caulifower fried rice from POY
| | | | | | | | | | |

15 Minute Cauliflower Fried Rice

ByRobot

This post contains affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·Leave a Review
cauliflower fried rice in a bowl with chopsticks this recipe

This recipe was originally published in 2016 and is now part of our Plant-Powered January series! Find out more about how to join in on the fun, or click here to sign up directly for our email list to receive weekly meal plans, grocery lists, and other resources.

Cauliflower Fried Rice. Hello hello.

Because sometimes life is life, and you just gotta keep the food really simple. And super healthy. And deliciously delicious.

Like when you bought a bunch of ingredients to make really awesomely creative and powerhouse nutritious food for the week, but then it becomes the end of the week and you open the fridge and all your good ingredients are still staring you back in the face while your empty cereal boxes are telling the hard truth about your real life.

Watch How to Make This Cauliflower Fried Rice:

cauliflower fried rice in a bowl with a wooden spoon and a drizzle of soy sauce
cauliflower in a food processor

Simple, Healthy, Delicious

So all that to say, let’s make Simple, Healthy, and Delicious completely non-negotiable in my back-to-it cooking routines.

Which works out nicely because it’s exactly what we have going on today.

15 Minute Cauliflower Fried Rice is loaded with veggies and protein (eggs or tofu, maybs?) and it is drizzled with a little somethin’ extra (soy sauce, hoisin glaze, take your pick) and it is, in fact, simple, healthy, deliciously delicious.

cauliflower fried rice in a pan with a wooden spoon on a napkin

Let’s Talk About Cauliflower Rice

At this point, we’re all pretty familiar with Cauliflower Rice. It’s pretty obnoxious at first glance (why not just make RICE? does everything have to be made from cauliflower?) but upon further investigation and much cauliflower rice consumption, I can confidently say that this is worth it.

It’s just straight up vegetables, with a little oil, a little sauce, and a little egg or tofu for protein.

Also – it’s so fast and easy.

Just pulse the raw cauliflower into “rice” in the food processor and then stir fry the whole thing up. No soaking, no pressing, no strange and unusual kitchen moves other than just pulsing a few pieces of cauliflower into this magical rice substitute.

This recipe is too easy for you to even have any excuses. Get all your ingredients out (a little mise en place, maybe? #fancy) and I promise it won’t take you more than 15-ish minutes. Dinner! Ready! Set! Go!

cauliflower fried rice in a bowl on a napkin with chopsticks

You can also check out our MEAL PREP cauliflower fried rice, complete with theeee best crispy baked tofu!

Common Questions About Cauliflower Fried Rice

Print

15 Minute Cauliflower Fried Rice

caulifower fried rice from POY

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

No reviews

15 Minute Cauliflower Fried Rice – healthy fried rice made with cauliflower, carrots, onions, garlic, eggs/tofu, and sesame oil! 

  • Author: Demo Robot
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 5
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 medium-sized head of cauliflower
  • 2 tablespoons sesame oil
  • 1 large carrot, cubed
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup frozen edamame
  • 2 beaten eggs (use scrambled tofu for vegan)
  • 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (use tamari for GF)
  • 6 green onions, minced

Instructions

 
  1. PREP CAULIFLOWER: Shred cauliflower using the largest side of a grater OR by just pulsing some rough cut pieces in a food processor; the end product should resemble smallish grains of rice.
     
  2. STIR FRY: Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the carrots and garlic and stir fry until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Add the cauliflower, edamame, and remaining sesame oil to the pan; stir fry quickly to cook the cauliflower to a soft (but not mushy) texture.
     
  3. FINISHING TOUCHES: Make a well in the middle, turn the heat down, and add the eggs. Stir gently and continuously until the eggs are fully cooked. Stir in the soy sauce and green onions just before serving.
     
Recipe Card powered byTasty Recipes

Similar Posts

134 Comments

  1. I just got back from 2 weeks of eating ALL the things in Mexico and my body is basically YELLING at the screen because it wants this fresh, fast and HEALTHY little cauliflower fried rice goodness for dinner. All the veggies, all the easyness! GIMME! Pinned!

    Reply

  3. This looks absolutely delicious! I am a huge cauliflower fan and I love seeing it incorporated into meals in unique ways. Also, as a reader, I really appreciate how you include the nutritional information of your recipes. Those details definitely don’t go unnoticed! Thanks!

    Hannah
    http://hannahhappily.blogspot.com/

    Reply

  4. It’s called coffee… parents survive only by drinking lots and lots of coffee.
    Still not a huge fan of cauliflower do to annoying pregnancy aversions, but I might have to give this one a try!

    Reply

  5. This is exactly what I need today! Super quick & simple but healthy and delicious at the same time. No need to resort to frozen pizza (although sometimes I really want to, lol). haha, I love your sleep deprivation rant, parents are my heroes. I’m so bad at hiding my lack of sleep, the only thing that ever works is a big amount of stress (though I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone).

    Reply

  7. It’s a great way to eat Cauliflower, never tried it with cheese before. Will be sure to use it again. It’s nice to see that you are showing the Nutrition Facts for the recipe, wish everyone did it. How do you work it out?

    Reply

  8. So what if I don’t have any of these ingredients but now I’m REALLY in the mood for fried rice and there’s a Chinese place right next door to the grocery store?? 😛

    Reply

  9. I just made this myself this week… So good. Here is a great tip: Trader Joe’s now carries FRESH riced cauliflower in the produce section!

    Reply

    3. The recipe author is correct about leftovers. I adored this recipe the first day but noticed the leftover rice had absorbed too much moisture. Yuck! So I hope that riced cauliflower in store is not full of moisture. In fact when made with rice it’s best to dry the rice out a bit and even let sit in frig overnight to avoid a sticky mess.

      Reply

  10. I am SO hooked on cauliflower rice. I switched over a few months ago and have not make actual rice since! Mine always ends up being of the cilantro-lime variety to go with a fish taco bowl or anything Mexican really. YUM.

    Also, I am trying to work your April 9/10 workshop into my schedule. Crossing my fingers I can make it work!

    Reply

    1. I love that idea Ellie! And also would love to have you at the workshop! The studio space is looking better and better every day – we will have TONS of practice space/ props / windows for peeps to use and it would be awesome to have you here!

      Reply

  11. What a great low carb and high protein recipe! Fried rice used to be such a huge staple in my house. This looks even better!

    Reply

  13. This looks so much better than those sparse cauliflower rices that are served raw for some nutritionally dubious reason. I’ve always avoided making cauliflower rice because it seemed like too much work. Looks like I was wrong.

    Reply

  14. Big fan of cauliflower rice here – and fried rice without carb guilt = happy dinner. BTW, your vacay Snapchats were da bomb. Aerial yoga – who knew!

    Reply

    1. Hahaha the aerial yoga!! thanks Karen! TBH I was really embarrassed that the snap of me doing that inverse/splits thing made it on the snap story (I gave my phone to a friend) – it’s the kind of thing where you think you look super cool and then you watch it and you’re like, OH NO. Not cool. 🙂

      Reply

  15. I am relatively new to your site and I just have to say how much I love reading your posts! You are top dog hilarious and engaging! Love it! Thanks for all of the yum recipes! They are amazing!!

    Reply

  16. Thanks for reminding me about cauliflower rice! This looks like an awesome take on it. I am totally afraid of becoming a parent and having to function on tiny amounts of sleep. How do people do it??

    Reply

  17. “…it actually just takes you twice as long to recover from your trip-scapades than the amount of time you actually spent tripping. Is that a win or a fail?” <- I don’t know whether it’s a win or fail, but it’s life for me! Can’t wait to see your photos from the trip!

    BTW, I’m was a teensy bit afraid that your bulleted list thing was something new that you were trying, and although I understood, I was like, “But I miss Lindsay’s casual/ramble-y style!” I’m so glad that you are back to business as normal. Or rather back to real life as normal. To me that’s something that sets you apart; you are so REAL!! Keep it up! <3

    Reply

  20. This is a perfect example of a fast, healthy and delicious meal. It is frustrating sometimes how people really dismiss the idea that this combo is achievable. Thank you so much for the inspiration.

    Reply

  25. I have a 17-month old sweet boy and the only way to not go completely bonkers is to go to bed pretty much right after he does. Sleep when they sleep is truly the golden rule! And coffee…and sometimes chocolate. I’m going to be starting The Bone Broth Diet next week and cauliflower rice is one of the suggested recipes!

    Reply

  29. This looks so good…. and much better than the cauliflower fried rice my friend/roommate tried making recently (I told her she should more seriously consider following recipe instructions when they indicate an ingredient should be shredded/grated…). Maybe a cauliflower fried rice take 2 is in order!! Thanks for the great looking recipe 🙂

    Reply

  30. I made this for my wife last night and we both loved it. I had to switch the edamame with peas per my wife’s request. Happy wife, happy life… right?

    Reply

  33. I think giving up takeout and chinese food has been the most difficult thing for me on my quest to eat healthy. Recipes like this really help. I love this.

    Reply

  38. I made this for Valentines Day. My husband said that it was the best thing that I ever made! And he absolutely loves my cooking, so this is a keeper. Going to make it again tonight and will add some pork.

    Reply

  39. I made this with 2 bags of Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Rice, which is technically 6 servings of ‘rice,’ but followed the recipe exactly otherwise, and it turned out great! I ate two servings myself at once (but it’s so light, no guilt!) Because I had so much cauliflower rice, next time I think I will add 3 eggs vs 2 for a little protein boost and maybe some cashews for crunch. I did think it benefitted from more sauce on top, as well. Can’t say how the leftovers will fare, but I will definitely make this again!

    Reply

  40. Nice and quick, easy and yummy! I made mine with red onion, a bit of diced fresh beets, 2 stalks celery & frozen peas. I used a bit of liquid aminos and red chili sauce. YUM!

    Reply

  45. Hi Lindsay! Great recipe! Although it definitely took me more than 15-ish minutes to make my cauliflower rice! I had to grate my cauliflower on a cheese grater and I opted for few more vegetables. Lots of chopping!

    Reply

  48. Trader Joe’s sells Cauliflower “rice” in its produce section so now it is even easier than ever to make it and you don;t miss the real stuff.

    Reply

  51. I always love cauliflower in any form and making such a quick and 15 minute cauliflower fried rice when in hurry is a great idea… I have always wanted to make this delicious fried rice with this veggie…

    Reply

  52. Hey neighbor! Over here in ND and making this lovely recipe to go with pecan crusted flounder tonight.
    Can I send you some snow?

    Reply

  55. So this might sound dumb, but to make this a full meal could I just brown some cubed chicken up in seasame oil (never used it before) and then add it back in when I add the cauliflower rice? This sounds awesome and easy, thanks! Will definitely help me get over my current diet slump

    Reply

  56. Yummy! I got the taste right, but I would have loved it if you gave cup portions for ALL the ingredients and the cooking time for the cauliflower. I’ll definitely try again!

    Reply

  59. Just finished this fantastic “fried rice.” I enjoyed it, as did my 9 year old daughter. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply

  60. Tried this recipe today and added some fresh, Italian parsley and visalia onions (along with green onions). Also added more garlic. It was a huge hit!!! Will be making it on a regular basis since it is much healthier than white rice.

    Reply

  61. See previous post: Added 1/2 diced Vidalia onion, 1 TBSP fresh, Italian parsley, more garlic, pepper and 1/4 cup slivered almonds for crunch. Fantastic!!!!

    Reply

  62. Too much soy sauce seriously. Look at sodium amount. Doesn’t matter whether it’s low sodium. 3table spoons??? That’s reaaaaaaaaaly crazy.

    Reply

  63. Yum! I made this tonight for the fam, and everyone gobbled it up! I used two bags of frozen rices cauliflower to cut back on time, already shredded carrots, and Brag’s Liquid Aminos in place of the soy sauce. Absolutely delicious!

    Reply

  64. Hello.
    Thank you very much for this cauliflower fried “rice” recipe. I will definitely give it a try. It looks and sounds delicious.

    Reply

  65. Really good! I was a little doubtful because I’m not a huge cauliflower fan, but this really is one of those dishes that disguises its natural flavor. Made it on a Sunday night and took it for lunch the next three days. Also, I forgot to pick up edamame at the store, so used some lima/butter beans I had in the freezer, and they worked perfectly!

    Reply

  67. I made this last night; it was so good! It’s really easy to make gluten and soy free too, just sub coconut aminos for the soy sauce and Brussels sprouts for the edamame. It paired really well with a Sesame crusted ahi tuna steak.

    Reply

  68. …this is for real. It’s every bit as tasty as actual fried rice – the good kind – and maybe even more so. And it is SO FAST. Using staple ingredients. And so healthy – it’s a full up salad that tastes like some if the best fried rice you’ve ever had.

    I didn’t have green onions so I sauteed half a diced yellow onion with the garlic and carrot. Also – didn’t have frozen edamame so I used frozen peas. I added salt and pepper, of course. So I made it even less fancy than the recipe and it was still fantastic. I may not make normal fried rice again as there’s not much point when you have this.

    You could add some chopped cilantro at the end to make this really special. I’ll try that later this week because I make this stuff like twice a week now =)

    Reply

  71. Thank you for this simple yet delicious sounding recipe! I made a Mediterranean flavored cauliflower rice and loved it, so now I want an Asian flavor. I plan to make it with some changes (I’m eating LCHF): coconut aminos in place of soy sauce; omit carrots, but add alfalfa or soybean sprouts or even cut up green beans. And I’ll make just one serving since I am the only one eating LCHF in my household. I’m excited to try this!

    Reply

  74. I love this, and for the cauliflower naysayers, cauliflower is a superfood packing a ton of micronutrients, so keep it in your family’s diet until everyone appreciates it’s unique flavor!

    Thanks, Lindsay. Beautiful photography, as ever.

    Reply

  75. The ideal way is for the eggs to cook more before stirring them into the rest of the ingredients. You want the eggs to look scrambled. If you don’t do this, you will not see the eggs after the dish is finished cooking. Just give the eggs more time in the middle of the pan before stirring.

    Reply

  76. Very good, healthy, and quick recipe! Thank you. I added red peppers for color and another vegetable. I will definitely be making this again.

    Reply

  77. I made this last night and it was amazing! SO easy too. We’re doing South Beach right now and this was SB friendly. I used Birds Eye frozen riced cauliflower, added mung bean sprouts and used 2 TBSP of soy sauce instead of 3. It tasted just like fried rice, so good. I also think this would be good if you added shrimp or chicken, to make more of a meal out of it instead of just a side dish. I am adding this to my rotation for sure. Thank you for such a great recipe!

    Reply

  78. So I made this before school for my daughter. She didn’t want to buy and just got a palate expander so she only wants soft stuff to eat. I just bought some fresh cauliflower rice because I had wanted to try to make some fried cauliflower. I found this recipe and gave it try. I didn’t have any carrots, and just used the last of the eggs for breakfast. So I made it with just the oil, garlic and soy sauce. Its amazing. I might be addicted. I can’t wait to try it with all of the fixings!

    Reply

  80. I added a little Mirin to the recipe to give it some sweetness and cut down on the soy sauce. Came out nice!

    Reply

  81. Sorry tried this and I could not finish it the blend of cauliflower and soya sauce do not mix. I will stick to brown rice thanks

    Reply

  83. I have frozen cauliflower rice. How would I go about using it in this recipe? (Hubby bought it to eat healthier but now looking for things to do with it……

    Reply

  86. Just made it ! It was delicious! First time making anything with cauliflower rice and it was yummy!
    I added sweet peas instead of edamame. BF approves of it too and I was thrilled because it was all veggies !

    Reply

  87. This was a miss I’m afraid. The flavour just wasn’t there for me. I wish I could say otherwise, your photos are beautiful.

    Reply

  88. This is delicious!! Doing all the prep ahead and having handy, made it a lot easier. I used purple cauliflower, took a photo to send to my sister, then when it was in my dish and I’m eating it, I noticed my eggs turned blue! I’ll stick to white going forward!

    Reply

  90. Can I use frozen cauliflower rice as a substitute? Normally I’d be all about fresh, but we’re in the middle of a Pandemic and I’m really trying not to go to the grocery store for just one or two items. ?

    Reply

  91. How many cups of cauliflower rice does the head make? Trying to sub the right amount of frozen cauliflower rice

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star