This low-carb Cauliflower Fried Rice tastes just as delicious as the original! It’s ready in 30 minutes, packed with veggies, fried eggs, and protein, and tastes fabulous served with any of your Asian favorites, or on its own with a dash of soy sauce.
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Why You’ll Love This Low-Carb Fried Rice Recipe
- It’s Delicious AND Nutritious. Low in carbs and a veggie-packed substitute for regular rice, cauliflower “rice” is a one-time trend-turned scrumptious go-to meal. It’s wonderful on its own or paired with stir fry recipes (like Teriyaki Beef Stir Fry).
- It’s The Perfect Quick, Easy Meal. Thanks to its speed, supreme tastiness, and ability to flex to whatever is lingering in our refrigerator, fried rice is on the menu almost weekly here: Homemade Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Shrimp Fried Rice, Pork Fried Rice—we love ‘em all.
- The Cauliflower Rice Actually Tastes Good. Cooked properly, cauliflower makes great fried rice. If you’ve been burned by bad cauliflower rice in the past, I urge you to give this one a try. This cauliflower rice is sticky and fluffy, adept at soaking up bold Asian flavors, and tastes comforting (a feat I didn’t think was possible until I tried it myself).
5 Star Review
“This was so easy to make and so delicious! My family couldn’t believe how tasty it was.”
— Amelia —
How Do You Make Cauliflower Rice?
With the help of a food processor, making cauliflower rice is easy and takes less than 15 minutes of prep time.
- Wash and dry the head of cauliflower.
- Cut it into large pieces.
- Shred the pieces using a box grater or food processor.
Don’t feel like making cauliflower rice yourself? You can purchase pre-riced cauliflower from the grocery store.
Once you have your riced cauliflower, you are ready to turn it into cauliflower fried rice!
How to Make the Best Cauliflower Fried Rice
The Ingredients
- Cauliflower. The unexpected base of our fried rice dish! Cauliflower magically becomes rice-like and soaks up the delicious flavors. Bonus: cauliflower is packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants and is low carb.
- Eggs. A classic fried rice addition that helps add filling protein to the dish.
- Toasted Sesame Oil. Adds a toasty, nutty flavor that makes the fried rice taste special.
- Pineapple. The sweetness of the pineapple pairs addictively with the hit of spicy sriracha and salty soy sauce. Plus, it caramelizes in the skillet into something fantastic and is high in vitamin C and potassium.
- Veggies. I used a combination of bell pepper, carrots, green onions, and edamame. The bell pepper and carrots add a nice crunch, the green onions add a tasty bite, and the edamame is the perfect buttery, protein-packed addition.
- Soy Sauce. Seasons the fried rice and gives it that must-have touch of umami.
- Sriracha. The spicy component of this sweet and spicy fried rice. This dish only has a mild kick, but you can add more to take things up a notch.
The Directions
- Prepare the Cauliflower Rice. A food processor makes this quick and easy.
- Scramble the Eggs. Only cook until just set.
- Add the Fruit and Vegetables. Allow the pineapple to caramelize.
- Add the Remaining Mix-Ins. You’re almost done!
- Stir in the Cauliflower. Add the eggs, soy sauce, sriracha, and remaining sesame oil. DIG IN!
Storage Tips
- To Store. Refrigerate cauliflower rice in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- To Reheat. Gently rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- To Freeze. Freeze cauliflower rice in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The texture of the rice will be much softer when thawed.
Meal Prep Tip
Rice the cauliflower up to 3 days in advance and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to finish the recipe. You can also chop the carrots, bell pepper, green onions, and garlic up to 1 day in advance.
Leftover Ideas
Not enough leftovers to make a full meal? Pair them with General Tso Chicken or Sheet Pan Shrimp and Broccoli as a tasty side dish.
What to Serve With Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Salad. Asian Cucumber Salad and Asian Cabbage Salad would both be delicious.
- Salmon. Salmon fried rice is scrumptious! Try yours with Teriyaki Salmon or Soy Ginger Salmon.
- Tofu. Tofu would be tasty with this fried rice. Try my Air Fryer Tofu or Crispy Tofu.
- Chicken. You can’t go wrong pairing cauliflower fried rice with this crowd-pleasing Sweet and Sour Chicken, Crispy Asian Chicken Tenders, or Teriyaki Chicken.
Recommended Tools to Make this Recipe
- Food Processor. The easiest way to make cauliflower rice.
- Non-Stick Skillet. Using a non-stick skillet makes cleanup a breeze.
- Extra Large Cutting Board. The extra space is ideal for a recipe with lots of veggies.
Avoiding Soggy Cauliflower Rice
- Dry Your Cauliflower! Yes, this one warrants an exclamation point. Dry your cauliflower thoroughly before using it in the recipe, as any excess moisture could make your rice soggy.
- Use High Heat. This allows the cauliflower to warm quickly before turning mushy.
- Cook 1 to 2 Minutes Only. If left on the heat too long, cauliflower rice will steam and turn very soft, giving it a soggy taste.
- Add It Last. Unlike traditional fried rice, you stir fry all of the other ingredients first, then incorporate the cauliflower rice at the very end so it doesn’t turn soggy.
More Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Change It Up. Depending on the time of year, your preferences, or what’s available in your grocery store, you may want to swap the veggies in this recipe. Water chestnuts, mushrooms, onions, eggplant, bok choy, broccoli, and peas would all be tasty options.
- Don’t Overcook the Eggs. This one is easy to do. Stop cooking the eggs as soon as they begin to set. The residual heat will continue to cook them after they’ve left the pan, and they’ll be added back to the hot skillet later with all the fried rice ingredients.
- Be Your Own Flavor Master. Add soy sauce, hot sauce, top it with kimchi—fried rice is a flavor sponge, so have some fun with it!
Cauliflower Fried Rice
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Ingredients
- 1 medium head cauliflower
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or canola oil plus 1 teaspoon
- 2 cups pineapple tidbits from one 20-ounce can or diced fresh pineapple, drained if canned
- 1 large bell pepper cored and diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced (or substitute any other veggie you enjoy)
- 3 green onions sliced, plus additional for serving
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup shelled edamame
- 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari to make gluten free
- 2 teaspoons Sriracha sauce or garlic chili paste also called sambal oelek, plus additional to taste*
Instructions
- Prep the cauliflower: Cut into large pieces, then shred with the large side of a box grater. For quicker grating, place cut florets in a large food processor, then pulse until the cauliflower resembles small grains of rice. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, scramble the eggs with 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a large, non-stick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon grapeseed oil. Once the oil is hot and shiny, add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until barely set. Transfer to a large, clean bowl and toss with 1 teaspoon sesame oil.
- Carefully wipe the skillet clean, then heat the remaining 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil over medium high. Add the pineapple, bell pepper, and carrots. Cook, stirring constantly, until the juices have evaporated and the pineapple is lightly caramelized, 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in the edamame, green onions, and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the cauliflower to the skillet. Cook until the cauliflower is hot but not mushy, 1-2 minutes. Stir in the eggs, soy sauce, Sriracha sauce, and remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Serve warm, topped with cilantro and green onions.
Video
Notes
- *I kept the spiciness level of the recipe as written fairly mild, so feel free to add extra chili sauce if you wish.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate cauliflower rice in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Gently rewarm leftovers in a skillet on the stovetop over medium-low heat or in the microwave.
- TO FREEZE: Freeze cauliflower rice in an airtight, freezer-safe storage container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. The texture of the rice may change a bit once thawed, but it will still be tasty.
Nutrition
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Sign Me UpFrequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can certainly add protein to this cauliflower fried rice recipe.
Cauliflower fried rice chicken is our favorite! We love adding Air Fryer Chicken Breast or Crockpot Shredded Chicken. I also think Grilled Shrimp, Air Fryer Shrimp, or Honey Garlic Salmon would all be excellent with this dish.
Frozen rice cauliflower is a wonderful, time-saving resource when you are using it as a side for other stir fry recipes, where the texture isn’t as important. I do not, however, recommend using frozen cauliflower rice to make fried rice, as it will be soggy once thawed.
If you only have frozen veggies on hand like frozen peas, you can swap them for the fresh veggies listed in the recipe. The frozen vegetables will release some excess liquid during cooking, however, so you may need to drain the skillet before adding your cauliflower rice. Otherwise, the dish may end up soggy.
Love this healthified version of fried “rice”, especially with the addition of pineapple!
Colorful and yummy! I would like to try this :)
I’m trying to be more healthy, you know, all this food blogging and reading other people’s blogs got me cooking very unhealthy snacks lately (mainly involving chocolate…) so this recipe is right up my alley. Love it!
I just started using cauliflower rice a few months ago and it is surprisingly really good! Although I do like real rice too!! ?
I would love a bowl of this for lunch or dinner. Weston now loves rice.
Ok – I think you’ve convinced me to finally give cauliflower rice a shot. I’ve been a little scarred by other cauliflower fads (pizza crust – jut can’t do it!) but this looks so delish!
Love the pineapple in here! Fried rice is sooo good and love how healthy your recipe is :)
Hi Erin! Our family LOVES chicken cauliflower fried rice, and this pineapple version was a delicious new variation! So healthy and fresh. I also want to let you know that I (and likely many others) SO appreciate the nutrition information you provide for your recipes. On this one, the carb count did not look right so I plugged recipe into Calorie Count and got same calories as you but just 24.8 grams carbs. Which is awesome for a summer dinner. Thanks again for your hard work and creativity!
Hi Julie, OH MY GOODNESS! That was quite the typo. 24 grams of carbs is what I actually got too. Thank you for letting me know, and I’m glad the info is helpful!
hey girl this looks really yummy
You just rocked my world I have to say. Last week we had fried rice for dinner (made with left-over brown rice) and I thought, oh I should do a fried rice recipe on the blog. It never occurred to me to do it with cauliflower rice. And the addition of pineapple really… just brilliant!
Haha, don’t knock cauliflower rice even though its been 22 months! It still works :)
Looks enticing and delicious
This was my first time making a cauliflower rice recipe. It was easy to make. I used carrots, red bell peppers and mushrooms along with the green onions for the rest of my veggies. It was pretty good but I felt it lacked a bit of flavour. I will try it again, perhaps next time with some chicken or some sesame baked tofu added. Thanks for the recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed the recipe, Maria! Chicken or sesame baked tofu both sound like delicious additions. Thanks for sharing your feedback!
This was so easy to make and so delicious! My family couldn’t believe how tasty it was. I only used 1/2 the amount of sriracha that was called for because I don’t like things too spicy and it still had amazing flavor. The pineapple makes the rice just sweet enough. I recommend this dish for a simple weeknight side!
Hi Amelia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
If using pre-chopped cauliflower, how much should I use to equal a medium head of cauliflower?
Hi Cathy, while I didn’t measure this out myself. It seems like a medium cauliflower will yield 3-4 cups of florets. Hope this helps!
I was skeptical but this was really good. Not exactly like real rice but much more satisfying than I expected
Hi Kiersten! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Thanks so much for this excellent recipe. It is so healthy and absolutely delicious! This will become a regular meal for my family.
So glad you enjoyed it, Rebecca!