This looks and tastes so much like real fried rice, I forgot for a moment that I was writing up a CAULIFLOWER Fried Rice recipe!
77% less calories, 89% less carbs, astonishingly similar mouthfeel as real fried rice and definitely right up there with flavour. This is one that even Cauliflower Rice cynics will love!
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Yes, it really does taste like real fried rice.
Cauliflower rice cynics, I’m talking to YOU!
And that includes me. It took me many years before I got on board the cauliflower rice train. And even once I was on board, it took me many months before I was happy enough with cauliflower fried rice to share the recipe with you.
Here are the top tips I’ve accumulated for wickedly good cauliflower rice:
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cook it like real fried rice. Hard and fast. Keep the cauliflower crisp-tender, don’t let it get mushy and wet!
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A great sauce is essential. Disguise the cauliflower flavour!
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The cauliflower has to be rice-size. As opposed to tiny crumbly couscous size. Nobody wants mushy cauliflower-couscous!
What goes in Cauliflower Fried Rice
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Cauliflower rice – best to either make your own or buy fresh pre-prepared. Frozen thawed will also work, but is a bit more watery. Drain it well and dry as much as you can, even go as far as squeezing out excess liquid (but note that you will lose volume by doing this and you still need 4 cups).
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Ham or bacon – goes a long to add a great flavour base! Can be skipped to make it meat free
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Frozen mixed vegetables – I use frozen for convenience, and because I totally buy into the whole “snap frozen” thing. Feel free to substitute with any diced vegetables, frozen or fresh
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Mirin or Chinese cooking wine – this is key in this sauce, to give it depth of flavour and complexity, making it extra tasty. Substitute with dry sherry or cooking sake. For a non alcoholic sub, add chicken stock powder (granulated chicken bouillon);
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Oyster Sauce adds a good back of sweet-savoury flavour. The only appropriate substitute I can think of is Hoisin, though you will get a faint fie spice flavour (very nice though!)
How to make Cauliflower Fried Rice
Here’s how you make it – just like normal fried rice, cooked hard and fast over high heat!
How to serve Cauliflower Fried Rice
Serve this as a tasty low-carb side dish, or as a meal in itself. Cauliflower Fried Rice packs in a serious load of vegetables, and very small amount of carbs. So while I’d never recommend normal fried rice as a meal, Cauliflower Fried Rice IS a healthy, satisfying complete meal in itself!
While I usually use plain rice or (when I’m trying to “be good”) plain Cauliflower Rice for saucy stir fries and curries, I like to serve fried rice alongside other Asian and Asian-esque dishes that aren’t saucy. Here are a few ideas.
Dishes to serve with Cauliflower Fried Rice
Have a browse through all my Asian recipes for more ideas!
So tell me, Cauliflower Rice cynics, have I convinced you to give this a go?? 😉 – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Cauliflower Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1.5 tbsp oil , separated (vegetable, canola, peanut)
- 3 garlic cloves , minced
- 1/2 onion , finely chopped
- 75g/ 2.5 oz ham or bacon , diced
- 1 1/2 cups frozen diced peas, carrots, corn (mix, or other diced fresh veg of choice)
- 400g (4 cups) cauliflower rice, raw (Note 1)
- 2 eggs , lightly whisked
- 2 green onions , finely sliced
Sauce - Mix:
- 1 tbsp Mirin (or Chinese Cooking Wine) (sub dry sherry or cooking sake) (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp Oyster Sauce (sub Hoisin)
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose (Note 3)
- 1 tsp sesame oil , toasted
Instructions
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large skillet over high heat.
- Add garlic and onion, cook for 30 seconds.
- Add ham, cook for 1 minute to release flavour.
- Add frozen vegetables, cook 2 minutes until carrot is almost cooked.
- Add cauliflower and Sauce. Cook, stirring regularly, for 4 minutes until sauce is reduced and cauliflower is almost cooked - firm, tender crisp, not soft and mushy.
- Push the cauliflower to one side of the skillet. Add 1/2 tbsp oil, let it heat up briefly, then pour in egg.
- Leave for 10 seconds, then leisurely scramble it. Once almost cooked, mix egg through cauliflower.
- Toss through green onions then serve immediately!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
New year, new home! Actually, I moved in the week before Christmas. And for almost a whole week, this is all I had in the living area – a work desk, and Dozer’s bed. The two most important pieces of furniture I own! 😂
Oh my yum! This was absolutely delicious
Made this last night. So easy. So yum. I’ve forwarded the recipe to nearly everyone I know. Thanks Nagi!
Another great recipe Nagi! I didn’t add any meat but did add fresh mushrooms … very delicious! 🙂
Wow, wow and double wow!! Tried cauliflower rice a while back and thought Nah not for me.
But when Nagi says try it, I try it and boy what an absolutely amazingly delicious way of eating cauliflower…. At last a cauliflower recipe that isn’t cauliflower cheese (not that I have, or ever will, abandon cauliflower cheese!!) but this is a super duper alternative.
Try it, I dare you. Never doubt the Nagi xx
Never doubt the Nagi??? 😂🤣😂🤣 N x
I made this with your Asian Glazed Salmon recipe. I left out the meat, and it was still amazing! Good thing I made a huge batch for leftovers!!!
This is the best!!! My kids even eat it. “Said mom what’s that amazing smell?!” And he’s 5!.
Hi Nagi!
This recipe is AHmazing!!!!!
Taste and texture is Sooo much like regular fried rice!!! Wonderful way to get a ton of veggies in you!!! I left out the meat and added cubed pan crisped tofu. For the veg I used a combo of broccoli, carrot, mushrooms and edamame. Highly recommend!!! thank you for this recipe!!
I’m happy you enjoyed it Paula! N x
Ooohhhhhhhhhhh myyyyyyyyy Lord above! This was so amazing, I sat in silence mostly from pure amazement haha. Love love love this 💗
So glad you enjoyed it Kellie!! N x
I have been using your website for a few years but have never commented. I have just been lurking around using all your recipes and enjoying them without commenting. Until today. I can’t go on. This was so good. I made it without the ham and it was just so good. I honestly thought a ninja came in and swapped the rice with cauliflower because it just tasted so good. I mixed through some chilli oil at the end and it was just amazing.
I love your recipes and time you invest in this page.
I’m from a turkish background and was so rapt when you put a pide recipe. You even went to the effort of using sucuk and kasar cheese. It honestly is better than any takeaway pide I’ve had here and is closest thing to what I’ve had in Turkey.
Keep doing what you do. Love your work xoxo
Another absolute cracker of a recipe. Trying to do low/no carbs so delighted this turned out incredibly tasty. I had some smoked pancetta which gave a lovely depth of flavour also. This is a real winner. Definitely gonna be a regular dish.
Absolutely delish – full of flavor. I’m glad I stumbled across this one – about to make it for the third time.
I use the frozen cauliflower for the convenience and dry them up on the pan with low heat before making the dish, works a treat.
Thank you Nagi 🙂
Another winner, Nagi! I made this with your mom’s teriyaki chicken and of course, they were both hits with the whole family. You couldn’t even tell the “rice” was cauliflower. We all said another win for Nagi. FYI, every recipe we’ve tried of yours have been winners. Keep ‘em comin.. Love Dozer too!😍
Hi Nagi, would this freeze well? I’m looking to use this for meal preps and freeze it in portions with chicken breast. Thank you so much 🙏🏼
This is a new favorite or mine! So flavorful and easy! Thank you so much for sharing 😘
This fried rice is excellent so tasty and healthy too. Thank you magi I love your recipes always
This is so delicious and so perfect!! I finished 1.5 servings yum! I used vegan bacon instead and it still tasted delish
Honestly I didn’t have high hopes, I make fried rice all the time and I love your recipes but I just felt it wouldn’t work. But I recently joined weight watchers so I decided what the hell, I reduced the vegetable oil to 1/2 a tbsp and used extra ham, eggs and veg and honestly I have never had anything ‘healthy’ be better than this. I couldn’t really tell much of a difference when eating it I felt like I was having comfort food and it really made my day. Maybe this dieting thing won’t be so hard after all 🙂 thank you so much for the recipie
Hi Nagi,
Would it be possible to add some beef mince to this recipe? If so, how much extra sauce do you think would be appropriate? Any advice would be wonderful.
With thanks, Dewey
Hi Dewey, you could definitely add mince if you like. Fry is off until brown first before proceeding with the recipe. I would throw in 150g or so and adjust the sauce up by 50%, just use as much as necessary 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi,
Thank you very much for your advice. I made this dish for dinner tonight, and added the mince and extra sauce with your suggested proportions. It was really yummy, and the whole family really loved it 😊
I’ve made your cauliflower fried rice in your original recipe form many times over since I first discovered it, and it has always been a big hit! So yummy in its original form, as well as beefed up 😊
Big thanks again Nagi!
Dewey
I was a bit hesitant about cauliflower fried rice, but wow! What a terrific recipe! So tasty. Thanks, Nagi! I’ll be making this regularly.
Nagi, many thanks for the ‘Festive baked salmon’. What a great success it was with our extended family yesterday! Please keep up the good work!