Is Cauliflower Rice More Nutritious Than Normal Rice?

With the news that Chipotle will now offer cauliflower rice on the menu, along with its traditional brown and white options, you may be wondering how the vegetable-based dish is nutritionally applied. For starters, it’s lower in calories and carbs.

Here is the full breakdown with Chipotle nutritional information. One serving of cilantro-lime cauliflower rice has:

• 40 calories per serving
• 1 gram of fat
• 3 grams of protein
• 7 grams of carbohydrates
• 3 grams of fiber

Compare this to your regular rice:

• 210 calories per serving
• 4 grams of fat (6 in brown rice)
• 4 grams of protein
• 40 grams of carbohydrates (36 in brown rice)
• 1 gram of fiber (2 grams of brown rice)

Is Cauliflower Rice the Best Choice?

It depends on what you are looking for in your burrito. If you want an easy way to reduce calories or carbs, cauliflower rice will do the trick while providing you with a rice-like filling. The amount of fiber is about the same in all rice options: one versus two or three grams.

I haven’t tasted the new offering, but overall, cauliflower rice tastes similar to its grain-based counterpart, though a little less satisfying. The biggest advantage is perhaps less: an option with fewer calories and fewer carbs isn’t as much food, and you may be hungry later. It’s also worth noting that large amounts of cauliflower rice don’t match everyone’s digestive system, although a single serving in a burrito is unlikely to have a huge effect.

In short, it’s a great option if you want to eat more vegetables and fewer carbs. The new side of Chipotle costs more, but there are other places to fit cauliflower rice into your life. Merchant Joe’s has one fried enriched cauliflower i love this and it is also often available in the grocery store freezers section. You can too make it your own by pressing fresh cauliflower on a food processor, so try it if you are looking for a new plant look.