Cauliflower Shrimp Fried “Rice”
Are you watching your carbs? Then this Cauliflower Shrimp Fried “Rice” is the perfect meal that’ll satisfy that fried rice craving, without the rice! It’s packed full of veggies and nutrition, it’s ready in 35 minutes, and it’s easy enough for a weeknight dinner. You won’t miss the rice at all!
I LOVE this meal. Love. Not only is it incredibly healthy, but is sooooo easy. Who knew cauliflower rice was so delicious? Better yet, who knew that Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice could be so freakin’ tasty?
Ingredients Needed
It’s all so fresh, which is one of the reasons why I love it.
- Shrimp – Raw or Frozen, but just make sure that they’ve been peeled and deveined. See recipe notes for different cooking times for each.
- Veggies – We love peas, carrots, and onions for this recipe but you can add in whatever your favorite fried rice veggies are!
- Riced Cauliflower – You can absolutely buy this in the grocery store already done for you, but it’s also pretty easy to do at home! See notes below!
- Garlic – A staple in our cooking!
- Eggs – A classic part of a fried rice dish!
- Sauce – soy sauce, seasoned rice wine vinegar, hoisin, and (vegetarian) oyster sauce.
Raw, Cooked, or Frozen Shrimp
Which to use? Raw vs. cooked frozen or raw frozen shrimp. Well, this is completely up to you! But, if you’re going for the most “fresh” then truly, Frozen Uncooked is actually the freshest!
Frozen Uncooked: It seems counterintuitive, however, the frozen uncooked has likely been frozen very close to when it was harvested, which means the time from when they came out of the water to being frozen is very short. This means that they’re going to have the freshest flavor.
Fresh from the Seafood Counter: Although this may seem more “fresh” than the bag that’s frozen, it’s really not! Because every second more that the shrimp is out of the water, it’s losing a little bit of its freshness and shrimpy flavor. Also, it’s likely that this shrimp was previously frozen and then thawed by your supermarket, or they were actually frozen and then thawed for the little ice mound that they’re on. This means that if you are buying shrimp from your seafood counter, it’s important to use it right away and not re-freeze it.
REAL Fresh: This means that you’re lucky enough to have access to a market like Pike’s Place Fish Market in Seattle or another fresh fish market where you know that the shrimp have just come off of the boat!
Frozen Cooked: This of course would be the least “fresh” option, however, still a good one! Typically all you need to do with this shrimp is thaw and then eat (although make sure it’s coming from a reputable source), or you can thaw and heat through.
How to Rice Cauliflower
First, you can totally buy it already riced. But it’s also super easy to make at home.
You can use either a good box grater (we love this one!) or a food processor with a shredding disc (we love this one!).
Using a box grater, all you need to do is cut off the leaves, cut it into florets and then grate it with the bigger holes of your grater to make it into “rice” size. Watch your fingers!
Using a Food Processor, attach the shredding disc and shred, super duper fast but you then do have extra things to clean. I also find that you can get some longer “stringy” like pieces.
In short, I prefer to use a box grater. It’s not as fast, but it’s less to clean and I think it produces something that’s more “rice” like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
As easy as rice-ing the cauliflower is, it’s probably the most difficult part of this Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice. The rest is just one pan goodness.
- Saute up the shrimp (unless you’re using cooked shrimp)
- Scramble up a couple of eggs.
- Cook the veggies
- Whisk together sauce ingredients
- Toss it all back together with the sauce
Does it get much easier? Nope. This is a great weeknight meal!
Our Other Favorite Shrimp Recipes
Sheet Pan Shrimp and Asparagus
Teriyaki Shrimp Salad with Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette
10 Minute Spicy Shrimp Skewers
Tips and Substitutions
Fresh Raw vs. Frozen Shrimp? I like raw shrimp for this dish, but you can totally use frozen – either cooked or raw. Whatever you use, make sure it’s peeled and deveined.
- Frozen Raw, make sure you place them in a colander in the sink and run cold water over them for about 5 minutes, first.
- Frozen Cooked, also be sure to run it under water to thaw and then all you really need to do is heat them up, but you don’t want to overcook because they’ll get chewy so just add it to the pan in the last few minutes just to heat up after it’s thawed.
Frozen Peas and Carrots? No problem! Just sub ’em in for the fresh.
Other Veggies? Use whatever you have! Other great additions:
- Bell peppers
- Mushrooms
- Cabbage
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
Recipe FAQs
Whichever you have, just make sure that it’s been peeled and deveined. You can use precooked but it won’t need to be cooked in the pan as long.
For any frozen shrimp (pre-cooked or raw) be sure to thaw it first. If it’s raw, follow instructions as if it were fresh. If it’s pre-cooked, add it at the end just to heat it through.
Of course!
Yes, you can. But it will lower the overall sodium content and affect the taste. I prefer it will regular soy sauce.
Of course! Use some chicken or even leftover cooked chicken and turkey. If using raw chicken, cook it in butter first until fully cooked. If using cooked chicken or turkey, add it in the pan after the peas and carrots have cooked, to heat it.
This Cauliflower Shrimp Fried Rice is one that my whole family loves. My rice-loving kids are totally “fooled” by this dish and eat multiple servings of it!
Have you made this recipe or any of my others? But be sure to share it with me and how much you love it on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Cauliflower Shrimp Fried “Rice”
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh cauliflower (will be approx 4 cups riced) see recipe notes
- 1 lb shrimp see recipe notes
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 2 cups peas, fresh or thawed if frozen see recipe notes
- 1/2 cup white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 1/3 cup soy sauce, low sodium
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon hoisin
- 1 tablespoon vegetarian oyster sauce optional
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Instructions
- In a large sauté pan on medium heat, melt 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Add shrimp and cook approximately 90 seconds per side until pink. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add other 1/2 tablespoon of butter to pan and melt and then add eggs and scramble with remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Remove from pan and set aside with the shrimp.
- Add sesame oil to pan and add garlic, onion, carrots, peas, and ginger and sauté for about 4-5 minutes, stirring often.
- In a small bowl create the sauce by mixing soy, vinegar, hoisin, and oyster sauce and whisk.
- Add cauliflower to sauté pan, stir, and then add sauce mixture. Turn heat to medium high stir again so everything is well combined, then flatten in all in the pan and let "fry" for approximately 7 minutes. Give it one more gentle stir, flatten, "fry" again for 3-5 minutes allowing the cauliflower to brown and crisp a little.
- Add shrimp and eggs back to pan. Stir to combine top with remaining sesame oil (if desired) and serve!
Does it make any difference in taste or texture to use frozen riced cauliflower?
Hi Laura! Nope, you can definitely used frozen!
My night to cook so I tried this last night, Fantastic results and a happy family. Takes some effort, but worth every moment. Used the hoisin and left out the oyster sauce. My wife said “Never lose that recipe”.
Love to hear it, John!! Thanks so much for sharing and taking the time to leave a review!
WOW the flavors in this recipe were great! I will absolutely be making this again!
Wonderful to hear, Noelle! Thanks so much for sharing!
i still have not made the leap to cauliflower rice yet, even though i do eat low carb during the week. i may have to just give it a try – you make it sound very easy.
Cauliflower rice is a great alternative to grains, and it’s so tasty. This is a delicious recipe, with some wonderful flavours to go perfectly with the shrimp.
Love this cauliflower fried rice, I make it every so often and it’s always a hit with the family, light and delicious, thanks for sharing!
You had me at “healthy, quick and easy meal!” These three things are essential in my day to day cooking! Thank you for a great recipe!