Chipotle’s Rice Recipe Gone Paleo with Paleo Cauliflower Rice (2024)

I was on Pinterest a few weeks ago. You know, had five minutes of spare time so I jumped on.

Before you know it I had pinned the whole world. I have 50,000 projects to complete and 30 large pegboards to buy along with at least 100 pallets.

Don’t even get me started on pallets. Except I will say one day my home will be completely decorated by use of pallets and it will cost me like $100 total.

Awesome.

I digress. So, I am loving these copycat recipes on Pinterest. Love!

One particular copycat recipe kept coming up. The copycat recipe for Chipotle’s cilantro rice. YUM! I do not make rice anymore, not since I discovered paleo cauliflower rice. So naturally I thought, I can make that! I CAN MAKE THAT!! But the paleo version.

I went to work. I followed the Chipotle copycat recipe using cauliflower for rice and…disaster. Gross. No good. And thus proceeded the walk of shame to the trash can.

But then I started thinking encouraging thoughts and decided, No! I can make that. I CAN MAKE THAT!

So I tried again with a very tweaked recipe that still included the basic ingredients. It was…Awesome!

So, you should make it too. And feel awesome.

How To Make Paleo Cauliflower Rice with Fresh Lime and Cilantro

Take a head of cauliflower, clean it and then cut it into large pieces.

Using your food processor, attach the cheese grater attachment and feed the chunks through the tube.

It can get a little crazy at this point as the cauliflower might start popping out of the tube (as my dear friend let me know). To avoid this, do not remove the tube completely, just have it cracked open and add the cauliflower. Or turn off the food processor and add some cauliflower, pulse and repeat 🙂

If you do not have a cheese grater attachment you can grate the cauliflower with a box grater. One of my friends just pulsed it in her food processor without the attachment but she said it changed the outcome of the “rice” effect. So I suggest the cheese grater attachment when using a food processor!

If it does go through the cheese grater it will come out all beautiful and fluffy like this:

Now, turn your burner to medium low. In a large pot, add the riced cauliflower and ¼ cup chicken broth. The chicken broth will add a hint of flavor to your cauliflower, which is good because cauliflower can be a little bland.

Also add ½ tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.

Cover the pot and allow the cauliflower to steam. After about 7-8 minutes the cauliflower should be tender and cooked.

While that is steaming take one to two limes and wash them (if you like a strong lime flavor go with two. If you prefer a hint of lime, go with one). Then zest them. Set the zest of the lime aside and cut the lime(s) in half so you can add the juice later.

Then grab some cilantro. I roughly chopped up about 2 tablespoons (we love cilantro) but use as much or as little as you like.

Once the cauliflower is done (you can taste it for doneness – what? Apparently “doneness” is not a word. Really? Surely it is a culinary term. Doneness. Done-ness. Whatever. Anyway taste it to see if you need to add more salt!).

Add the zest of the lime. Then add juice from one half of the lime.

Give it a good stir and then taste. If you want more of a lime kick add the juice from the other limes, tasting as you go.

Turn the burner off and add the cilantro. This is important. The Chipotle copycat rice recipe has the rice cooking with the cilantro in it – but fresh herbs are most vibrant in flavor when they are barely cooked. When I added the cilantro to the cauliflower and let it all steam together the first go around the cilantro was wilted and had lost most of its flavor.

So, yes. Add cilantro last. Stir. Eat. Feel awesome.

We serve our cilantro lime rice with grilled chicken and veggies (a fajita spread if you will).

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