This afternoon, I couldn’t stop thinking about rice. I was annoyed at dinner last night because I was forced to have my curry shrimp without any rice. It was good but it was missing something (rice, duh) so I didn’t thoroughly love it as I normally would. So it’s been bugging me all day today. When I want something, I must have it! Enter cauliflower: The fearless rice replacer.
When I was simply gluten free, I never missed pasta or bread because I was always eating rice. I ate rice quite often, especially since Brandon and I love all kinds of Asian foods: Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even the occasional Indian dish. Rice is a huge part of Asian culture. I can attest to this, having grown up in a Korean household where we ate some form of Korean food (with rice) daily. And what’s not to like? It’s chewy, filling, and soaks up the flavor of whatever you’re eating with it.
Being on the Paleo diet meant giving up all grains – including rice. This has been one of the hardest parts about living this lifestyle. I’ve tried to make a few Paleo approved Asian dishes, and each time, I never felt fully satisfied with the meal. Where is the rice?? My mouth was so confused!
So today, I wanted to make a cauliflower fried rice to satisfy my rice craving. During my many hours of perusing Paleo food blogs, I’ve seen a lot of smart cookies using crumbled cauliflower in place of rice. But since I was short on time, ingredients and patience, I decided to wing it rather than searching for a tried-and-true recipe. I usually like to research what I’m making… It’s in my fab frugal nature not to waste valuable ingredients on a bad dish! But some days you just can’t be bothered. Today was on of those days.
Lucky for me, I had bought myself a bag of Green Giant cauliflower crumbles. Sweet! No need to pull out the food processor! It’s already riced and ready to use. I got it from the big Walmart in Destin… So far, that’s the only place I’ve seen cauliflower crumbles. The little Walmart in Santa Rosa Beach doesn’t carry it, and neither does my local Publix.
Wherever you live or shop, I hope you can find this product in the produce department! What an awesome time-saver and very affordable at about $2.85 per package. I suppose you could make little crumbles in the food processor but now you’re forced to wash the food processor when you’re done. Womp 🙁
Now assuming you have crumbled cauliflower on hand, you can throw it all in a skillet and have cauliflower rice ready in under 10 minutes! I went the the Asian route using the ingredients I had on hand, and it was super tasty. I’m providing the recipe below in case you want to try it exactly as I did. But I realized that I could have gone a whole different route… Instead of coconut aminos & sesame oil, I could have tried lime & cilantro for a Mexican meal or sage & basil for a more classic Thanksgiving flavor. I’ll definitely be trying different flavors in the future!
I ended up eating a huge bowl of this with a turkey patty I had leftover from earlier this week. It didn’t match together at all but both were pretty yum! I felt full and satisfied as if I had a bowl of rice.
When all is said and done, each serving is just under $1.10. The recipe below makes 4 servings, and took just 15 minutes from start to finish, including prep time. Very fabulous and frugal in both dollars and minutes! It’s definitely my kind of recipe; fast, easy, and cheap 🙂
I hope this inspires you to create your very own cauliflower fried rice. If you decide to try mine, let me know how it turns out! Enjoy!
| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4 servings | 10 minutes |
| Cook Time |
| 10 minutes |
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It's not really "rice" but it will satisfy your craving for rice! This recipe uses Asian-inspired flavors. Play around with spices and herbs to come up with different flavor profiles. Paleo-friendly recipe! Gluten free, grain free, dairy free, soy free, and vegan. Enjoy!
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- 3 cups cauliflower crumbles (or make your own in the food processor)
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced yellow onion (or more if preferred)
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos (or more to taste)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- chopped chive as garnish
- 1-2 tbsp ginger, minced (or 1/2 tsp dry)
- Heat up large frying pan with coconut oil. Add carrots and onion, stir until fragrant about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Then, add cauliflower crumbles. Season with salt, pepper, and other spices (if using). Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until all ingredients are tender. Turn off heat and stir in the coconut aminos and sesame oil. Taste and add more if desired. Garnish with chives.
Optional add-ins: You can scramble eggs separately and add to the pan at the end. You can also add in meat to make it a complete meal. I tried it with diced chicken and it was a satisfying lunch!
Substitutions: This recipe avoids dairy, gluten, and soy. Feel free to use soy sauce instead of coconut aminos or fry with whatever oil you want instead of coconut oil. Be creative and play around with the flavors so that this side dish can complement your main dish.
Flavors: Skip the coconut aminos, sesame oil, and ginger. Try adding lime & cilantro for a more Mexican-inspired flavor or sage & basil to serve as a Thanksgiving side.