Riley’s recipes: Healthy cauliflower fried rice

Name: Riley’s recipes: Healthy cauliflower fried rice
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Yield: 4

Published 16 July 2025

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Riley’s Recipes: Healthy cauliflower fried rice

Hi, I'm Riley, I'm a Bupa dietitian and there's nothing that I love more than cooking delicious, nutritious meals for my friends and family.

Today we'll be making a healthy cauliflower fried rice.

This is such a great twist on the traditional takeaway, which is usually high in saturated fat and salt.

The cauliflower bulks up the vegetable content of this dish, making it high in fibre and also adding a healthy dose of vitamins and minerals to help support our overall health.

The ingredients in this recipe are also great for weight management and have anti inflammatory properties, so this recipe is a good choice for those with joint or bone conditions.

Let's get started.

First things first, you want to prepare your rice.

Today I'm using brown rice.

Brown rice is a low GI option.

GI stands for glycemic index and is a measurement of how fast or slow carbohydrate foods are broken down in your bloodstream.

Low GI foods like brown rice and other whole grains are broken down slowly, meaning they keep you full up for longer, so they're a great choice if you are looking after your weight.

We're now going to prepare our cauliflower using our food processor just to pulse it until it resembles rice.

If you don't have a food processor at home, that's OK, you can use a grater to make the cauliflower rice instead.

So I'm just going to give the cauliflower a pulse.

Just be wary not to overdo it as we don't want to turn the cauliflower into a paste.

Once your cauliflower is ready, we're going to heat a small amount of extra virgin olive oil in your wok.

Extra virgin olive oil is a great choice as it's high in the heart healthy mono unsaturated fats.

It also has been shown to have anti inflammatory properties if it's consumed regularly.

That's because it has a high polyphenol content that is an antioxidant rich plant based compound with anti inflammatory properties.

So it makes it a great option for those with joint or bone conditions.

Now add in your crushed garlic, onion and ham and stir fry it together for about one minute or until it's nice and fragrant.

Next, add in all your vibrant vegetables.

So I have some diced carrot here.

I'll also add my 1 cup of frozen peas

Add in your diced capsicum and also add in your cauliflower.

Stir fry these all together for around 5 minutes until the vegetables are nice and tender.

As you can see, I'm using a rainbow of vegetables in this dish and that's going to give us a range of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Antioxidants are known for their anti inflammatory properties and vitamins and minerals have a range of health benefits like helping us to maintain our strength, bone health and brain function.

So make sure you get in your five serves of vegetables every day.

Once the veggies are nice and tender, we want to make a well in the centre of your pan and add in your beaten eggs.

This is going to give us an extra boost of protein.

I'm just going to wait for the eggs to cook through and then I'll cut them into strips and stir them throughout the rest of the dish.

So once you've chopped up your egg and stirred that through the dish, you can add in your brown rice and your soy sauce to taste.

Stir through your brown rice and your soy sauce and here you have it, our healthy cauliflower fried rice.

Not only does it smell delicious, but it is such a nutritious option full of vibrant colours.

Enjoy and I'll see you next time.

This nourishing cauliflower fried rice recipe blends wholegrains, protein, and a rainbow of veggies to create a balanced, anti-inflammatory meal. With ingredients that support weight management, blood sugar control, and joint health, it's a simple, delicious way to boost your veggie intake and enjoy a feel-good version of a takeaway classic.

Prep time

15m

Cook time

10m

Serves

Ingredients

½ cup your choice of basmati, doongara or brown rice
½ head of cauliflower
1 clove garlic, crushed
200g lean ham, roughly chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red capsicum, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 cup frozen peas
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon soy sauce (salt reduced)

Method

Step 1:

Cook rice according to the directions on the packet.

Step 2:

Using a food processor, process cauliflower until it resembles rice. Be careful not to over process as you don’t want the chopped cauliflower to turn into a paste.

Step 3:

In a wok, heat a small amount of oil, then stir fry garlic, ham, and onion for 1 minute.

Step 4:

Add the capsicum, carrot, cauliflower, and peas and stir fry until the vegetables soften.

Step 5:

Make a well in the centre of the wok, add the 2 eggs and cook until the eggs are cooked through. Cut the eggs into strips and then mix the egg through the vegetables.

Step 6:

Add the cooked rice to the wok and add the soy sauce to taste. Mix well and serve.