Panda’s Fried Rice with Cauliflower Rice (Copy-Cat)
This beloved rice dish tastes amazingly authentic even though it’s made with cauliflower rice instead of white rice. Nobody will ever guess it’s not white rice. The entire family will love it, even your kids! Each 1 cup serving has 115 calories and 6 grams of fat. It’s vegetarian, paleo, gluten-free, dairy-free and so yummy! Makes a fabulous side dish or meatless, main course meal.
Why You’ll Love Panda’s Fried Rice with Cauliflower Rice (Copy-Cat)
A Panda Express-inspired fried rice made with cauliflower is a dream come true for health-conscious foodies. It offers the satisfying taste and texture of your favorite takeout, but with a fraction of the calories and carbs. By swapping out regular rice for cauliflower, you can enjoy this classic dish without feeling guilty. It's a delicious way to incorporate more vegetables into your diet while still indulging in a comforting meal.Ingredients for Panda’s Fried Rice with Cauliflower Rice (Copy-Cat)
Base Ingredient:- Cauliflower rice: This is the foundation of the dish, replacing traditional white rice for a lower-carb option. It provides a similar texture and absorbs flavors well.
- Eggs: These can be added for extra protein and to bind the fried rice together.
- Onions: Provide sweetness and a savory base flavor.
- Carrots: Add crunch, sweetness, and essential vitamins like vitamin A.
- Peas: Contribute a bright green color, sweetness, and a tender texture.
- Optional additions: Other vegetables like broccoli, snap peas, or corn can be included based on personal preference.
- Soy sauce: Offers a salty and umami flavor, essential for fried rice.
- Oyster sauce: (optional) Adds a richer, more complex flavor.
- Sesame oil: Provides a nutty aroma and flavor.
- Garlic and ginger: Offer aromatic depth and enhance the overall flavor profile.
- Salt and pepper: Basic seasonings to balance the flavors.
How to Make Panda’s Fried Rice with Cauliflower Rice (Copy-Cat)
Preparing the Cauliflower Rice- Prepare cauliflower: If using a whole cauliflower head, cut it into florets, then grate or pulse in a food processor until it resembles rice. Pat dry with paper towels to remove excess moisture.
- Cook the cauliflower rice: Heat a large nonstick pan with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add the cauliflower rice, onions, celery, and garlic. Stir-fry for about 4-5 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
- Prepare the eggs: In a small bowl, beat the eggs.
- Create the fried rice: Push the vegetable mixture to the side of the pan and add the beaten eggs to the empty space. Scramble the eggs, then mix them into the vegetable mixture.
- Add flavor: Stir in soy sauce, sesame oil, and black pepper. Cook for another minute to combine flavors.
- Serve immediately for optimal flavor and texture.
- For added flavor, you can substitute regular soy sauce with low-sodium soy sauce or tamari.
- To increase the protein content, you can add cooked chicken, shrimp, or tofu to the fried rice.
- For extra crunch, you can add toasted sesame seeds or chopped green onions as a garnish.
Helpful Tips About this Recipe
Makes 6 cups total, Each side serving, 1 cup.
Food Facts
Cauliflower rice is amazing! It’s light and fluffy. It takes five minutes to make. It can replace couscous or rice in any dish, hot or cold. 1 head cauliflower, shredded into very small pieces makes about 4-5 cups cauliflower rice.
Shopping Tips
If you have a Trader Joe’s in your town, they sell a 16-ounce bag of riced cauliflower. You will love it. It saves you a lot of time, not having to prep the cauliflower. In addition, many supermarkets, Target and Walmart carry Green Giant’s cauliflower rice in the produce section. Sesame oil is sold in most supermarkets in the Asian section. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. Frozen bags of peas and carrots are available in most supermarkets. If you are on a Paleo diet or Gluten-free, use a wheat-free soy sauce, Tamari. Here are a few brands to look for: San-J Organic Tamari Soy Sauce or Wan Ja Shan Organic Tamari Soy Sauce.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 1-Blue
WW SmartPoints 2-Green
WW Points Plus 3
Food Facts
Cauliflower rice is amazing! It’s light and fluffy. It takes five minutes to make. It can replace couscous or rice in any dish, hot or cold. 1 head cauliflower, shredded into very small pieces makes about 4-5 cups cauliflower rice.
Shopping Tips
If you have a Trader Joe’s in your town, they sell a 16-ounce bag of riced cauliflower. You will love it. It saves you a lot of time, not having to prep the cauliflower. In addition, many supermarkets, Target and Walmart carry Green Giant’s cauliflower rice in the produce section. Sesame oil is sold in most supermarkets in the Asian section. I bought mine at Trader Joe’s. Frozen bags of peas and carrots are available in most supermarkets. If you are on a Paleo diet or Gluten-free, use a wheat-free soy sauce, Tamari. Here are a few brands to look for: San-J Organic Tamari Soy Sauce or Wan Ja Shan Organic Tamari Soy Sauce.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 1-Blue
WW SmartPoints 2-Green
WW Points Plus 3
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving (1 cup) 115 calories, 6g fat, 1g sat. fat, 93mg chol, 6g prot, 9g carbs, 2g fiber, 407mg sod, 1g sugar |
| FACTS: for Freestyle SmartPoints 33 calories, 1g sat. fat, 0g sugar, 0g protein |
Panda’s Fried Rice with Cauliflower Rice (Copy-Cat)
Ingredients
- 1 (16 oz) bag Trader Joe’s or Green Giant riced cauliflower or 1 medium head cauliflower, see shopping tips
- 3 eggs
- Cooking Spray
- 1 tablespoon canola oil or olive oil
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, not thawed, see shopping tips
- 3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce (use wheat-free soy sauce for Paleo or Gluten-free) see shopping tips
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil, see shopping tips
- Black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- If you are using a bag of already prepare riced cauliflower, skip this first step. Otherwise, wash and dry the cauliflower. Remove core and coarsely chop into florets. Blot with paper towels to completely dry. Place half of cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice or couscous. Be sure to not over process or it will get mushy. Add to a large bowl. Repeat processing with remaining cauliflower. Or, using the largest holes on a box cheese grater, grate each cauliflower floret into small pieces, similar to the size of a grain of rice. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add eggs and beat with a fork. Set aside.
- Coat a large nonstick pan or wok with cooking spray. Add canola oil and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in cauliflower rice, onions, celery, and garlic. Stir-fry for 4 minutes. Stir most of the time.
- Add in frozen peas/carrots, (breaking them up) and soy sauce. Cook for about 3 minutes until heated through, continuously tossing gently to coat while cooking all the ingredients.
- Push mixture to sides of pan or wok. Coat the open side of pan with more cooking spray. Add eggs to that side of pan. Cook and stir about 1-2 minutes, until the eggs are completely cooked. It’s ok if some of the cauliflower mixture gets scrambled in. Mix scrambled eggs into cauliflower mixture. Make sure to break up the egg, into small pieces. Add sesame oil, a little black pepper and stir fry ingredients all together.
- Serve immediately or store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. This dish freezes great too.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 115kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 6gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 407mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gBlue Smart Points: 1Green Smart Points: 2Plus Points: 3
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!