For more Asian-inspired, veggie-packed dishes, check out my popular recipes for Chopped Asian Salad, Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps, and Broccoli and Chicken Stir Fry. I may be late, but I’ve jumped on the cauliflower rice train. You all know I love the “real” deal but TBH? I LOVE this cauliflower fried rice. If you didn’t tell me this was cauliflower, I swear I wouldn’t know. The best part is the rest of the fried rice recipe is exactly the same, so you still get your other veggies, the oil, that all-important egg, the necessary soy sauce and a hint of spice if you like. Give it a try, I swear even cauliflower haters will admit this fried rice is SO GOOD.
Here’s How You Make It
I feel like these directions should be longer, but I have nothing else to say or do! This recipe for cauliflower fried rice really is this simple!
Why This Recipe Works
Budget friendly — All of the items you need for this cauliflower fried rice recipe are very inexpensive, especially if you make the cauliflower rice yourself. Fast — What could be faster than fried rice in 15 minutes. FIFTEEN minutes? That’s crazy talk right? Nutritious — Veggies upon veggies upon veggies. If you’re looking for a way to get more vegetables into your meals, then this is it. Plus, if you have little ones at home, this recipe is a great way to sneak in extra vegetables — they’ll never know that it’s not rice. Great for meal prepping — Are you trying to watch what you eat and making meals ahead of time is helpful for this endeavor? Make this cauliflower fried rice on Sunday and eat for four lunches or dinners thereafter. A perfect, nutritious meal for days, prepared in just 15 minutes!
Ideas for Customizing this Recipe
Add protein. It’s so easy to add cooked, shredded, or diced chicken, beef or pork to this cauliflower stir fry. Just add at the end after the eggs to heat through. You can also buy pre-riced cauliflower if you don’t feel like going through the trouble of ricing your own or you don’t own a food processor. It’s usually found in the freezer section. Thaw before adding to the skillet. If you want to add other vegetables like broccoli, snow peas, peppers, or mushrooms to this stir fry, you might also want to double the oil and soy sauce. Did you accidentally stumble upon a recipe for cauliflower fried rice when you wanted the real fried rice recipe? Not to worry, I have plenty of regular fried rice recipes too. I got you! Not a fan of peas and carrots? Feel free to substitute those for any other frozen vegetable or vegetables of the same amount.
What to Serve With Fried Rice?
Fried rice is easy to make but complicated when it comes time to figuring out what to serve with it. Whenever I make cauliflower fried rice, I tend to stick to a theme, either adding more veggies or some protein on the side.
Try a simple grilled chicken on the side of this veggie-packed fried rice. Pretend like you’re not eating a ton of veggies and add some more in the form of this delicious Chopped Asian Salad. Put some simple pork tenderloin in the oven to bake while you work your magic on this fried rice. If you’re in a soup-and-salad (veggie) mood, try adding a cup of this Coconut Curry Soup alongside the fried rice.
Expert Tips
For the frozen peas and carrots, you’ll want to defrost them and then pat them dry with paper towels to absorb excess moisture before putting in the stir fry. You can keep any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. I don’t recommend freezing this recipe, especially if you started with frozen rice to begin with. If you have riced your own cauliflower ahead of time, you can store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Any longer and it will start to break down. For best results, don’t “rice” your cauliflower till the day of.
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title: “Cauliflower Fried Rice” ShowToc: true date: “2024-09-28” author: “Mary Gregston”
A few days ago, I shared a recipe for Fried Rice with Ham and Vegetables that we all agree is better than take-out.
Like that fried rice recipe, I think this dish is better than almost anything you could get at a take-out restaurant and just as fast. It uses cauliflower in place of the rice making it a great way to sneak extra veggies into your meal or for a lighter alternative to a starchy rice dish. This recipe takes fresh, cold cauliflower rice and fries it up with veggies, Mexican spices, cooked chicken and a generous helping of shredded cheese. The result is a beautiful, flavorful combination of tastes and textures that the whole family will love. Best of all, this Cauliflower Fried Rice only takes a few minutes to whip up in the skillet. It makes a great option for both lunch and dinner and the leftovers are delicious too!
How To Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
Cauliflower Fried Rice is almost ridiculously easy to make, especially with store bought riced cauliflower. You can find packages of riced cauliflower (cauliflower chopped up into grain sized bits) in most grocery stores and supermarkets these days. It’s not difficult to turn a head of cauliflower into “rice” yourself. This tutorial on How to Make Cauliflower Rice is a good step by step guide if you’ve never worked with cauliflower before. Start by removing the leaves and stems from your head of cauliflower. Then pull or chop apart the florets as you usually would when cooking cauliflower. Pulse the raw cauliflower florets in a food processor until they turn into rice sized pieces. You can also use a box grater (the kind typically used for grating parmesan) to rice your cauliflower by hand. Once your cauliflower is ready to go, warm a tablespoon of oil (I use refined coconut oil or light olive oil) in large skillet. Add peppers and onions, give it a good stir for a minute, then add mushrooms and your favorite Mexican spice blend or taco seasoning mix. After the vegetables have softened a little bit, add chopped cooked chicken and cook for a minute or so until warmed through. Remove the vegetables and chicken from the pan and set aside while you cook the cauliflower in more oil, a little bit of extra spice blend and a drizzle of hot sauce. Once the cauliflower is seasoned and cooked, add the vegetables and back to the pan and stir everything together until well combined. I like to add a handful of shredded monterey jack or pepperjack cheese to the rice before serving. Cilantro lovers will love this with a beautiful handful of chopped cilantro sprinkled on top too!
Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice
Fried rice is an especially great way to use up leftover chicken. Pan fried chicken and baked chicken will both work well in this recipe. Make Perfect Pan-Fried Chicken Thighs for lunch and toss the leftover chicken (cut into ½ inch chunks) with this cauliflower rice, hot sauce and spices for the most delicious and easy dinner you can imagine. If you’re in a hurry, you could also use your pressure cooker or Instant Pot to whip up cooked chicken for this recipe.
Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry
I make a lot of stir-fry in this house because it’s one of the best ways to get a quick dinner on the table that I know everyone in the family will enjoy. Sweet and Sour Chicken Stir-Fry is a frequent presence on our dinner table as is this savory Thai Steak and Green Bean Stir-Fry. Fried rice is a stir-fried dish that puts the “rice” (in this case, cauliflower rice) right in the pan with the other ingredients. And since you don’t have to pre-cook the cauliflower like you would with rice, Cauliflower Fried Rice is a one-pan meal that’s even faster to make than your average stir-fry. Most stir-fries use Asian inspired flavors. While I absolutely love a garlicky, ginger-y stir-fry like sometimes it’s nice to take a concept in a different direction. This Cauliflower Rice Stir-Fry uses Mexican flavors from a seasoning blend and the addition of hot sauce. My Homemade Taco Seasoning works wonders in this recipe and you can also use whatever Mexican spice blend you prefer. The combination of cumin, chile powder, oregano and garlic adds so much flavor to the veggies and chicken. I use Cholula original because that’s what my family prefers but feel free to use your favorite hot sauce. You could even experiment with a variety of hot sauces every time you make this recipe. (Believe me, you’ll want to make it often.) Cauliflower Fried Rice is quick, nutritious, easy-to-make meal that’s full of tender savory mushrooms, juicy chicken, flavorful veggies and the perfect amount of spice. Whether you’re a longtime cauliflower rice lover or just giving it a try for the first time, this is a recipe you simply must have in your arsenal. Your family will thank you!
Cauliflower Fried Rice
