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Free Printable: Low Carb & Keto Food List
Get It NowFlavorful keto jambalaya with cauliflower rice, sausage, and shrimp is here for all of your Cajun food cravings! Betcha thought we couldn’t do cajun low carb, didn’t you? But you know there’s nothing I love more than turning classic foods into keto faves, and nothing is off limits.
I think this low carb jambalaya proves this little obsession of mine in a very delicious way! Not only is cauliflower rice jambalaya as good as the real deal, but it’s a healthy and lighter way to enjoy a classic Cajun dish. And it’s a 30-minute, one-pot keto meal. What’s better than that?!
What Is Jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a southern one-pot stir fry from Louisiana, traditionally including rice, vegetables, tomato-based sauce, spices, and meat and seafood, most commonly andouille sausage, shrimp, and chicken. The vegetables used in this dish includes peppers, onions and celery, often called the “holy trinity” of cajun cooking. Not surprisingly, the classic flavor of jambalaya comes from cajun seasoning blend.
Keto jambalaya takes all the same flavors and ingredients, but swaps in cauliflower rice for rice and uses a simplified ingredient list, with just 10 total ingredients.
Ingredients You’ll Need
The ingredients for keto jambalaya without rice are very similar to “regular” jambalaya that has it. I just swapped in cauliflower rice instead and used a simplified ingredient list, with just 11 required ingredients, plus salt:
- Olive oil
- Andouille sausage
- Bell peppers
- Onions
- Celery
- Garlic
- Shrimp
- Cauliflower rice
- Diced tomatoes
- Chicken bone broth
- Cajun seasoning
- Sea salt
TIP: A common addition to keto jambalaya that I left out is chicken – feel free to add it if you like. I omitted it to keep the ingredient count down, but traditional jambalaya often includes chicken in addition to the sausage and shrimp. To do so, simply add 1-2 diced chicken breasts (or 2-3 chicken thighs) together with the sausage and let it cook through before proceeding to add the garlic.
You can scroll to the recipe card below to get all the ingredient amounts, or read below first to see how to make keto jambalaya with step-by-step pictures and tips.
(I know, I went over my limit of 10 on this blog, but make a few exceptions for traditional recipes that typically have even more than I’m using.)
How To Make Keto Jambalaya
This jambalaya recipe with cauliflower rice comes together in 20 minutes! Here’s how we make it:
- Saute the holy trinity until soft. The holy trinity is the Cajun mirepoix combo of peppers, onions, and celery.
- Add garlic and cook for an additional minute.
TIP: Before adding the garlic, make sure to get the heat high enough to evaporate any liquid after cooking the peppers and onions. Otherwise, everything will steam instead of caramelizing.
- Add andouille sausage. Saute until slightly puckered and starting to brown.
- Add cauliflower rice and sauce ingredients, including diced tomatoes, bone broth, and Cajun seasoning. Stir together.
- Add shrimp last. Bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is tender, shrimp is cooked through, and liquid is reduced.
TIP: When cooking the shrimp, move the uncooked pieces toward the bottom of the pot, to help them brown and cook through. If any start to turn opaque, stir them toward the top.
TIP: It’s important to simmer over high heat at the end. Otherwise, you’ll end up with too much liquid. Cauliflower rice has a lot of water in it, and you need it to evaporate.
- Adjust seasoning and garnish. Add more salt and/or Cajun seasoning to taste. Garnish with green onions and parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What Does Jambalaya Taste Like? Jambalaya tastes like rice with meat and seafood in a spicy, cajun-flavored tomato sauce. And, low carb cauliflower rice jambalaya tastes very similar!
- Can I Have Jambalaya On Keto? Most jambalaya recipes are made with white rice – not keto! But this keto friendly jambalaya utilizes cauliflower rice for a lower carb and keto option. The serving size is generous, a slightly heaped 1 1/2 cups, perfect for a whole meal. This keto jambalaya recipe has 9.9 grams net carbs – very reasonable for a large, dinner-size portion! All of the flavor, much fewer carbs.
- Is It Supposed To Be Soupy? No. Cauliflower rice jambalaya has a cajun flavored sauce, but is not supposed to be liquid like soup. That would be more similar to a gumbo.
- Can You Make It More Saucy? Yes, you can. If you want a more saucy, tomato-ey jambalaya, add a second can of diced tomatoes. This would increase carb count, though. It’s still plenty flavorful as is.
- Is This Jambalaya Spicy? Yes, the amount of Cajun seasoning in the recipe makes a spicy keto jambalaya. If you want it more mild, reduce Cajun seasoning to one tablespoon instead of two.
Serving Ideas
Keto jambalaya is already a one-pot meal, so you don’t have to add anything to it. But if you like, try a low carb bread such as keto cornbread or cheddar bay biscuits, and a neutral salad, such as cucumber tomato avocado salad.
More Cauliflower Rice Recipes
If you like this jambalaya with cauliflower rice, you might also like some of these other keto side dishes featuring cauliflower rice:
- How To Make Cauliflower Rice – The best basic guide to cauliflower rice! This will answer ALL of your questions and show you some tricks on getting it perfect every time.
- Low Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice – Miss your favorite take-out? No need, this is a delicious alternative.
- Keto Mushroom Risotto – Creamy mushroom risotto without the carbs!
- Keto Grits And Shrimp – Another Southern classic with a fluffy, cheesy grits swap!
- Low Carb Cauliflower Breadsticks – These healthy breadsticks will make you believe that cauliflower really can do anything.
- Ground Beef Cauliflower Lasagna – Lasagna flavors so good, you won’t miss the pasta!
Tools To Make Cauliflower Rice Jambalaya
Tap the links below to see the items used to make this recipe.
- Dutch Oven – From stove too table, this dutch oven is amazing quality and nice to look at, too!
- Chef’s Knife – My go-to chef’s knife! It’s one of my favorite tools in my kitchen, and makes chopping low carb cajun jambalaya ingredients EASY.
Keto Jambalaya (30 Minutes)
By
Low carb keto jambalaya with cauliflower rice is an easy, healthy one-pot meal in 30 minutes -- with just as much flavor as the original.
Instructions
[ See step photos ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
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Heat the oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the bell peppers, onions, and celery. Saute for 5-8 minutes, until the vegetables are soft.
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Add the sliced sausage. Saute for about 5 minutes, until browned.
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Make a well in the center and add the minced garlic. Let it sizzle for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, then stir in with everything else.
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Add the cauliflower rice, diced tomatoes, bone broth, and Cajun seasoning. Stir together, then add the shrimp. Increase heat to high to bring to a simmer, then continue to simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender, shrimp is cooked through, and liquid is reduced, about 5-7 minutes. It will release more liquid at first and then reduce in volume again as it simmers more.
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Season with salt to taste, and/or more Cajun seasoning if you like. If desired, garnish with green onions and parsley.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya's Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1 1/2 cups (slightly heaped), or 1/6 entire recipe
- Store: Keep leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat: Warm in the microwave or a hot skillet until heated through.
- Freeze: Let cool completely, then store in an airtight container or freezer bag (press out the air) for 2-3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
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The Best Low Carb Keto Jambalaya Recipe
93 Comments
Virginia
0First thing I had ever made with cauliflower rice. Did not love that part of it. Didn’t hate it either. I want to make something similar where I make the andouille, shrimp, pepper, tomato portion of the recipe and serve it over roast or air fried cauliflower and/or a mix of roast vegetables. Probably in small chunks. It won’t be trying to mimic jambalaya as closely but I think we’d like the texture better.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Virginia, Yes, the cauliflower rice is meant to be a neutral base for the other flavors. You can definitely use air fryer cauliflower instead!
Maureen
0We love this recipe but have some difficulty making it for 2 or 3 adults. I need to cut all ingredients in half. Please help
Maureen
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m glad you love it, Maureen! You can definitely cut the ingredients in half. The easiest way would be to change the number of servings on the recipe card from “6” to “3”, that will cut all the amounts in half. Hope this helps.
Jan
0Love this recipe. We make it often. My picky husband even likes it even though he doesn’t usually like cauliflower rice.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you make this recipe often, Jan! And especially that even your picky husband likes it. That’s always a win!
Meagan Gomez
0I had never had Jambalaya before I found this recipe. I didn’t even know what it was. I absolutely love this and I make it every now and again for me and my boyfriend. One of my favorites that I have tried from you. Thank you for sharing it 😀
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m so happy you gave it a try, Meagan! That’s awesome to hear it became one of your favorites.
Amy K Ragan
0Always turns out delicious! I leave out the shrimp as my son and myself aren’t big seafood fans and he loves this recipe! Always hard to cook for teenage boys but this is a hit
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Amy! I’m glad you and your son enjoyed this dish.
Tina
0Delicious!! Love your recipe always something new to try. Thank you!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you so much, Tina! Enjoy!
Shannon Haberman
0Amazing! I made it with vegetable broth and turkey kielbasa to cut more fat grams. We LOVED it! And so easy as I bought onions and peppers already cut. (I’m lazy).
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so happy you loved this dish, Shannon! Thank you for sharing your substitutions and shortcuts.
Jessica K
0I have made this so many times for my family!!! Would never want to make it with regular rice!!! I even recommend it to others.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad your family likes this recipe, Jessica! Thank you so much for sharing my site with others, that means a lot to me.
Carrie Ginther
0I am so glad I found this recipe. I used to make the boxed mix but it has too many carbs with the white rice. I didn’t expect this to be so good! I make it with smoked turkey sausage since I don’t care for andouille sausage. I add a little extra broth or water to have a little bit of a soup base. It holds a lot of flavor in the liquid. I freeze some of the batch to have on hand. Thank you for coming up with this recipe.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you liked it, Carrie! Thank you for sharing your variation.
Tracy
0Delicious. I will make this again soon.
Courtney
0I just made this recipe for the second time. It is just so good. By the time it’s done, you don’t know that you’re eating cauliflower. It just taste like jambalaya. I do need to remember to add cook, shredded chicken, and okra, because I like both of those in a jambalaya. Thank you so much for this low-carb recipe that doesn’t feel like I’m having to compromise or give up anything. It’s got flavor and I’m full after eating.
Ann
0Perfection, I love this.
Otis Jiry
0A case in point. As one who lived in Louisiana 22 years I have to point out one major inaccuracy with your description. Cajun dishes do NOT use a tomato base. That is what Creole dishes use. So true Cajan jambalaya has no tomato in it whatsoever. Everything else is pretty much the same, but there’s no tomato. Also, generally, it’s either chicken and andoullie sausage or pork and andoullie sausage. Adding shrimp is making it ‘fancy’ which jambalaya is not. I lived in the Jambalaya capital of the World, Gonzales, LA. In their annual cookoff, you were only allowed to use pork.
Dee
2No one cares. Everyone has their preferences. Make it your way and move along.
Courtney
0This is fantastic and so easy! I cooked it a bit longer and added more creole seasoning. I used Tony’s creole seasoning, so no salt was needed. Next time I want to add okra (love okra in jambalaya) and some cod. It will break up great and add some more great flavor.
Holly
0Just made this for dinner tonight and it’s amazing!!!! My husband and son love it. Will definitely make this again ??
Erin McQuillan
0Are you sure that there is enough fat for these recipes to considered keto? When I plug them into my nutrition app, they are coming up too high in protein to qualify for a keto diet.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Erin, Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy if you have questions please see our nutrition policy.
Eddie Arnold
0My wife was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes sep of 2022 and had to change her diet. This recipe is easy and we love it! We use conecuh sausage and occasionally I will add the meat of a rotisserie chicken. Because it makes so much you can eat on it multiple days and I believe its better the next day.
Sheryl J
0I made this recipe and both my husband and son didn’t mind the cauliflower rice. It was delicious. I used rotel diced tomatoes and chicken thighs, and skipped the shrimp.
A Davis
0I made this tonight for dinner..my husband loves jambalaya, but because of his diabetes he would not eat it without adding rice.. I used Rotel & stewed tomatoes because it was what I had..it was absolutely fabulous! My husband did not miss the rice. It’s def a keeper. I signed up to the website. So excited to try more Diabetic friendly recipes. Thanks.
Jen
0Love this recipe! It’s become part of the regular rotation in our house! I like to use a little less sausage than the full pound. Great flavor, filling, healthy, comfort food.