Cadmium (Cd)-contaminated paddy soil has become a global agricultural safety issue. The application of foliage dressing with mineral elements to alleviate Cd toxicity and reduce Cd uptake in rice might offer a cost-effective and practical strategy for safe food production. In the present study, a pot experiment was conducted to select the optimum foliar composition and dosage. Field experiments in two consecutive rice seasons were carried out to investigate the effectiveness and mechanisms of foliage dressing. Foliar spray of S, P, and a mixture of both were effective treatments to reduce Cd concentration in rice grain. The S and P sprays had the ability to change Cd translocation from roots to aboveground parts and change the bioconcentration factor of aboveground parts. The maximum leaf–grain translocation factor decrease rate was 84%, and a maximum bio-concentration factor decrease rate of 69% was observed in the stem. Foliar dressing reduced the adverse effect of Cd and enhanced plant height, yield, photosynthesis, and physiological characteristics. Multiple stepwise regression further highlighted the significant role of leaf Cd, peroxidase, catalase, glutathione, and photosynthesis in determining grain Cd. Foliar spray with S is likely to reduce Cd accumulation in rice grain via minimizing reactive oxygen species production by improving activities of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant defense systems and manipulating glutathione synthesis. The detoxification of foliar-applied P was mainly due to decreased Cd translocation and maintaining photosynthetic machinery. These results indicate that foliage dressing with mineral elements has great potential for the remediation of vast agricultural fields.