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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This was great! Thank you! I’ll be making it again. I used it for Weight Watchers. Perfecto! I switched out the soy sauce for coconut liquid aminos. I used coconut sugar instead of regular sugar. It also fit in my gluten-free lifestyle since I have celiac disease. Thank you!!
Love, love, love this recipe – and it’s a vegetable!! How can something so good for you also taste so good?! It really does taste like fried rice…I can’t stop eating it. My daughter tried to substitute rice for the cauliflower; don’t do it – it was way too salty.
This is awesome!!! I used 1tsp mirin instead of sugar and added chicken in 1/4 c chicken broth. I used sam’s cauliflower rice. 2 – 12oz packages. This is a keeper and regular in the healthy meal rotation. Thank you!!
I made the recipe exactly as listed with Costco frozen rice and something didn’t taste right to me. I couldn’t figure out if I just missed the taste of regular fried rice, the Costco rice needed something done before cooking or I needed to add seasoning. I didn’t like this as much as the reviews suggested.
I’m confused by your review. You say you used rice… but the recipe uses cauliflower. So… wouldn’t that be the issue?
So good!!! Regular fried rice is always greasy and bland. This has so much more flavor, is healthy, and isn’t a lesser version of the real dish. I absolutely love this!
Loved this! Added some extra veg and served as main course. Will definitely make again
a lot of people could easily be put off by the lengthy amount prep But, it is sooooooooooooo worth the time taken – absolutely delicious.
My husband is diabetic, just tried this recipe and we live it. Added some baby bok choy for a little more crunch. Served with Grilled Flank Steak that was marinated in Soy Sauce, Ginger, and Garlic. Great dinner. Thanks!
This is super easy and delicious! I had all the ingredients on hand and it was on the table in about thirty minutes. Thanks Jenn!
This recipe is perfect! My daughter was on a restricted diet, could not have rice. This brought fried rice back into our home. Each of the ingredient compliments the other. This recipe can be put together quickly, and we added water chestnuts and celery for extra crunch.( per my daughter’s request for crunch). I had all the ingredients on hand and was able to stir fry it up easily. Just a note, it tastes great the next day cold when someone was searching the fridge for something to take for lunch. Thank you for giving my daughter fried rice back, and a very healthy recipe too.
Wow. This is by far the best cauliflower fried rice ever. Even my 12 year old daughter devoured it. I didn’t change a thing except that I omitted nuts due to allergy.
A family favorite. If you notice water starting to pool in the bottom of the pan, spoon it out before adding the oil/vinegar. Something the cauliflower releases a lot of water which can make it tricky to get the rice crispy. Also great to “hide” minced fresh spinach in this dish.
A new “meatless” favourite!
I’d suggest following the recipe without substitutions except for the frozen carrots and peas — prefer grated carrot and sliced snow peas instead.
I am going to use this suggestion and pehaps add some bok choy as well. Jenn is fabulous!!!!
Thanks so much.
I’ve made this numerous times, but I always start with riced cauliflower bags to cut down the process and cleaning. Also, I use less soy and no rice vinegar and extra garlic and ginger. I found that mine became too “liquid-y”. So good and healthy. Thanks, Jen!
This dish is a delight! It converted me and my family from grated-cauliflower-skeptics to wholehearted enthusiasts! It is easy to prepare and tastes so light and flavorful. I usually use it as a side dish because of my oldest and youngest who want more than vegetables at dinner, but the rest of us could happily eat it as a main dish. I’m looking forward right now to using the cauliflower in my fridge to make this dish for dinner tonight. Thank you Jennifer!
Tried this fried rice and it was delicious! Super easy to make my family loved it!
This is a recipe I make over and over again. I make a large batch of it and divide it into 4 bowls. Two for dinner that night, and two get Saran wrapped for later in the week. Very heathy dish (except I use a whole package of bacon!) and super tasty. Whenever I post pics of this dish, I always get asked for the recipe!!! Also- I add a few more eggs, as we like to get ample protein with our dinners.
Cauliflower rice has changed the game for me! I’m Cajun and rice is a staple, but I’m trying to reduce my carb intake. Came across this amazing recipe, and it blew my mind. I can’t tell that it’s cauliflower!! Shared some with my brother, and he ate it without realizing that it wasn’t actually rice. Perfect!
I tried this and it was absolutely delicious. My husband and I loved it. I also added some bits of chicken in mine. However, its just like a salad and might not be so filling. I ate mine with potatoes. I would keep the rest and eat with Nigerian jollof rice tomorrow.
Absolutely delicious! I add some leftover brown rice and topped with Trader Joe’s onion crunch. Can’t wait to have it for lunch tomorrow.
Best to research Canola Oil ~ https://draxe.com/nutrition/canola-oil-gm/
Just made this and had to leave a review!! It’s become a routine for me and my husband to make a delicious meal and a dessert on weekends. A few months ago I was introduced to your blog and haven’t looked back. You’re our go-to on weekends when we want to have fun and enjoy using our new kitchen. This recipe was so fun to make, left our kitchen smelling divine, and tasted delicious!! It was our first experiment with cauliflower rice using our food processor rather than pre-riced. Exceptional flavor. Paired it with your Sweet Chili Thai Salmon for a plate-licking dinner! Thanks for your easy to follow blog and delicious recipes!! Re-making your chicken pot pie tomorrow and can’t wait!
Happy New Year!
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂
I’ve been a long-time fan of this cauliflower stir-fry rice, and today I adapted it with my leftover BROWN rice from the Chinese restaurant. Equally DELICIOUS!!! And I feel great making the leftover rice into something new, nutritious & tasty!! Thanks again Jenn!
This recipe is a miracle for those of us on low-carb diets. Substantive, flavorful and fulfilling. I will note that I used only a 1-lb bag of riced cauliflower – that’s all I had on hand – and followed everything else pretty closely. I used frozen peas and shredded purple cabbage for veggies. I loved every bite and can’t wait for leftovers.
Unfortunately for me this is one of the rare recipes on this fantastic website that did not work for me . Maybe it was because I eat a lot of rice and the texture was different , maybe there just wasn’t enough flavour / salt – I had to add a lot of salt and extra soy sauce to make it work . Maybe it is due to expecting to have a brilliant taste with every single recipe I try on this website as 9/10 times this is the case but not this time .
That doesn’t stop me from trying the other cauliflower recipes – the roast and the gratin both look exciting . Never mind .
This is amazing. I’ve never been able to pull off yummy fried rice…even real. This is delicious!
Great recipe! I added left over steak (large diced) and used large diced asparagus and red pepper instead of carrots and peas.
Just made this tonight with baked Asian chicken – wow, delicious! I used dried ginger and ready-to-cook cauliflower with vegetables medley. So easy and very flavorful! Once again, a winner from Jen!
Thank you for a very tasty recipe. I used dried ginger, half coconut amino half soy sauce. My mixed veggies had corn, green beans, and carrots, as that’s what I had on hand. I used chili sauce once I sat down to eat. Will most definitely make again.
Very good taste. Just like regular fried rice. Thank you
what healthy oil alternatives work?
Hi Shal, I used vegetable oil as it’s neutral in flavor, but it’s fine for you to use olive oil if you’d prefer. Hope you enjoy!
Wow wow wow! Easy and absolutely delicious; the fresh ginger is perfect! Honestly, it’s better than any fried rice I’ve had!
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was absolutely delicious! Super flavorful and satisfying. Better than regular fried rice I’ve had at some restaurants before even! I added in mushrooms and tofu. I will definitely be keeping this dish in my regular rotation!
Thank you! This recipe was easy and delicious.
This dish is excellent! I have tried a few cauliflower rice dishes and they have all been blah. This one is delicious! My boys and husband loved it as well! We all like a bit of heat, so I added a little more crushed red pepper and I used edamame in lieu of peas (boys have something against peas for some reason…). Thank you for yet another amazingly delicious recipe!
Jenn. you say two pounds ready to cook
Tried that with already riced and way too much cauliflower
If I am buying it already riced, how many ounces should I use
Thanks, carol
Hi Carol, you’ll need 32 ounces. Hope that helps!
That’s what I did, 32 ounces already riced was enough for an army. I had to change pots mid way through and the flavor was lacking. Guess I will have to rice it myself and see how many cups I get
first time i experiment with cauliflower rice. Big success! this recipe is perfect. My partner could not believe it wasn’t rice 😁
EVERYONE – THIS RECIPE IS A KEEPER!!!
I’ve tried soooooooooo many recipes for cauliflower fried rice, and Jenn you did it again!! this is the BEST recipe!! My husband inhaled it and we both agreed I can finally STOP looking for new recipe. I think that vinegar & sesame oil at the end made a huge difference!!!
MODIFICATION: I threw in CELERY instead of PEAS (working with what I had on hand)
THANK YOU AGAIN for bringing new meals to my table!!
How many bags of frozen cauliflower rice should I use. Your recipe calls for a 2 lb cauliflower, and the frozen comes in 10 oz bags. 3 bags?? Thanks!
Yes, technically you’d need 32 ounces, but 30 ounces is totally fine. Enjoy!
Another 5 star recipe! Thanks so much for sharing your delicious and consistent food with my family. This was yummy! The only change – we added chopped ham to the stir fry. All Good!
Perfect recipe, spiced just like the real deal and easily adapted to keto.
I love making this recipe and my family and I enjoy eating it! Easy to make and very delicious.
Yum yum! I used frozen riced cauliflower. And added more veggies. Oooooooo good
This was excellent. I made it in a wok and added some shrimps at the end of the cooking for a main course.
Very delicious! I love how healthy and easy this was (I used frozen cauliflower rice). This blog has the most consistently delicious recipes- thank you Jenn!
I have made this a few times now and it is great. This time due to what I have in the fridge I have added an additional 2 stalks of celery, 1 small red fresh pepper and semi-cooked carrots and but used frozen peas without carrots. Unfortunately I didn’t have nuts so I added pumpkin seeds instead. I had roasted chicken so I added this also. Due to additional ingredients I did add more of the seasonings. I have left-over for tomorrow. Happy camper can get more gardening done. Wait I am making my famous baby back ribs, which takes about 9 hours, forget my gardening again but I will add the chicken to only part of this dish so I have the fried rice on the side of the ribs tomorrow. This is great. I do Chinese cooking and know how to adjust a recipe if needed.
Awesome! Delicious turned out great
I made this recipe for my family’s dinner the day before yesterday, adding a bit of leftover roast chicken to it, and we three adults consumed almost the entire recipe! It was quite tasty, and the texture was very much like actual rice. I’m certain this won’t be the last time I serve this wonderful dish, nor the end of my variations on it. Bravo!
I love this delicious recipe. My husband has requested this dish at least once a week. In addition, it has trimmed our waistline. I’ve always added chicken. Other than that, this recipe is great as written.
I love this recipe as I saw it first on 101recipes.com. Tastes fine. Thanks Jenn for these wonderful recipes.
I used 10 oz bags of “cooks in the bag“ frozen riced cauliflower and frozen peas and carrots. Proportions were good and the recipe was delicious! Don’t skip the fresh grated ginger and nuts. I used cashews. Will make this often!
I am trying to follow a low carb diet and am trying recipes to make cauliflower taste good. This was delicious, fast, and easy. I substituted monk fruit for the sugar. This will be my go to recipe and would be great with chicken or pork.
So I made it and it was delicious! Thanks for the tips!
Yolanda
This was amazing!!! I added the peanuts, which was a nice touch!
Hi Jen,
I love ALL of your recipes! So wanna make tonight and have a question. When you say “ready to use” cauliflower do you mean not frozen? I’ve seen some riced cauliflower in the produce section before but wondering if I can make this with frozen or unfrozen cauliflower? Will eventually make with fresh cauliflower.
Thanks!
Hi Yolanda, Frozen is fine; just defrost it first. So glad you like the recipes! 🙂
So, did you use dark soy sauce? Asking because mine turned out really dark with it. Gonna give it a shot tomorrow with a head of cauliflower. Maybe use regular soy sauce meaning Pearl River Light soy sauce or maybe kikkoman low sodium? Any feedback appreciated!
Thanks
Yolanda
Hi Yolanda, I do use dark soy sauce for this, but any soy sauce will do. If you use a low sodium variety, you may need to add a little salt to taste before serving.