Black Bean and Cauliflower Rice Salad

Last Updated December 28, 2021. Published December 28, 2021 By Lorie 1 Comment

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This simple Cauliflower Rice Salad with black beans is packed with veggies and lots of flavor. Tossed with a simple cilantro lime dressing, this is a delicious side dish that can be tossed together in just 15 minutes. Serve along side tacos or grilled chicken and toss in some cubed avocado as well!

White salad bowl with cauliflower rice salad with black beans, corn, cilantro and serving spoon.

This recipe was originally published March 2016 and updated December 2021.

Cauliflower rice is all the craze, and it can easily be found in the produce aisle ready to go. Who knew we would see the day?

While some love it as a rice substitute to serve up with their favorite Teriyaki recipe, I actually prefer it raw and in salad form.

This Cauliflower Rice Salad is a great dish to serve with your favorite taco recipe, chicken dinner and more.

If you have never made cauliflower rice before it's really simple. You add cauliflower florets to a food processor or blender and pulse until the cauliflower becomes a rice-like texture. It's really versatile so don't let this be the only recipe you use it with!

Why you will love this cauliflower rice salad:

A perfect way to pack in the veggies. This black bean cauliflower salad is a taste the rainbow kind of salad. All the colors--but also all the flavor. You will enjoy eating the rainbow with this salad!
Easy to meal prep. You can makes this salad in advance and eat it throughout the week. You can also chop all of the veggies in advance during the day and toss the salad together before ready to serve. Lots of options for those who like to plan.
Easily turned into a full meal! This may look like a light salad, but you can easily turn it into a hearty meal. Add some grilled chicken or another protein, toss in some avocado or cheese. Makes a meal!

What you will need:

cauliflower: I use a cauliflower head but you can use the ready to go cauliflower rice that you find in the produce aisle. I do not suggest using frozen cauliflower for this recipe.
black beans: canned black beans, drained and rinsed
red bell pepper: any color is fine if you don't have red
onion: red onion is preferred. It adds all the more color to this cauliflower rice salad as well!
mukimame: mukimame is quite simply shelled edamame. It is often found in the freezer section of the grocery.
corn: frozen is great for this recipe, thawed.
jalapeño: if you don't want the spiciness, you can cut down on the jalapeño or opt for a milder green chile
lime juice: freshly squeezed is preferred over lime juice from the bottle.
garlic: freshly minced for the most flavor. I always start with one clove and then add in more to taste.
cilantro: more is always better in my book. Great to add into the salad and over top for serving.
red wine vinegar: this is my preferred vinegar in this cauliflower salad. If you do not have any red wine vinegar, apple cider may be ok as well.
olive oil: a robust and flavorful olive oil is great, but any extra virgin olive oil is fine.
crushed red pepper: optional
salt and pepper: easy to adjust to your liking!

Cauliflower, corn, black beans, peppers, lime and other ingredients on counter.

How do you make cauliflower rice?

Don't worry--making your own riced cauliflower is actually so simple. All you need to do is toss cauliflower florets into your food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is a rice like size and texture.

If you don't have a food processor, you can use a box grater to grate larger chunks of cauliflower. This will take much more time, but it is still doable.

How to make this salad recipe:

To make this black bean cauliflower rice salad, you just need to do a few simple things:

Process the cauliflower into rice (unless you are using ready to go cauliflower rice). Add into a bowl along with all the other chopped veggies and rinsed black beans.

Glass mixing bowl with cauliflower rice, beans, peppers, corn and other salad ingredients.

No need to toss the dressing ingredients separately. You can add in the oil, vinegar, lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper right over the vegetables and toss well to combine.

Adjust garlic, salt and pepper to taste. Chill until ready to serve. That is it!

Tossed cauliflower black bean salad in glass bowl.

Recipe Notes:

Storing Instructions: You can store this cauliflower rice salad for about 4-5 days in an air tight container in the refrigerator. The cauliflower stays fairly crisp even after several days. I do not suggest freezing this salad.
Adjust the spice level to your liking. If you love more spice, you can add extra jalapeño. Or, if you do not like much spice, omit it or just use half of the pepper.
Other ingredients you may enjoy adding into this salad: grape tomatoes, diced avocado (don't add until just before serving), feta or cotija cheese, cucumber, pinto or other beans.
You can prep this recipe in advance. If you are serving this salad and want to get a head start, you can make it a day in advance. This allows the flavors to really soak in. Toss with extra olive oil if needed before serving.

How to serve this cauliflower salad:

Add in diced avocado for more bulk. Cheese is another option. I love cotija cheese in this salad.
Serve with freshly sliced grilled chicken. I also love serving this along with my Mango Salsa Chicken.
Spoon some of the salad over top of tacos or serve it as a side. These spicy shrimp tacos and air fryer fish tacos are our favorites.
This salad also makes a great base for these Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls.