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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My husband didn’t know this wasn’t rice. It is delicious and easy to make as a side or a meal!
I love this recipe, thank you so much for sharing it, I love how healthy and flavorfull it is ..I would do it again and again, I would even add some toasted nuts to it..
Love this recipe! I’ve made it twice now and served it to my inlaws. My father in law will not eat most vegetables except peas. We told him it was fried rice and he ate a good portion. 2 lbs of riced cauliflower makes a lot! I get a large head and cut it in half, about 1 lb. I halved some ingredients but not others.
I cut in half the soy sauce (and used low sodium), red pepper flakes , sugar, rice vinegar and sesame oil. Everything else I kept as original. I’m going to make it next time with a protein, either chicken or shrimp or whatever I have leftover.
This is REALLY GOOD and everyone loves it! Another winner from Once Upon a Chef!
What a easy, quick healthy recipe to make not to mention delicious. I was out of fresh ginger so I substituted ginger-garlic paste (and omitted the fresh garlic also). This can be a quick time saver and can be found at an Indian grocery store. It keeps for a very long time in the refrigerator and gives excellent flavor. This recipe is delicious warm and is also good leftover the next day cold or reheated. The next time I make it I am going to pair it with your pesto shrimp which is a family favorite. Love your recipes!!! Thank you
Three words – off the hook!!!
So so good- ok so i added three more 🙂
Oh my gosh, this is delicious, and tastes exactly like fried rice…you would never know it was cauliflower! I prepared this recipe just as written and won’t make any changes, especially since my husband will eat it, and he does not like cauliflower!
This has become a favorite in my family. Healthy and delicious! I sometimes add marinated sauteed shrimp,, but it’s good by itself. I also used fresh chopped carrots, and I saute them briefly in a little coconut oil before mixing them in with the ‘rice’.
Loved this recipe!! I used an organic cauliflower and “riced” it in my food processor. I’ve found there’s no comparison to the flavor of fresh to packaged. I made the recipe as is the first time and it was delicious. The second time I added some leftover chicken in there and it was amazing. For me its a complete meal.
Loving veggies as I do, I tried the Cauliflower Fried Rice.. delish and so healthy! My husband couldn’t tell the difference, So this is a keeper
Do you think edamame would be an okay substitution for peas? If not, do you have suggestions for other veggies suited for the dish?
Definitely 🙂