It is so easy to make cauliflower rice in the air fryer! Not only is air fryer cauliflower fried rice delicious, it's super versatile, so you can use what you have on hand.
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What I love about air fryer cauliflower rice is that it's a very forgiving recipe. You can use the veggies that I've included here or finely chop whatever you have on hand, like bell peppers or mushrooms, and use them instead.
No matter what you put into the mix, this is just a super easy dish that works as either a side or as an entree. It serves six people as a side and three as a main dish.
Love using your air fryer? Me too! Don't miss my other vegan air fryer vegetable recipes, like air fryer frozen cauliflower, crispy air fryer okra, and air fryer Brussels sprouts.
And if you like fried rice, try my pineapple fried rice and kimchi fried rice recipes!
✓ Ingredients and substitutions
- tofu - Eggy tofu makes this air fryer cauliflower rice recipe so satisfying! You'll just crumble up a block of extra firm tofu and season it. No need to press or marinate.
- soy sauce - Use reduced-sodium soy sauce, so your tofu won't turn out too salty. You're also using it to add moisture and umami to the cauliflower rice mixture.
- onion - You're going to air fryer some onion with the tofu to give the overall dish a great umami flavor!
- carrots - You want to cook up hard veggies, like carrots, with the tofu, so they'll cook all the way through.
- turmeric - Gives your tofu a vibrant, yellow color.
- black salt - Gives the tofu an eggy flavor. You can use regular salt instead, if you don't have access to black salt. It won't taste eggy, but it's still delicious!
- cauliflower rice - How you rice your cauliflower is totally up to you. You can grate it with a box grater, buy it pre-grated (even frozen!), use your food processor to pulse it, or chop it up by hand.
- broccoli - Chopped broccoli adds color and crunch!
- frozen peas - I love peas in my fried rice! Feel free to omit and use extra carrots, if you prefer.
- rice vinegar - For moisture and tang. You can use seasoned or unseasoned.
- ginger - Adds a lovely warming flavor!
- toasted sesame oil - For flavor and moisture. You can use more soy sauce, if you don't want to use oil.
- garlic - Infuses umami into the air fryer cauliflower rice!
🥣 How to make air fryer cauliflower rice
In a large bowl, crumble the tofu (you're going for scrambled egg-size pieces, not ricotta here), then toss with the rest of the eggy tofu ingredients. Air fry at 370° F for 10 minutes, shaking once.
Meanwhile, toss together all of the cauliflower rice ingredients in a large bowl.
Add all the cauliflower rice mixture to your air fryer, shake gently, and cook at 370° F for 10 more minutes, shaking after 5 minutes.
Riced cauliflower can vary quite a bit in size and different air fryer cook at different rates, so if you feel like yours doesn't look done enough at this point, you can cook for an additional two to five minutes. Just shake and check in every couple of minutes until it's done to your liking.
💡 Helpful tips
- If you're using different veggies, add hard, slow-cooking veggies to the air fryer with the tofu, and add faster-cooking ones with the cauliflower rice mixture.
- When you're making the cauliflower rice mixture, no need for a fresh bowl! You can use the same bowl you used to make the tofu mixture, no need to even rinse in between uses.
- Shaking the air fryer basket is important in this recipe! It helps move things around, so your cauliflower rice cooks evenly.
🫙 Storage directions
Leftovers will keep for three to four days in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave or in the air fryer at 350° F for about 5 minutes.
💬 Frequently asked questions
You'd think so, since the holes in the bottom of an air fryer basket can be pretty large, but very little falls through. Don't worry about lining the basket!
It definitely does not. It tastes like its own, delicious thing!
🥦 More air fryer veggies
📖 Recipe
Air Fryer Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients
For the eggy tofu
- ½ block firm or extra firm tofu
- 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced carrot about 1 ½ to 2 carrots
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon black salt for an eggy flavor. You can use regular salt, if you can't find black salt.
For the cauliflower rice
- 3 cups riced cauliflower Cauliflower minced into pieces smaller than the size of a pea. You can do this by hand with a box-style cheese crater, use your food processor to pulse into pieces, or buy pre-riced, bagged cauliflower.
- ½ cup finely chopped broccoli
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil optional, but recommended
- 2 cloves garlic minced
Instructions
- In a large bowl, crumble the tofu (you're going for scrambled egg-size pieces, not ricotta here), then toss with the rest of the eggy tofu ingredients. Air fry at 370° F for 10 minutes, shaking once.
- Meanwhile, toss together all of the cauliflower rice ingredients in a large bowl.
- Add all the cauliflower rice mixture to your air fryer, shake gently, and cook at 370° F for 10 more minutes, shaking after 5 minutes. Riced cauliflower can vary quite a bit in size and different air fryer cook at different rates, so if you feel like yours doesn't look done enough at this point, you can cook for an additional 2 to 5 minutes. Just shake and check in every couple of minutes until it's done to your liking.
Sarah Jackson
so happy to find this blog! I just ordered my first air fryer on a hunch it could be useful. Then got a little nervous about how useful it would be for vegetarian (well flex-itarians) like myself! Lots of great options here. Can't wait to get mine. Have you considered doing an air fryer ebook? I'll be your first customer :-)
Becky Striepe
Aw, thank you so much! Holler if there's anything I can do to help. No book in the works at the moment, but I appreciate the kind words!
Hannah
You make me want an air fryer, oy! I'm usually so anti-new appliances, but I feel like this thing is amazing.
Becky Striepe
Haha I know what you mean. O love gadgets, but finding the storage space for them can be a pain!
Ginny McMeans
Delicious and love the video too!
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much, Ginny!
Sina @Vegan Heaven
What a great dinner! I still need to get an air-fryer!! One of my best friends got one and she always tells me how great it is and that I really need to get one. I think it's about time now! :D
Becky Striepe
I am obsessed with mine!
Ceara @ Ceara's Kitchen
You make me want to get an air fryer sooooo bad!!! This rice looks amazing. :)
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much, Ceara!
Alisa Fleming
Well I don't have an air fryer but may have to make this recipe anyway! It's a flavor variation on cauli rice that I haven't tried yet.
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Alisa!
Melissa | Vegan Huggs
This is such a great idea! I love fried cauliflower rice, but I never thought about making it in an air fryer. I still have to get one of those. So neat!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Melissa!
Sarah
Ooh, this looks so delicious! I don't have an air fryer, so I'd have to do mine on the stove top, but I love the idea of using cauliflower rice! And I love "Being Your Own Chef" in the kitchen, using what's on hand!
Becky Striepe
You can totally convert this to a stovetop recipe. Enjoy it, Sarah!
Greg @ Full of Beans
I'm thinking that we really need to try an air fryer. We love cauliflower dishes and now...THIS ONE! It looks delicious!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Greg! I love our air fryer. We use it at least once a day!
Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day
This is amazing, Becky! You have figured out how to make pretty much everything in the air fryer!
Becky Striepe
Aw, thank you, Amy! I was pretty sure this wouldn't work, so it was a pleasant surprise for sure!
Nicole Dawson
You must be working on an air-fryer cookbook with all the recipes you've been coming up. I just love them and can't wait to buy my own air fryer.
Becky Striepe
Aw, thank you, Nicole!
Mel | avirtualvegan.com
What an easy dinner. I would love a bowl of this with a rather large drizzle of hot sauce!
Becky Striepe
You get me, girl! I douse mine in sriracha.
Sophia | Veggies Don't Bite
I love cauliflower rice!! It's so inventive to do it in the air fryer!
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Sophia!
Cynthia
That looks delicious! I just bought my air fryer today, been meaning to make cauliflower fried rice since forever cause it's definitely one of the things I do miss on a keto woe, can't wait to try it, thanks!!!
Becky Striepe
Enjoy it, Cynthia!
Dianne
This is so clever, Becky! I can't wait to try it.
Mary Ellen @ VNutrition
Oooh, you always come up with great ideas, I don't know how you do it. This looks simply delicious!
Becky Striepe
Thank you so much, Mary Ellen!
Jenn
I wish I had an air fryer because I would totally make this for lunch today. It looks and sounds fabulous! Love all the veggies packed in there!
Becky Striepe
Aw, thank you, Jenn!
Linda @ Veganosity
I NEED an air-fryer so I can make this amazing looking fried rice. It sounds incredible, and I'm all for a healthier fried rice.
Becky Striepe
Thank you, Linda! You can convert it to a stovetop recipe pretty easily, I think. You might need more oil, since round 1 doesn't use any in the air fryer.