Guilt free healthy fried rice recipe is something everyone needs. Cauliflower as a rice replacement is sweeping the nation and is great nutritionally as well as for a carb free diet or if you just want to cut some carbs.
As someone who loves greasy lard filled fried rice at restaurants… subbing in cauliflower made me feel personally attacked. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it actually wasn’t that bad!
Sure, cauliflower fried rice is not as good as the sodium and fat drenched version from the restaurants but it is a great replacement. I also loved how light I felt after eating it as you feel so much lighter and less bloated after.
I am pretty sure I have mild celiac disease but just ignore it and don’t want to get it checked out as I love my grains & gluten. With that said, eating cauliflower fried rice made me feel 200% better than I do after eating standard fried rice.
I really suggest working cauliflower recipes into your diet as it truly does make you feel a lot better, even if just once every two weeks or once a week. We will be coming out with our cauliflower pizza recipe soon enough too!
This cauliflower fried rice recipe is healthy, dairy free, gluten free, grain free and low carb. It is a perfect recipe for those with celiac disease as well. See here for full details on how to make cauliflower rice and benefits.
Fried rice is one of the best things on earth and this skinny healthy version just makes things better. Of course this is just the base but the you can make shrimp or chicken cauliflower fried rice via this recipe as well.
How to Make Cauliflower Rice
It is easier than you think. First remove the core then cut it up or break it up into smaller pieces to fit into your food processor or blender.
From there it just takes a few seconds to blend up the cauliflower into the rice/couscous looking texture.
You will want to dry the cauliflower by either putting it in a cheesecloth or dish towel and squeezing the excess moisture out. You can also just let it dry by itself on the counter for a day.
Why Use Cauliflower Over Rice?
It is a great low carb, gluten free, dairy free and grain free alternative to rice. While it does not taste exactly like rice it isn’t a terrible substitute.
Is Cauliflower Rice or Pizza Good Tasting?
As someone who LOVES fried rice and pizza I was very leery about cauliflower anything. While it is not as great as the normal greasy options I would say it is about 80% as good as the standard real thing.
The small taste drop off is worth how much better your stomach will feel compared to standard fried rice or pizza. You will definitely feel a lot lighter via using cauliflower.
Does cauliflower have a nutritional benefit?
According to WebMD it is a good source of vitamins and nutrients. One serving has 100% of your daily recommended vitamin C, it also can keep you hydrated and is a good source of fiber.
Best Easy Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower
- 5 green onions/scallions, diced separate whites & greens
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 white onion, minced
- 1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetable medley peas, carrots & corn
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil sub olive oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil sub vegetable or olive oil if don't have
Optional
- 1 lb cooked shrimp or chicken
- 1/4 cup peanuts
- 1/4 cup cilantro, torn
- 2 tbsp garlic chilli paste or sriracha add near end of cooking
Instructions
- If adding shrimp or chicken start cooking these just before you begin starting the rest of this recipe on a separate pan or in the oven. See here for a saute chicken recipe and here for baked chicken recipe.
Making Cauliflower Rice
- Remove cauliflower core and cut cauliflower into florets the put into a blender or food processor and blend until it as the texture of rice.
- Place the cauliflower on a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze drain it to get moisture out and then let it rest to dry out more while prepping everything else.
Making The Fried Rice
- Add tbsp of vegetable or olive oil to large frying pan, wok or skillet and heat to med-high.Put eggs in a bowl and beat the eggs then add to the pan and cook the eggs.
- Put the eggs on a plate to the side and wipe the pan clean.
- Add sesame oil, onions, vegetable medley, garlic and scallion whites to pan cooking for 4 minutes.
- Add cauliflower rice & then soy sauce to frying pan cooking for 5 minutes. Stir frequently and cauliflower is ready when it is slightly crispy on the outside.
Finish
- Add eggs and shrimp or chicken just for a minute until reheated.
- Garnish with green parts of scallions, nuts & cilantro if desired.
