Cauliflower Fried Rice
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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!
You MAY Also Like
- Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry
- Cashew Chicken
- Fried Rice
- Beef with Broccoli
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Thai-Style Pork Fried Rice
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
Powered by 
- 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.
See more recipes:
Comments
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Oh man.. as always I can count on a solidly yummy recipe from you Jenn. You never disappoint. This is just so good.. and so healthy.. I made it as is cuz I trust you so much lol, and it was fabulous! and now I’ll add some of my own ‘tweaks’ to make it more mine …
I’m wondering if you think it would freeze well? I have all this deliciousness & blast my single life but I must consider freezing. Will all the moisture in the cauliflour ruin it?
maybe i’ll just experiment with a batch and see.. Any advice?
So glad you enjoyed it, Penelope! Unfortunately, I do think it would get a bit mushy if frozen – sorry!
I just made this and I was surprised. I am also not that crazy about the cauliflower hype, but having tried a lot of your recipes with success I’d thought I would give it a try. We all loved it. I didn’t have sesame oil so I used hoisin sauce, and I used vegetable mix instead of carrots and peas. The consistency was perfect and it tasted delicious. Served with chicken it made a satisfying meal.
Delish! 1st time making it and it tastes yummy 🙂 thanks for the recipe
Delicious!! Honestly couldn’t tell it wasnt rice. I did make a few tweaks – used shredded fresh carrots, slices snow peas, sliced bean sprouts, but pretty much followed instructions otherwise. I will DEFINITELY be making this again!!
In response to a previous review – no water needed
Damn. That was beyond all of my expectations. I never leave reviews but this one needed it. Didn’t have eggs on hand, can’t wait to try it with them next time!
This was amazing…to me it was Actually better than fried rice! To answer a previous reviewers question, I thought while cooking that I should add water, but it soon started cooking nicely without it and I forgot all about it. I also used grated fresh carrots . Along with frozen peas, turned out great. Thanks for sharing this super yummy, low carb recipe .
When I told my husband I was making this for dinner he made a face. But after his third helping I knew I had a winner. I did make the mistake of not using the grater attachment on my food processor so it was more like fried “couscous” rather than fried rice but still very tasty. I added left over grilled chicken to make it a complete meal. Definitely will be adding this to our weeknight meals.
A hit!! My family had no idea it was cauliflower!!
Tried this fried califower dish and it was great. Good flavor, not difficult, healthier than rice, definitely a keeper recipe.
I made this last night and ohhh my goodness it was so so good. I ate about 2/3 of the whole thing alone. I will most definitely make it again.
thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe.