Pork and Rice
Published October 4, 2021 • Updated March 15, 2026
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Keto pork and rice is a 20-minute skillet dinner I make almost every week, especially when I have leftover roast pork. Stir fry the pork with whatever vegetables need using up, mix in cream of mushroom soup for a real sauce, and finish with hearts of palm rice or cauliflower rice.
I started making this stir fry to use up leftover pork roast, and now I cook extra pork on Sundays just so I have some ready for it during the week. The original version was fine, but the cream of mushroom soup is what turned it into a real meal. Without it, you just have seasoned pork and vegetables in a pan. The soup gives everything a sauce that coats the rice and holds the whole skillet together.
After making this probably 30 times, I switched to ground pork as my default. Ground pork breaks into small pieces that get completely coated in the mushroom soup, so every bite has sauce on it. Cubed leftover pork works when that’s what I have, but the stir fry comes together better with ground. If you like one-pan dinners, my chicken stir fry uses the same quick-skillet approach.
The technique that made the biggest difference: pat leftover pork completely dry before it hits the skillet, and make sure the pan is properly hot. A lukewarm skillet steams the pork no matter how well you dried it. You want edges browning before the soup goes in. That browning is where most of the flavor lives. I heat the oil until it shimmers, then add the pork in a single layer without crowding. If you’re using ground pork, skip the drying step, but the hot pan still matters.
Seasoning needs more than what I originally listed. I use closer to 2 teaspoons of garlic powder now (double the recipe amount) and add a pinch of red pepper flakes. The mushroom soup absorbs more seasoning than you’d think, so if the dish tastes flat, that’s probably why. A splash of coconut aminos at the end adds depth without adding carbs, which is how I season my keto beef and broccoli too.
If you want it closer to fried rice, scramble an egg or two in the skillet before building the rest of the dish. I crack them in, break into small pieces, then layer everything on top. It gives a more authentic texture without adding many carbs.
This stores well in the fridge for 3-4 days. The hearts of palm rice absorbs more of the soup as it sits overnight, so day two leftovers are thicker and the flavors meld together. I portion into individual containers straight from the skillet. You can also freeze portions for up to two months: thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a skillet, not the microwave (it makes the rice soggy). This low carb dinner rotates through our weekly plan alongside other skillet dinners like keto hamburger helper and keto chicken noodle skillet.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons avocado oil -
1 cup sliced mushrooms
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1/2 green bell pepper, diced
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1/2 yellow onion, diced
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2 cups cubed cooked pork or 1 lb ground pork
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1 teaspoon garlic powder
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1 teaspoon onion powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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8 oz mushroom soup
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9 oz hearts of palm rice or cauliflower rice
Step by Step Instructions
Step by Step Instructions
Sauté vegetables
Add avocado oil to a skillet and heat over medium heat. Add mushrooms, bell pepper and onion and stir fry vegetables. Use any vegetables that pair well in this recipe. Cook until vegetables have softened.
Cook pork
Add pork to the skillet and cook until heated through or browned (if using ground pork). Sprinkle in garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
NOTE: If using raw pork, remove vegetables first and set them aside.
Cream of Mushroom
Pour in mushroom soup and stir until heated through.
Add rice
Add hearts of palm rice or cauliflower rice to the skillet and stir until heated through. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.
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
Can I freeze leftover pork and rice?
I freeze portions of this all the time. Let it cool completely, portion into freezer-safe containers, and it keeps for about two months. When I reheat, I thaw overnight in the fridge and warm it in a skillet over medium heat. The microwave makes the rice go soggy, so I avoid it. Hearts of palm rice holds up better after freezing than cauliflower rice does in my experience.
Should I use ground pork or cubed leftover pork?
I've made this both ways dozens of times, and I reach for ground pork now. It breaks into small pieces that get fully coated in the mushroom soup, so every bite has sauce. Cubed leftover pork works when that's what I have in the fridge, but the texture is different. If you go the leftover route, pat it completely dry first or it will steam instead of brown.
What's the difference between hearts of palm rice and cauliflower rice in this dish?
I've tested both extensively in this recipe. Hearts of palm rice has a more neutral flavor and a texture closer to actual rice. It also absorbs the soup overnight, so leftovers thicken up nicely the next day. Cauliflower rice soaks up flavors faster during cooking but can get watery if you thaw it first. My move is frozen cauliflower rice straight from the bag. Less water in the pan.
Can I add an egg to make it more like fried rice?
I've done this and it works well for a keto fried rice style. Scramble one or two eggs in the skillet before adding the pork, break them into small pieces, then build the rest of the dish on top. It gives a more authentic fried rice texture and the egg gets distributed throughout rather than sitting in clumps. I add the egg early so it mixes into everything.
What can I use instead of cream of mushroom soup?
I've subbed in 2-3 ounces of cream cheese when I didn't have mushroom soup on hand, and it works. The sauce is thicker and less savory, but still creamy. You can also make your own with coconut milk and sauteed mushrooms if you want to keep it dairy-free. I wouldn't skip the sauce element entirely though. Without it, the flavors just sit next to each other instead of coming together as a dish.
How do I get the pork to actually brown instead of steaming?
Two things I figured out after making this more times than I want to admit. First, pat leftover pork completely dry with paper towels. Any surface moisture steams instead of sears. Second, get the skillet properly hot before the pork goes in. I heat the oil until it shimmers, then add pork in a single layer without crowding. A lukewarm pan steams it no matter how dry the meat is.
My daughter is dairy-sensitive. I'm always scanning ingredient labels, especially for soups and sauces. Cream of mushroom soup is where I get stuck, since most canned versions have dairy. Would coconut milk work here, or is there something you'd swap in?
Made this Sunday with leftover roast pork and my wife, who has been vocally skeptical about hearts of palm rice since I first brought it home, cleaned her plate and then asked if there was more. The mushroom soup sauce is what got her, I think. She kept asking what made it so creamy and rich, and I told her after she went back for seconds. She is now fully bought in on the hearts of palm thing and that alone was worth it.
Ha, after seconds is exactly the right moment to say something. Hard to argue with a second plate.
Made this for a spring dinner with two friends who are very much not keto (they humor me) and the mushroom soup sauce is what got them. Both of them scraped the pan. I used hearts of palm rice and neither of them noticed it wasn't regular rice, which felt like a small personal victory after a year of cauliflower rice jokes. The pork situation worked out perfectly because I had leftover roast from Sunday that needed using, and the 20 minutes was accurate, maybe even a little faster once the pork is already cooked through. The bell pepper and onion give it this sweet undertone that cuts through the heaviness of the soup in a way I didn't expect the first time I made it. Doubling it next time I have people over.
A year of cauliflower rice jokes and then pan scrapers. When you double it, go 2x on the soup too - the rice absorbs more than you'd expect.
I've tried probably four other keto pork and rice versions over the past year and most of them end up dry or weirdly bland, but that cream of mushroom soup sauce is doing something none of the others were. Actually tastes like the takeout version I used to make pre-keto. This one's in the regular rotation now.
The soup is everything in this. Most versions stop at seasoning the pork. No sauce, nothing coating the rice. Just dry meat and cauliflower next to each other.
Subbed cauliflower rice since I had it on hand and the cream of mushroom sauce coated everything so well I didn't miss the hearts of palm at all.
First time using hearts of palm rice and I was ready to be underwhelmed, but the mushroom soup pulls everything together in a way I did not expect. This is going into my weeknight rotation.
The soup is what makes it work. Tried hearts of palm for the first time in this recipe too, now its the only version I make.
First time using hearts of palm rice. Always been a cauliflower rice person, so I was skeptical. But the way it absorbed the mushroom soup and pork drippings together just got me. Made this on a Tuesday and I'm still thinking about it.
Yeah, that absorption is what got me too. Leftovers are even better, the soup thickens into the hearts of palm overnight.
I've tried enough keto pork stir fry recipes to know most of them end up as just vegetables and meat in avocado oil with some seasoning. The cream of mushroom soup is what actually changes things. Gives everything a real sauce, not just a coating. Used leftover pork from a Sunday roast and it came together in about 20 minutes. One thing: cauliflower rice soaked up the flavors better than hearts of palm did, so I'll go that route next time.
Yeah, cauliflower absorbs faster in a hot pan. Hearts of palm gets better as it sits, soup thickens into it overnight.
Third time making this and the cream of mushroom sauce still gets me. Tastes like an actual meal, not a "keto version" of something. One more pass on seasoning and I think I've nailed my ratio.
More garlic powder than listed. The mushroom soup absorbs more than you'd think.
Tried probably four or five versions of low-carb pork stir fry. Cream of mushroom is what they were all missing. Used hearts of palm rice and it felt closer to the real thing than anything I've made with cauliflower.
Hearts of palm over cauliflower was my call too. Holds up in a hot pan without going watery. And yeah, the soup is what makes this feel like a real dish. Without it the flavors just sit next to each other.
Made this probably six or seven times now, and the version I keep coming back to uses ground pork instead of leftover cubed pork. Breaking it into small pieces lets it get coated in the mushroom soup base in a way the cubed pork doesn't, so the whole skillet comes together more like a proper stir-fry. Noticed the hearts of palm rice absorbs some of the soup as it sits overnight too, so the leftovers are thicker and kind of meld together the next day. This has been on our weeknight rotation all winter.
Ground pork is how I make it now. It breaks down and coats everything in the soup base in a way cubed just can't. And the hearts of palm thickening overnight, day two is honestly better.
Pat leftover pork completely dry before it hits the skillet. First time I skipped that, everything steamed into a gray heap. Tasted fine, but missed the point. Second time, dried pork, properly hot pan, and the edges actually browned before the cream of mushroom soup went in. That's a standing rule now whenever there's Sunday roast pork left over.
Hot pan matters just as much as the dry. Lukewarm skillet steams it no matter how well you patted it.
Had leftover pork in the fridge from Sunday dinner and figured I'd try this instead of just reheating it plain again. I used frozen cauliflower rice straight from the bag without thawing it first, just threw it in at the end, and I was pretty sure it was going to turn into a watery mess. It didn't. It cooked down in a few minutes and soaked up all the mushroom soup, which I really didn't expect. The whole thing was done before I even finished washing the cutting board, and I'm not a fast cook by any stretch. My husband didn't realize I used leftovers, thought I made it fresh. Starting to think I should just cook a bigger pork roast on Sundays so I always have some ready for this.
Frozen straight from the bag is actually better than thawed. Less water in the pan. And yeah, Sunday pork roast going into this is exactly how I use it.
Good but needed more seasoning. The mushroom soup base was pretty mild so I added extra garlic and some cayenne second time around
Yeah the canned soup is pretty neutral. I go heavy on the garlic powder (closer to 2 teaspoons) and add a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cayenne works too.
Rice is not keto
I didn't use rice. I used hearts of palm rice.