This shrimp fried cauliflower rice tastes just like the real thing (maybe better!) but it’s healthier and easy to make at home! Loaded with flavor, protein, veggies and healthy fats, it makes a great weeknight meal that everyone will love – even the picky kiddos! Paleo, Whole30 compliant, and keto friendly.
Did you know I once hated cauliflower rice? Back before it was easy to get it pre-“riced” I never thought the work it took to “rice” it was worth my time.
I didn’t really start loving cauliflower at all until I made it “fried rice” style in this recipe with chicken and bacon. Yummmm – so good! Even the kiddos approved! A one-skillet meal that everyone loves? I’m 100% here for it.
And now of course every grocery store is selling cauliflower pre-riced, both fresh and frozen. It’s really just too easy now!
Since we’re in full on COVID-19 quarantine mode right now, I used a bag of frozen cauliflower rice for this recipe and it worked so well.
You can absolutely use fresh cauliflower rice, or rice it yourself if you’re working with a head of cauliflower.
What You Need to Make Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice
Nothing fancy here! Simple ingredients make a delicious stir fry. If you’re new to paleo, note that coconut aminos is a gluten and soy free replacement for soy sauce.
Even my kids can’t tell the difference between the two, so you know it’s legit! Here’s what you’ll need to prepare the fried rice:
- raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- tapioca flour, or arrowroot – optional
- Sea salt and black pepper
- avocado oil or ghee, divided
- eggs
- carrots, diced
- scallions, white and green parts separated
- fresh ginger
- fresh garlic
- cauliflower rice, fresh or frozen
- coconut aminos, (this is the paleo and Whole30 friendly equivalent of soy sauce)
- pure sesame oil
How to Make Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice
Since everything cooked quickly once you begin, have all ingredients prepped and ready to go beforehand.
In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the tapioca or arrowroot, salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp avocado oil or ghee. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1-2 minutes per side until opaque, careful not to overcook. Remove to a plate and turn the heat to medium.
With the skillet over medium heat, add the whisked eggs and cook until just set, breaking them up with your spatula. Set them aside with the shrimp.
Add the second tablespoon of oil or ghee to the skillet and adjust heat medium high. Add the diced carrots and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes or until fork tender. Then add in the white part of the scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir to combine. Cook another minute until fragrant.
Add in the cauliflower rice, coconut aminos and sesame oil and stir to combine. Cook about 2-3 minutes to soften the cauliflower rice.
Add in the shrimp and eggs and stir and cook 30-60 seconds to heat through, then remove from heat.
Garnish with the green part of the scallions and additional coconut aminos or salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away.
Tips for Making Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice
As I mentioned above, it’s essential to have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go before beginning.
This isn’t only to help you maintain your sanity (although it does!). It’s also necessary to make sure you don’t overcook anything since stir fries cook so quickly!
Since the skillet can get really hot after cooking the shrimp, make sure you lower the heat when cooking the eggs to avoid browning them. I’ve made that mistake a few times with fried rice!
Can I Sub in Another Protein for the Shrimp?
Yes, definitely! Shrimp cooks quickly so the cooking time will need adjustment.
Feel free to sub in diced chicken breasts or boneless thighs, ground chicken or turkey or ground beef, or thinly sliced steak or pork.
You can also use leftover meat diced up – it’s perfect for fried rice! Simply add the cooked meat at the end when you would normally add the cooked shrimp back to the skillet.
Okay, it’s time for this better than takeout healthy shrimp fried cauliflower rice! Grab a skillet and start chopping because it’s time to cook – let’s go!
Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Shrimp Fried Cauliflower Rice {Paleo, Whole30, Keto}
Ingredients
- 1 lb medium-large raw shrimp peeled and deveined
- 1 tsp tapioca flour or arrowroot*
- Sea salt and black pepper
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or ghee divided
- 3 eggs whisked
- 1 1/2 cups carrots diced
- 1 bunch scallions white and green parts separated - thinly sliced
- 1 inch chunk fresh ginger peeled and minced about 2 tsp
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 12 oz cauliflower rice fresh or frozen. If frozen, thaw first.
- 1/4 cup coconut aminos (this is a paleo and Whole30 friendly equivalent of soy sauce)
- 1 tbsp pure sesame oil
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
-
Have all ingredients prepped and ready to go before beginning.
-
In a bowl, toss the shrimp with the tapioca or arrowroot, salt and pepper. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp avocado oil or ghee. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook 1-2 minutes per side until opaque, careful not to overcook. Remove to a plate and turn the heat to medium.
-
With the skillet over medium heat, add the whisked eggs and cook until just set, breaking them up with your spatula. Set them aside with the shrimp.
-
Add the second tablespoon of oil or ghee to the skillet and adjust heat medium high. Add the diced carrots and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes or until fork tender. Then add in the white part of the scallions, ginger, and garlic and stir to combine. Cook another minute until fragrant.
-
Add in the cauliflower rice, coconut aminos and sesame oil and stir to combine. Cook about 2-3 minutes to soften the cauliflower rice. Add in the shrimp and eggs and stir and cook 30-60 seconds to heat through, then remove from heat. Garnish with the green part of the scallions and additional coconut aminos or salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away. Leftovers can be saved in the sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*Optional
Nutrition
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Want More Quick Whole30 Dinner Recipes? Try One of These!
Spicy Shrimp Egg Roll in a Bowl
Mexican Cauliflower Fried Rice
Loaded Bacon Cheeseburger Bowls
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I am allergic to eggs and wonder if I can substitute Vegan eggs? Have you tried those in any recipes that call for eggs? Thank you.
Really good
Lovely recipe for my keto diet plan! The Landmark Condo Singapore
Really good and nice change of pace from chicken that I cook all the time. I added sliced water chestnuts to add some crunch.
We just made this today and let me tell you…. it was AMAZING! So fun to make and felt like I was at one of the hibachi restaurants but this is actually good for me ! will definitely be making this again.
I wish I had read the comments before I made this because I will totally add water chestnuts next time. And there will be a next time ASAP. We like spicy so I did sprinkle a bit of hot sesame oil on top when served and may use just that next time. This was so good! Thank you!
Made this and fell in LOVE with the taste! I could eat it once a week! DEFINITELY 5stars!
Just made it, it’s so delicious!!
I made this for my 16 year old son he absolutely loved it. Great sub for traditional Chinese shrimp fried rice. Taste was awesome. Only thing i excluded was sesame seed oil.
Where do you purchase your shrimp? I’ve not had much luck finding a frozen shrimp with clean ingredients. I live in the mid-west so fresh shrimp isn’t an option (unfortunately!!!).
This Was So Good. I am on day 21 of Whole 30 and this was seriously the best dinner I have made so far. Thank you so much!
We just started the whole30 things and this was great. I added peas, pepper flakes because we like things hotter in Texas, and just a little more amino.
This was so good! My family is already planning to have it for dinner next week!
I just tried this with cabbage instead of cauliflower and it’s yum. Thanks for the recipe
This was my first time cooking with cauliflower rice and it turned out really yummy. I added frozen peas, as well.
This was amazing! My husband came home from a long day of work, and was excited to eat this. It was as pretty as it was a flavor explosion. After one bite he told me we need to eat this every week. 🤣
I LOVE this recipe!! I JUST made a batch to share with my aging parents so they have some tasty meals during the holidays…something different than they usually eat.. AND HEALTHY!!
It’s SO SO GOOD!! THANKS, Michele!!
This was delicious
It was excellent. Will definitely make this again
This was a spectacular dish that my whole family enjoyed. My kids had no clue that it was cauliflower rice.
Loved it! So easy to make too!
Delicious! I made it for dinner tonight! Loved it , kinda forgot that it’s cauliflower rice and not regular rice. Lots of flavor.
It’s 295 thousand calories?
This was very good but we ended up adding extra coconut aminos, garlic and ginger. It was a little more bland than we’d prefer, but great if you’re really going for simplicity. We agreed we’d add some chunky broccoli, mushrooms, maybe some squash, and make a paleo yum yum sauce.
I used a deep cast iron skillet and a vidalia onion instead of green onions. It turned out delicious!