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Cauliflower Fried Rice is a quick 30-minute meal that tastes like the real thing. It’s a delicious way to sneak more veggies into your life!
Why You’ll Love It
Cauliflower rice is low in carbohydrates, when compared to traditional veggie fried rice, so it’s perfect for anyone following a low-carb, Paleo, or Whole30 diet approach. It’s essentially a huge bowl of sautéed veggies, but it feels like you’re eating your favorite take-out!
In this grain-free fried rice recipe, the seasoning completely masks the cauliflower flavor, so it’s a great option for any cauliflower skeptics in your life. (It’s even fooled my dad into thinking he’s eating the real thing.)
Want to ease your family into the idea? Start by mixing cauliflower rice in with real cooked rice. I typically start with about a 50/50 mix, so that they get the texture of real rice, with plenty of veggies mixed in.
Ingredients You’ll Need
What’s in cauliflower fried rice?
- Cauliflower
- Mixed veggies (Cauliflower, celery, peas)
- Soy sauce (or tamari, for gluten-free)
- Garlic & ginger
- Eggs (optional)
- Toasted sesame oil
- Salt & pepper
This combination is simple, and yet, delicious! Plus, you can make it all in one pan for easy clean-up. I’ll walk you through the process below.
If you’d like to add extra protein, you can also mix in cooked chicken, shrimp, or ground beef. If you’d like to make this dish vegan, swap the eggs for scrambled tofu, instead.
How to Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
1. Rice the cauliflower.
Cauliflower rice is simply raw cauliflower that has been shredded or finely chopped into a rice-like texture.
I like to use the shredding blade on my machine to quickly make rice-like pieces out of a head of cauliflower, but you can also use the “S” blade on your machine and pulse it a few times until the cauliflower has a coarse texture.
Note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can also grate the cauliflower using a box grater for a similar effect. Check out my how to make cauliflower rice tutorial for a video demonstration.
Or, use store-bought cauliflower rice! Many stores now offer riced cauliflower in the fresh and frozen produce sections to help you save time and effort. However, in my experience, making your own cauliflower rice from fresh cauliflower florets will give you the best flavor.
If you purchase frozen cauliflower rice from the store, you won’t have to cook the cauliflower rice as long. As soon as it is heated through, it should be tender!
2. Saute the veggies.
Add the olive oil, onion, carrots, and celery to a large, deep skillet or wok, and saute until they start to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Next, add in the garlic and ginger, and stir for one more minute.
Then, add in the cauliflower rice, frozen peas, a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the soy sauce or tamari, and stir well.
The cauliflower will start to soften in about 5 to 8 more minutes, but you can speed the process by briefly covering the skillet with a lid, to trap the steam and cook the veggies even faster.
3. Scramble the eggs.
When the cauliflower is tender, move the vegetables to the edge of the pan, making a space in the center of the pan where you can crack the eggs. Scramble them directly in the pan, until they are cooked through.
Then, stir the scrambled eggs into the veggies, distributing them throughout the rice.
4. Enjoy!
Drizzle the tablespoon of toasted sesame oil into the stir fry and toss well, then serve warm.
You can top this fried rice recipe with chopped green onions (or scallions), and some sesame seeds, for a pretty presentation.
Storage Tips
Leftover cauliflower fried rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can reheat it quickly again in a skillet over medium heat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this gluten-free? This recipe is gluten-free when you use tamari, which is a gluten-free soy sauce.
Can I make it soy-free? Try using coconut aminos instead of soy sauce or tamari, if you need a soy-free alternative. Keep in mind that this has a sweeter flavor, so you should compensate by adding extra salt as you cook the cauliflower rice.
Need to use dried spices? Start with a 1/4 teaspoon of dried ginger or garlic powder, as a swap for the fresh versions. You can always add more to taste, as you go.
What other veggies can I use? Try adding in mushrooms, red bell pepper, or broccoli, if you have them on hand. You can even turn broccoli into “rice” if you want to try a different variation.
Looking for more cauliflower rice ideas? Be sure to try Cauliflower Jambalaya and Mexican Cauliflower Rice Casserole, too.
Ingredients
- 1 pound cauliflower florets (or pre-riced cauliflower; about 4 cups)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion , chopped
- 2 carrots , peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks , chopped
- 1 garlic clove , minced
- 1 inch fresh ginger , minced
- 1/2 cup frozen green peas (no need to thaw ahead of time)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce (or tamari, for gluten-free)
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil (optional)
Instructions
- To prepare the cauliflower rice, use a shredding blade on your food processor to shred the cauliflower florets into a rice-like texture. Alternatively, you can use an "S" blade in the food processor and pulse the cauliflower briefly, breaking it down into a coarse texture. Set it aside when there are no longer any large chunks of cauliflower visible. (Or skip this step and use 1 pound of prepared cauliflower rice from the store.)
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet, and saute the onion, carrots, and celery until they start to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add in the garlic and ginger, and stir one more minute, just until fragrant.
- Add in the riced cauliflower, frozen peas, salt, and soy sauce. (Or use tamari for a gluten-free recipe.) Stir to combine, then cover with a lid to let the vegetables cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking, and feel free to use a splash of water to remove any vegetables that stick to the bottom of the pan.
- To cook the eggs, use a spatula to move the veggies to the edge of the pan, leaving an empty space in the middle. Spray the center with cooking oil, if needed, then crack the eggs in the center of the pan. When you see them start to cook, use a spatula to scramble them in the middle, stirring until cooked through.
- Mix the eggs into the rest of the cooked fried rice, and adjust any seasoning to taste, adding more tamari, or salt, if desired. Serve warm, and add any garnishes you like, such as green onions or sesame seeds. Leftover rice can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it!
Hello and THANK U!!! Just made this for dinner 2nite. OMG. This is fantastic! I have to say I’m in transition of eating healthier and ridding my body from grain slowly but surely due to allergic reactions I’ve started having. I have to say that this recipe has me over the moon pleased. Bonus – my vegetable hater little boy couldnt even tell he was eating cauliflower which he swears he hates I’ve been able to get him to eat broccoli and some green beans but that’s about it. He thought it was quinoa. lol. This has put a new light on everything! This IS highly addicting 4me. Luv it!
I did a couple of cheats to this. I know should probably avoid the microwave a bit more, but by end of day I’m totally tired & thought this would be quicker. I did microwave this in 1 pyrex glass container and it worked great. I did use butter instead of coconut oil -so yummy (i’ll try coco oil next time) Instead of chopping garlic, again tiredness a factor, I used a lot of garlic powder. Other than that kept everything the same. I used the first pyrex glass to saute butter, green onions, and carrots. hmm. then put the cauliflower in my blender (which I love) and pulsed it to look like above pics. I then put the cauliflower into the glass pyrex with that already contained sauteed goodness, stirred in and set it for 2min. Dripped soy sauce to taste. Done & Done! I dont know how much time I saved, if any, but it sure felt fast (now that i think about it either way is probably just as fast). Just wanted everyone to know u can do this in a microwave with garlic powder if short on time or energy. I’m definitely making it again and will try the fresh sliced garlic -i love garlic- to see the difference. Thank you again! Oh and one more thing…I love your blog! I’ve read many health blogs yours tops them all! Never have i seen so much variety using easy to find and tasty ingredients! This will make my transition to a healthy grain free lifestyle and healthier diet for my boy much easier. Still smiling from the savory taste left from tonight’s dinner. Just awesome!
cauliflower rice never heard of this before, it’s amazing what can be done nowadays with whole foods. You so don’t have to eat this processed to death dead food I will have to try this
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So easy to make and soooo tasty! We def can’t taste the cauliflower, I love that ‘rice’ version a lot better. Thanks for sharing!
This was fantastic!! Great recipe!
Sooooo yummy! My sweetie and I made this last night and we both just “mmmm-ed” and “yummm-ed” our way through our plates full! I drizzled just a little sesame oil on each of our portions to enhance the “Chinese taste”…
I just tried this today. This was also my first time making cauliflower rice as well! An boy oh boy was it yummy! Cannot even tell it’s cauliflower instead of rice!
I didn’t use the coconut oil, and added a few more veggies [used a broccoli with cauliflower and carrot mix].
Also used soy sauce instead of tamari.
This is so quick and easy and to top it of so delicious!
Will definitely be making this again!
Recommend it!
And*
YOu asked what you should try next for a chinese night – Spaghetti squash lo mein – wow is that stuff good – I bake or boil the whole spaghetti squash until the inside falls in and the skin looks wrinkled – I cannot cut through an uncooked squash, they are just too hard. Once that is cooked and set aside to cool a bit before you cut it open to scoop the seeds out, mix up some julienned veges(green beans, carrots, mushrooms, snap peas, cabbage, zucchini, bamboo shoots, etc), bean sprouts, some cooked scrambled egg, slivered water chestnuts, lightly saute and swirl in some vege broth with cornstarch – if you want to use salt, ginger, or curry – feel free. It’s so yummy!
I just found this recipe and tried it tonight with sprouted soy tofu, YUM! Your recipes are fantastic. I’ve tried to make raw cauliflower rice before and it turns out the trick is to lightly sautee it. I used Coconut Aminos instead of Tamari and added a few hot peppers from my garden. My husband couldn’t believe it was cauliflower.
I also made your almond flour cookies two nights ago, delish! Thanks:)
I haven’t had chinese food in so long because it’s always so oily and salty but this was amazing! I added extra broccoli, zucchini, celery and mushrooms in addition to the carrots, garlic and green onion.. wow. Seriously addictive.