This simple cauliflower fried rice recipe makes a delicious low carb main course or side dish! With fresh ginger and sesame oil, this lighter fried rice option is full of flavor.
Cauliflower rice is having a moment here on the blog (did you see these 7 Cauliflower Rice Recipes posted last month?)
While the recipes I shared in that post were more of a side dish, today’s simple cauliflower fried rice recipe is more of a meal…in fact it works great as a meal prep option!
Don’t forget to pin this post to save it for later!
Reasons to love this cauliflower fried rice recipe
- it is low carb and low calorie
- it works great as a meal prep option
- you can switch up the veggies as you’d like, or add in some chicken or leftover turkey for some extra protein
How to make cauliflower fried rice
For this recipe, I adapted my Meal Prep Vegetarian Fried Rice Recipe, which gets flavor from sesame oil, ginger and soy sauce. To these simple ingredients, I added some egg, onion, carrots, peas and (of course) riced cauliflower.
- scramble your egg
- cook your onion and carrot in sesame oil until soft
- add the ginger & garlic
- add in the riced cauliflower and frozen peas
- add back the egg, toss in soy sauce
That’s it! Really most of the work for this recipe comes from chopping. I recommend having all your ingredients chopped and ready for you because once you start cooking, everything goes quite quickly!
Is cauliflower chicken fried rice healthy? With only a fraction of the carbs and calories of regular fried rice, and packed full of veggies and healthy protein, I definitely consider this cauliflower chicken fried rice to be a healthier option.
Can I use store-bought cauliflower rice? Yes! Definitely, although I’ve found the size of commercial cauliflower rice to vary a lot, so use your judgement in adjusting the cook time.
Can I swap the soy sauce to make this paleo? Yes! Swap for coconut or liquid aminos. Try adding half to this cauliflower chicken fried rice and tasting to make sure it’s not too salty, since I tested with reduced sodium soy sauce.
Is this cauliflower fried rice keto friendly? Yes! I’d suggest a few swaps to lower the carb count though: swap the carrots and peas for lower carb veggies like zucchini, broccoli or brussels sprouts. If you are avoiding soy, you can swap for liquid aminos. You could also increase the eggs to increase your fat and make this cauliflower fried rice keto.
Does this cauliflower rice stir fry recipe work for meal prep? Yes! Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat till steaming hot! It may not smell amazing (cauliflower never really does), but it still tastes great.
Can I freeze cauliflower fried rice? Unfortunately this cauliflower rice stir fry gets mushy if you freeze/thaw it since it absorbs the sauce. You can freeze uncooked cauliflower rice though! Read all about how to make cauliflower rice (including storage options).
Watch the video below to see exactly how I prepped this cauliflower rice stir fry. It’s so easy! You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel, or on Facebook.
Tips & equipment for this cauliflower rice stir fry
- This is my 7 Cup Food Processor
which I highly recommend - you can rice your cauliflower ahead and store in the fridge for up to 10 days and the freezer for up to 3 months
- looking for more low carb meal prep recipes? Try this Low Carb Satay Beef Meal Prep, this Low Carb Meatloaf & Cauliflower Mash or these Low Carb Breakfast Meal Prep Bowls
Simple Cauliflower Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil (divided)
- 4 eggs (beaten)
- salt & pepper
- 1 onion (chopped very small)
- 2 cups carrots (chopped very small)
- 2 tablespoons ginger (grated)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 4 cups riced cauliflower (roughly half a large head of cauliflower)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 cups chicken (optional; cooked, cooled, chopped)
- 1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
To serve
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 2 tablespoons green onions
- 5 tablespoons cashews
Instructions
- In a large non-stick pan or a wok, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium heat.
- Add the eggs to the pan, season with salt & pepper, and cook, stirring up to scramble the eggs, for 3-5 minutes or until eggs are cooked through.
- Transfer the eggs to a clean bowl.
- Add the second tablespoon of sesame oil to the pan. Add the onion and carrots, cooking for 5 or so minutes, until softened.
- Add the garlic & ginger to the pan and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the riced cauliflower, frozen peas and diced chicken to the pan and cook for another 5 or so minutes, until cauliflower rice is cooked through (but not mushy).
- Return the egg to the pan, then toss everything in soy sauce.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds. green onion and cashews to garnish.
- Enjoy!
Storage
- Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat until steaming hot in the microwave. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Audrey
I’m new to your site and looking forward to understanding more about meal prep.
Denise
Hi Audrey! I’m so happy you’re interested in learning about meal prep! I have a comprehensive post here all about it: https://sweetpeasandsaffron.com/how-to-meal-prep/