Cauliflower Fried Rice
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This Chinese-style cauliflower fried rice is a healthy, low-carb dish that’s hearty enough to serve as a main course.
Cauliflower rice — which is just cauliflower grated into rice-like bits — really does taste similar to rice, or at least it behaves similarly by soaking up all the flavor of its seasonings. In this quick and easy cauliflower fried rice recipe, I sauté grated cauliflower with aromatics, vegetables, soy sauce, and eggs, much like Chinese fried rice. It’s a healthy, low-carb dish that’s hearty enough to serve as a main course.
Cauliflower has a mild flavor that makes it an excellent blank canvas for other flavors. In addition to rice, it makes a great substitute for mashed potatoes in my cauliflower purée with thyme recipe. It’s also excellent roasted in my roasted cauliflower recipe.
What You’ll Need To Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
You’ll likely be able to find grated cauliflower in the produce or frozen vegetable section of your supermarket. But if not, it’s simple to make using a food processor (use the grating disc) or hand grater.
How To Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
As with any quick stir-fry, it’s important to have all of your ingredients prepped before you start cooking.
Begin by heating a few teaspoons of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt and cook over medium heat until scrambled.
Set the eggs aside, then sauté the scallions, ginger, and garlic in oil until softened.
Add the grated cauliflower, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes.
Add the peas and carrots and continue cooking until the cauliflower “rice” is tender-crisp and the vegetables are warmed through, a few minutes.
Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, dark green scallions, nuts (if using), and scrambled eggs.
Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot and enjoy!
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Cauliflower Fried Rice
This Chinese-style cauliflower fried rice is a healthy, low-carb dish that’s hearty enough to serve as a main course.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- Salt
- 1 cup chopped scallions, light and green parts separated (you'll need 5-6 scallions)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger, from a 1-inch knob (see note)
- One 2-lb head cauliflower (or 2 pounds "ready to cook" cauliflower rice), thawed if frozen
- 4-5 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Asian/toasted sesame oil
- ¼ cup chopped cashews or peanuts (optional)
Instructions
- Grate the cauliflower in a food processor fitted with the grating disc. Alternatively, grate on the large holes of a box or hand-held grater. Set aside. (Skip this step if using "ready to cook" cauliflower rice.)
- Heat 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil in a large (10 or 12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt and scramble until the eggs are cooked. Transfer to a small plate and set aside. Wipe the pan clean.
- Add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the pan and set over medium heat. Add the light scallions, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring often, until softened but not browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the grated cauliflower, 4 tablespoons of the soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add the peas and carrots and continue cooking until the cauliflower "rice" is tender-crisp and the vegetables are warmed through, a few minutes. Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, dark green scallions, nuts (if using) and eggs. Taste and adjust seasoning (adding the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce if necessary). Serve hot.
- Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Serving size: about 2 cups
- Calories: 273
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 7 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Sodium: 1717 mg
- Cholesterol: 93 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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This was so good, even my 4 year old gobbled it up. Thank you for another great recipe 🙂
Cauliflower convert here. Don’t know how you did it Jenn but somehow you made the humble cauliflower taste so good! My husband and I ate every last bit. Our family has loved every single one of your recipes. In fact every time I make something new, my kids ask ‘Is this a Jenn Segal recipe?’:)
😊
I try to make a large meal on Sunday to use for lunches over most of the work week. Do you think this would be OK until Wednesday?
Sure. I wouldn’t push it beyond that though.
Hi Jenn
I love everything I’ve made – thank you! I am now on Keto diet so want to try this – I will swap the veggies for beans and napa cabbage, bok choy but am wondering if I can go without the sugar or if this is needed to make it great. I use monk fruit as a sugar substitute for baking and coffee/tea but haven’t used in savory dishes. Thanks!
Hi Janet, I think you could get away with omitting the sugar. I don’t have any experience monk fruit, but one reader commented that she substituted a pinch of it for the sugar. Please report back if you try it!
Forgive me if you’ve already answered this question, but can I prepare it in advance (except for the egg) and reheat in microwave and simply adding/mixing in the just-scrambled egg?
Sure! Hope you enjoy.
could i substitute rice in this recipe? made it with cauliflower and loved it but my husband nixed the cauliflower. If so how much and any other adjustments? Thanking you in advance.
Hi Marguarite, I’d guesstimate that you’d need between 3.5 and 4 cups of (cooked) rice. Hope you enjoy!
I LOVED this recipe! I just added shrimp to it and it came out FABULOUS! You should really try it with a protein in addition to the egg. DELISH!
Loved it! My vegetarian daughter ate as is and my hubby and I added a bbq’d chicken breast with it! So very good! Will definitely make again! Thanks Jenn! ❤️
How much microplaned ginger and cups of cooked white rice would you recommend?
Hi Elizabeth, I’d guesstimate that you’d need somewhere between 3.5 and 4 cups of rice and about 2 tsp. microplaned ginger. Hope you enjoy!
Made this tonight and it was so tasty! Didn’t change a thing. I served it with your Broiled salmon with Thai sweet chili sauce recipe! Delicious combo and will make both again.
My daughter and I enjoy trying so many of your recipes, Jenn.
Thanks for all you do to bring us these fabulous recipes and techniques!
This was fantastic and is going in our permanent rotation. Did not miss the rice one bit in fact this was better than rice!