recipe FAQs

• Can I use frozen riced cauliflower and thaw it in the microwave? For best results, use fresh cauliflower or cauliflower rice that hasn’t been frozen. You want the rice-like granules to be fairly firm for sautéing, otherwise you’ll wind up with a watery cauliflower mush.
• How can I bulk this up for a more filling main dish recipe? Sauté your choice of protein such as tofu, chicken, shrimp, or beef. While I haven’t tried added roasted or sautéed chickpeas to this dish, that’s another option.

More delicious dinner recipes!

Below are some of our favorite hearty dinner recipes we hope you’ll love!

• Cauliflower Turmeric Quinoa Bowls
• Grain-Free Cauliflower Stir-Fry
• Paleo Egg Roll Bowl

Spiriteds, stay well and stay wild. Jump into the fun when you can and always know how glad I am you’re here. 🩷

Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice

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Can Creamy Avocado Cauliflower Rice be a robust side dish or a light main dish? YES! And it’s flavored with fresh cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and sea salt! Serve it as is or add your choice of protein for added bulk! {Vegan + Paleo}

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 25 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Main Dishes
• Method: Satué
• Diet: Gluten Free

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Helpful equipment:

• Food chopper
• Food processor with a chopping blade and a large work bowl

Cauliflower rice base:

• 1 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Avocado sauce:

• 2 avocados
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro, minced
• 1–2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• Coarse black pepper for garnish

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Instructions

1. Break the cauliflower into florets. If using a food chopper, then place a handful of cauliflower in the work bowl and pulse about 5-10 times. Remove the cauliflower rice to a large sauté pan. Then repeat the process for the remaining cauliflower florets and move on to Step 2. If using a food processor, then attach the chopping blade to the large work bowl and feed the cauliflower florets through the opening of the container lid until all cauliflower has been riced. Transfer the cauliflower rice to a large sauté pan and continue on to Step 2.
2. Next add the coconut oil and sea salt to the sauté pan. Sauté the riced cauliflower for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. If the cauliflower rice cooks hot and starts to dry out, then add additional coconut oil and a pinch of sea salt. When the desired consistency is reached, remove the pan from the heat and keep covered.
3. In a high speed blender or food processor with a small work bowl, add the avocados, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, and sea salt. Pulse several times and scrape the sides of the bowl. Then process on LOW until the ingredients are combined and the desired consistency is reached. Check once to make sure cilantro leaves and garlic aren’t stuck under the blades. If you have trouble reaching the desired consistency then process the ingredients on HIGH for a few seconds.
4. Transfer the avocado mixture to the sauté pan and gently fold it into the rice. Garnish with black pepper and check the flavor to see if more sea salt is needed. Serve immediately and refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for about 24- 48 hours.

Notes

• I find that when using a small food chopper, I can remove stubborn florets from one batch to be riced and add them to the next round rather than continuing to pulse the cauliflower. This prevents over-chopping. However, when I use a food processor, I find stubborn pieces just magically pass around the blade no matter what, and I eat them right on the spot or chop them smaller by hand. Because I can rice an entire head of cauliflower in one round using the large work bowl, there is no next batch.
• Think in ratios. If your head of cauliflower is large, then err on the side of two medium avocados or go even larger if you love the earthy flavor. Same with the garlic. If the head of cauliflower is large, then you can probably get away with two large cloves. However, smaller heads of cauliflower mean smaller avocados and maybe only one piece of garlic.
• If your cauliflower tastes bland, then add more sea salt and coarse black pepper. This is an earthy recipe, and sometimes those oft-taken-for-granted ingredients are actual what brighten the flavor.
• To prevent your rice from being too garlicky or salty, start with small amounts and taste-test as you go before adding more.
• A food processor with a chopping blade will make quick work of a head of cauliflower. I started on a small food chopper, which also did the trick. It just took a little longer. Word to the wise: don’t over-chop the cauliflower. If there are tricky pieces, add them to the next round or chop them down by hand.
• Can I use frozen riced cauliflower and thaw it in the microwave? For best results, use fresh cauliflower or cauliflower rice that hasn’t been frozen. You want the rice-like granules to be fairly first for sautéing, otherwise you’ll wind up with cauliflower mush.
• How can I bulk this up for a more filling main dish recipe? Sauté your choice of protein such as tofu, chicken, shrimp, or beef. While I haven’t tried added roasted or sautéed chickpeas to this dish, that’s another option.