Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Amazingly tasty and delicious Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. Entirely vegan, gluten free, and low carb. It is such a versatile side dish, easy to make, and stunningly fresh.

Before vegan days there was one thing I ate on a regular basis. A cilantro lime rice. It was so good, made with butter, lime juice, and of course rice. Garnished with cilantro.

That was all so simple and perfect, just on its own or as a side dish with chicken for me pre vegan days.

This was something I could probably eat nearly everyday. It’s not a big surprise that I have a big soft spot for cauliflower rice. Yes you can be sure it often plays a role in my dishes like in these Mexican Cauliflower Rice Tacos or my Cauliflower Rice Buddha Bowl.

You see that it’s always present. This Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice is no exception.

It’s hearty, satisfying, fresh, light, tasty, healthy, buttery, lemony, easy, mouthwatering, simple, pure and so good.

How to create a real vegan butter flavor from plant based ingredients.

Let’s face it. In many recipes we come to the point where we want to have a real butter flavor with only plant-based ingredients. And I mean something which taste precisely like butter. That’s not so easy.

Ok, we can try olive oil which is really delicious in almost every dish. So a Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice with olive oil should be the answer?

I don’t think so. In this case, the flavor will be very strong and not at all buttery.

Next coconut oil delicious but the coconut taste is too dominant, it will taste like a coconut rice.

So what is my favorite, you wonder. In my opinion, the winner and answers is cacao butter.

This might surprise you because you can imagine to use it in sweet dishes, but not in savory ones. Trust me, it’s a winner.

You really need just 2 tbs of this and you have the most incredible and amazing butter taste you can ask for.

A generic vegan butter is surely a good option if you can’t find cacao butter. But be prepared, you really need a lot of it to create this rich flavor.

How to make Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice

Traditional cilantro lime rice is made from steamed or cooked rice. Add a good amount of butter, then mix with lime juice and season with salt and pepper.

This Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice is almost the same. Start by putting cauliflower florets in a food processor. Pulse a couple of times until you have a rice-like texture.

Do not over-process. Otherwise you will end up with flour.

Next you can choose from 3 cooking methods: you can steam the cauliflower rice in the microwave for around 6 minutes. Please check your steamer instructions carefully for accurate results.

Another option is to use a steamer for a casserole. Again check the instructions for the precise time.

Last but not least you can make your cauliflower rice like regular rice. This will take 10 minutes but you will also need a cheesecloth to put the cooked cauliflower rice and drained out all the liquid.

When done, mix lime juice, 3/4 of the cilantro, cacao butter, cauliflower rice in a bowl. Top with the remaining 1/4 cilantro, enjoy.

It’s delicious on its own, not only for lunch or dinner. It’s also a great veggie snack and a great dairy free alternative. You can serve this with chopped tomatoes and beans, avocado cubes and so much more. It will fit for nearly everything.

Give this Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice a try, snap a picture show me your remakes and enjoy with a tag on Instagram and Facebook. Cheers, Florian.