This cauliflower fried rice tastes just like real fried rice, but it's way healthier. I use a bag of frozen cauliflower rice, so it doesn't require fresh cauliflower (or the mess and time associated with it). It's loaded with bacon, cashews, onions, garlic, sriracha, eggs, peas, and carrots, so you can't even tell you're not eating real rice.
Why We Love This Cauliflower Rice
This recipe has become a staple in our house when we're craving real fried rice but want something a little lighter. It's quick, healthy-ish, and really delicious! Best of all, you can serve it as a side or as a main dish (it's also really good with an over-easy egg and some hot sauce in the morning).
Looking for other vegetable-based dishes? Try our Sweet Potato Vegetarian Tostadas or Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese.
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Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Cauliflower rice: I use frozen cauliflower rice from Costco or Trader Joe's, but you can use whatever is easiest for you. Fresh or frozen cauliflower rice both work.
Bacon: Thick-cut bacon works great, but use whatever you typically buy. Turkey bacon works as well.
Onion: We use sweet onions, but use whatever you have on hand and enjoy eating.
Eggs: Use whatever you typically buy.
Sriracha: Sriracha is a hot sauce made from chili peppers. You can substitute your favorite kind of hot sauce, but sriracha works well in this recipe.
Cashews: We use roasted, unsalted cashews. You can substitute peanuts.
Peas and carrots: We usually buy a bag of frozen peas and carrots—most grocery stores sell a combo bag. You can also use fresh peas and carrots if that's your preference.
Soy sauce: If you're gluten-free/Paleo/Whole30, substitute coconut aminos.
See recipe card for full ingredient list and amounts.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
Step 2: Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and sauté for 5 minutes, or until it begins to crisp. Then add the diced onion and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
Step 3: Add bag of frozen cauliflower rice and sesame oil and cook for around 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 4: Push the cauliflower and veggie mixture to one half of the pan. On the empty side of the pan add the eggs and let cook for 30 seconds. Then break up the eggs and mix them into the cauliflower rice.
Step 5: Add the sriracha, cashews, peas and carrots, and soy sauce. Mix everything up and cook for an additional 4 minutes, or until the peas and carrots are warm and cooked through (we like our carrots with a little bit of bite).
Step 6: Enjoy! If you so desire, serve with one of our suggested pairings below.
Suggested Pairings
- Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry (One-Pan and Paleo)
- Teriyaki Shrimp with Horseradish Mashed Cauliflower
- Easy Beef and Broccoli with Peppers and Mushrooms
Frequently asked questions
Cauliflower rice usually cooks in about 5 minutes on the stove, but I like to cook it for a bit longer than that so that it dries out a bit. The longer you cook it, the more liquid cooks out of it...that way it's not soggy! I usually cook it for about 10 minutes, or until there's no liquid left in the pan.
It's a really good substitute! The cauliflower doesn't have the same bite that real rice does, but I've loaded this recipe with flavor, so there isn't a super strong cauliflower taste.
Sure! Just omit the egg and the bacon. Edamame and tofu would be great additions to bulk it up a little.
📖 Recipe
Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This cauliflower fried rice tastes just like real fried rice, but it's way healthier. I use a bag of frozen cauliflower rice, so it doesn't require fresh cauliflower (or the mess and time associated with it). It's loaded with bacon, cashews, onions, garlic, sriracha, eggs, peas, and carrots, so you can't even tell you're not eating real rice.
Ingredients
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
5 slices of bacon, chopped into small squares
1 small sweet or yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
10 or 12 ounce bag of frozen cauliflower rice (see note 1)
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sriracha
½ cup cashews
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
3 tablespoons soy sauce (substitute coconut aminos for gluten free)
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and add the salt and pepper. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook for 5 minutes, or until it begins to crisp. Then add the diced onion and cook for an additional 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the bag of frozen cauliflower rice and sesame oil and cook for around 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Push the cauliflower and veggie mixture to one half of the pan. On the empty side of the pan, add the eggs and let them cook for 30 seconds. Then break up the eggs and mix them into the cauliflower rice.
- Add the sriracha, cashews, peas and carrots, and soy sauce. Stir until everything is combined and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until the peas and carrots are warmed and cooked through.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- Sometimes stores sell frozen cauliflower rice in 10 ounce bags and sometimes they're 12 ounce. Both work well—no adjustments necessary.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ¼th of recipe
- Calories: 323
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 845 mg
- Fat: 23.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 16.3 g
- Protein: 13.4 g
- Cholesterol: 116.1 mg
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