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:
- cook it like real fried rice. Hard and fast. Keep the cauliflower crisp-tender, don’t let it get mushy and wet!
- A great sauce is essential. Disguise the cauliflower flavour!
- 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
- 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).
- Ham or bacon – goes a long to add a great flavour base! Can be skipped to make it meat free
- 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
- 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);
- 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! 😂
Hi Nagi, love all of your recipes that I’ve made (I’ve made a LOT of them) and this one is no exception!
I’m doing the 5-2 diet and this recipe is great for the ‘2’ days – I’ve just finished 2 bowls and by my calculations I’m still under 300 calories! Tasty, filling and fantastic.
Thanks heaps for your work!
Delicious. I served with ginger pork. Yummo.
Thank you
Yum! That sounds fantastic Beverley!!
O my goodness! This was perfect. My son gave up eating rice. This recipe came in perfect timing. He loved it! My kids and I enjoy all your recipies. They’re amazing!!!!
That’s awesome Beverly!!!
Mmmm. Really tasty. Made the 5 servings amount and the two of us ate the lot. 😊😊
And it’s totally guilt free Lorraine!!
This was definitely great. Had it with the Char sui pork which was also excellent.
Really like your recipes they are so easy and not overly fussy.
Great idea Robert – that is a great pairing!
The recipe looks lovely but I have to be gluten free and cannot use some of the ingredients. How can make this dish and retain the flavour?
Hi Patricia, I’d just use gluten free subs in the sauce – Tamari & gluten free oyster sauce 🙂
Thank you for your comment. I always use Tamari but I have never found gluten free Hoisin sauce or Oyster sauce in the UK.
Thanks for this recipe, I am a keto follower, so this recipe is perfect,
Awesome Maria!
So delicious! Did not have oyster sauce or hoisin. Added a bit more soy plus a smidge of Worcestershire and pinch of sugar. Everyone loved it!! Only 3 servings, though. Haha.
Sounds like you nailed it Loonchick!!
Made this last night & was very apprehensive about it as I find cauliflower so bland except when it is smothered in cheese sauce, but you are so honest in your comments I decided to try it, well it blew my mind, 3 of us LOVED it, polished it off, won’t be making fried rice with rice again. Thank you Nagi, hugs to Dozer. . 🤗🤗🤗
This is the BEST Jennifer!!! And hey, if you can sneak in a veg, why not?!
Dearest Nagi,
Every recipe I’ve made from you has been met with high praise & requests to make again. Thank you
But, I have to say you’ve spoiled me on your easy to follow/read directions as well as how good your dishes always taste!
Over the holidays, I attempted to make some new “clean food” eating recipes from a few different blogs, I found myself grumbling about everything, the blog layout, recipe ingredient listing, how the recipes ended up tasting (and everything in between).
Thank you for your unique style that doesn’t leave me having to look up ingredients or scratching my head!
Oh thank you so much Becki, that’s so lovely to hear ❤️
Thank you so much for this fabulous recipe. My husband seemed sceptical at first but inhaled two bowls full! He said it tasted just like fried rice made with actual rice!
Then the kids turned up and even my vege-wary son-in-law was raving about it! He then suggested it would make a fabulous spring roll filling! Given that I showed him how to make spring rolls in the air fryer (but stuffed with san choy bow mixture which is his one of his all time favourites) this is high praise indeed.
My daughter left clutching the recipe and the link to your website already on her phone! I think you may have found a couple of new followers!
Keep up the splendid work you do of providing super tasty food with easy to follow instructions that make us all seem like chefs! xx
I LOVE hearing that Melissa! From a fellow cauliflower cynic 🙂 Think of all that extra veg everyone consumed so willingly!! N xx
This is soooo good! Even my hubby who protests all low-carb meals liked it. Thank you!
He’s totally been converted 😂 N xx
Hi Nagi, Thanks for keeping me in mind with this great “Fried Rice” as it’s everything a Keto eater wants. Definitely sharing this one to go with all your other Keto friendlies it surpasses the fried rice recipe I’ve been using.
Congratulations on Dozer’s new digs. Surely he’s going to share with you so long as you still go to the beach with him when he asks you nicely. WOOF! WOOF!
Love the flooring, I’m sure Dozer picked the home because of the flooring matching his honey coloured coat.
Ha! Nope, Dozer picked the house for the backyard and the pool he gets to swim in every. single. day!!! N xx
Nagi, this is GENIUS! Made tonight to accompany Pilipino Chicken(added toasted cashews) and fed hubs. ‘Yum’he said, ‘very tasty’.
‘What did you think of my egg fried rice?’ says I. ‘Really good’ says he. ‘Well, it was cauliflower’ says I. Face was priceless 😉 and says he would eat again like that, he wouldn’t have known had I not let on, RESULT! 🤗
BA HA HA!!! OMG I am literally sitting here sniggering away as I read that, this is GOLD!! N xx
This was absolutely wonderful! My husband & I both loved it and will have it again and again! I used frozen cauliflower and it worked perfect!
Am surprised with the result and even more surprised that it was accepted by the ‘cauliflower rice cynics’ I’ve got here and that I can cook it more in the future! 🙂
Really nice dish and I’m Eurasian.
This is the BEST!!