Cauliflower Fried Rice

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Not sure about cauliflower rice? This cauliflower fried rice recipe is sure to convert you! I get it, it didn’t appeal to me right away either. But I have learned that when you season it and cook it properly, it can taste just as amazing as regular fried rice — even if it’s not exactly the same. It was so good that I even included it in my first cookbook!

Once you start incorporating cauliflower rice into your meals, you’ll see how versatile it can be as a low carb side. It takes on the flavor of just about anything. You can make cilantro lime cauliflower rice, or even turn it into cauliflower pizza crust, fresh cauliflower tabbouleh, or serve with keto chicken stir fry!

Why You’ll Love This Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe

• Classic Asian flavors like traditional fried rice, but loaded with good-for-you veggies
• Fresh, simple ingredients
• Ready in just 20 minutes
• Very easy to make
• Naturally low carb, gluten free, and healthy

Ingredients & Substitutions

Here I explain the best ingredients for cauliflower fried rice, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.

• Unsalted Butter – I use this for sauteing for flavor since we’re not using high temperatures here, but you could also use ghee as a dairy-free or whole30 alternative.
• Garlic – I recommend using fresh garlic, but you could use 1 teaspoon of jarred minced garlic  for convenience. A tablespoon of fresh ginger also makes a nice addition if you like.
• Onion – Use yellow or white onions for the base, and green onions (a.k.a. scallions, or you can use chives) for the garnish.
• Veggies – I used a red bell pepper for color and sweetness. You can also substitute or add peas and carrots.
• Eggs – A must for cauliflower fried rice!
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper
• Cauliflower – I make my own riced cauliflower fresh, but you can buy fresh cauliflower rice in the refrigerated section or frozen cauliflower rice in the frozen vegetable section of the grocery store.
• Coconut Aminos – This is one of my favorite soy sauce alternatives, but you can also use low sodium soy sauce or tamari.
• Toasted Sesame Oil – Adds flavor at the end. Don’t use this for sauteing, though.

VARIATION: Make it a meal!

Simply add a quick protein such as Instant Pot chicken, air fryer shrimp, or flank steak to make this fried cauliflower rice a complete meal.

Want your meal all in one pan? Make keto teriyaki chicken with cauliflower rice, or simple cauliflower chicken fried rice.

How To Make Cauliflower Fried Rice

This section shows how to make fried cauliflower rice, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.

1. Rice the cauliflower. Make cauliflower rice using a food processor or box grater. Learn how to make cauliflower rice here.
2. Saute the veggies. Cook the garlic, onions, and red peppers in a large saute pan or large wok over medium heat, until the onions are translucent and just starting to brown.

3. Cook the eggs. Whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Push the veggies to the side and pour the eggs on the other side of the pan. Scramble and cook.
4. Stir fry. Push the veggies and eggs to side of the pan and add more butter to pan. When it melts, add the riced cauliflower. Stir everything together, and stir fry until the cauliflower is tender, but not mushy.
5. Season. Stir the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and chopped green onions into the cauliflower fried rice. Garnish with more green onions if you like, or even sesame seeds.

Tips For The Best Cauliflower Fried Rice

Here are my best tips to help you achieve that perfect texture and flavor in your cauliflower rice stir fry:

• Don’t cover the pan. This causes the cauliflower to steam rather than fry, and will ruin the texture of your cauliflower fried rice.
• Don’t overcook it. This dish cooks really fast! Overcooking can make the cauliflower rice mushy and release excess moisture, affecting the overall texture and flavor.
• Add coconut aminos & sesame oil last. Adding the aminos last prevents it from absorbing too much into the cauliflower and making it too mushy. The sesame oil also has to be added after cooking, because it has a very low smoke point.

Storage Instructions

• Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
• Meal prep: Rice the cauliflower ahead of time, place in airtight container, and freeze or refrigerate until ready to use.
• Reheat: Stir fry the cauliflower fried rice in a hot skillet for best results, but the microwave works in a pinch.
• Freeze: Portion it into airtight containers or zip lock bags, removing excess air, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

What To Serve With Fried Cauliflower Rice

I love serving this fried cauliflower rice with a variety of Asian-inspired main dishes. Here are some of my favorite recipes:

• Chicken – Pair with juicy honey garlic chicken breast or a savory almond chicken for a quick and easy meal. (You can also simply add diced chicken directly to the cauliflower fried rice.)
• Beef – Try sweet and savory low carb mongolian beef, a robust pepper steak stir fry, or a classic beef stir fry with your favorite veggies.
• Seafood – My shrimp stir fry is one of the fastest options. I also love making a bowl with air fryer salmon bites over the cauliflower fried rice, along with some broccoli and avocado.
• Soups & Salads – A crisp smashed cucumber salad or Asian-inspired cabbage salad would taste refreshing, or make a quick egg drop soup when it’s cold outside.

More Cauliflower Rice Recipes

Everyone loves cauliflower rice recipes! You can find all of low carb cauliflower recipes here, or check out a few of these favorites:

Korean Beef Bowl

Low Carb Cheeseburger Casserole

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

Cauliflower Hash Browns

Recipe Card

4.84 from 49 votes

Cauliflower Fried Rice

By Maya Krampf

Cauliflower fried rice has all the flavor of the classic, but it's low carb and gluten-free. Ready in 20 minutes, with simple ingredients!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 15 minutes

Total: 20 minutes

Servings: 5 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

[ See substitutions ]

U.S. – Metric

Tap underlined ingredients to see the ones I use.

• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter (or olive oil for dairy-free or ghee for whole30; divided) ▢
• 2 cloves Garlic (minced) ▢
• 1/2 large Onion (finely diced) ▢
• 1/2 medium Red bell pepper (finely diced; or 1/2 to 2/3 cup peas and carrots) ▢
• 2 large Eggs ▢
• Sea salt (to taste) ▢
• Black pepper (to taste) ▢
• 1 medium head Cauliflower (or 4 cups riced cauliflower) ▢
• 2 tbsp Coconut aminos ▢
• 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil ▢
• 3 medium Green onions (chopped) ▢

Instructions

[ See step photos • See my tips ]

Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.

1. Rice the cauliflower: Remove the cauliflower leaves and stems. (Cut off as much of the stems as you can.) Push the cauliflower florets into a running food processor with a grating attachment, to make cauliflower rice. Alternatively, rice the cauliflower using a box grater.

2. Saute the veggies: In a large saute pan over medium heat, heat a tablespoon of butter. Add the garlic, onions, and red peppers. Saute for about 8-10 minutes, until the onions are translucent and just starting to brown.

3. Cook the eggs: Meanwhile, whisk the eggs with 1/2 tsp (2 g) sea salt and a pinch of black pepper. When the onion is done enough, push the veggies to one side of the skillet. (If the pan is dry, you can melt in more butter.) Add the whisked eggs to the other side and cook for a few minutes, until barely scrambled.

4. Stir fry the cauliflower: Push everything to the side again and add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pan. Once it melts, increase heat to medium-high, immediately add the cauliflower, and stir everything together to coat. Season with sea salt and black pepper. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, until the cauliflower is soft, but not mushy.

5. Finishing flavors: Remove from heat. Stir in the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and chopped green onions.

Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!

Maya’s Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1 cup

📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Cookbook here.

Nutrition Facts

Amounts per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories 127

Fat 8g

Protein 5g

Total Carbs 11g

Net Carbs 6g

Fiber 5g

Sugar 4g

I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.

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Try More Of My Recipes

• 
  Cauliflower Potato Salad
• 
  Cauliflower Breadsticks
• 
  Cauliflower Hash Browns
• 
  Cauliflower Stuffing

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