Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp
Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp is kicked up with sugar snap peas and red peppers, and this can really help when you’re craving fried rice! And if you’re skeptical about the idea of fried rice made with cauliflower rice, I promise you that it’s delicious!
PIN Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp to make it later.
It’s the first day of a brand new year, and I know lots of people start out the year with a renewed desire to limit their carbs. On the blog I always like starting the new year with a recipe that’s really special and this Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp is absolutely a wow!
This is a cauliflower fried rice recipe I’ve enjoyed for a few years now but I was never that happy with the original photos, so recently I took better photos so I could remind you about how absolutely delicious this is! I first came up with this recipe after I had gotten fond of Cauliflower Rice, a dish of finely chopped cauliflower that’s pan-fried and eaten as rice.
Then one day I found myself with cauliflower, sugar snap peas, red bell peppers, and cooked shrimp all in the fridge, and experimented a bit to come up with this cauliflower fried rice recipe. Not only did we absolutely love this low-carb version of fried rice made with cauliflower, but it was so good that I quickly ate my leftovers for breakfast the next day, wishing I had more.
Since then I’ve seen so many different recipes for cauliflower fried rice, but most of them use the peas and carrots found in Chinese restaurant fried rice, which of course makes the cauliflower fried rice into a dish that’s higher in carbs. I love my version that uses lower-carb vegetables so much that I make it regularly, and I really hope the new and improved photos will make you think about trying it!
What ingredients do you need?
(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- fresh chopped cauliflower rice
- onion
- garlic cloves
- slices of ginger root
- green onions
- soy sauce or Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link)
- Asian sesame oil (affiliate link)
- egg
- sugar snap peas
- red bell pepper
- cooked shrimp
- Peanut Oil (affiliate link) or other high smoke point oil
Can you make cauliflower fried rice without a wok?
If you don’t have a wok, you can definitely make this recipe in a large frying pan. Use the biggest frying pan you have so you have plenty of room to stir-fry the ingredients.
What if you’ve never cooked fried rice before?
This is a recipe where it will be helpful to read about The Principles of Chinese Cooking before trying this if you haven’t done much stir-frying. But as long as you have all your ingredients prepped before you start to cook (very important), and remember to keep stirring when the heat is high, this Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp is not that hard to make if you don’t mind a bit of chopping. If you’re someone who loves fried rice but is trying to avoid carbs, this might become your new favorite recipe!
What if you can’t have soy sauce?
If you’re avoiding soy, you can substitute Coconut Aminos (affiliate link) for the soy sauce for this cauliflower fried rice recipe.
What if you don’t like cauliflower?
If you absolutely hate cauliflower, this is probably not for you. But if you like cauliflower, even just a little, I promise you will be totally surprised at how delicious cauliflower fried rice can be. I was trying to make a dish that’s as close as possible to authentic fried rice, which I think is partly what made it so good.
Can you make this recipe with other low-carb rice?
I haven’t tried it, but I am guessing you could also make this recipe with Palmini Rice (affiliate link) for a different low-carb option.
How to make Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp:
(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)
- Drain frozen shrimp into a colander placed in the sink.
- Cut 1/2 head of cauliflower into pieces and then pulse in food processor until it’s approximately the consistency of grains of rice. We had some big pieces that didn’t chop well and we buzzed them again. (See notes in the recipe if you don’t have a food processor.)
- Cut drained shrimp into bite-sized pieces (and pat dry with paper towels if they’re wet.)
- Whisk together soy sauce and sesame oil, and beat the egg.
- Cut red bell pepper into 1/2 inch pieces and slice sugar snap peas on the diagonal into thin slices.
- Chop up half of an onion, and slice four green onions.
- Peel some garlic cloves and slice if they’re large, and slice a few slices of ginger root.
- Heat the wok or large frying pan over high heat for 30-60 seconds, then add the oil and heat 30-60 seconds more.
- Add garlic cloves and ginger slices and cook just until they’re fragrant; then remove.
- Then add onion and cook 1-2 minutes, just until it’s starting to brown. (Remember to stir!)
- Add chopped cauliflower and cook 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring often. Remove the cauliflower to a bowl.
- Add 1-2 teaspoons more oil as needed, then add the peppers and sugar snap peas and stir-fry 1-2 minutes.
- Push vegetables over to the side and add egg, stirring and breaking apart with the turner to get scrambled egg pieces.
- Add cauliflower back into the wok and cook about a minute.
- Then add shrimp and green onion pieces and cook just long enough to warm it, 1-2 minutes. (Keep stirring!)
- Add soy-sauce/sesame oil mixture and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring so the sauce is coating all the food. Serve hot.
- I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty this was when it was after a night in the fridge, but unless you have a really giant wok or frying pan I don’t recommend doubling the recipe.
More Tasty Cauliflower Rice Recipes:
- Easy Cauliflower Rice with Garlic and Green Onion
- Cauliflower Rice with Basil, Parmesan, and Pine Nuts
- Roasted Cauliflower Rice Medley with Pine Nuts
- Southwestern Cauliflower Rice Stuffed Peppers
- Layered Mexican Casserole with Chicken and Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp
My version of cauliflower fried rice uses low-carb veggies to replace the traditional peas and carrots and adds shrimp, and this is delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh chopped cauliflower rice (see notes)
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 4 peeled garlic cloves
- 4 slices ginger root
- 4 green onions, sliced in 1/2 inch diagonal pieces
- 2 T soy sauce (see notes)
- 2 tsp. Asian sesame oil
- 1 egg, beaten well
- 1 cup diagonally sliced sugar snap peas
- 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
- 8 oz. cooked shrimp, cut into pieces (see notes)
- 1 T + 2 tsp. peanut oil or other high smoke point oil
Instructions
- Drain frozen shrimp into a colander placed in the sink.
- Cut 1/2 head of cauliflower into pieces and then pulse in food processor until it's approximately the consistency of grains of rice. We had some big pieces that didn't chop well and we buzzed them again.
- (If you don't have a food processor you can grate the cauliflower on the large side of a cheese grater. Or if you buy pre-chopped fresh cauliflower, use 2 cups of chopped cauliflower.)
- Cut the drained shrimp into bite-sized pieces (and pat dry with paper towels if they're wet.)
- Whisk together the soy sauce and sesame oil, and beat the egg. If you're avoiding soy, you can substitute Coconut Aminos (affiliate link) for the soy sauce.)
- Cut the red bell pepper into 1/2 inch pieces and slice sugar snap peas on the diagonal into thin slices.
- Chop up half of an onion, and slice four green onions.
- Peel some garlic cloves and slice if they're large, and slice a few slices of ginger root. (This is for "seasoning the oil" which is essential to add flavor to the dish.)
- Heat the wok or large frying pan over high heat for 30-60 seconds, then add the oil and heat 30-60 seconds more.
- Add the garlic cloves and ginger slices and cook just until they're fragrant; then remove.
- Then add the onion and cook 1-2 minutes, just until it's starting to brown. (Remember to stir!)
- Add the chopped cauliflower and cook 2-3 minutes over high heat, stirring often. Remove the cauliflower to a bowl. (It will get cooked more later.)
- Add 1-2 teaspoons more oil as needed, then add the peppers and sugar snap peas and stir-fry 1-2 minutes.
- Push the vegetables over to the side and add the egg, stirring and breaking apart with the turner to get scrambled egg pieces.
- Add the cauliflower back into the wok and cook about a minute.
- Then add the shrimp and green onion pieces and cook just long enough to warm it, 1-2 minutes. (Keep stirring!)
- Add the soy-sauce/sesame oil mixture and cook 1-2 minutes more, stirring so the sauce is coating all the food. Serve hot.
- I was pleasantly surprised at how tasty this was when it was after a night in the fridge, but unless you have a really giant wok or frying pan I don't recommend doubling the recipe.
Notes
Start with 1/2 large head of cauliflower if you're chopping it in the food processor.
You can use Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (affiliate link) such as Tamari for gluten free; substitute Coconut Aminos (affiliate link) for Paleo.
When we updated the photos we increased the amount of shrimp to 8 oz. cooked shrimp, or about 2 cups. But if that's a stretch for the budget this will still be delicious with half that amount of shrimp.
If you don't want to use peanut oil, use another high smoke point oil such as avocado oil or safflower oil.
This recipe created by Kalyn and Jake, with inspiration from many other versions of Cauliflower Fried Rice spotted around the web.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 177Total Fat 7.2gSaturated Fat 1.5gUnsaturated Fat 5.1gCholesterol 166mgSodium 1008mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 3.3gSugar 4.3gProtein 18g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp is a great dish for low-carb and Keto eating plans as well as any phase of the original South Beach Diet and other low-glycemic diets.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Stir-Fry Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This cauliflower fried rice recipe was posted in 2014. The post was updated in 2018 and updated again with new photos and more information in 2023.
32 Comments on “Cauliflower Fried Rice with Shrimp”
I made this tonight. Quite tasty! I kept the garlic and ginger after using it to season the oil. Chopped it up a bit and put it in the “rice”. Thanks for a good recipe
Glad you enjoyed it!
I just made this and OMG it is delicious, thanks so much!  I love spicy, so I added 2 tsp of sambal oelek but it certainly doesn’t ‘need’ it. A definite keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it; thanks for taking time to let me know!
The recipe sounds great and we will make it. However, safflower is NEVER a good oil to eat or to cook with as it’s one of the seven that are totally unhealthy along with canola, soy, sunflower, corn, peanut, and cottonseed oils. The healthy oils are grass fed and organic butter, coconut oil, lard, tallow, schmaltz, olive (not high heat), avocado, cocoa or cacao butters, macadamia nut. I would use coconut oil as my oil in this dish as it would give a yummy nutty flavor and kind of Thai aspect to the dish or avocado oil.
I don’t see any mention of safflower oil in this recipe. I believe strongly that everyone gets to make their own food choices, so you should use the oil you prefer for any of my recipes.
I think safflower is mentioned in the notes part of the recipe. However, wanted to mention this is one of my all time favorite recipes. Everyone loves it!
I’m glad you’re enjoying the recipe!
I made this for dinner tonight. We loved it. My husband has requested to have it once/week. I love your recipes!
SO glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for the vote of confidence!
Made this tonight with just a few minor changes, it was delicious! Definitely keeping this in my roster of recipes!
So glad you enjoyed it! I love this recipe; really want to upgrade the photos for it.
My husband and I really enjoyed this caulflower rice as a side dish. I didn't even have any shrimp to put in it. It was a veggie and rice dish. Will be making it again soon.
So glad you liked it!
Kalyn one thing I love about your recipes is they are a springboard for my creativity. I had in no particular order, a bag of those scrumptious red shrimp from trader joes, a handful of shishito peppers, some sugar snaps and of course the cauliflower. I always have cauliflower. The checker at the store notices when you buy 4 of them at once.
For my rice I used the large grater in my cuisinart. Heavy pressure to keep pieces big. Then I cooked it in the microwave with a splash of homemade chicken stock. When tender I shook some good old Tony's creole and sautéed it in macadamia nut oil. In another pan I combined the peppers and cup up snap peas along with some red onion and a red bell cut in big long strips. A little Mac oil and some seasoning and voila crispy tender deliciousness. Took the veg out, put in the shrimp which starts out red so one must be careful, and cooked them to perfection. So it ended up a weird but delectable version of your lake Powell rice plus this dish, I could not bring myself to. It up those beautiful shrimp, so I halved the peas and shishitos. It was fantastic. Thanks for the inspiration once again.
Very fun; I love hearing how the recipes are inspiring you!
Thanks Rhonda, so glad you enjoyed it!
Just wanted to let you know how awesome this was! I made it tonight with chicken. LOVE IT!
So glad you enjoyed it. And I completely understand the skepticism; I felt that way too until I tried it!
I was skeptical that this would work – but I'm so pleased it did! This was delicious and satisfying – I can't wait to make it again!
Thanks Shirley, glad you like it!
Oh, I can totally go for this recipe, Kalyn! I love the ingredients!
Shirley
Fran, love the sound of your version; glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I made this for dinner with a couple of variations – center cut ham cubes, browned, in place of the shrimp and mung bean sprouts in place of the sugar snap peas. My husband loved it, and wants to keep that recipe! I love your daily emails! Thank you.
Meg, so happy to hear you enjoyed it so much. I think chicken will also be excellent in this. And very nice to know that you've been enjoying my blog for a long time!
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was everything I had hoped it would be. My husband and I literally inhaled it. Since I have half a cauliflower, and appropriate quantities of the other veggies left in the fridge I'm going to make it again this week, this time using chopped rotisserie chicken instead of shrimp. Just to see how it tastes. Thanks for year after year of great healthy recipes, Kalyn!
Thanks Alyssa, so glad you like it!
I love cauliflower fried rice and this version looks amazing!
Kacey, hope you enjoy!
What an awesome idea! I am going to have to give this a try.
Lydia, I could not believe how delicious this was! And Jake is really not a cauliflower fan at all, but he loved it too.
If anything could get me to try cauliflower rice, it would be this dish. I'm a fried rice junkie, so I feel like I have to give this a shot.