Keto Shrimp Fried Rice
Published October 4, 2020 • Updated February 26, 2026
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I make this low-carb shrimp fried rice at least once a week. Cauliflower rice, jumbo shrimp, and a sesame-ginger sauce, all in one skillet in about 10 minutes.
I started making this keto shrimp fried rice when I needed a dinner that could actually hit the table in 10 minutes. Not “30 minutes” that turns into 45 once you count prep. Actually fast, one skillet, minimal cleanup.
The base is frozen cauliflower rice instead of white rice. One cup comes in at about 1.8g net carbs, and once you stir in the sauce and seasonings, the texture disappears into the dish. I’ve served this to people who didn’t realize it wasn’t regular rice until I told them.
For the sauce, I use liquid aminos over soy sauce because the umami hits harder without the extra sodium. If you prefer coconut aminos (for Whole30 or just taste preference), that works too. Add a splash more since it’s milder. I keep all three in my pantry and I reach for liquid aminos almost every time.
The monk fruit sweetener is optional, but I like what it does. It rounds out the sauce the same way sugar works in a takeout version, just without the carbs. If you don’t have monk fruit, skip it. The dish works fine without it.
The aromatics make the biggest difference here. Fresh ginger and garlic go in right after the shrimp comes out of the skillet, and they only need about 30 seconds to get fragrant. I use ginger paste when I’m in a rush and freshly grated when I have an extra minute. Both work.
The vegetables are flexible, and I go into detail below on what to grab and what to skip. The shrimp come from the freezer section, already peeled and deveined. The egg goes in last. The whole thing is built to be fast and forgiving, which is why it shows up on our dinner table every single week.
If you like quick dinners with an Asian twist, here are a few more I make regularly:
- Garlic butter shrimp (even faster, under 10 minutes)
- Egg roll in a bowl
- Beef and broccoli
- Chicken stir fry
I’ve been tweaking this since I started keto in 2012. Early versions used too much soy sauce, not enough ginger, and I was overcooking the shrimp by a mile. This version is the one that stuck. The balance of savory from the liquid aminos, warmth from the ginger, and the slight nuttiness of the sesame oil is right where I want it. My kids eat it without complaint, which in my house is the highest compliment a recipe gets.
Leftovers reheat well in a skillet the next day. The microwave works too, but the cauliflower rice softens. I toss it in a pan with a tiny bit of sesame oil to crisp things back up.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter -
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
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4 green onions, chopped with whites and greens separated
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3 garlic cloves, minced or 1 tablespoon garlic paste
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2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger or 2 teaspoons ginger paste
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2 oz sliced mushrooms
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16 oz cauliflower rice
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2 cups frozen asparagus stir fry or other frozen vegetable stir fry
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1/4 cup liquid aminos or soy sauce
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2 tablespoons white vinegar
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1 tablespoon sesame oil
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1 teaspoon monk fruit sweetener, optional
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2 egg
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Cook shrimp in large skillet
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shrimp to the skillet and saute for 30 seconds on each side. Then remove and set aside.
- Shrimp
Add & saute
Add whites of the onions, garlic and ginger to the skillet. Saute until fragrant.
- Green onion (whites)
- Garlic
- Ginger
Add & continue heating
Add in mushrooms, cauliflower rice, vegetables, liquid aminos, white vinegar, sesame oil and monkfruit sweetener. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are heated through.
Finishing touches
Add back in the shrimp. Create a well in the middle of the skillet by pushing the mixture off to the sides. Crack the eggs in the center of the well and let cook until the edges turn white before scrambling the egg into the fried rice.
Nutrition disclaimer
The nutrition information provided is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. I am a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.); however, this content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult your physician or other qualified health provider before making any lifestyle changes or beginning a new nutrition program.
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Get My Macros + Recipes →Frequently Asked Questions
How do I prevent soggy cauliflower rice?
I cook the cauliflower rice straight from frozen, no thawing. Thawing releases a ton of water that makes everything mushy. I also make sure my skillet is hot before the cauliflower rice goes in, and I don't overcrowd the pan. If you're using fresh cauliflower, squeeze the riced pieces in a clean towel first to get the moisture out. I've done both ways and the frozen-straight-to-skillet method is more consistent.
Can I use coconut aminos instead of liquid aminos or soy sauce?
I keep all three in my pantry and I reach for liquid aminos most often because the umami is deeper without extra sodium. Coconut aminos work well if you're doing Whole30 or just prefer the taste, but they're milder. I add about 25% more when I swap them in. Soy sauce works too, though I find it saltier than I like in this particular dish.
How many net carbs per serving?
I can't give you one exact number because it depends on your vegetable mix and how much sauce you use. The cauliflower rice base is about 1.8g net carbs per cup. The shrimp are essentially zero. Most of the carbs come from your frozen vegetable blend, which is why I skip bags loaded with carrots and peas. With my usual ingredients, I estimate each serving falls in the 5-7g net carb range.
Can I use chicken instead of shrimp?
I've made this with diced chicken thighs and it works well. Cut them small (about 1-inch pieces) so they cook in 3-4 minutes. Chicken breast dries out faster, so if you go that route, pull the pieces as soon as they're cooked through. I still prefer shrimp because it cooks in under a minute and the texture pairs better with the sauce, but chicken is a solid swap.
Is this good for meal prep?
I meal prep this regularly. I divide it into glass containers and it keeps in the fridge for 3 days. When I reheat, I use a skillet with a little sesame oil rather than the microwave. The microwave works in a pinch, but the cauliflower rice gets softer. You can freeze portions for up to a month. The vegetables soften a bit when thawed, but the flavor holds up.
Can I make this Whole30 or Paleo?
I originally built this as a keto recipe, but the swap is easy. Use ghee instead of butter and coconut aminos instead of liquid aminos. Drop the monk fruit sweetener. That's it. Everything else stays the same. I've made the Whole30 version for friends doing a round and they couldn't tell the difference.
What vegetables should I avoid to keep carbs low?
I skip anything with a lot of peas, corn, carrots, or water chestnuts. Those add up fast. My go-to frozen mix has asparagus, mushrooms, onions, green beans, and zucchini. If I'm adding fresh vegetables, I stick with spinach, bell peppers, broccoli, or extra mushrooms. I always check the bag's ingredient list before buying because some "stir fry" blends sneak in high-carb fillers.
Cut the vinegar to a tablespoon on batch three, thought it was doing too much, and the dish went flat in a way that took me another whole run to figure out. Without it the aminos taste one-note -- not obvious until it's gone. Six batches in now and I wouldn't touch those proportions. Four stars because the first two runs felt noticeably off without that context, but once you see what the vinegar is doing this locks in.
Forgot to pick up liquid aminos so I just used coconut aminos, didn't notice a difference. Wanted to flag the white vinegar though. Sounds like it could be optional, and I nearly skipped it the first time. It's not optional. Without it the sauce is fine, with it everything sort of snaps into focus. Small but real.
Coconut aminos work but they're a little milder, the difference is small enough that most people miss it especially in a sauce this layered. But the vinegar thing, you nailed it. I get people asking if they can skip it every time. You can't. It's what makes the sauce taste like a finished dish instead of just cooked shrimp with soy sauce on it. 'Snaps into focus' is exactly right, I'm stealing that.
Ha, go for it. And yeah, once you forget the vinegar you never leave it out again.
First time making this, only frozen bagged cauliflower rice at my store. Will that work or does it need to be fresh for the skillet?
Usually batch everything Sunday and I'm done with it, but this one I end up doing twice a week because the shrimp are actually better fresh than reheated. Ten minutes is short enough to justify on a Tuesday night. The ginger loses something in the microwave, I don't know what exactly, but hot off the skillet it's noticeably more present.
Ginger evaporates in the microwave. Tuesday it is.
Been doing Sunday meal prep for months and this is exactly what my lunches have been missing. Already grabbed cauliflower rice and shrimp on my last grocery run. My only concern is reheating, cauliflower rice gets watery after a couple days in the fridge. Does this hold up okay after 3-4 days or is it more of a make-it-fresh thing?
Threw in a scrambled egg at the end and it totally binds everything together. So much closer to the takeout version.
Scrambling separately and folding in at the end is what I do when I want actual egg pieces instead of everything just coated. Way closer to takeout.
Swapped the frozen asparagus stir fry for frozen broccoli florets because I couldn't find the blend at my store, and I was genuinely not sure it would work. It totally worked. The broccoli soaked up all that sesame-ginger sauce in a way that made every bite weirdly satisfying. One thing I figured out on my second try: let the cauliflower rice sit without stirring for about 2 minutes before you mix everything back together. It gets this slightly toasted flavor instead of turning to mush, and that was the thing that made the whole dish click for me as someone who has no idea what she's doing with cauliflower rice. Giving this 4 stars because my first batch came out watery (I kept poking at it), but with that no-stir window the second time it was freaking unbelievably good. Going in the permanent rotation.
That two-minute sit is real. I've been saying 'don't poke at it' for years but you just explained the why better than I did. Broccoli actually holds up better in this than asparagus for people who want something with a little more bite.
I've made probably six versions of keto fried rice over the past two years and most of them taste like what they are: cauliflower with soy sauce doing its best. This one cleared the bar in a way I wasn't expecting. The freshly grated ginger is the thing, it lifts the whole skillet and makes it read like takeout rather than a sad vegetable bowl. The shrimp stayed tender because the timing is right (most recipes overcook them by three minutes), and the mushrooms add a density to the base that cauliflower alone never manages. I've been doing the asparagus stir fry mix and it holds up way better than I expected. Every other recipe I've tried is now retired. This is the one.
Mushrooms are the part people always skip, and I genuinely don't understand it. Cauliflower alone is flat, the mushrooms give the whole skillet something to lean on. Glad the asparagus mix held up, that one varies a lot by brand.
Fried rice was the one thing I mourned going keto two years ago. Made this on a Tuesday almost as a test, not expecting much. The sesame-ginger sauce with the cauliflower rice had that same savory depth I remembered, and the shrimp brought it all together. Satisfying, not a consolation prize. I don't say that about many recipes. Going in the permanent rotation.
'Consolation prize' is exactly the bar I hold this to. Hot pan, straight from frozen, and that sauce does the rest.
My husband always scrapes cauliflower rice to the side of his plate, so I made this without telling him what it was. He got halfway through before he said anything, and what he said was "is there more rice?" The ginger and sesame pull the cauliflower all the way into fried rice territory. Going in the weekly rotation.
Ha. "Is there more rice" is the only review that matters. The ginger and sesame are exactly why this works on people who think they hate cauliflower rice.
The sesame-ginger flavor on this is legitimately great, and it comes together SO fast. Only note is I would double the liquid aminos next time, the cauliflower soaked it all up and I wanted more sauce at the end.
Doubling it works. I usually hold a splash back and add it right before serving so there's still sauce when it hits the plate.
My daughter has been suspicious of cauliflower rice since I tried to sneak it past her two years ago. Made this on a weeknight and she cleaned her plate, then looked at me sideways and asked what I put in the rice. I said just sesame and ginger. She said that couldn't be right because it tasted like actual fried rice. It does, though. That's the whole point.
Ha. She got the honest answer though. The liquid aminos are what make it taste like takeout, the sesame and ginger just finish it.
Liked this a lot, but pulling the shrimp out after they pink up and adding them back at the end makes a real difference. I left mine in too long while the cauliflower rice cooked down and the texture suffered. The sesame-ginger balance in the sauce is exactly right.
That's how I do it too. Cauliflower rice needs a couple extra minutes after the shrimp are done and they just go rubbery if you leave them in. Glad the sauce landed right.
My son spent the first few bites poking around in his bowl like he was going to catch me in a lie about the cauliflower rice. By serving two he'd completely forgotten about it. The sesame-ginger smell when it all comes together in the skillet is unreasonably good for a 10-minute dinner, and I say that as someone who eats this at least twice a week now.
Ha. By serving two they're just eating dinner. The sesame oil goes in last right before serving, that's why the smell hits the way it does.
If you're using frozen cauliflower rice, squeeze it dry before it hits the pan. I skipped that step the first time and the shrimp steamed instead of getting any color, the whole thing went watery. Pressed it through a dish towel on round two and it was a different dish. The liquid aminos bring plenty of moisture on their own, so extra water from the rice just fights against you. Also pull the shrimp the moment it turns pink, before it's fully done. It won't go rubbery when you add it back in. Two tweaks, and I make this almost every week now.
The towel press works. I usually get away with going straight from frozen to a really hot pan, but when the skillet isn't hot enough that squeeze is exactly what saves it. And yes on the shrimp - they finish in the sauce.