Introducing the crunchy and oh so effortless cauliflower fried rice!
Imagine you have your juicy meat cooking in the oven, and your kitchen is full of a warm and inviting aroma that’s slipping you into your natural cooking zen. Though something is missing from bringing the perfect keto dinners together. No need for the guessing game today friends, this cauliflower fried rice is your answer!!!
What once was the most overlooked of low carb vegetables has evolved from last resort low carb side dishes to the your low carb meals superhero substitute!
From cauliflower pizza crust, to cauliflower salad, to cauliflower mac and cheese — it may not add the brightest of low carb foods, but believe me, the crispy texture and subtle flavor will compliment nearly any of your low carb recipes, and will have everyone asking for more!
Let’s dive in…
Looking for more keto side dishes? Check out my mashed cauliflower, cauliflower mac and cheese, or my keto french fries.
How to Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
Making Cauliflower fried rice keto is ridiculously easy…
Start by grabbing your food processor and tossing in the cauliflower. Pulse for 1 second intervals, until the whole batch is chopped into approximately the size of rice grains. I like to remove smaller pieces and continue to process the larger florets, so the cauliflower fried rice grains are more consistent in size. It’s also a great idea to stop the motor and scrape down the side, to ensure everything incorporates.
Alternatively, you can use store bought cauliflower rice — save the dishes! It’ll taste just as delicious…
Next, set your skillet on medium heat and add some vegetable oil. Add the eggs in and scramble until they’re fully cooked. Set the eggs aside on a plate.
Now, add more veggie oil to the skillet. Once shimmering, add in the onion, carrots, and peas, and saute until they’re tender — this should take about 8 minutes.
Psst — Peas are traditionally used in cauliflower fried rice, but they’re high in carbs. I opted for edamame to save some carbs and add a bit of protein!
Stir in the ginger and garlic, and saute for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the rest of the oil to the pan and stir in the green onions and cauliflower for about three minutes. At this point, it should be soft and looking “fried.”
Now, you’ll add in the eggs, sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Stir everything together, remove from the stove, serve it up warm, and enjoy a healthy alternative fried rice keto style!
Buying Riced Cauliflower Vs. Using a Food Processor
Adding riced cauliflower to you low carb shopping list can saves loads of time and gives you a more consistent “grain”. Win-win! At this point, you can find riced cauliflower just about anywhere: Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Wal-Mart, you name it!
Reheating This Keto Rice
This low carb rice can be reheated a couple of different ways for tasty cauliflower fried rice leftovers all week long:
- Microwave — Covered your bowl of cauliflower fried rice with a damp paper towel.
- Stovetop — Add oil to a skillet and toss the cauliflower fried rice around until it reaches your desired temp.
Rice Substitute Serving Suggestions
Serve this rice substitute alongside any of your favorite low carb dinners! Keep it traditional by plating it with keto Chinese food dishes such as Hunan chicken or Hunan beef, serve it with your favorite grilled protein, or enjoy it on its own for low carb snacks!
Honestly, I love this cauliflower fried rice SO much, I’ll often toss in leftover protein (chicken, steak, shrimp) and saute it all together for more substantial low carb lunches and dinners.
Meal Prepping Keto Rice
Some of my favorite low carb lunch ideas involve a variation of this keto rice. So, what I love to do is make up a big batch of cauliflower fried rice at the beginning of the week, and parse it into individual containers for low carb meal prep.
You can store this cauliflower fried rice in either the fridge or the freezer for easy meals throughout the work week.
Cauliflower Rice Variations
Cauliflower rice is amazing in this cauliflower fried rice recipe, but it can be used for a ton of keto meals! Basically, whenever traditional rice is requested in a recipe, try cauliflower rice instead! Or another low carb rice variation, such as broccoli rice, butternut squash rice, and cabbage rice.
From cauliflower fried rice Indian curry to Spanish style, here are a few other low carb food list ideas to inspire you:
1. Fried Cauliflower Rice with Meat + Seafood
This tasty fried cauliflower rice recipe can be revved up into a more substantial meal with some added meat and/or seafood. Cauliflower fried rice with shrimp, cauliflower fried rice with chicken, even pork, all make for delicious low carb dinners.
2. Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry with Your Favorite Vegetables
If you’re in a keto vegetables mood, add whatever veggies you’re craving to this cauliflower rice stir fry — it’s like eating a salad, without actually having to eat another salad.
3. Mexican Cauliflower Rice
Mexican cauliflower rice is way different than the suggestions above, but another zesty way to enjoy cauliflower. Fry it up with some keto taco seasoning, minced peppers/onions, and toss in some taco cheese!
4. Turn this into Paleo Rice
This recipe can easily be turned into cauliflower fried rice Whole 30 with a few simple swaps: just trade in soy sauce for coconut amino acids (soy is not on the paleo food list!) and skip the peas for a paleo rice any caveman would enjoy!
Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Hope you guys LOVE this cauliflower fried rice recipe! Let me know what you think in the comments below, and any variations you may have tried — from cauliflower fried rice to paleo, to a meat lover’s delight!
More Cauliflower Recipes
- Cauliflower Potato Salad
- Keto Shepherd’s Pie
- Loaded Cauliflower Casserole
- Cauliflower Stuffing
- Cauliflower Hummus
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 Lb Cauliflower* florets, or rice will do
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons Mild Tasting Oil (see notes below) divided
- 3 Eggs whisked
- 1 Small White Onion diced
- 1/2 Cup Frozen Edamame** or peas
- 2 Carrots peeled and diced
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger peeled and grated
- 3 Cloves Garlic minced
- 3 Green Onions thinly sliced
- 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce or more to taste. Coconut aminos if paleo
- 1 Teaspoons Rice Vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons Toasted Sesame Oil
Instructions
- Place cauliflower (1 Lb) in a food processor and pulse using 1 second intervals until it has reached a rice like grain size.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add vegetable oil (½ tablespoon).
- Add the eggs (3) and scramble, until they’re fully cooked.
- Place cooked eggs on a small plate and set aside.
- Add veggie oil (1 tablespoon) to the skillet.
- Once shimmering, add diced white onion (1), diced carrots (2) and peas (1/2 cup), and saute until soft, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in minced garlic (3 cloves), grated ginger (1 tablespoon) and saute for 1 minute, or until the garlic is fragrant.
- Add remaining oil (1 tablespoon) to the pan.
- Stir in thinly sliced green onions (3) and cauliflower and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the cauliflower has softened and looks “fried”.
- Add the eggs, sesame oil (2 tablespoons), rice vinegar (1 teaspoon) and soy sauce (1/4 cup).
- Stir everything together and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Remove from heat, serve warm and enjoy!
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Lindsey's Tips
- Mild Tasting Oil. You want an oil with a high smoke point and mild flavor -- think avocado, vegetable, safflower, sunflower, peanut. Skip EVOO, coconut, or sesame oil.
- Using store bought cauliflower rice will save a ton of time, and gives you a much more consistent grain!
- Peas are more traditional, but higher in carbs. I used edamame for extra protein, less carbs, and we enjoy the flavor more!
- Serving sizes will vary with the size of your veggies. The most accurate way to use the nutritional information below, is to divide the recipe by 8, 1 of these 8 serving is reflected below.
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