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! 😂
Lorraine says
Mmmm. Really tasty. Made the 5 servings amount and the two of us ate the lot. 😊😊
Nagi says
And it’s totally guilt free Lorraine!!
Robert Dodd says
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.
Nagi says
Great idea Robert – that is a great pairing!
Patricia Willis says
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?
Nagi says
Hi Patricia, I’d just use gluten free subs in the sauce – Tamari & gluten free oyster sauce 🙂
Patricia Willis says
Thank you for your comment. I always use Tamari but I have never found gluten free Hoisin sauce or Oyster sauce in the UK.
Maria says
Thanks for this recipe, I am a keto follower, so this recipe is perfect,
Nagi says
Awesome Maria!
Loonchick says
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.
Nagi says
Sounds like you nailed it Loonchick!!
Jennifer Vanzella says
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. . 🤗🤗🤗
Nagi says
This is the BEST Jennifer!!! And hey, if you can sneak in a veg, why not?!
Becki says
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!
Nagi says
Oh thank you so much Becki, that’s so lovely to hear ❤️
Melissa Baker says
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
Nagi says
I LOVE hearing that Melissa! From a fellow cauliflower cynic 🙂 Think of all that extra veg everyone consumed so willingly!! N xx
April L. says
This is soooo good! Even my hubby who protests all low-carb meals liked it. Thank you!
Nagi says
He’s totally been converted 😂 N xx
Josephine B says
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.
Nagi says
Ha! Nope, Dozer picked the house for the backyard and the pool he gets to swim in every. single. day!!! N xx
Alex Melvin says
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! 🤗
Nagi says
BA HA HA!!! OMG I am literally sitting here sniggering away as I read that, this is GOLD!! N xx
Barb Normandin says
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!
Zoe C says
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! 🙂
Nagi says
This is the BEST!!
Edilia Ford says
Really nice dish and I’m Eurasian.
Mari says
HELP I really can’t stop eating it
Nagi says
And there’s no need to because it’s so low carb 🙂
Dahn says
This is my favorite way to eat cauliflower. It is impressive how well the sauce, veggies, and eggs make it taste so much like real fried rice. Congratulations on your new home Nagi,
Nagi says
Thanks so much Dahn!! N x
Linda says
Wow! This is the real deal…just as delicious as you promised. There’s no hint of cauliflower taste in it at all.
My Asian sauce shelf has experienced quite the upgrade since I started following your posts.
Next attempt will be your Filipino Chicken Adobo!
Thanks for your great recipes and all the hard work that goes into them.
Nagi says
Love to know what you think of the Adobo! N xx
Linda K. says
The Chicken Adobo was very good -I will definitely make it again!
Sauce was totally awesome over the Cauliflower Stir Fried Rice.
My sauce was more golden brown than red like yours, can’t figure out why. I checked ingredients and didn’t leave anything out.
Thanks for all your great recipes, Nagi!
Eha says
Looking at your photo – an open-plan kitchen to the left and verandah or patio leading to a pool behind the viewer ?
Nagi says
You’re pretty close to it Eha!
Eha says
I use a lot of cauliflower rice and love it – as a change and a different kind of vegetable dish – not because I am avoiding carbs, of which every healthy person should have 40% in their diet ! I have not tried it as fried rice; but would probably use it as a full meal . . . I am sorry to disagree with you but in China fried rice is always a main meal dish for the working classes and should never be chosen as part of a more opulent meal where steamed rice naturally is mandatory ! Love the open-plan room you show = lovely for its timber floors . . . best . . .
Kimberley says
Making this tonight. In the fall when there is a bounty of Cauliflower at the farmers market and usually cheap, I rice small baggies and freeze. I do all varieties of cauliflower, purple, orange, green – great staple to have on hand
Nagi says
I love that you get all sorts of colours!!! Biggest tip with making cauliflower rice anything is to blitz so it’s cooked rice size. If it all ends up like tiny couscous size then the eating experience isn’t as similar to fried rice 🙂 N x
Elizabeth A Weber-Falk says
You’ve convinced me to try it! Here goes, wish me luck. I’ll let you know how it went. Does your new home have nice views? Are you still near the beach?
Nagi says
You don’t need luck! 🙂 I hope you like it! All the add ins and sauce really do go a long way to “hide” the fact that you’re eating cauliflower!! N xx (PS And yes! I am lucky enough to still have some nice beach views, the house is actually on the same street as the one I was one before. Is it over disclosure to share photos of the house??? I don’t know where the line is for keeping things private!! Also I am worried that people will recognise the house and views because that’s what happened at the old house)