Make the best frozen cauliflower fried rice in just 15 minutes! We use frozen riced cauliflower (no need to thaw) and a few pantry staples to make a low-carb, never-soggy cauliflower fried rice that tastes better and is healthier than takeout! Even your pickiest eater won’t be able to tell it’s made with cauliflower!
Serve it alongside my hot and sour soup and gluten-free chicken teriyaki for a complete low-carb meal.
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This recipe is one of those that came about by necessity and took off in my home. When I was doing the Whole 30 some time back, I needed to avoid grains (the protocol eliminates grains to see how it helps with inflammation), but I missed rice.
Being South Asian, that is no surprise! Enter cauliflower rice! The new blank canvas for all your favorite flavors. I’m obsessed! I love riced cauliflower so much that I’ve developed multiple frozen cauliflower recipes, like plain and turmeric cauliflower rice (both featured in my cookbook).
So, if you’ve tried making cauliflower fried rice but it ends up mushy, try my method below. It is the best method to get the perfect texture- just like regular fried rice. In fact, it’s so fool-proof that my family couldn’t even tell it was made with cauliflower rice. Enough said 😎.
A Quick Look at the Recipe
⏲️Ready In: 15 minutes.
👪Serves: 4
🍽 Calories and Protein: 162 kcal, 6 g.
📋 Main Ingredients: Riced cauliflower, peas and carrots, egg, coconut aminos/soy sauce.
📖 Dietary Notes: gluten-free, Whole30 compliant, paleo, vegetarian.
⭐ Why You’ll Love It:
- Easy to make. There's minimal prep work. The only prep needed is chopping onions and whisking the eggs!
- Healthier than takeout. This cauliflower fried rice is lower in carbs than regular fried rice. It also uses better ingredients than takeout, which is often higher in sodium and sugar.
- Just like the real thing. My resident critic, 16-year-old Sami, even left a review, and he is a hard one to please!
Summarize & Save This Content With AI
“Could hardly tell it was cauliflower, 10/10 would recommend.” Sami
Jump to:
- A Quick Look at the Recipe
- Ingredient Notes
- Variations
- How to Make Fried Rice With Frozen Cauliflower Rice (Step-by-Step)
- How to Cook Frozen Cauliflower Fried Rice Without Getting Soggy
- Pro Tips
- Frozen Cauliflower Fried Rice FAQs
- Ways to Serve With Cauliflower Fried Rice
- More Low-Carb Recipes to Try
- Quick Cauliflower Fried Rice (low-carb)
Ingredient Notes
Frozen vegetables: This recipe calls for frozen riced cauliflower, but you can use fresh cauliflower rice. Or make your own at home in a food processor. Make sure not to process the cauliflower too finely, though, as it will turn to mush when cooking.
Soy sauce/Coconut aminos: I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce to keep it gluten-free. You can also use gluten-free soy sauce, but keep in mind it will not be Whole30, keto, or paleo-compliant. Coconut aminos are also sweeter, so adjust the amount accordingly.
Vinegar: White or rice, both work.
Variations
- Make keto cauliflower fried rice. Substitute the peas and carrots with diced green and red bell peppers.
- Add meat. Make chicken cauliflower fried rice. Season and sauté the chicken as in this chicken teriyaki recipe, and set aside. Once the rice is ready, throw in the chicken and give it one last toss before serving. I’ve often added leftover beef to the cauliflower rice as well as in the picture down below.
- Make it spicy. I sometimes add a chopped green chili along with the onions to add some heat to the rice and you can add sriracha or hot sauce with the seasonings as well.
How to Make Fried Rice With Frozen Cauliflower Rice (Step-by-Step)
Step 1: Chop and sauté the onions over medium-high heat until translucent. Next, add the ginger and garlic, and sauté for 30 seconds until aromatic.
Step 2: Add the frozen cauliflower rice, peas and carrots and remaining seasonings to the pan. Increase the heat to high, stir to coat the veggies, and then level them out and leave them undisturbed. After 2 minutes, stir and toss again, then level them, and let them cook for another couple of minutes.
Step 3: Add the whisked eggs to the pan. Move the rice to one side of the pan, add the eggs, and let them cook undisturbed. Once the eggs are set, break them up into chunks with the spoon and mix everything together.
Step 4: Finish off. Switch off the heat, drizzle the cauliflower fried rice with sesame oil, and top with the scallions. Serve immediately.
How to Cook Frozen Cauliflower Fried Rice Without Getting Soggy
- Use from frozen. If you thaw the cauliflower rice, it will release water, resulting in soggy rice.
- Cook on high heat throughout to prevent the frozen cauliflower rice from releasing water.
- Use a large pan so that there’s no overcrowding. That will cause the rice to steam instead of char and crisp up.
- After stirring and tossing the rice, level it and leave it undisturbed to cook on one side before stirring it.
- If possible, use a cast iron pan as it is condusive to charring.
Pro Tips
- Chinese cooking involves a lot of stir-frying and high-heat cooking, and so demands a fast-paced workflow. Hence, it is important to gather all your ingredients, chop the onions, and whip the eggs before starting to cook, aka “mise en place”.
- Toasted sesame oil at the end gives the rice an umami flavor characteristic of Chinese cuisine, but it is definitely not detrimental to the dish.
Frozen Cauliflower Fried Rice FAQs
Yes, you can use frozen cauliflower for fried rice. In fact, it is the best low-carb substitute for fried rice.
No, you do not need to thaw frozen cauliflower rice. Thawing it will release moisture, leaving a soggy result.
Cauliflower rice can get mushy if the cauliflower is processed too finely, cooked on low heat, or overcrowded in the pan.
You can store the cauliflower fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Reheat in a pan on the stovetop or in the microwave.
Ways to Serve With Cauliflower Fried Rice
Serve it as a side. You can serve this frozen cauliflower fried rice as a side with my Gluten-free Teriyaki Chicken and even add a soup like this hot and sour soup or this gluten-free chicken corn soup. Add a salad to the meal by choosing from my Asian-inspired salads, such as Asian Cucumber and Carrot Salad and Thai Salad.
If you tried this Frozen Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments. I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Pinterest or subscribe to our newsletter to get more deliciousness straight to your inbox!
Quick Cauliflower Fried Rice (low-carb)
Ingredients
- 1 lb frozen cauliflower rice *See notes
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or any neutral oil.
- 1/2 medium yellow or white onion diced. *See notes
- 1 cup peas and carrots frozen
- 1/2 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons coconut aminos Or sub with soy sauce. *See notes
- 2 tablespoons vinegar rice or white
- 2 eggs whisked
- 1/2 teaspoon roasted sesame seed oil
- 1 stalk spring onion green part chopped
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs and set aside. On medium-high heat, heat the oil in a large cast iron pan or wok. Add onions and stir till translucent, about 3 minutes. Add ginger and garlic and stir for another 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat to high and add the frozen riced cauliflower and peas and carrots frozen veggies. Break up the cauliflower rice, toss to coat the veggies, level them and leave them undisturbed in the pan for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, stir and level out for another 2 minutes. This prevents the rice fromtting soggy.ly.
- Next, add coconut aminos/soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Stir and then move the rice aside and add the whisked eggs to the pan. Leave undisturbed till the eggs are almost set, about a minute. Break up the eggs into chunks and mix everything. Turn off the heat. Lastly, add the sesame oil and scallions, and serve immediately.
Notes
- I like freshly diced onion because it lends depth of flavor to the dish, but you can skip it if short on time or use the white bulb of a green onion instead. You’ll use the green part as a garnish, so there will be zero waste.
- If you substitute coconut aminos for soy sauce, add a tablespoon and taste-test before adding more. Coconut aminos are lower in sodium content and thus slightly sweeter than soy sauce.
- Toasted sesame oil at the end gives the rice an umami flavor characteristic of Chinese cuisine, but it isn't detrimental to the dish!
Sami Shah says
Could hardly tell it was cauliflower, 10/10 would recommend.