This easy cauliflower fried rice is a great low-carb alternative to traditional fried rice. It's not only healthier but also tastier than take-out. A guilt-free Chinese food you can enjoy at home without ruining your diet!
Today, I'll be sharing my favorite way to cook cauliflower fried rice. This low-carb fried rice is loaded with healthy vegetables and umami flavor. It's absolutely delicious. You can serve this cauliflower as a side dish or as a quick dinner.
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Keto Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Here are some reasons why you'll love this cauliflower fried rice recipe.
1. Low Carb - Perfect for Keto or a Diabetic
Rice is a staple food for many people all around the world, including me. Rice is a starchy food and is very high in carbs. For that reason, when you eat too much rice with little-to-no exercise it can easily contribute to weight gain or a spike in blood sugar.
2. You'll Eat More Veggies
While there are many rice substitutions available to make fried rice, cauliflower is absolutely my favorite one.
By swapping white rice with cauliflower, you'll not only be consuming fewer carbohydrates but also increase your vegetable intake.
3. Use Fresh or Frozen on the Same Day
Another great thing about cauliflower is that you can cook them on the day of the cooking whether you're using fresh veggies or frozen veggies. There is no need to use a day-old cauliflower as we do with white rice.
4. Customizable
You can easily customize this fried rice by using or adding more veggies or a protein of your choice. Additionally, you can use gluten-free soy sauce to make it 100% gluten-free, a suitable option for celiac disease or people with gluten intolerance.
5. Affordable
Cauliflower isn't an expensive veggie. You can use conventional or organic cauliflower.
The Ingredients for Shrimp and Cauliflower Fried Rice
A good cauliflower fried rice recipe consists of four important components: protein, vegetables, aromatics, and sauce.
Protein:
- Eggs. You'll be using about 3 large eggs, lightly beaten.
- Shrimp. There is no limit on how many shrimp you can use. Use as many as you want and it won't affect the final taste of the fried rice. I think 4-5 shrimp per serving or per person would be ideal.
Vegetables:
- Cauliflower. In this recipe, I used fresh cauliflower. Frozen cauliflower can also be used as a replacement ingredient.
- Mixed carrots and peas.
Aromatics:
- Scallions. Use both the green and white parts of the scallions. You'll be stir-frying the white part of the scallions along with ginger and garlic, while later using the green part for a finishing touch.
Yellow onion can also be used as a replacement ingredient.
- Ginger. It's the most common ingredient in stir fry. Ginger is so aromatic and healthy too.
- Garlic. It's used as a flavoring agent. It's absolutely a must-have ingredient in stir fry.
Sauce:
- Less-sodium soy sauce. I used the Kikkoman Less Sodium soy sauce. It contains 38% less sodium than regular soy sauce.
- Shao-xing wine. It's the secret ingredient that makes this cauliflower fried rice recipe tasty. It's a fermented rice wine that is made specifically for cooking or stir-frying to add fragrance and authentic flavor to any dish.
- Sesame oil. It adds nutty flavor and fragrance to food.
The Preparation for Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry
1. Grate the Cauliflower
You can grate the cauliflower with a food processor, a box grater, or a sharp knife. I personally like to dice the cauliflower with my knife, it's pretty easy to do.
Also, don't forget to drain the cauliflower thoroughly after washing as it will help prevent mushy and watery fried rice.
2. Gather the Sauce and other seasonings
Stir-frying requires a fast cooking method.
To ensure that everything is cooked evenly, you need to stir the ingredients constantly. For that reason, make sure your prep is ready in advance and in the right order.
3. Pre-Cook the Protein First
This is one of the most important steps to a good stir-fry. You'll want to cook the protein first to ensure all ingredients are cooked at the same rate as rice during stir-frying.
In this recipe, I'll be using two kinds of proteins; shrimp and eggs. At this step, I only need to cook the shrimp and eggs about half cooked then finish up later during stir-frying.
- In a large skillet, add a small amount of oil. Add the eggs and a pinch of salt and scramble until the eggs are fluffy but still slightly underdone. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a plate. Set aside.
- In the large skillet over medium heat, heat a small amount of oil and cook the shrimp with a small pinch of salt until half cooked. Transfer the shrimp to a plate. Set aside.
How to Make Cauliflower Fried Rice
Now, it's time to stir-fry all of the ingredients in a wok or a large skillet.
- In a large skillet over high heat, heat the oil then cook the white part scallions and ginger for about 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the frozen vegetables and cook until they are no longer frozen, for about 2 minutes.
- Add the grated cauliflower, cook, and keep stirring for 4 minutes.
- Add the sauce and seasoning. Put the shrimp and eggs into the work. Continue cooking for a few minutes until combined.
Variations and Cooking Tips for Cauliflower Rice Stir Fry
Protein Alternatives. If you're not a big fan of shrimp, you can use any seafood, or meat, or even skip the protein altogether. This cauliflower fried rice will taste good with or without the additional protein.
Another important thing to remember is that if you are going to use raw protein, you need to pre-cook it first before stir-frying with the other ingredients. If the protein is fully cooked, such as leftover rotisserie chicken, just stir-fry it together (no need for pre-cooking).
Frozen Cauliflower. If you are going to use frozen cauliflower, you only need to thaw the cauliflower slightly so you can break up the chunks. However, you need to stir the cauliflower a bit longer until the liquid is gone, which will again prevent mushy cauliflower fried rice.
The Best Skillet to Use for Stir-Fry. It's recommended to use a large skillet, about 12-inches, and at least 3-inch deep.
How to Store Leftover Cauliflower Fried Rice
Cool the cauliflower fried rice quickly then put it in an airtight container. Properly stored, leftover fried rice will last 4-5 days in the fridge or up to 2 months in the freezer.
You should throw away all perishable foods that have been left out for more than 2 hours or 1 hour if the temperature is above 90°F.
How to Reheat Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Put the leftover on a plate. Cover the dish with a microwave-safe lid or wet paper towel then reheat the leftover cauliflower fried rice in a microwave for 20 seconds. Open the microwave's door and stir the rice. Repeat this process in 20-second intervals until the rice is steaming hot.
- Reheat the cauliflower fried rice by refrying it in a frying pan. Heat a small amount of butter over medium-high heat. Add the leftover cauliflower fried rice into the pan and stir the rice regularly until steaming hot. If the rice is too dry, you can add about 1 tablespoon of water into the mixture.
- Preheat the oven to 300°F. Put the leftover fried rice on the baking dish then cover with aluminum foil or an oven-safe lid. Reheat the leftover cauliflower fried rice in the oven for about 15 minutes or until hot.
Check Out More Delicious Asian Recipes
- Best Pork Tenderloin Stir Fry
- Soba Noodle Salad
- Asian Chopped Salad
- Water Spinach Stir Fry
- Chicken Stir Fry Recipe
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fresh cauliflower (grated)
- 3 large eggs (lightly beaten)
- 16-20 fresh shrimp
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrot
- ¼ cup chopped scallions, white and light green parts only
- ¾ cup chopped scallions, green part only
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3-4 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil (pr more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon Shao-Xing wine (or skip if it's not available)
- a pinch of salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 4 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons neutral oil (divided - such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil)
Method
- In a large skillet, heat 2 teaspoon of oil over medium heat. Scramble the eggs with a pinch of salt until fluffy but still slightly underdone. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
- In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Cook the shrimp with a small pinch of salt until half cooked. Transfer to a plate, and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Cook the white and light green parts of scallions, and ginger for about 1 minute. Add the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the frozen peas and carrots. Cook until they are no longer frozen, for about 2 minutes. Add the grated cauliflower, cook, and keep stirring for 4 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce, Shao Xing wine, and sesame oil. Put the shrimp and eggs into the work. Continue cooking for a few minutes until the shrimp are fully cooked and the cauliflower rice is tender-crisp. Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper if needed.
Nutrition
Notes
- Do not defrost the frozen cauliflower. You just need to thaw the cauliflower slightly so you can break up the chunks.
- Squeeze out all the moisture with a clean kitchen towel before stir-frying.
- Stir fry the cauliflower a bit longer until the extra moisture is gone before adding the remaining ingredient, which will again prevent mushy cauliflower fried rice.
- Reheat the leftover cauliflower fried rice in a microwave. Put the leftover on a plate. Cover the dish with a microwave-safe lid or wet paper towel then reheat the leftover cauliflower fried rice in a microwave for 20 seconds. Open the microwave's door and stir the rice. Repeat this process in 20-second intervals until the rice is steaming hot.
- Reheat the cauliflower fried rice by refrying it in a frying pan. Heat a small amount of butter over medium-high heat. Add the leftover cauliflower fried rice into the pan and stir the rice regularly until steaming hot. If the rice is too dry, you can add about 1 tablespoon of water into the mixture.
- Reheat the cauliflower fried rice in the oven. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Put the leftover fried rice on the baking dish then cover with aluminum foil or an oven-safe lid. Reheat the leftover cauliflower fried rice in the oven for about 15 minutes or until hot.
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