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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.

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Comments

  • Can I use regular rice and the follow the rest of the recipe as is?

    • — Sohnia Malik on January 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • That should work as long as you use cooked rice. Enjoy!

      • — Jenn on January 23, 2023
      • Reply
  • Initially made this as a stand alone recipe and felt I should have used my cauliflower for soup. A couple of days later I used the leftovers with smoked ribs and was surprised at how nicely it served as a vegetable side in this case. It seems to have just the right spiciness to go with this meat choice and I will now put the recipe in my book with a reference to it on my ribs recipe.

    • — David J MacArthur on December 26, 2022
    • Reply
  • I made this today as an alternate rice and My husband said “the only change would be to make it more often!” Since I didn’t have fresh ginger I used 1 tsp of allspice. Also, since I didn’t have frozen peas and carrots I substituted fresh carrots, celery, onion and a small amount of red bell pepper. Definitely a keeper!

    • — Debbie Nixon on December 13, 2022
    • Reply
  • I keep trying to like cauliflower but sadly this didn’t do it for me. Thanks for giving me something to try. I won’t say it’s the recipe that isn’t good. I’m convinced I’m just not into cauliflower – the flavor and texture are not my thing.

    • — Regina Schrijvers van Zenden on November 30, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hello Regina,
      For future reference, when you know it’s a personal vegetable choice in a recipe that’s not to your liking, (which you clearly stated), you should refrain from giving a recipe a low rating.
      As you just unfairly rated Jenn’s recipe, to tell her you simply don’t like cauliflower?!? Some things are better left unsaid.

      • — Celeste Koster on March 12, 2023
      • Reply
  • My whole family enjoyed it. My husband was sceptical because it was cauliflower but he tried it and he liked it. I made it again with the addition of cubed roasted chicken. yummy and for weight watchers the only points counted are for oil and sugar.

    • — denise on November 15, 2022
    • Reply
  • Delicious! I’m new to the world of riced cauliflower and decided to make this on a whim. had to do lots of substitutions based on what I had on hand (shallots instead of scallions, dried aromatics, edamame instead of peas). So good!!! I can’t wait to try again as written. Thank you!

    • — Erica on November 12, 2022
    • Reply
  • Delicious! Definately making this again & again!!

    • — Madeline Vera on October 18, 2022
    • Reply
  • I just made this with some crispy chicken and it tasted really good!

    • — Naomi on October 7, 2022
    • Reply
  • Love your recipes but get really annoyed that your site keeps asking me to sign in, sign up. I don’t think we should need to do that. We just want to visit your site!

    • — Mtn grrl on September 23, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi, I’m sorry you’re getting a pop-up that you’re finding irritating! Are you trying to save recipes? If so, you do need to create a login as that’s the way we identify where the recipes get saved. Let me know if that’s not what you’re referring to. Thanks!

      • — Jenn on September 25, 2022
      • Reply
  • Excellent! I made it with 1 package of fresh crumbled cauliflower (Presidents Choice 340g bags) (you can buy it in the bags in the cold section of the grocery store) so I had to adjust for some of the ingredients such as the scallions, soy sauce and I only had frozen peas so I had to adjust for the amount of those too. It’s only 2 of us so that’s why I used the bag of cauliflower instead of a head of cauliflower. I know I can freeze freshly grated cauliflower which I do and have done, but didn’t feel like putting in the labour lol. As always, an excellent and healthy side dish.

    • — Judy on September 3, 2022
    • Reply
  • I average making a recipe from your site (mostly new ones) at least once a week. I look for something new here first. This one was a real winner. I put myself on a high veg lower carb diet to drop off my summer weight gain. This filled my inner need for carbs without the carbs!

    The only annoying part was my market did not carry frozen peas and carrots so I had to take a blend with those and green beans and corn and put out the carrots and peas. It took a few minutes but it was totally worth it the way whole meal came out.

    I had an pan-grilled NY Strip for the protein, a small head of broccoli allia y ollia and this recipe for the “rice.” We are talking about it days later.

    Thank you AGAIN for these innovative, tasty recipes.

    • — Michael T. on August 31, 2022
    • Reply
  • Quick, easy and so flavorful! Loved it! Leftover chicken or frozen salad size shrimp would be good in this too. I like that there’s only a teaspoon of sugar . I used brown sugar, and the frozen cauliflower rice for timesaving and less cleanup.

    • — Jeanne on August 29, 2022
    • Reply
  • This recipe is not a low carb recipe. It contains sugar, peas, carrots and soy sauce. Most soy sauce brands contain sugar.
    It tastes good but it is not low carb.

    • — Federico on August 7, 2022
    • Reply
    • I’m sorry, but this is not classed as a ‘no’ carb recipe but a ‘low’ carb recipe and that it certainly is. Even with the ingredients that you describe (and don’t buy soy sauce with added sugar) it counts as low carb. Just compare the carb values if you had rice rather than caulflower and you will find it is in fact a low carb recipe.

      • — DAVID on January 4, 2023
      • Reply
  • This is delicious!, I added kohlrabi pasta noodles to turn it into a lo mein with extra veggies like red & yellow peppers, zucchini & a splash of Siracha!,, it felt like I was eating lo mein noodles .

    • — Patti on July 8, 2022
    • Reply
  • Absolutely delish! I made my husband the full carb original version and wasn’t even jealous!! This hit the spot and made me feel like I was eating out. Treat yourself and make this😋!

    • — Keely on June 11, 2022
    • Reply
  • I added red bell pepper and white mushrooms, and purple onion. I didn’t have fresh ginger or sugar so I used ginger powder, and honey as a substitute. I also garlic powder. Super delicious.

    • — Amber on June 1, 2022
    • Reply
  • Just finished making this recipe and it was a success! Did not have everything to make it exactly but it turned out great anyway. Used powdered ginger, instead of fresh. Changed up the veggies a bit and used frozen cauliflower rice. Thawed the rice earlier and put it in my tofu press while I prepped the vegetables (I just find the towel method too messy). With the moisture gone, the texture was great.

    Will be making this again.

    • — Krista on May 17, 2022
    • Reply
  • I really liked this recipe. Have to admit I had never grated cauliflower before, but this turned out great! Way more interesting then I had thought it would be. Thank you Jenn! I tried to give it a 5 * but it wouldn’t take ?!?

    • — Molly on May 8, 2022
    • Reply
  • In an effort to cut down on carbs, I tried this recipe. It is marvelous! My husband loved it and he is not a vegetable guy. I didn’t have scallions , so I used sweet onion. Otherwise, I made the recipe as written. This is a keeper!

    • — Betsy S Brown on May 3, 2022
    • Reply
  • I made this tonight. I consider myself a good cook as do my friends. This was outstanding . I sauteed celery, chicken mushrooms and yellow peppers in a separate skillet in case they added extra liquid. Did cauliflower in a food processor. The garlic and ginger made the dish. Not wet and just yummy . I made it tonight as a trial before I make it for a girls lunch. Would not change a thing.

    • — Pat Howe on May 1, 2022
    • Reply
  • This was the first recipe that was a ‘miss’ for me. I’ve been loving so much on this site and this is my first-time making cauliflower rice. Might have been my error…so take this review with a grain of salt 😉

    I found the end product very ‘wet’ if you will. Not like a fried rice at all. Lacking any crispiness and I tried to keep cooking to get to that point but it never happened.

    Also my ‘rice’ looks way darker than the photo. I went by the recipe and can only assume the soy sauce made it this way.

    Anyhow, my first ‘pass’ on recipes on this site. It required quite a bit of prep (which I would be fine with if the end product was fabulous, but, alas, it wasn’t).

    Perhaps I need to drain the cauliflower after grating???

    • — Heather on April 20, 2022
    • Reply
    • Hi Heather, I’m sorry that this one was a miss for you! I don’t think you did anything wrong; the cauliflower really doesn’t crisp up. It’s very reminiscent of fried rice but does have a slightly different texture. And I haven’t needed to drain the cauliflower after grating it, but if you find that there’s excess liquid, I would either drain it or put it in a clean dish towel and squeeze out the moisture. Hope that helps!

      • — Jenn on April 22, 2022
      • Reply
    • Maybe a little bit of a higher heat when you add the cauliflower. The idea is to mimic a wok, so i cooked on medium high heat basically during the whole cook time.

      • — Amber on June 1, 2022
      • Reply
  • Flavour was really good. Added in ham/bacon as well as capsicum & some left over kaleslaw. Has made a massive batch that will be had for weekday lunches. Used frozen cauli rice that was defrosted. Mine didn’t get crispy so next time I will defrost the cauli rice on kitchen towel & press down firmly to remove excess liquid before frying it all up.

    • — AP on April 18, 2022
    • Reply
  • Another win for Jenn! This was fantastic! I loved it and my family ate it without knowing they weren’t eating rice. So yay for smuggling in veggies.

    • — Karen on April 16, 2022
    • Reply
  • Absolutely amazing!!! When I’ve tried to make my own recipe I always felt like it was missing something, the garlic & ginger combo plus a little sugar was divine.

    • — Shelby on April 3, 2022
    • Reply
  • Outstanding! I added thinly sliced leftover chicken breast. This will be a “regular” in our home. Thank you. 🙂

  • Hi, How would you make this recipe if you were using frozen cauliflower rice?

    • Hi Lauren, Just defrost the cauliflower and proceed with the recipe. Hope you enjoy!

  • This was an amazing recipe for cauliflower fried rice. We served it to guests and we all loved it. I served with seared tuna steaks and arugula and orange salad.
    I so appreciate the wonderful recipes I find on Once Upon a Chef. And love the “jump to recipe” feature
    Thank you!

  • This is so GOOD!!! I added some grilled chicken to it at the end. This is going to be a standard around my house!

  • This was delicious!!! Will definitely put it in the rotation. Thanks for another great recipe. 😊

  • Can you freeze any leftovers?

    • Hi Mary, Overall, I think this would freeze nicely, but I’m not certain how the scrambled eggs would do. Please LMK how it is once you thaw it!

  • I added edamame, spinach, didn’t have sesame oil or pepper flakes, used some hot sauce a good basic recipe, fresh veggies are the best…….

    • — Donna Stephenson
    • Reply
  • I LOVE this. I added celery and mushrooms and shrimp and it was so good that I was thrilled and grateful to have found this. I’ve made it twice and made it even a little hotter the next time and this time I’m using scallops…thank you!! I’ve shared this site and recipe with several friends.

  • I made this last night for myself on stir fry night. I also used coconut aminos, but found I had to add some salt because it is not salty like soy. I was not a super fan, thought it was ok but not great. However I just ate the leftovers for lunch and it was so delicious! I don’t know, maybe the flavours need to meld a bit longer or something? Or the ginger/garlic flavours developed overnight? At any rate I am a converted fan and in future will make lots so I have leftovers again! Maybe even made in advance.

  • This cauliflower fried rice is definitely a hit in my household. Even my pickkkky husband loves it. So tasty! Instead of soy sauce I use coconut aminos (so my 12 month old can eat it too) and it tastes great. I’ve made this recipe many times already and will continue to do so. Thank you for your delicious recipes! Makes me feel (and look) like I know what I’m doing in the kitchen 😅

  • I appreciate the inclusion of uncomplicated plant based recipes. My goal is to serve them three to four times a week. Keep ’em coming. This one is on the next grocery run.

  • Love the cauliflower fried rice. Have added shrimp, diced leftover chicken. Going to try tofu next.

  • Didn’t have any sesame oil so I just skipped that ingredient. I read the comments, copied someone and added chicken strips. That took it to the next level. Definetly recommend. I went back for seconds.

  • In the “What You Need” photo, there is a bottle of dark soy sauce displayed; yet in the ingredients list and procedure, only “soy sauce” is named. Do you use regular or dark soy sauce for your recipe?

    • Hi Sarah, Either one will do. Enjoy!

  • I made it last night. All I can say is:MY FUSSY EATING HUSBAND LOVED IT! And I did too. I used Trader Joe’ stir fry veggies. Can’t believe how much it tastes like rice! But so much healthier. And EASY!

  • We use Bragg’s instead of soy sauce and that cuts the sodium some what, my calculation is 930 mg per serving. This is a fantastic recipe and you can feed it to people who don’t think they like vegetables.

  • We found a new favorite and will definitely be adding this to our rotation! I was fourth bite in and couldn’t wait to have it again. We used frozen cauliflower and added a few shitake mushrooms and some cut up grilled chicken for a little protein. Absolutely delicious!!

  • So delicious, and super easy! Have made a few times, definitely a new fav in the rotation of healthy eating! The perfect side dish or hot lunch. I used frozen cauliflower and just cooked until all the liquid was absorbed. Your recipes always kick a**! Thank you! 😊

  • Hi, do I need to let frozen cauliflower defrost first?

    Thank you!

    • Yes, I would defrost it first. Hope you enjoy!

  • Another winning recipe from Jenn & Once Upon a Chef.

    This is an amazingly easy recipe that has more flavor than other fried rice recipes I’ve made. You would almost never know that it’s cauliflower and not rice. My wife raved about it!

    The only thing I may do next time is use a little less oil when frying the cauliflower so it’s a bit firmer. But that’s a minor fix.

    Overall, a great recipe!

  • Thanks for the recipe. I’m on my third week of very low carbs so this was helpful.

    Years ago I learned from a Cantonese chef to use sugar and salt in fried rice, and no soy sauce. So I modified it accordingly. I also separated the yolks from the egg whites and mixed the yolks in with the cauliflower rice before frying.

  • Been cooking cauliflower rice for a bit now and this was great. I didn’t add the sugar but did add two cups of rough chopped cabbage and dry fried tofu and it was great. Thanks for the recipe. Will make again.

  • I’m not a huge fan of cauliflower rice but keep eating it because well… it’s better for me than potatoes or rice. THIS IS AMAZING… and has opened my eyes to how versatile cauliflower rice can be! Thank you for a great recipe… it’s delicious! This will most definitely be one of my go-to items for our weekday menus!

  • Love this recipe! I don’t think there could be any better recipe for cauliflower rice!

    • — valarie hoover
    • Reply
  • Yummy, will use your cauliflower fried rice recipe again and again.

  • Jenn, this is so good! I have made it a few times, but decided to add ground pork tonight like in your Thai style pork fried rice recipe. I grated the fresh cauliflower and let it get a bit crispy in the skillet after the pork was cooked. It turned out better for me than the bagged cauliflower rice—-not watery. Then followed the rest of the steps. You can get creative with the veggies! Sauteed some diced red pepper in it. It was a very colorful, tasty complete meal!

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