Cauliflower Fried “Rice” is my new favorite healthy lunch- addictive, loaded with veggies, and so light that you can eat bowl after bowl of it. Adapt this gluten-free, paleo, vegetarian dish by loading it up with your favorite veggies for a low carb dinner that comes together in 25 minutes or less.
Looks like the real deal, doesn’t it? You’d never guess that this fried “rice” doesn’t include any actual rice. Just tons of crisp saucy vegetables tossed in a wok until golden brown. Cauliflower fried rice tastes and looks like the original, but the secret is using cauliflower rice.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
Turning a big hunk of cauliflower into rice sounds intimidating, no? It is not! I recently wrote a whole post on it how to make light and fluffy cauliflower rice. Here are some of the highlights:
- Step 1 – Chop it – You need to turn it into more manageable little pieces and take off the leaves so you can do the next step.
- Step 2 – Shred it – Use a food processor to shred it into little pieces. You can also use a grater if you are into the whole manual labor thing.
- Step 3 – Lightly cook it – Put it in a skillet with a little oil for a few minutes. You can also steam it in the microwave for a few minutes.
Check out my full tutorial with pictures and all the details. You’ll be so glad that you attempted to make cauliflower rice because when you use it in a wok-fried dish like this, it tastes so similar to the carb-loaded, starchy original version. You won’t miss it.
If you don’t feel up to making your own rice, plenty of companies are also now making frozen cauliflower rice. This dish alone is reason enough to stock your freezer with cauliflower rice.
Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Once you have your “rice,” you are ready to fire up the wok. My method comes together quickly and easily. The first step is prepping the sauce element by whisking together soy sauce, chili garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar and a little water. Once your wok is hot, you add a little oil and then add the onions and garlic. Next, add all your tasty vegetables and cook them until they brown. Any char you get by cooking them in the hot wok will be super delicious. Then, add in the cauliflower rice and the sauce so that everything gets mixed together and coated with sauce. Move all the ingredients up the side of the wok and cook the egg. Finally, move all the elements together once more so that the cauliflower fried rice comes together in a perfect alchemy.
It’s rich, savory and incredibly satisfying, but a generous serving of cauliflower fried rice is only 360 calories.
You can enjoy the entire bowl below and won’t have a moment of guilt when I follow it up with a big old slice of this. <= You’re welcome.
Happy Monday friends! Hope you enjoy this lighter dinner because I’ve got an awesome dessert headed your way later this week!
- Sauce:
- 1 Tbsp Soy Sauce (use Bragg's Aminos for paleo; Tamari for gluten-free)
- 1 Tbsp Water
- 1 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce (see note)
- 1 tsp Rice Vinegar
- ½ tsp Toasted Sesame Oil
- Stir-Fry:
- 2 cups Frozen Stir-Fry Mix (we like a mix of peas, carrots, broccoli and corn; though skip the corn for a paleo version of this stir-fry)
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- ½ Onion, chopped
- 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
- 4 cups Cauliflower Rice, pre-cooked as outlined in this recipe
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Lime, wedges
- Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving (opt)
- Whisk together all ingredients for sauce. Run frozen vegetables in a strainer under hot water just to get them slightly defrosted.
- Heat a wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. When oil begins to shimmer, add onion and saute until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and vegetables and saute until vegetables begin to brown in spots, about 2 minutes more.
- Add the sauce and cauliflower rice and saute to coat everything in sauce.
- Move vegetables and cauliflower rice to the sides of the pan, forming an open space in the center of the wok. Add eggs to the center of the wok and stir to scramble the eggs, about 3 minutes. (While you scramble the eggs, the cauliflower rice and vegetables around the sides of the pan should continue to cook, browning on the bottom of the pan which will help them to get those golden brown spots.)
- Gently fold all of the ingredients together. Taste and add a bit more soy sauce / aminos / tamari, if needed.
- Squeeze two wedges of lime over the dish. Serve with extra lime wedges and Sriracha. Enjoy!
Life is busy over here, but I can tell you two little ladies who don’t need any reminder to stop and smell the “roses”. Literally.
Looks very delicious and quite fresh!
I am so intrigued. May have to try this “rice.”
Debra Eliotseats recently posted..What to read and catch up on…
This looks amazing! I buy cauliflower all the time (one just this morning, in fact!) but I’ve never used it for “rice”. I’ve been intrigued and looking at this, I’m thinking I’m missing out!
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