Cauliflower Fried Rice

A lighter alternative to regular fried rice, this cauliflower fried rice is stir-fried together with soy sauce, eggs, veggies, garlic and sesame oil.
The cauliflower absorbs those other flavours SO WELL, and it's great for soaking up sauces from curries or creamy chicken dishes.
You can even use ready-grated cauliflower for a super-speedy dinner.

An easy way to lighten up dinner, cauliflower fried rice is a great choice as a side dish for dinner.
Or you can add in some cooked chicken, bacon or ham to turn it into a full-on dinner!

I go through the occasional low carb phase at home. Just a few days here and there because I LOVE CARBS so much and I hate cutting them out.
This cauliflower rice is my go-to to side dish to make those meals feel complete - so I don't whinge too much about missing out.

The cauliflower absorbs all the flavours from the garlic, soy sauce and sesame oil so it's actually pretty darn tasty - and perfect for serving with saucy dinners.

What do we need?

Cauliflower - I like to use 2 small or one large head of cauliflower to serve 4 people as a side dish. This amounts to about 3 packed cups of grated/riced cauliflower.
If you're serving as a main dish, you'll need to double the amount.
You can buy cauliflower ready-riced in the frozen section of most large supermarkets if you want to save yourself the grating time.

How to make it

**Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.**

• First we grate the cauliflower. You can use a cheese grater for this, or your can use a food processor if you have one.
• Fry up the onion, garlic, peppers and peas in a little oil, then add in sesame oil and the riced cauliflower and fry again.
• The egg, along with a little soy sauce is added to the side of the pan and is scrambled, then stirred into the rice.
• Finish off with a little more soy sauce, salt and lemon juice.

I like to sprinkle on some chopped spring onions and drizzle on a little chilli sauce before serving.

Ingredient swaps

Add cooked ham, bacon, crispy tofu or chicken for a complete meal.

How to scale up and scale down this recipe

You can double or halve this recipes using the same ingredient ratios.
It will take a little longer to cook if you're doubling the recipe.

Watch how to make it

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Cauliflower Fried Rice

By: Nicky Corbishley

This cauliflower fried rice is stir-fried together with soy sauce, egg, vegetables, garlic and sesame oil. A super tasty vegetarian side dish!

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 15 mins

Total Time 25 mins

Course side dish

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4

Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ▢ 1 onion peeled and diced
• ▢ 1 clove garlic - peeled and minced
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper - deseeded and finely chopped
• ▢ 115 g (⅔ cup) frozen peas
• ▢ ½ tbsp sesame oil
• ▢ 300 g (10 ½ oz) cauliflower - about 1 large head - grated/riced (this is about 3 cups once it's riced)
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
• ▢ ¼ tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon juice

To Serve:

• ▢ ½ bunch of spring onions/scallions chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

 

• First of all you want to grate the cauliflower.
• Add the oil to a large wok. Add the onion and cook, stirring regularly on a medium heat for 5 minutes until the onion starts to turn soft and translucent.
• Add in the chopped red pepper, garlic and peas. Cook for a further 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
• Now add the sesame oil and the grated/riced cauliflower and turn up the heat to high.
• Use a spatula to toss everything together and to ensure the cauliflower doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
• Once the cauliflower rice is hot (this will take about 3-4 minutes), push the cauliflower over to the side of the pan and crack the two eggs in the space. Add a little splash of the soy sauce to the eggs.
• Making sure the part of the wok with the eggs in is over the heat, fry the eggs, giving a mix with the spatula until the egg starts to cook and look scrambled, but is still a little runny.
• Now mix the egg into the cauliflower rice.
• Pour in the remaining soy sauce and sprinkle on the salt and mix it all together.
• Add the lemon juice, stir and taste. Add a little more lemon juice if required.
• Divide between 2 bowls. Top with spring onions (scallions).

Video

✎ Notes

Can I make it ahead?

Yes - you can make the whole dish, the quickly cool, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Reheat in a wok with a little oil until piping hot throughout.

Can I freeze it?

You can, but it's worth nothing that the cauliflower rice does get a little soggy upon defrosting - but you can cook most of that out when reheating.
Cook the rice, then quickly cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat as per the 'make ahead' instructions above.

Nutritional information is per serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 7gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 706mgPotassium: 447mgFiber: 4gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 1285IUVitamin C: 89mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 2mg

Keywords Healthier, lighter, low carb

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Hi I’m Nicky

I love to cook and I want to share with you my favourite, delicious family friendly recipes. I want to inspire you to create fantastic food for your family every day.

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