Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Looking for a healthy and tasty alternative to traditional fried rice? Look no further than cauliflower fried rice! This awesome recipe is made with cauliflower rice, which is a low-carb, gluten-free, and high-fiber alternative to traditional rice. It’s also packed with nutrients, making it a great choice for people who are watching their health.

This Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe is an easy and absolutely delicious weeknight meal. It’s one of my favorite gluten free recipes and it can be cooked in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or right on the stove top!

I love making this Healthy Cauliflower Rice for my family because it is an easy way to get all the veggies into your diet. My family loves it because they love fried rice, and this healthier version tastes just as good as typical fried rice.

Chicken cauliflower rice is a low carb, keto, healthy meal, and is so easy to adapt to your preferences!

Where’s the recipe?

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Because of that, we write our posts with a lot of information. Below you will find ingredient info, detailed cooking instructions, recipe tips, and healthy eating plan calculations. If you’d like to skip past all of that, you can simply scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the easy to print Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice recipe card.

Ingredients in Cauliflower Fried Rice

• Olive oil: I use olive oil in this fried rice recipe but coconut or avocado oil would work well too.
• Garlic: fresh minced garlic is so delicious in this cauliflower fried rice.
• Onion: choose your favorite variety! I usually use red or yellow onion in this healthy fried rice.
• Chicken thighs: cooked chicken is a great source of protein. I used chicken thighs in this fried rice recipe, but you can use chicken breast, or even omit the chicken entirely and add cubed tofu if you’d like.
• Bell peppers: bell peppers are loaded with vitamins and minerals, and are especially high in vitamin C. Choose you favorite color variety of bells, they’re all healthy food.
• Zucchini: zucchini is a mild fruit (yes, fruit) that may offer several health benefits, ranging from improved digestion to a lower risk of heart disease.
• Cauliflower: for this cauliflower fried rice I use fresh cauliflower and cut it into florets. You can use frozen cauliflower or frozen cauliflower rice, but I would cook it separately and then add it at the end.
• Coconut aminos: coconut aminos are a great choice for replacing soy sauce if you have gluten, soy, sugar, or other food allergies found in soy sauce. If you can’t find coconut aminos you can use low sodium soy sauce, or tamari (which is another awesome soy sauce alternative) in this fried rice recipe.
• Lime juice: I love using lime juice in this recipe. It adds a fresh and bright taste that you’ll love!
• Eggs: not only do eggs add great taste and help hold fried rice together, they are also considered a complete source of high quality protein because they contain all nine essential amino acids.
• Green onions (optional): chopped green onions add a nice flavor and pop of color to your fried rice.

How to cook cauliflower rice in the Instant Pot

1. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the sauté button to heat the oil.
2. Sauté onions and garlic in the Instant Pot for about 1 minute until they start to soften.
3. Add the chicken and let brown for 2-3 minutes.
4. Once the chicken has browned dump in the peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, coconut aminos, and lime juice.
5. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the “manual” or “pressure cook” button for 1 minute. Release the pressure by doing a quick release.
6. Open the lid. Use a fork and break apart the cauliflower into small pieces to make your riced cauliflower rice. If there is a lot of liquid from the cauliflower and zucchini drain some of the liquid. You’ll want to keep about 2 tbsp of liquid for added flavor.
7. Mix in the optional cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side and turn the Instant Pot back to sauté mode.
8. In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the beaten eggs into the empty side of the Instant Pot to make your scrambled eggs. You can spray your pot with coconut or olive oil first if you need to.
9. Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower rice.
10. Serve cauliflower fried rice immediately and top with optional green onions, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

How to cook cauliflower fried rice in the slow cooker

1. Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker except the cheese and eggs.
2. Cover with the lid and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and the cauliflower is tender.
3. Remove the lid and, using a fork, break the cauliflower into pieces to make your cauliflower rice.
4. Mix in the cheese and allow it to melt.
5. In a skillet, cook the scrambled eggs and then mix them with the cauliflower rice in the slow cooker.
6. Serve cauliflower fried rice immediately and top with optional green onions.

Make this cauliflower fried rice on the stove top

1. Heat the oil in high heat in a large skillet.
2. In your hot pan, sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften.
3. Add the chicken, zucchini, and bell peppers. Let them sauté for 1-2 minutes.
4. Turn the stove to medium heat. Add the cauliflower, lime juice, and aminos to the skillet.
5. Cover the skillet and allow the cauliflower to cook for 10 minutes or until it is tender and broken easily with a fork.
6. Use a fork to break up the cauliflower to make your cauliflower rice.
7. Mix in the cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side.
8. In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the whisked eggs into the empty side of the skillet to cook.
9. Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower fried rice. Serve fried rice immediately and top with optional chopped green onions.

Recipe tips

• Cutting a head of raw cauliflower can be intimidating. If you’d like some pointers on how to get your cauliflower ready to make cauliflower fried rice, you can find tips here.
• I love making this cauliflower fried rice for meal prep. Just cook as directed above and store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days.
• I don’t recommend freezing this because you will end up with mushy fried rice. If you are cooking for one and really feel like you won’t be able to use this up before it would go bad, I’d recommend cutting the recipe in half.
• If you choose to cut the recipe in half, just take half the amount of ingredients and cook as described for your chosen method. It’s not necessary to alter the cooking times, everything will come out just fine.
• One of the reasons I love this cauliflower fried rice is because it is so versatile! Sub fresh broccoli for the zucchini, or add in frozen peas. Craving the nutty aroma of toasted sesame oil? Splash a tiny bit of toasted sesame oil to your cauliflower fried rice when it’s done cooking. If you like a little heat, sprinkle on some red pepper flakes at the end.
• Don’t forget to adjust your containers or points if you make any changes to this cauliflower fried rice recipe.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Entire recipe: 8 green containers, 5 red containers, Optional 1 blue container if you add cheese.

Per serving: (makes 4 servings) 2 green containers, 1 1/4 red container, Negligible (optional) blue per serving

Weight Watchers

Each serving of this cauliflower fried rice is 4 2023 Plan Points | 4 Blue Plan Points | 5 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points when using skinless chicken thighs.

This cauliflower rice is a better option than regular fried rice. It’s a low point recipe for lunch, dinner, and for meal prepping. I didn’t factor in any of the optional ingredients so be sure you add those in if you are adding cheese.

If you are looking for ways to reduce the points you can always make this with boneless skinless chicken breasts, which will remove most of the points. Personally I use the thighs because it makes this cauliflower rice more flavorful.

Trim Healthy Mama

This would be a crossover recipe on THM and you would need to make the following substitutions:

• Coconut Aminos: use “Liquid Aminos” instead
• Olive oil: use MCT or coconut oil
• Use chicken breasts instead of thighs to bring down the fat content in the cauliflower rice. If it’s under 5 grams you can count this as an E!

Looking for more healthy Asian recipes like this fried rice?

• Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice These Teriyaki Tofu Stir Fry Bowls with Coconut Rice are a healthy and delicious meal that is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. This recipe is vegan and gluten free, and it is packed with protein and nutrients. 
• Instant Pot Orange Chicken Serve this healthy Orange Chicken with brown rice or cauliflower rice for a healthy complete meal. This Orange chicken has a sweet and savory sauce that you will love!
• Chicken Lo Mein This Healthy Chicken Lo Mein stir fry is an easy and healthy recipe to make in your Instant Pot or on the stove top.
• Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta I love making Chinese food at home, and this healthy Bang Bang Shrimp pasta is one of my favorite shrimp recipes to make.
• Healthy Drunken Noodles This Healthy Drunken Noodles recipe is an easy stir fry noodle dish that your entire family will love. It comes together fast and works great for a weeknight meal.

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Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice

Created by: Becca Ludlum

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Approximate Serving Size: 1 1/4 cup

Servings 4 Servings

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This Cauliflower Fried Recipe is an easy and delicious weeknight meal! Cauliflower Chicken Fried Rice is low carb and keto, healthy and so easy to adapt for your preferences!

Equipment

• Instant Pot 6 qt
• Crockpot
• Enameled Cast Iron Pan

Ingredients 

• ▢ 1 tsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic minced
• ▢ 1/2 cup onion diced
• ▢ 1 lb. chicken thighs chopped
• ▢ 1 cups bell pepper diced
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups zucchini diced
• ▢ 5 cups cauliflower cut into florets
• ▢ 3 tbsp coconut aminos or low sodium tamari or soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tbsp lime juice
• ▢ 2 eggs

Optional ingredients: Salt, Pepper, and Cheese

Instructions

Instant Pot:

• Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and press the sauté button to heat the oil.1 tsp olive oil
• Saute the garlic and onions in the Instant Pot for about 1 minute until they start to soften. 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup onion
• Add the chicken and let brown for 2-3 minutes.1 lb. chicken thighs
• Once the chicken has browned dump in the bell peppers, zucchini, cauliflower, coconut aminos, and lime juice. 1 cups bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 5 cups cauliflower, 3 tbsp coconut aminos, 1 tbsp lime juice
• Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing. Cook on high pressure using the “manual” or “pressure cook” button for 1 minute. Release the pressure by doing a quick release.
• Open the lid. Use a fork to break apart the cauliflower into small pieces to make your “rice”. If there is a lot of liquid from the cauliflower and zucchini drain some of the liquid. You’ll want to keep about 2 tbsp of liquid for added flavor.
• Mix in the optional cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side and turn the Instant Pot back to sauté mode.
• In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the eggs into the empty side of the Instant Pot to cook.You can spray your pot with coconut or olive oil first if you need to. 2 eggs
• Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower fried “rice.” Serve or pack for meal prep.

Stove Top:

• Heat the oil in high heat in a skillet. 1 tsp olive oil
• Sauté the garlic and onions for 1-2 minutes until they start to soften. 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup onion
• Add the chicken, zucchini, and bell peppers. Let them sauté for 1-2 minutes. 1 lb. chicken thighs , 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 1 cups bell pepper
• Turn the stove to medium heat. Add the cauliflower, lime juice, and coconut aminos to the skillet. Cover the skillet and allow the cauliflower to cook for 10-15 minutes or until it is tender and broken easily with a fork. 5 cups cauliflower, 1 tbsp lime juice, 3 tbsp coconut aminos
• Use a fork to break up the cauliflower to form your “rice”.
• Mix in the cheese until it is melted. Then push the cauliflower rice to the side.
• In a small bowl whisk the eggs then slowly pour the eggs into the empty side of the skillet to cook. 2 eggs
• Scramble the eggs and then mix together the eggs and cauliflower fried “rice.” Serve or pack for meal prep.

Slow Cooker:

• Add all the ingredients to your slow cooker except the cheese and eggs. 1 tsp olive oil, 1 tsp garlic, 1/2 cup onion, 1 lb. chicken thighs , 1 cups bell pepper, 1 1/2 cups zucchini, 5 cups cauliflower
• Cover with the lid and cook on high heat for 2-3 hours, low heat for 4-5 hours, or until the chicken is cooked and the cauliflower is tender.
• Remove the lid and break the cauliflower into pieces with a fork.
• Mix in the cheese and allow it to melt.
• In a skillet scramble the eggs then mix them into with the fried rice in the slow cooker. 2 eggs
• Serve or pack for meal prep.

Video

Notes

21 Day Fix: Entire recipe: 8G 5R Optional 1B | Per serving: (4 servings) 2G 1 1/4 R Negligible (optional) blue per serving | 

Weight Watchers: 4 2023 Plan Points | 4 Blue Plan Points | 5 Green Plan Points | 4 Purple Plan Points

Nutrition

Calories: 362kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 193mg | Sodium: 417mg | Potassium: 866mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1467IU | Vitamin C: 119mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg

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