Cauliflower Fried Rice has the taste and texture of traditional fried rice, but there are no grains involved, just finely chopped cauliflower quickly fried until tender crisp and golden then topped with crispy ginger and garlic and a fried egg. A delicious way to enjoy this Asian-inspired dish when you want to eat a little lighter or are following a gluten free, Paleo or Whole30 diet.
I like the real thing, especially when it comes to food. When food labels squawk: "low fat," "high fiber," "sugar free" - I cringe. I'd rather have a smaller portion of the full fat, full sugar portion of, whatever, and preferably in a form that comes without a label - whipped up from individual ingredients in someone's kitchen.
But this cauliflower fried rice - it's not the real thing. In that there is no rice, but it is the real thing when it comes to flavor and satisfaction.
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Why Shredding Cauliflower is Better
Some Cauliflower Fried Rice recipes instruct you to use the chopping blade of a food processor to finely chop cauliflower, but I disagree. It's too easy to over-process it, ending up with cauliflower so fine that it gets mushy. I prefer to press raw cauliflower florets through the shredding disc of a food processor so the cauliflower rice is the same size every time. Once you sauté it in a bit of oil until it's golden brown and tender, you would easily mistake it for the 'real thing'.
More Asian Inspired Recipes
- Soba Noodle Bowl (Bok choy, tender soba noodles, and an egg on top. So good!)
- Chinese Cucumber Salad (A perfect balance of spicy and refreshing!)
- Egg Roll in a Bowl (Think of this as a deconstructed egg roll. Lightened up and everyone loves it!)
How to Make Cauliflower Fried Rice:
Step 1: Press raw cauliflower florets through the shredding disc of a food processor.
Step 2: Finely chop raw ginger and garlic. Thinly slice leeks.
Step 3: In a skillet, cook and stir ginger and garlic in oil until crispy. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon or spatula and season with kosher salt.
Step 4: Add leeks to skillet; cook and stir until softened. Increase heat to medium-high and add cauliflower; cook and stir until crisp-tender and lightly brown.
Step 5: Fry eggs to desired doneness. Top each serving with a fried egg, crispy ginger and garlic and a drizzle of sesame oil and coconut aminos or soy sauce.
This recipe is a riff on this recipe for Ginger Fried Rice that Mark Bittman wrote about in the NY Times.
And if you love this, definitely try my Egg Roll in a Bowl - another delicious, lightened up version of a classic!
Cauliflower Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil divided (or other high heat oil)
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 tablespoons minced ginger
- kosher salt
- 1 large leek halved and thinly sliced (white and light green parts), rinsed and dried
- 2 pound head cauliflower separated into florets and shredded (cauliflower rice)
- 4 eggs
- 4 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 teaspoons coconut aminos or soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger; cook and stir until crisp and golden brown, taking care not to burn the garlic. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with a paper towel. Season lightly with kosher salt. Reserve.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to same skillet. Add leeks. Cook and stir about 3 minutes until mostly tender. Increase heat to medium-high and add cauliflower; cook and stir until cauliflower is crisp-tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle in water as needed if the cauliflower is too dry. Season to taste with salt. Set aside.
- In a cast iron or nonstick skillet, fry eggs in remaining oil, over easy or sunny-side-up.
- Divide cauliflower rice among four bowls. Top each serving with a fried egg, then drizzle with 1 teaspoon sesame oil and 1 teaspoon coconut aminos or soy sauce. Sprinkle crisped garlic and ginger over each and serve.
The fads come and go (I remember the low fat phase and now it has turned the other way). Everything in moderation. The step by step instructions really help with a dish that I have not tried yet. Trying it this week!
The low-fat phase...ugh. I'm glad we're beyond that. I agree with you, it's all about moderation. Excited that you're trying the recipe this week! 🙂
You know, I think I heard that the rice industry is trying to legally stop the 'cauliflower rice' term since it's not actually rice. I mean I get it. I could see how that would confuse people! I've yet to actually make cauliflower rice myself, but this looks amazing...and easy! I might just have to give this a shot soon. Thanks, Marissa!!
I hadn't heard that about the rice industry, but they do have a point. Give it a shot, David! I'd love to hear how it goes...
I make cauliflower fried rice quite often, but I LOVE your tip to use the shredding blade on the food processor for consistency! I've gotta try it. Also, loving the fried egg on top 🙂 Yum!
I'm all about 'put an egg on it' 🙂 Thank you, Katherine...
Another delicious Paleo dish to add to my list! Tom and I have been trying to incorporate more Paleo dishes into our diet this year. This looks so good Marissa!
Thank you so much, Mary Ann! I hope that you and Tom love it!
We love making all sorts of things with cauliflower. Have you ever tried cauliflower pizza Marissa? It's delicious!
I haven't tried cauliflower pizza, but if you recommend it, I must!
I don't trust those recipes which are fat/sugar/dairy etc free either. However, I like the idea of this cauliflower rice. I've seen quite a few similar ideas lately, but I haven't tried it yet. This looks utterly good!
Thank you, Ben!