Keto Cauliflower Rice Pilaf with Peppers

This keto cauliflower rice pilaf has an assortment of colorful peppers and garlic to make a delicious and quick side dish. You can create this low carb recipe in just 15 minutes with simple ingredients. The flavorful combination of buttery cauliflower rice mixed with sweet peppers and topped with crunchy almonds makes for a healthy vegetarian meal too! Each serving has just 110 calories and 3.9 grams net carbs.

You might also like all of the keto cauliflower rice recipes.

The first time I made this keto cauliflower rice pilaf with peppers recipe I was looking for a quick and easy low carb side dish to go with this pork roast. It worked out great because it was the perfect substitute for white rice and it only took 15 minutes to make.

My hubby and I love the combination of peppers and onions so that is what I used in this easy recipe. I had a bunch of mini sweet bell peppers and some jalapeno peppers as well. So I paired those with some cauliflower rice, garlic and toasted sliced almonds for some crunch.

It’s very tasty and oh so simple. This is one of those cauliflower rice recipes where you really don’t miss regular rice especially on a keto diet. We had some extra and I just ate it for a quick lunch.

This is definitely a dish where you could eat it as a light keto vegetarian meal. Or you could add some protein like cooked rotisserie chicken, shrimp, pork, whatever you want and it will go with the rest of the dish to make more of a complete meal.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

All you need for this simple recipe is butter, cauliflower rice, onion, sweet bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, ,garlic, almond slices, salt and black pepper.

Fresh Cauliflower Rice
I like to buy fresh head of cauliflower and make my own in my mini food processor. You just add raw cauliflower florets and pulse until it looks like tiny grains of rice. You could use frozen cauliflower rice or fresh that you buy in the grocery stores. Just make sure to drain any excess water that they might have.

Sweet Peppers and Jalapenos
I used mini bell peppers but you can use larger ones. I have a great vegetable chopper for chopping dicing them and it’s picture in the step by step section below. You can use larger peppers and even other hot peppers.

For the jalapeno I took out the seeds and ribs so it wouldn’t be hot but if you prefer more heat keep the ribs in or just add some hot pepper flakes.

Onions and Garlic
I used red onion for color but you can use yellow or white onions. However I highly suggest you use fresh garlic. It adds a lot of flavor to this dish.

Almond Slices
I find this all the time at Aldi now which has me excited. You can use them in so many dishes from pilafs like this one or on salads and even with just steamed veggies. I toasted them to add extra flavor but if you are in a hurry you can just add them in raw.

You could also use other nuts like pecans or walnuts and just chop them up. Pine nuts would also go great and you won’t want to chop those though. I would dry roast the nuts like you do the almonds though for added flavor. If you can eat nuts you can eliminate them.

How to make keto cauliflower rice pilaf with peppers.

Step 1: Dice the veggies into small bite sized pieces. Below you can see the vegetable chopper I have that works GREAT for dishes like this. I’ve bought other ones that don’t work well but this one is fantastic.

So dice the peppers and onion into small equal pieces. For the jalapeno I like to take out the seeds and ribs to that it’s not too hot. If you want some extra heat keep the ribs in but not the seeds.

Step 2: Get out a large pan and heat to medium heat. Add the butter and once it melts add the onion and peppers. Saute for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften and the onion turns translucent.

Step 3: Add the riced cauliflower, crushed garlic, salt and black peppers. Mix to combine and cook for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.

Step 4: Meanwhile get to another small nonstick pan and heat to medium. Add the sliced raw almonds and saute for a few minutes in a dry pan until the almonds brown. Watch the pan because the almonds can burn quickly. When done, spoon onto a paper towel or plate and let cool for a few minutes.

Step 5: When the cauliflower rice is done, spoon the toasted almonds on top and serve. If you want you can add fresh herbs like fresh parsley, cilantro or even basil for a garnish.

Store leftovers into an airtight container. Please scroll down to view the printable recipe card.

As I mentioned above you can add a green salad and a protein like cooked rotisserie chicken, cooked shrimp, pork or even beef to make this more a complete meal. However it’s great as it is and can even be eating as a light dinner or lunch instead of a just a healthy side dish.

Keto main dishes that would go great with dish.

If you are looking for a good keto main dish to go with this riced cauliflower recipe here are few of my favorite recipes that are low carb and easy to make.

• keto slow cooker Greek lemon chicken
• keto Yucatan shrimp
• low carb air fryer pork bites or chicken patties
• keto salisbury steak
• low carb baked tilapia

Well this keto cauliflower rice pilaf doesn’t get much easier than that. There is something about the combination of rice and nuts that is very delicious to me especially on a low carb diet.

This is a great vegetable side dish but as I’ve mentioned above you can certainly make it your main meal. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

The nutritional information for 1 serving is 110 calories / 8.8g fat / 6.1g carbs / 2.2g fiber / 2.3g protein = 3.9g net carbs