Cauliflower Fried Rice is tasty low carb stir fry even your kids will think it is real fried rice. Skip the Chinese takeout and have this healthy dinner ready in 15 minutes!
Thai cauliflower rice and Mexican cauliflower rice are on repeat in this house as well!
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If you’ve been on the hunt for a lighter version of your favorite Chinese takeout, I’m a huge cheerleader for this cauliflower fried rice!
This life-saving way of whipping up a quick and easy weeknight meal has come in handy when I don’t have time to cook or my well-intentioned meal planning goes out the window.
This is one of the easiest cauliflower rice recipes that I get zero complaints about!
Just like with egg roll in a bowl, in just 15 minutes, you’ve got a low carb stir fry meal that entire family loves. My boys thought it was Instant Pot chicken fried rice the first time I made it. So, you know it’s delicious!
No one will know the difference! Most people end up liking this low carb version even better.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Convenience. Made in 15 minutes with a bag of store-bought cauliflower rice. It’s cheap too!
- Taste. It’s got all the flavor of traditional fried rice without all the MSG, extra oils, and added calories.
- Mess-free. Not flying bits of cauliflower when you use store-bought cauliflower rice in recipes.
- Healthy. Low carb, tons of veggies, keto-friendly, and flexible enough to mix in all the good things!
Ingredients You Will Need
- Cauliflower rice
- Peas and carrots
- Eggs
- Green onion
- Soy sauce
- Maple syrup or honey
- Oil, I used toasted sesame oil
- Garlic and ginger
How to Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
All stir-fried recipes like teriyaki chicken and cauliflower, for example, move quickly! This cauliflower fried rice is no different, so have all the ingredients ready to go!
1. Saute onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, and peas for 4-5 minutes in a large skillet. The larger skillet, the more “fried” vs. steamed your vegetables will be. This is because there is more room for the pieces to spread apart. Too close and they can become mushy.
2. Push vegetables to the side and add eggs. Cook until eggs are scrambled.
3. Add cauliflower rice and cook until warmed through. The key is not to overcook the cauliflower otherwise it starts to release the water. Since we can eat raw cauliflower anyway, we only need to cook it for 2-3 minutes.
4. Push cauliflower rice to the side and add honey and soy sauce. If using thick honey, a hot skillet is perfect for melting it.
5. Sprinkle with green onion. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Variations of Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Make cauliflower chicken fried rice. Use ground chicken or finely chopped boneless chicken breast and sauté first in the pan before adding the other ingredients. Pork works the same way.
- For shrimp fried rice, cook diced raw shrimp first, transfer to a plate, then follow the recipe as directed. Add back the cooked shrimp at the end to warm through. If you use cooked shrimp, dice it and add it at the end.
- Plant-based protein: Toss in air fryer tofu or here is quick recipe on how to fry tofu.
- Make spicy rice by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of sriracha.
Tips for Best Results
- Buy a few bags of fresh cauliflower rice and freeze. This way you can always make yummy, quick, and, healthy dinners like cauliflower risotto.
- If you have picky eaters, store-bought cauliflower rice has a coarse texture that closely resembles real rice grains because it’s made with only the stems. I throw in a bag at the end when making Instant Pot goulash and nobody ever notices the hidden veggies.
- Avoiding eggshells. If you’re worried about bits of eggshells falling into your skillet, crack the egg into a separate bowl first. Fish out any pieces and then add them to the skillet.
FAQs
Yes! Do not thaw it. If you defrost cauliflower rice before cooking, it will be soggy and make cauliflower stir fry a watery mess. Even for cauliflower pizza crust and cauliflower breadsticks, I never thaw frozen rice first to make “the dough”.
You can, for sure. You can either use store-bought “rice” or here is a quick tutorial on how to make cauliflower rice at home.
More likely it’s overcooked. Just cook cauliflower rice for a maximum of 3 minutes!
If you don’t add chicken like me, then baked chicken breast would be perfect to go with rice. Try grilled salmon or an Asian-inspired crispy honey garlic salmon.
How to Store and Reheat
You can refrigerate leftover cauliflower fried rice for up to 2-3 days. It won’t get soggy as all ingredients are pretty firm. Can also make it ahead for same reason. Perfect for easy lunch!
Freeze this recipe for 2-3 months.
Reheat in a microwave or quickly in a pan. Saute in preheated skillet on high heat for maximum 2 minutes, so it doesn’t get soggy. Kind of stir fry super fast again.
More Recipes with Cauliflower
- Cilantro lime cauliflower rice
- Cheesy cauliflower rice
- Cauliflower mashed potatoes
- Air fryer cauliflower
- Shepherd’s pie with cauliflower
- Cheesy cauliflower steaks
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Also I recommend you browse this popular collection of cauliflower rice recipes.
Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tbsp ginger minced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1 cup peas fresh or frozen
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
- 4 eggs large
- 16 oz bag of cauliflower rice fresh or frozen
- 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 onion sprigs finely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, peas and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Push vegetables to the side and add eggs. Cook until scrambled, stirring constantly.
- Add cauliflower rice, stir and cook until warmed through.
- Push cauliflower rice to the side and add honey and soy sauce, stir well. Sprinkle with green onion and serve.
Video
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- You can make your own cauliflower rice but I prefer store-bought because it saves time and its coarse texture resembles more real rice than homemade.
- Make cauliflower chicken fried rice. Use ground chicken or finely chopped boneless chicken breast and saute first in a pan before adding other ingredients. Pork works the same way.
- Make shrimp cauliflower fried rice by cooking diced raw shrimp first. Remove it onto a plate, follow the recipe and then add cooked shrimp back. If you use cooked shrimp, dice and add it at the end of cooking the recipe.
- Make spicy cauliflower fried rice by adding a pinch of red pepper flakes or a few teaspoons of sriracha.
I thought it was delicious! I even had my husband try it and he’s super picky and he liked it! I made the recipe according to how it was written, I will add just a tiny bit more spice next time but other then that 2 thumbs up! Thank You!
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe! And even your husband haha
My family and I loved this! I substituted frozen broccoli for the peas since I am not a fan of peas. I served it with sesame chicken on top. Definitely tasted very close to fried rice.
So happy to hear, Mary!
My family loved this. They like it better than rice.
Awesome!!! Happy to hear, Maggie.
Oh wow, looks yummy. Will definitely try it
Will be waiting.:)
Excellent variation on fried rice! Well done, Olena!
Yay! So happy to hear!
Yummy !!
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Robin!
Freaking bomb ?? so yummy
I made this last night and we loved it! Even my husband had good things to say about it, even though he’s not into ‘all that healthy stuff’. I added shrimp & mushrooms and served with sides of sweet potatoes & steamed asparagus. A delicious and filling dinner. I’ll be making this again.
🙂 Yes, this one exceeded my expectations as well! Enjoy!
Quick Question: Are there significant health benefits to the cauliflower as opposed to using brown rice?
The only difference cauliflower is lower in calories and carbs. So, you would have to eat more cauliflower to feel fuller but will consume less carbs. Both are whole foods that are good for you! It’s just a lighter alternative for those who are watching their weight.:) Brown rice is very good too!
Your cauliflower rice looks so fluffy, colorful…I guess I would say “authentic” but without all the fat and additives from the Asian buffet. Speaking of Asian Buffet, I visited one last week, and after consciously eating so healthy since the New Year, I felt HORRIBLE after my buffet dinner. It’s not that I ate so much, it’s that EVERYTHING tasted the same — which was sugar-saturated and oily. I could almost feel the organic nutrients I have been absorbing taking up the fight with against MSG, cheap chicken w/additives, and low quality beef. I will not be visiting again anytime soon, I felt so physically bad.
Anyway back to your glorious dish….Made this last night. I can’t quite convince myself to buy pre-riced cauliflower when I can get 2 large heads for $4 right now and make my own. Because I used my own riced cauliflower, it didn’t come out as “fluffy” as yours looks, but the taste…OMG! It was delicious!! The ginger and garlic brighten the flavor of this dish so nicely. I added chicken to mine for a one pot meal. If I had opened a Fortune Cookie at the end of dinner, it would have said, “Quick, Tasty Meal Nourishes the Body and Leaves Time for the Soul.” Another winner dinner!! Thanks
Yeah, eating out after you eat healthy at home doesn’t taste as good. You can taste all the crap.
Glad you enjoyed. You can also add shrimp. I think with store-bought rice they process the stems after selling the florets separately, that’s why it’s less mushy and bigger “grain”.