I’ll admit, I used to eat rice all the time. Even these days, if I’m going to eat a grain, it is going to be rice (usually in sushi). Rice isn’t a regular food for us though, so I was looking for some healthier substitutes that would include more veggies, and vegetable fried “rice” made with cauliflower instead of rice is one of the solutions I found.
This recipe combines the flavors of regular vegetable fried rice from a restaurant with the nutrition boost of cauliflower for a tasty and more nutritious side dish. You can even add chicken to make a full meal! Another advantage is that without the long cook time of the rice, this recipe comes together very quickly for a meal on busy nights.
To make the cauliflower rice-like simply grate it with a box grater or pulse in a food processor until the pieces are rice sized.
I’m not a fan of soy, so I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. Coconut aminos (I buy mine here) is a sauce made of coconut sap with a similar flavor to soy sauce, but no soy and no gluten. I’ve also created my own soy sauce alternative recipe using bone broth, that’s quite tasty.
Vegetable Fried "Rice" Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower (fresh, frozen will not work)
- 3 eggs
- 1 large carrot
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 onion
- ¼ cup coconut aminos
- ¼ cup sesame oil (or coconut oil)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Finely chop the carrot and onion and zucchini.
- Heat half of the sesame or coconut oil in a large skillet on medium high heat.
- Add the carrot and onion and sauté until starting to soften.
- Add zucchini and add peas.
- While those are cooking, grate the cauliflower using a cheese grater or food processor.
- When vegetables are cooked, remove from heat and set aside.
- Add the rest of the oil and the cauliflower to the skillet.
- Cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes until cauliflower is starting to soften but not mushy.
- Make a hole in the center of the mixture to reach the bottom of the pan and crack the eggs in to the hole.
- Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the coconut aminos and the garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Scramble the eggs in to the mixture.
- When eggs are cooked, return vegetables to the pan and stir.
- Add the remaining coconut aminos and stir until everything is heated and flavors are combined.
- Enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
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Do you eat rice? Ever made a variation like this? Share below!
Okay, but can I use frozen riced cauliflower just thawed? (Those big bags of riced cauliflower from Costco are such a time saver for me!)
Yep!
Just made this for lunch…it was so good! The texture and taste were perfect. Thanks!
Great recipe, delicious and easy. I have the Wellness Mama cookbook and found it there. Both kids and hubby love it. Son is severely allergic to eggs so I mix all veggie and seasonings first and then pull out some for him before dumping eggs in for rest of family. I just add leftover protein to his. Goes well with shredded chicken.
What’s coconut aminos? What can I use instead?
I made “white rice” yesterday for my kids and I… Little did they know it was cauliflower.
I just grated it and added it to a pan. Then I added two tablespoons of water, a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper. Covered, and cooked for a few minutes. Came out creamy.
The kids loved it. They totally thought it was rice with a little cauliflower.
LOVE this! Great alternative to rice and my daughter enjoyed making it with me. We have tried a few of your recipes and they were all awesome but she really loves this one:-)
Can you just use soy sauce?
I don’t like soy much (https://wellnessmama.com/3684/is-soy-healthy/)
Just buy organic, GF soy sauce.
My 2 year old, who hates vegetables, LOVED this rice! I actually had tears in my eyes as he ate his second bowl! Thank you SO much, Katie!
For everyone looking at these reviews because you’re unsure about cauliflower as rice (like I was)….MAKE THIS. It is really, really good. REALLY good. I don’t even like cauliflower “mashed potatoes’ or cauliflower in general. But, this recipe is seriously just like fried rice. Thanks Wellness Mama…
I have never used a ricer and I’m looking to buy one. Do you have a brand you recommend?
Could you use Bragg’s liquid aminos instead of coconut aminos?
You can use frozen cauliflower for”rice”recipes. You just have to pre stream the cauliflower first until no longer frozen then put it through the food processor until it resembles the look of rice. Follow the rest of the recipe from that point.
Incredible recipe! My family (my husband, 9-year old son and 3-year old daughter) thought they were eating fried rice! I am one happy mom! 🙂 Thank you!
Thanks as always for your constant flow of good ideas!
I’m even more of a freak than most of us, Brassica is problematic because of low thyroid function and gas… Better off with white rice…sad face.
Aha! I made the mistake of steaming my cauliflower first… And it was pretty mushy and not a good texture. This sounds like it will save time AND taste better!
I love cauliflower-rice! I love it in Mexican foods best. It looks a lot like rice, but not quite like that picture. Is that photo actually cauliflower or just regular rice?
Actually cauliflower, but for the sake of the picture, I peeled the stem and used a ricer to get it the right shape…
Amazing! Great job (as usual).