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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Just a note that this recipe is in the gluten free section, but it won’t be gluten free unless you substitute Tamari for the soy sauce.
Soy sauce is fermented in barley, so it has gluten.
Otherwise, sounds great, and I plan to try it soon!
Hi Lauren, thanks so much for pointing that out! I’m going to add a note to the recipe.
That is a good cautionary note. But also, it is possible to obtain gluten-free soy sauce. “Little Soya” even makes these adorable single-serving packets shaped like little fish.
I would like to bring a big batch of this to a New Year’s party to serve as a side dish, and I won’t have access to an oven to rewarm. Do you think it would hold well in a crockpot? Or would your brussels sprouts recipe with the balsamic vinegar and honey travel better? The party starts a couple hours before we eat. Suggestions please? I love all your recipes! Thanks!
Hi Judy, I’m concerned that the fried rice would get soggy if it sat warming in a crock pot for an extended period. Believe it or not, this dish is good at room temperature, so you could go that route. The roasted Brussels sprouts are best if reheated in an oven, so if you won’t have access to one, I’d stick to the fried rice. Hope that helps!
Who would have guessed cauliflower could taste so good! My family loved this recipe.
I made this recipe once and made my hubby grate the fresh head of cauliflower. I found frozen cauliflower rice at our grocery store. My question is: should I thaw the cauliflower rice before cooking it? This was a great-tasting dish the first time; looking forward to making and eating it again! Thank you!
Glad you liked it, Lorie! It’s not necessary to defrost the cauliflower in advance.
Thank you so much!
This dish is so delicious. My husband loves rice and thinks this is even better. The only thing I did different is I cooked the peas and carrots in the pan with the scallions before I added the cauliflower.
I love your Cauliflower Rice Recipe!
I have been on a low carb diet and I find this recipe delicious and satisfying. If I have fresh cilantro on hand, I just give it a little chop and sprinkle over the top.
Overall a really good recipe. Definitely didn’t need the extra tablespoon of soy sauce. And I agree with the other comments about adding the extra egg!
Wow! We couldn’t stop eating this! So delicious and healthy too! I found the cauliflower rice at Trader Joe”s. I used fresh carrots chopped and frozen peas because I couldn’t find frozen peas and carrots. I omitted the ginger and used 4 eggs. I served it with fish. Still great the next day!
Wonderfully surprised! It tasted like fried rice! After making it exactly as published I suggest the following: No ginger. You won’t find ginger in any fried rice. Add an extra egg. I also added shredded green cabbage for roughage. This was wonderful!
Thank you
I actually made this the same day I saw it online but did not have time to review until now. I made it pretty much as the recipe states except I added 1 whole egg and 2 egg whites. I also used 2 tablespoons instead of 3 of vegetable oil. It was delicious both my husband and dad thought it was actual rice.