Instant Pot Cauliflower Fried Rice

Trying to eat healthier or lower-carb doesn’t mean you have to give up your favorite comfort foods! This instant pot cauliflower fried rice recipe is my fix when craving fried rice without derailing my goals. It’s truly “fake-out” at its best: healthy, delicious, and ready in 30 minutes!

My family loves Chinese takeout, but I don’t always love the carbs or the cost. I’m constantly amazed by what my Instant Pot can do, and making perfect cauliflower rice is one of its superpowers.

Because this appliance is so versatile, everything happens in the Instant Pot. The cauliflower rice turns to perfection in just 4 minutes of pressure cooking, followed by a quick saute for some nice caramelization.

Best of all, it takes just 30 minutes to make, and as an extra bonus, it’s also a Weight Watchers friendly recipe.

🍚 Ingredients

I love being able to make this recipe in my Instant Pot! It’s a time-saver, and clean up is easy too. Let’s talk about the ingredients before you get started.

✅Cauliflower – I use a combination of frozen cauliflower rice (for that rice-like feel) and fresh cauliflower cut into florets (which stay a bit firmer and add a nice bite). It provides a fabulous texture. You can make your own rice by adding cauliflower pieces to a food processor and mixing it until the consistency resembles rice, but I like to save time and just buy the pre-chopped version.

You can definitely use all riced cauliflower if you prefer.

✅Chicken Broth – When you cook anything in the Instant Pot, you have to use some type of liquid. I used chicken broth because it adds some great flavor. Vegetable or beef broth work great too.

✅Vegetables – Traditional fried rice has carrots, green beans, and peas, so I wanted to replicate that. I typically use fresh carrots and frozen peas, and green beans. It just gives the best flavor and texture. Onion and fresh garlic are the classic flavor boosters, so they are also in the mix.

✅Egg

✅Butter

✅Olive oil

✅Soy sauce

✅Brown sugar – A bit of brown sugar helps balance the saltiness of the soy sauce and adds that classic, slightly sweet takeout flavor we all love. You can definitely reduce it or leave it out if you prefer, or use a low-carb brown sugar substitute.

✅Green onions

✅Salt & pepper

📝 Instructions

This is a great alternative to regular fried rice. It has significantly fewer carbs and is cooked in just a few minutes. 

👉Step 1: Put the butter and olive oil in the Instant Pot and press the Sauté button. After the butter has melted, add the chopped onions and garlic and cook until fragrant and golden brown, stirring frequently. 

👉Step 2: Turn off the Sauté function and add the riced cauliflower, cauliflower florets, peas, green beans, carrots, and chicken broth. Add some garlic salt and pepper to taste. Then, put the lid on the pressure cooker, making sure the vent is in the sealed position, and set it to Manual for four minutes. 

👉Step 3: After the Instant Pot has finished cooking, turn the valve to the venting position with a towel or wooden spoon. Once the pressure is released, remove the lid. 

⚠️ Warning: Releasing the vent by hand may result in burns. Always use a towel or a spoon to keep your hands away from the hot steam.

👉Step 4: Give the cauliflower a stir, then turn the Instant Pot to Sauté. Continue stirring until the liquid has been absorbed, and the mixture turns golden brown.

📌Note: Now, this might seem a little backward, but we’re going to sauté the cauliflower rice after it’s been pressure-cooked! It helps evaporate any extra liquid from the veggies and gives the cauliflower rice those delicious, slightly caramelized, golden-brown edges that make it taste close like real fried rice. Don’t skip this part – it really makes a difference!

Push the cauliflower rice off to one side and break an egg in the pressure cooker. Scramble it and continue cooking until it’s done.

👉Step 5: Mix the rice and egg together until combined. Turn off the pressure cooker and add the soy sauce and brown sugar. Give it another stir and serve with green onions.

🍲 Meal Prep

Even though this is a quick meal, there are still meal prepping and planning opportunities that will save you valuable time saving money. Take a look at these tips to get started for this recipe:

👉Chop the onions, celery, carrots, and cauliflower florets and refrigerate them in an air tight container.

👉Put the frozen green beans, riced cauliflower, and peas in a gallon-sized freezer bag. Put that back into the freezer until it’s ready to use.

👉When you are ready to cook, follow the directions as instructed.

👉Keep the cooked fried rice in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

📌 Expert Tips 

• Scrape the pot after sautéing. Before you add the broth and cauliflower for pressure cooking (after step 1), use your wooden spoon to scrape up any little browned bits of onion or garlic stuck to the bottom of the Instant Pot. This helps prevent that pesky ‘Burn’ notice!
• Buy pre-riced cauliflower or grate it yourself in a food processor.
• This dish tastes best when it’s served hot and fresh.
• Add in extra ingredients like mushrooms or other veggies that you enjoy. This is also a great recipe to use any leftover veggies from the week.
• Serve it with your favorite meats or keep it as a meatless meal. It’s so tasty!

Substitutions

You can easily substitute a few of the ingredients. Here are a few options:

✔️Broth – If you don’t have chicken broth, use beef or vegetable.
✔️Fresh Green Beans – If green beans are in season, swap frozen for fresh. 
✔️Coconut Aminos – If you are trying to eat gluten-free, trade the soy sauce for coconut aminos. It tastes similar and is a terrific gluten-free option. 

🍴Variations

To make this recipe, you just need a few basic ingredients. To add some extra flavors try some of these options:

🔸Corn – I love adding in frozen corn to the fried rice. It adds a slight sweetness and some extra color.

🔸Edamame – Put some shelled edamame into the dish. It’s a wonderful way to add some folate, calcium, protein, and vitamin C to your diet.

🔸Mushrooms – Toss in ½ cup of fresh mushrooms into the rice before cooking it. It tastes fantastic!

🔸Sriracha – If you love some spice in your world, add a couple of drizzles of sriracha sauce.

🔸Red Pepper Flakes – Another great option for adding some heat to the fried rice. Just add a sprinkle or two, so it doesn’t become too hot.

🔸Meat – Make it a full meal or add some extra protein by adding your favorite meat. Chicken, shrimp, or beef are great options and complement the flavors perfectly. 

🔸Rice – Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but you can also use regular rice instead of cauliflower rice. It goes perfectly with all the rest of the ingredients.

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