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    Home » 30 Minute Dinners

    Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice

    Published: Apr 2, 2023 by Larisha Bernard · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    This vegan cauliflower fried rice is a low-calorie spin on one of your favorite take out dishes all ready in under 30 minutes!

    vegan cauliflower fried rice in a cast iron skillet.

    Fried rice is an amazing takeout dish that has turned into an even better meal to make at home since it’s quick to make and uses up whatever you have in the fridge! What’s amazing about this vegan cauliflower fried rice is that it’s just as great without the calories.

    We often get asked how to use cauliflower or for low calorie recipes and this recipe does great at hitting both of those things!

    This dish is ready in less than 30 minutes from start to finish and full of delicious ingredients to actually make you enjoy eating your veggies!

    Try pairing this recipe with our vegan egg rolls.

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    Jump to:
    • Why You’ll Love This Dish
    • 🥘Recipe Ingredients
    • Substitutions and Variations:
    • Step by Step Instructions for vegan cauliflower fried rice:
    • Recipe FAQs:
    • Other Vegan Dinner Recipes to Consider:
    • Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice

    Why You’ll Love This Dish

    • Better than Takeout – You won’t believe the flavors that you get out of this dish making it taste better than what you remember restaurant quality being.
    • Simple Ingredients – most of these ingredients are things people keep in the pantry or on hand if they make dinners often, so you can make it without having to run to the store
    • Versatile – one of the best things about fried rice is that it can be made with whatever you have on hand!

    🥘Recipe Ingredients

    cauliflower fried rice ingredients.

    Gather your ingredients!

    • Tofu – firm, extra or super firm tofu are going to be your best options for this recipe.
    • Cauliflower – A medium heat of cauliflower is what we are using for this recipe in order to have four servings
    • Soy sauce – We prefer to use a low-sodium soy sauce so we can control more of that salty flavor. You can always add more at the end

    See my recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.

    Substitutions and Variations:

    • Tofu – the tofu scramble is optional, but gives that eggy-ness you are used to having in takeout fried rice. You could swap this for chickpeas, mushrooms, or beans if you wish.
    • Cauliflower – you can used pre-riced cauliflower that you find in the frozen section of the grocery store as well. You will want to use 4-6 cups of riced cauliflower
    • Soy sauce – you can use coconut aminos, tamari, or a no soy soy sauce if needed
    • Hoisin sauce – most steak sauces are vegan friendly and make a quick substitute for hoisin sauce
    • Agave – can sub with maple syrup, date syrup, or brown sugar

    Step by Step Instructions for vegan cauliflower fried rice:

    ricing cauliflower.

    Step 1. Add cauliflower pieces into a food processor and rice the cauliflower by pulsing 8-10 times.

    Pour into a bowl. If any large pieces remain, then remove them and place back into food processor until rice. Set aside.

    Tip: Do not overprocess, you will end up with a hummus like texture if so.

    making tofu scramble in a skillet for fried rice.

    Step 2. Add a little non-dairy butter to a skillet over medium-low heat. Let melt, then add crumbled tofu and stir together consistently for 1 minute.

    Step 3. Add tofu seasonings and scramble until well combined. Remove to a plate and set aside.

    cooking veggies and adding riced cauliflower to a skillet for fried rice.

    Step 4. In the same skillet, add 2 tbsps non-dairy butter and let melt over medium high heat.

    When skillet starts to slightly smoke, carefully add carrots, onions, and peas. Cook for a few minutes allowing the veggies to soften.

    Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

    Step 5. Add additional 1 tablespoon butter and the riced cauliflower.

    Step 6. Toss until the veggies are mixed in.

    Step 7. Make a well in the center of the skillet and add scrambled tofu. Stir together. Then pour sauce over and cook until riced cauliflower begins crisping, about 3 – 5 minutes.

    Add in green onions, stir, then remove from the heat.Serve warm, with more red pepper flakes, green onions, and/or sesame seeds if desired.

    close up of cauliflower fried rice with green onions on top.

    Recipe FAQs:

    Can I make this dish top 9 free?

    Yes. Sub the tofu for something like chickpeas mushrooms. Use a no soy soy sauce for the soy sauce replacement and then the hoisin sauce, use a safe steak sauce as an alternative. Also make sure that you are using a soy free non-dairy butter or swap with oil.

    Can I prep this dish ahead of time?

    Yes. Once cooled completely, you can store in an air tight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

    Can I double this recipe?

    Yes, this dish can be doubled, just make sure you are using a large enough skillet to have space for everything.

    Can this be frozen?

    We do not recommend freezing this dish.

    Other Vegan Dinner Recipes to Consider:

    • vegan tofu tikka masala in a bowl over rice with naan.
      Vegan Tofu Tikka Masala
    • Vegan Pad Thai
    • A skillet of easy vegan chickpea curry.
      Easy Vegan Chickpea Curry
    • vegan cashew chicken in a white skillet with a wooden spoon.
      Cashew Tofu (Vegan Cashew Chicken)

    ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
    Did you make and love this recipe?
    Click the 5 stars in the recipe card above or below in the comment section! This is a great way to support us so we can continue to bring great recipes!

    vegan cauliflower fried rice in a cast iron skillet.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Vegan Cauliflower Fried Rice

    This vegan cauliflower fried rice is a low-calorie spin on one of your favorite take out dishes all ready in under 30 minutes!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time15 minutes mins
    Total Time25 minutes mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Asian
    Diet: Low Calorie, Vegan, Vegetarian
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 253kcal
    Author: Larisha Bernard

    Ingredients

    For Tofu Scramble (optional)

    • ½ block firm or super firm tofu, pressed and crumbled
    • ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon onion powder
    • ¼ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon turmeric
    • ¼ teaspoon umami seasoning

    For Cauliflower Fried Rice

    • 1 medium head of cauliflower, washed and patted dry, cut into pieces
    • 3 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
    • 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
    • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
    • 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
    • 2 teaspoon agave (sub maple syrup)
    • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
    • 4 tablespoon nondairy butter, divided (can sub with oil)
    • 1 large carrot, diced
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • ½ cup peas, fresh or frozen
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 4 scallions, chopped

    Instructions

    • Add cauliflower pieces into a food processor and rice the cauliflower by pulsing 8-10 times. Pour into a bowl, then remove any large pieces that remain and pulse until riced. Do not overprocess. Set aside.
    • In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, toasted sesame oil, agave, and red pepper flakes. Set aside
    • Add 1 tablespoon of non-dairy butter to a skillet over medium-low heat. Let melt, then add crumbled tofu and stir together consistently for 1 minute. Add tofu seasonings and scramble until well combined. Remove to a plate and set aside.
    • In the same skillet, add 2 tbsps non-dairy butter and let melt over medium high heat. When skillet starts to slightly smoke, carefully add carrots, onions, and peas. Cook for a few minutes allowing the veggies to soften. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add additional 1 tablespoon butter and the riced cauliflower and toss until the veggies are mixed in.
    • If made, make a well in the center of the skillet and add scrambled tofu. Stir together. Then pour sauce over and cook until riced cauliflower begins crisping, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add in green onions, stir, then remove from the heat.
      Serve warm, with more red pepper flakes, green onions, and/or sesame seeds if desired.

    Video

    Notes

    *Nutritional facts are just estimates. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. 
    *If you do not have a food processor you can attempt this with a blender, but you will need to work in batched and be very careful not to over process.  
    *If using pre-riced cauliflower, you will need approximately 4-6 cups 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 0.25dish | Calories: 253kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 682mg | Potassium: 743mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 3365IU | Vitamin C: 83mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 2mg

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