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Cauliflower Fried Rice

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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 fried rice

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

Rice ingredients including cauliflower, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil.

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.

Food processor full of grated cauliflower rice.

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.

Chopped vegetables on a wooden board.

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.

Wooden spoon stirring a skillet of scrambled eggs.

Set the eggs aside, then sauté the scallions, ginger, and garlic in oil until softened.

Skillet of garlic, scallions, and ginger.

Add the grated cauliflower, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes.

Skillet with riced cauliflower and soy sauce.

Add the peas and carrots and continue cooking until the cauliflower “rice” is tender-crisp and the vegetables are warmed through, a few minutes.

Peas and carrots in a skillet with riced cauliflower.

Stir in the rice vinegar, sesame oil, dark green scallions, nuts (if using), and scrambled eggs.

Scrambled eggs in a skillet with riced cauliflower.

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve hot and enjoy!

Wooden bowl of cauliflower fried rice.

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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.

Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

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

  1. 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.)
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. Note: Check out easy guidance on how to peel, grate, and chop fresh ginger here.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • 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

  • Love all your recipes! I want to make this using 10 oz. bags of frozen cauliflower rice. How many bags should I use?

    • — Ann on February 4, 2024
    • Reply
    • So glad you like the recipes! Yes, you can use them – you’ll need 3 bags. That will make you 2 ounces short of the 32 ounces the recipe calls for, but it shouldn’t have a significant impact. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on February 5, 2024
      • Reply
      • This was crazy good! I had a craving and luckily I had everything I needed to make half the recipe. I used a bag of frozen cauliflower rice medley which had carrots and peas in it. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly for 2 servings. So easy and delicious! I will definitely be making this again … and again!

        • — Ann on February 5, 2024
        • Reply
      • This is shockingly good!!
        The food processor was a cinch and made a great texture for the “rice”. I did 2 T Soy and 2 T Hoisin ( instead of 4 T Soy (then omitted the tsp of sugar. )
        Also, I have your book displayed in my kitchen on a little easel. Looks great and is so helpful too!

        • — Laurie on February 14, 2024
        • Reply
  • WOW! This is really fast and good!

    • — Marianne on January 18, 2024
    • Reply
  • Shocks that this is cauliflower! Absolutely delicious! Followed the recipe and it did not disappoint. I’m a believer!

    • — Kelley on January 9, 2024
    • Reply
  • Tried this tonight and wow we were blown away, tasted better than using rice and most people wouldn’t realise it was cauliflower at all, so will be a great one to try with kids.
    Thanks for the great recipe
    Allison

    • — Allison on December 12, 2023
    • Reply
  • It didnt work well for me, I think I may have put too much cauliflower in and so it steamed alongside frying. The texture was soggy and not enjoyable. Flavour was ok though so giving 2 stars for that.

    • — Lauren on October 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • *Only giving the recipe two stars because you used too much cauliflower ? 🤔
      Excellent recipe as always Jen! I make it often and sometimes add a protein. Thank you!

      • — Lorie on January 8, 2024
      • Reply
  • Oops…I forgot to add the 5 stars!

    • — Barbara Kettler on October 18, 2023
    • Reply
  • Delicious! This has become a favorite when we
    are craving Chinese food! All the goodness without
    the calories! Thank you Jenn for this amazing recipe!

    • — Barbara Kettler on October 18, 2023
    • Reply
  • I made this last night and it was delicious! I added chicken to my dish. I will be using this recipe often. I give it 5 stars!

    • — Deb Roberts on September 10, 2023
    • Reply
    • I haven’t made this yet but am considering making it for a Christmas buffet as a light side. I see you say to serve warm. Any reason it couldn’t be served at room temp?

      • — Shawn on December 11, 2023
      • Reply
      • Hi Shawn, you can get away with serving this at room temp. Hope everyone enjoys!

        • — Jenn on December 11, 2023
        • Reply
  • Another winner Jenn!
    I just don’t like most vegetables in general. I have tried this recipe before and loved it (but don’t remember if I ever made comments). Knowing I needed to add more vegetables to my eating habits, I remembered this recipe. I made this using already riced frozen Cauliflower (Costco had frozen organic riced cauliflower –in 16oz increments. So two 16oz bags = 2 lbs). I thawed, and made sure to remove the excess water after thawing. Followed the recipe, and yes! I can eat vegetables with pleasure! My husband also complimented the flavor of this! (He added some grilled chicken to his portion ). We’re looking forward to the leftovers.

    • — Jeannie on August 24, 2023
    • Reply
  • Dear jenn
    Thanks for another great recipe.
    I’d like to make this ahead of time for a family gathering,and am wondering what the best way to reheat this would be.
    Thank you

    • — Dagmar on August 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • Glad you like it, Dagmar! You can reheat it either in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove.

      • — Jenn on August 22, 2023
      • Reply
  • Can you use rice instead?

    • — Lauryn on August 4, 2023
    • Reply
    • Sure – I’d go with cooked rice that just needs to be warmed through.

      • — Jenn on August 7, 2023
      • Reply
    • This was fantastic. I used onions instead of scallions because I didn’t have any on hand. Didn’t use the nuts.

      • — Kellu on August 13, 2023
      • Reply
  • This is a great recipe and substitute for regular fried rice! I’m cutting back on carbs but miss things like fried rice. To make it easier, I used ready made frozen cauliflower rice from Trader Joe’s and substituted coconut aminos for the soy sauce, and that made it easy to reduce the oil. I like spice (and need to cut back on sugar) so I omitted the sugar and it still tasted fantastic. Thank you for a nice healthy alternative! Will definitely be using this in my weekly meal rotation.

    • — Emily on July 30, 2023
    • Reply
  • Delicious! Did not have peas and carrots, only peas so grated a carrot and cooked with the cauliflower. Seasonings spot on!

    • — Peggy on July 5, 2023
    • Reply
  • Delicious! I’ve made several versions but love this. I added crumbled cooked bacon. I also used a homemade stir fry sauce made with coconut aminos. Everything else is the same. As it’s four servings it will be gone in two meals for the two of us. I’m new to your site. Thanks so much.

    • — Christina Gibson on May 29, 2023
    • Reply
  • WOW — you definitely should make this! I have never tried cauliflower rice and just gave it a go. So happy I did. Had most everything in the kitchen (thank you Jenn!) and did skip the red pepper flakes. It was full of flavor and super satisfying. I may add some Fish or Oyster sauce next time and see what happens.

    • — dianne on May 28, 2023
    • Reply
  • Absolutely delicious! I made a few changes due to my taste and ingredients on hand. No sugar added. Bragg’s liquid aminos in place of soy sauce. I didn’t have scallions, so I used red onion. I didn’t have rice vinegar, so I used apple cider vinegar. I used pecans and purple cabbage at the end with a squeeze of lime. Consistency is like rice, but light and not sticky. Very healthy meal. Thank you for the recipe.

    • — Cindy on May 19, 2023
    • Reply
  • I couldn’t tell this was cauliflower and not rice. Really good!

    • — Laurie on April 25, 2023
    • Reply
  • I was amazed on how much it tasted like real rice… and im asian but needing to cut carbs and rice is the hardest for me to give up… this was fantastic

    • — Dan juan on April 16, 2023
    • Reply
  • This was so good! I omitted the sugar. At the end I added a little more soy sauce and spread the “rice” out so it charred a bit which gave it more rice flavor. I served it with tenderloin cubed seared in butter, garlic and a little soy and sesame oil. Topped with a drizzle of yum yum sauce. Will definitely make it again, tasted just like it was from a hibatchi restaurant!

    • — Jennifer on March 2, 2023
    • Reply
  • omg this was amazing! I used half the sugar. Loved it so much. Better than regular fried rice. It’s going on our weekly rotation.

    • — NG on February 23, 2023
    • Reply
  • We loved this dish. Had it on Valentine’s Day 2023!!
    Can you freeze it? There is only 2 in this family now so…

    • — Linda on February 15, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Linda, Glad you enjoyed! You can definitely freeze it. 🙂

      • — Jenn on February 15, 2023
      • Reply
  • I had this for dinner tonight. I had never had cauliflower rice before. I am not a vegetarian. I thought it was really good. The only change I made was to add edamame with the other frozen veggies for a little more protein. Next time I will increase the amount of sauce ingredients as I like mine a little wetter. Otherwise I would definitely recommend it even for those meat eaters like me out there!

    • — Meg on February 1, 2023
    • Reply
  • Fabulous as written (as your recipes are). I had to substitute some yellow onion for the scallions (as it is too early in the year, and my egyptian onions are waiting for spring), and a whole carrot diced (I added with the onions, garlic and ginger to allow to cook and soften) as my frozen bag was peas alone. Wow wow wow! A new vegetarian favorite in my rotation!

    • — Patricia Raymond on February 1, 2023
    • Reply
  • Just the recipe I was looking for!!! Substituted 1/4 tsp dry ginger ILO grated fresh. Coarsely chopped 1/2c fresh carrots and added to 1/2c frozen peas, added cooked chicken and 1 c packed coarsely chopped cashews. It was a complete meal.

    • — Debbie on January 23, 2023
    • Reply

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