If you love fried rice but want to save on calories and carbs, this vegetarian cauliflower fried rice recipe is a great substitute and tastes just like the real thing.
Yes I'm a little late to the cauliflower fried rice trend... well actually I'm not but I just hadn't taken pictures in the past when I had made it but that changes today. To keep it healthy and vegetarian I also always make it with my crispy baked tofu.
Fried rice is a simple dish of cooked rice that has been stir-fried in a wok or frying pan is mixed with some vegetables and eggs. It can be great as a main dish or side dish. Everything about this easy cauliflower fried rice is the same except for, well, the rice!
If you've ever made fried rice, you take the exact same steps except you use cauliflower instead of rice. These days, grocery stores will carry cauliflower heads year round.
To get the rice consistency, you just throw in a food processor and pulse a few times before you get your desired texture. Some grocery stores, like Wegman's, have taken it a step further and sell pre-packaged cauliflower rice if you're feeling lazy!
Honestly, if you just served this dish to someone without telling them it was cauliflower, they might actually think it was the real thing. It's that good! And best of all, this vegetarian cauliflower fried rice recipe is straight up vegetables. If you're like me, this will just be the beginning of cauliflower rice recipes that you'll find yourself making.
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Ingredients Notes
- Cauliflower - I usually take the time to just make cauliflower rice as it is cheaper but you can buy the pre-packaged stuff.
- Eggs - to me, you can have fried rice without some eggs, but if you want this to be vegan, just omit.
- Tofu - when I have cauliflower fried rice, it usually is vegetarian so I go with tofu for protein. Try this crispy baked tofu recipe.
Ingredient Swaps
Like any recipe, you can mix up some of the ingredients if you'd like. Some variations include:
- Peas and carrots are go-to veggies in a fried rice recipe, but you can use your favorites - from broccoli to sugar snap peas to mushrooms.
- While I use butter for the eggs and vegetable oil for the veggies, you can use either or replace with something like canola or avocado oil.
- Soy sauce is where a lot of the flavor/salt comes from, but if you are gluten-free try tamari sauce.
- If you don't have or like tofu, tempeh works as well.
- I'm partial to cashews with this recipe, but peanuts work great too.
Step-by-Step Photos
Pulse the cauliflower in the food processor until you get a rice like consistency. Then heat butter in large skillet and cook the eggs until they are scrambled. Transfer to a plate and wipe the skillet clean.
Cook the onions and ginger in the skillet with oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent and then add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds. Stir in the cauliflower, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and sugar and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the peas and carrots and cook until they are warmed through before adding the sesame oil, rice vinegar, scallions, cashews, tofu and eggs.
Benefits of Cauliflower
Like most vegetables, cauliflower is very healthy for you. Some of the benefits include:
- High in nutrients - excellent source of many nutrients.
- Helps with digestion - high in fiber which helps with digestion.
- Good source of antioxidants - helps protect cells against inflammation.
- Low in carbs - has 5g per cup vs 46g for a cup of brown rice so quite a bit less. And if you're watching calories, cauliflower has 25 calories per cup vs 218 for a cup of cooked brown rice.
- May help lose weight - low in calories so you can eat more. Also slows digestion and promotes a feeling of fullness.
FAQs
You can either use a food processor or box grater. You need to cut the cauliflower into chunks before using either. If using a food processor, add in stages and pulse until rice-like consistency.
If using the grater, use the side commonly used to grate cheese and grate cauliflower into rice-like consistency.
Most grocery stores sell pre-made cauliflower rice these days if you want to save time.
The key is to not sauté too long. If you cook too long it will quickly become soggy. You want to cook 4-5 minutes max.
No you don't, but it is called vegetarian cauliflower fried rice for a reason. I know not everyone is a fan of tofu but it's a great way to make vegetarian.
Again the main point of cauliflower fried rice is to replace the rice and have more vegetables, so you can easily have some poultry or meat in place of tofu.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Most grocery stores carry pre-made cauliflower rice so you can use that if you don't want to make yourself.
- Add cold oil to a cold wok and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the vegetables. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- You know the cauliflower rice is ready when it is tender-crisp. It should still have a slight bite to it.
- Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Similar Recipes
If you’ve tried this vegetarian cauliflower fried rice recipe or any other recipe on Chisel & Fork, please let me know how it turned out in the comments below! You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube to see more tasty meals and anything else I'm up to.
Vegetarian Cauliflower Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 (2 lb) cauliflower head, pulsed to rice-like consistency
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 small sweet onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups frozen peas and carrots
- 2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 4 scallions, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped cashews or peanuts (optional)
- 1 (12-15 oz block) tofu (see recipe attached)
Instructions
- Cut cauliflower into florets and add to food processor and pulse until rice like consistency. You do not want a puree. You might have to do this in stages depending on size of food processor. Set aside in large bowl.
- Heat butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add the eggs and cook until they are scrambled. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Wipe the skillet clean.
- Heat 3 tablespoon vegetable oil in same large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and ginger and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Add the cauliflower, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and sugar and cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the frozen peas and carrots and cook until the vegetables are warmed through and the "rice" is tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Lastly, add the rice vinegar, sesame oil, scallions, cashews, tofu and eggs. Adjust for seasoning and enjoy!
Notes
- Most grocery stores carry pre-made cauliflower rice so you can use that if you don't want to make yourself.
- Add cold oil to a cold wok and let heat up to proper temperature before adding the vegetables. You’ll know it is ready when the oil starts to shimmer.
- You know the cauliflower rice is ready when it is tender-crisp. It should still have a slight bite to it.
- Leftover rice can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days.
Chris says
Never had cauliflower fried rice but have seen it. Sounds interesting.