Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice
Cauliflower fried rice that is toasty and savory instead of wet and cabbagey. The trick is drying the cauliflower and cooking it in batches over high heat.
Recipe
Low-Carb Cauliflower Fried Rice
Crisp, browned cauliflower rice stir-fried with eggs, vegetables, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sesame oil. Serves 4 as a main.
Equipment Food processor or box grater, Clean kitchen towel, 12-inch skillet or 14-inch wok, Wide spatula
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
Fried rice
- 1 large head cauliflower, about 2 lb, florets pulsed to rice size (about 6 cups), squeezed dry
- 3 whole large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, divided, or another high-heat oil
- 0.5 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 0.5 cup frozen peas, no need to thaw
- 0.5 tsp fine salt, plus more to taste
- 0.25 tsp white pepper, or black pepper
To finish
- 3 whole scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tsp chili crisp (optional)
Tap Swap on any ingredient to see substitutions and ratios.
Nutrition
- Serving
- about 1 1/2 cups, 1/4 of the recipe
- Calories
- about 210 kcal (approximate)
- Fat
- about 13 g (approximate)
- Carbohydrates
- about 13 g, about 8 g net (approximate)
- Protein
- about 9 g (approximate)
Estimated per serving. Total time 25 minutes.
Method
- 1
Stir together the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.
- 2
Pulse the cauliflower florets in a food processor in two batches, in short bursts, until they look like rice grains. Pile them onto a clean kitchen towel, gather the corners, and twist hard over the sink to squeeze out as much liquid as you can.
- 3
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a 12-inch skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the eggs and gently stir until just set in soft curds, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate.
- 4
Raise the heat to high. Add 2 teaspoons oil, then the onion, carrot and scallion whites. Stir-fry until the onion is translucent and the carrot has softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Scrape onto the plate with the eggs.
- 5
Add 1 tablespoon oil and half the cauliflower to the hot pan. Spread it out and leave it undisturbed for 2 minutes to brown, then stir-fry until golden in spots and tender-crisp, 3 to 4 minutes more. Transfer to the plate and repeat with the remaining cauliflower (add a splash more oil if the pan looks dry). Don't cook it all at once, or it will steam.
- 6
Return everything to the pan with the peas, salt and pepper. Toss over high heat until the peas are hot, about 1 minute. Drizzle the sauce around the edge of the pan so it sizzles, and toss to coat.
- 7
Taste and adjust with salt or a splash more soy sauce. Top with scallion greens, sesame seeds and chili crisp, if using, and serve right away.
Low-carb cauliflower fried rice swaps the rice in a takeout classic for finely chopped cauliflower, then treats it like day-old rice: dry, hot pan, no crowding. Done right, it tastes toasty and savory, with fluffy egg, sweet peas and a soy-sesame finish, and a serving has a fraction of the carbs of a bowl of rice. Done wrong, it's a wet, sulfurous mush. This version fixes that with two moves: squeeze the riced cauliflower dry, and brown it in two batches over high heat. It takes about 25 minutes total, serves 4 as a main, and the difficulty is easy. The full recipe is at the top of the page.
Why low-carb cauliflower fried rice goes soggy (and how to stop it)
Real fried rice works because cold, cooked rice has dried out overnight, so each grain fries instead of steaming. Raw cauliflower has the opposite problem: it's full of water, and it releases that water the moment it hits heat. If the pan can't evaporate it fast enough, the cauliflower simmers in its own juices. That's why the recipe asks for a large skillet or wok, very high heat, and two batches. The browning you get is flavor, too. Cauliflower has natural sugars that caramelize at high heat, which is exactly the nutty, roasted note that makes it taste like it belongs in fried rice. Overcooking brings out cauliflower's sulfur compounds, the same family behind the smell of overcooked broccoli, so pull it while it still has a little bite.
Tips and doneness cues
- <strong>Pulse, don't purée.</strong> Pulse florets in short bursts, in two batches, until they look like grains of rice. Any big chunks can go back for another pulse. A box grater's large holes also work.
- <strong>Leave it alone.</strong> Once the cauliflower is in the pan, let it sit for about 2 minutes before stirring, so the bottom layer browns.
- <strong>Done looks like:</strong> golden spots throughout, no liquid pooling in the pan, and a grain that is tender but still has a little bite.
- <strong>Sauce goes in last.</strong> Adding soy sauce early just adds more liquid to steam in. Drizzle it around the hot edge of the pan at the end so it sizzles.
- <strong>Store-bought riced cauliflower works.</strong> Use 24 ounces fresh. For frozen, cook it straight from the freezer in a dry pan until the water evaporates, then add oil and brown it. Don't thaw it first or it turns mushy.
| Per 1 cup cooked | White rice | Cauliflower rice |
|---|---|---|
| Carbohydrates | about 45 g | about 5 g |
| Calories | about 205 kcal | about 25 to 30 kcal |
| Cook time in this recipe | Needs day-old cooked rice | 5 to 6 minutes per batch |
| Biggest mistake | Using freshly cooked, wet rice | Crowding the pan so it steams |
Substitutions and variations
- <strong>Soy sauce:</strong> Tamari 1 for 1 for a gluten-free version (check the label). Coconut aminos 1 for 1 is lower in sodium and a little sweeter.
- <strong>Peas and carrots:</strong> Both add some carbs. For a stricter low-carb version, swap them for 1 cup diced bell pepper, zucchini, or chopped bok choy.
- <strong>Oil:</strong> Avocado or peanut oil both handle high heat. Save the toasted sesame oil for the end, since it burns easily.
- <strong>Add protein:</strong> Stir in 12 ounces cooked diced chicken, shrimp, or pork at the end with the eggs to heat through.
- <strong>Make it spicier:</strong> Add 1 to 2 teaspoons chili crisp or sriracha with the sauce, or a sliced Thai chile with the garlic.
- <strong>Make it vegan:</strong> Skip the eggs and fold in 14 ounces extra-firm tofu, pressed, crumbled and browned first.
Storage, reheating, and make-ahead
You can rice the cauliflower up to 3 days ahead and keep it in a towel-lined container in the fridge, which also dries it further. Cooked leftovers keep in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a hot skillet with a teaspoon of oil for 3 to 4 minutes rather than the microwave, which makes it soft. Freezing cooked cauliflower fried rice isn't recommended: it goes watery when thawed. If you want a full weeknight rotation, try our easy weeknight pad thai, the crispy baked salmon with garlic butter, or the 20-minute dinner that looks like you tried hard. For more on how you eat, not just what, read whether eating late at night makes you gain weight.
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