Kale and Coconut Fried Rice
Vegetarian weeknight fried rice with sautéed kale, coconut flakes and rice. The dish is finished with Thai flavors like lime, cilantro and sriracha.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
I’m jet lagged from my trip to Greece, so I made one of my old favorites to share again! It’s comforting and packed with nutrients, which is just what I need right now.
In fact, I enjoy this recipe so much that it inspired a recipe in my cookbook, the colorful coconut fried rice with edamame on page 182. If you haven’t tried that one yet, you’ve really missed out.
This dish is a relatively quick weeknight meal and a fun alternative to my go-to extra vegetable fried rice. This recipe has some Thai flavors, including sriracha, lime and cilantro.
I added coconut flakes, too. The big, toasted coconut flakes are savory and remind me of bacon. We all know that bacon and eggs belong together, so today, I present to you a healthier, vegetarian option.
For some reason, when I shared this recipe four years ago, I called it a stir-fry. It’s fried rice, not a stir fry! This is a stir fry. Moving on.
Feel free to throw in any thinly sliced vegetables that you might have in the fridge, too. Red bell pepper is lovely, as are chopped Brussels sprouts. I bet thinly sliced carrots would be great, too.
I found the base recipe for this stir fry in an awesome cookbook that landed on my doorstep, courtesy of a PR rep. It is appropriately titled, Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables.
Brassicas are the cruciferous family of vegetables that include kale, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and other less trendy ingredients, like bok choy and turnips. Did you know that arugula is a brassica? That was news to me.
Brassicas help prevent cancer, reduce inflammation and promote liver detoxification, so needless to say, they are a worthy (and delicious) addition to your plate.
The book’s original recipe for spicy kale fried rice was really tasty, but I couldn’t help adding some complementary flavors. While I was savoring my first test run, I remembered how great lime and cilantro go with kale in my burritos. Then I recalled Heidi Swanson’s amazing kale and coconut flake salad. I added all of the above to my second try and loved it even more.
Hope you’ll take my word for it and try it! Please let me know how this recipe turns out for you in the comments.
Watch How to Make Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice
Spicy Kale and Coconut Fried Rice
A vegetarian weeknight fried rice with sautéed kale, coconut flakes and rice. The dish is finished with Thai flavors like lime, cilantro and sriracha. For best results, cook your rice in advance and refrigerate until you’re ready to start cooking (see note). This dish comes together very quickly—be sure to have your ingredients prepped ahead of time and placed near the stove, along with a big empty bowl for the cooked components. Recipe yields 2 servings.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or quality high-heat oil such as avocado oil, divided
- 2 eggs, whisked together with a dash of salt
- 2 big cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- ¾ cup chopped green onions (about 1 bunch)
- Optional: 1 cup chopped vegetables, like bell pepper, carrot or Brussels sprouts
- 1 medium bunch kale (preferably Lacinato but curly green is good, too), ribs removed and leaves chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¾ cup large, unsweetened coconut flakes* (not shredded coconut)
- 2 cups cooked and chilled brown rice**
- 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce or sriracha
- 1 lime, halved
- Handful fresh cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large (12-inch or wider) wok, cast iron skillet or non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on contact, add 1 teaspoon oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Pour in the eggs and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggs are scrambled and lightly set. Transfer the eggs to your empty bowl. Wipe out the pan if necessary with a paper towel (be careful, it’s hot!).
- Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and add the garlic, green onions and optional additional vegetables. Cook until fragrant or until the vegetables are tender, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds or longer. Add the kale and salt. Continue to cook until the kale is wilted and tender, stirring frequently, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to your bowl of eggs.
- Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan. Pour in the coconut flakes and cook, stirring frequently, until the flakes are lightly golden, about 30 seconds. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot, about 3 minutes.
- Pour the contents of the bowl back into the pan, breaking up the scrambled egg with your spatula or spoon. Once warmed, remove the pan from the heat.
- Add the tamari, chili garlic sauce and juice of ½ lime. Stir to combine. Taste, and if it’s not fantastic yet, add another teaspoon of tamari or a pinch of salt, as needed.
- Slice the remaining ½ lime into wedges, then divide the fried rice into individual bowls. Garnish with wedges of lime and a sprinkling of torn cilantro leaves, with jars of tamari, chili garlic sauce and/or red pepper flakes on the side, for those who might want more.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Brassicas: Cooking the World’s Healthiest Vegetables by Laura Russell.
*Where to buy coconut flakes: Look for them in the baking section at Whole Foods, health food stores or well-stocked grocery stores. The brands I see most often are “Let’s Do Organic” (green package) and Bob’s Red Mill.
**Rice notes: Stir fries always work best with chilled rice. You’ll need to cook about ⅔ cup dried rice to yield 2 cups cooked. If you’re in a hurry, spread the cooked rice on a rimmed baking sheet and place it in the fridge or freezer to cool. Here’s how to cook brown rice.
Make it vegan/egg free: Skip the eggs by heating the pan and then start cooking with step 2. For extra protein, you can stir in 1 cup defrosted frozen shelled edamame in step 4.
Make it gluten free: Make sure to use a gluten-free soy sauce, like tamari.
Storage suggestions: The dish tastes great the next day, whether reheated or served at room temperature.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
A year and a half later and this recipe still amazes me, so I had to comment again! It comes together quickly once the prep of chopping the kale is done, so it’s perfect to use up leftover rice for a weeknight meal. I used chili garlic instead of sriracha this time and I prefer it this way with serving the sriracha on the side. Adding sliced red pepper and 1 cup of edamame took it to a whole new level! LOVE!
Hooray, thanks, Tricia! Your version sounds stellar.
This recipe was amazing! So much flavor…mmmmmm, I will be making this again soon! Thank you Kate!
Hooray! Thank you, Sean.
This was great! I ordinarily stick to the same, boring stir-fry routine, so it was fun to change it up a bit with the kale and lime juice. Thanks so much, I’ve never been disappointed here! :-)
Thank you, Lauren! :)
Hi!
I was thinking about making this recipe for dinner tonight and was wondering if tofu would be good if it was added to this recipe?
Thank you.
Aneesha
Hi Aneesha, yes, I think it would be great! You could just scramble it with the rest, although I personally don’t love the texture of scrambled tofu. Another option would be to bake it like this and stir it in at the end.
Made it tonight for dinner, without the coconut flakes since my husband hates them. : ( I used coconut oil though, I also added some chopped peanuts to it at the end because I felt like without the coconut flakes it needed a little something extra and it was super yummy!!
Holy moly! Incredible! I used quinoa instead of rice and my “other” veggies were red bell pepper. I also added a small amount of leftover lean beef tips. A lot of prep and dirty dishes but I will work out a system. I’ll be making this again and again.
P.S. Don’t forget lots of fresh cilantro if you’re a fan.
Thanks, Rebekah! Glad you enjoyed this one!
Yum! I made this last night with some leftover short grain brown rice. I never thought to put in coconut flakes but that made the dish. Even the kids liked it and they are not usually coconut fans.
Thanks!
Thank you, Kelly! Happy to hear it.
Dear Kate,
I think it is very important to be accurate in your description of recipes. This is a vegetarian recipe not a vegan recipe. The moment you use eggs in your recipe it is no longer free of animal bi-products.
Regards,
Sven and Stacy
I keep meaning to comment on this recipe, because I’ve made it countless times and passed it to many other people. When I first read the ingredients I thought it sounded like too many different flavors all together but they really work, and it’s a very unique and wonderful dish. The only thing I do differently is to add more veggies, probably about 3 – 4 cups instead of one.
I’m only finding unsweetened coconut shredded flakes. Can I still use these in the dish even if they aren’t the larger flakes?
i do! I can’t find the larger flakes so i use shredded and it still tastes great!!
This was the first recipe that popped up when I Googled “Kale and leftover brown rice Gluten Free” — and I had everything except the cilantro and green onions (I pulled leeks from the garden instead). It was fabulous! This is one I will fix again soon. Thank you.
Hi Kate! We had this for dinner last night. It was great. My husband, Mike, enjoys cooking so lately I have been getting all the ingredients together and he gets to do the fun part. That’s fine with me, I sit with a glass of wine read instructions to him and we catch up on our day. We are really enjoying cooking and eating vegetarian.
Thanks!
SVEN where did she say it was vegan? I only see the note below?
MAKE IT VEGAN/EGG FREE: Skip the eggs by heating the pan and then start cooking with step 2.
Hi Kate! I only have shredded unsweetened coconut on hand – would this work as a substitute to the flakes? How much would you recommend? Thanks!
I am not much of a cook, but gosh i LOVE your site! This recipe is amazing and it is now part of our weekly meal plan (although I’m still working on the kids). I also love your veggie burgers!! Thanks for putting together such interesting and yummy recipes!!
Thank you so much, Jenny! I’m so happy to hear that.
Can’t wait to try this recipe; looks great!
To clarify: is it 2C of uncooked rice, then cooked and chilled? (Which would be more than 2C in the end.) Or is it 2C of cooked rice total?
Thanks!
It’s 2 cups of cooked rice (total), which would come from about 2/3 cup dry rice.
Another winner! Starting to feel like a broken record as I leave another comment on another great recipe…Thanks, Kate!
Do you happen to have the nutritional information for this meal? Thank you! I’m trying it out tonight, and cooking as we speak :)
Again…. Eggs are not vegan food, you have a good full article with 20 vegan gluten free recipes but lost of the, contain food from animal such as eggs or cheese.
I often mark recipes as vegan if they are very easily made vegan by omitting a small amount of cheese, and so forth. I provide substitution suggestions in the recipe notes. I provide those notes as a service to my vegan readers, so they don’t miss out on recipes that are great in their animal product-free form.
I have been eyeing this recipe for a coupe months, I finally made it for dinner tonight. Omg!!!! So delicious! I will be making this again real soon! Thank you!
I have been eyeing this recipe for a few weeks, I finally made it tonight. It was so good! I will be making this again soon. Thank you!
I’m a new reader and just wanted to tell you how much I’m enjoying your blog. Your writing style is very appealing and easy to read, and I’ve loved the two things I’ve made from your blog so far – this stir-fry and the African peanut soup. Keep up the great work!
Absolutely delicious. Wasn’t sure how the husband would react it, but he liked it too!
Love your recipes but
If you could only write the recipe and comments that pertain to the
Recipe ONLY, that would be very
Helpful since the paragraphs you write take so much time to
Get through.as a result I see your recipes rarely, and will get to the point where i don’t read them at all.
Thanks
This recipe was fantastic. I am new to cooking with kale and in attempting to find a good starter recipe I gave this one a try.
So good!
Your directions are so easy to follow and thorough.
I wish I had taken a picture. I used diced pepper and the combination of colors made the dish even more visually enticing.
I just joined a CSA program this summer so that I could experiment with some new veggies and ideas.
I look forward to gaining more inspiration from your site.
YUM! Thanks for the re-post on this one, otherwise would not have seen it. I totally bought shredded coconut by accident (despite clear instructions to not use shredded coconut), but still used it and it tasted great. Toasted up golden brown and mixed with the rice really well. I used brussels sprouts and they worked great, might use red bell pepper just for color next time. This will definitely be made again when we have any leftover rice.
Thanks, Liz! I’m glad to hear it worked out with shredded coconut, too. :)
Never liked kale because I didn’t know how to prepare it so it wasn’t tough and bitter.
I will try this simple method of incorporating it into a tasty dish.
I hope you enjoy it this way!
Okay so I tried out this recipe and just finished eating it, and let me say, I am amazed. I am not someone who can cook..at all. Like making a sandwich is where I draw the limit. But this recipe was so easy to follow, and so quick, and the flavours are beautiful!! Thank you so so much for this recipe. I’ll be a regular reader now :D
This was so delicious! I was at Target and could only find finely shredded unsweetened coconut so that is what I used. Thicker coconut chips probably would give a little more crunch but I only saw sweetened ones and I didn’t want the extra sugar. Regardless, the flavor was still there! I doubled the recipe to feed my family of four. It makes a big, hearty portion. I threw in some extra veggies but that sautéed kale was just the showstopper. My mom needed a little “crunch” so she added some sunflower seeds but the dish was satisfying on its own. I would definitely make this again!
Love this recipe! Happened upon your food blog, saw kale and was done! It’s one of my fave ingredients to cook with. Will try this one for sure!
This dish is amazing!
Ill admit I did exclude the coconut but that’s because I couldnt find shredded coconut ANYWHERE (UK).
Overall the dish was flavorful and filling… exactly what you want in a meal.
I am looking forward to trying the rest of your recipes (you might have made a vegetarian out of me).
I chose to make this dish for a small dinner party I was hosting for friends. I decided to double the recipe and add broccoli and orange pepper.I have never cooked with unsweetened coconut before, but I like to try bold new dishes. The flavors (lime, sriracha, coconut, and kale) really complement each other well. It was delicious! Thanks for the great ideas.
Just made this tonight! I did not have chilled rice, so I used quinoa. I could not find unsweetened coconut flakes, so used 1/4 cup sweetened. My husband and I really enjoyed it. I found your blog last year and it has become my go to blog for veggie ideas. I really enjoy it! Thank you!
Awesome! I’m glad your version worked out for you, Nai :)
Absolutely love this! I triple, quadruple -and more- to feed the fam! Flavorful and nutricious! Thanks for the recipe!
So happy this doubles well, Bea! I always love hearing when dishes are crowd-pleasers :)
I have started a new journey with eliminating meat from my diet. I feel like I may lose my mind if I don’t find more creative ways to enjoy fruits, vegetables, beans and grains. I keep eating the same boring things. This recipe grabbed my attention and just may keep me on my new path for a little while longer. I will definitely be going to the market today to buy the needed ingredients. I hope my dish will look as great as yours. I hope it tastes as good as it looks. Thanks for sharing!!
It’s so important to keep things varied and fun during this transition! Don’t let monotony be the thing that makes you ditch the vegetarian life. It doesn’t need to be boring! Let me know how this turns out, and I hope you find more delicious recipes here!
This is so delicious! Part of the weekly rotation for the last couple of weeks :-) I love the subtle coconut.
It’s a winning combo of flavors in my book. Glad you agree!
Ah, missed cooking from your blog so much. New job and tons of work travel in the last few months. I had bok choy left from a Chinese new year party and I made this again last night, but used Bok choy greens for the “kale” and the bok choy whites for the “other veggies”. It was heavenly. Thanks Kate.
Congrats on your new job, Deepthi! I hope you’re enjoying your travels. Love your version of this stir fry!
Omg. This is now my boyfriend’ so FAVORITE thing to eat for dinner. I had to double the portions so that we both had enough leftovers for lunch. If he had a tail, it would knock things off shelves when he eats this. Going to suggest it to my clients as a good 3rd or 4th date recipe to make for their sweeties!
Made it and loved it! My husbands not a fan of coconut flavors in things, and he even loved it.
This is SO incredibly good! It hit all the right notes-sweet, spicy, tangy and salty. I will definitely be putting this in collection! I tripled it and added 3 cups tri-colored peppers, perfect! All the other measurements were spot on.
Great! So happy you enjoyed the medley of flavors in the stir fry.
This kale and coconut stir fry was excellent! Thank you for these wonderful recipes, I am looking forward to trying many more. We also made the raw kale and brussels sprout salad tonight, it was delicious!
Looking forward to trying many more of these- we have made the African peanut soup many times and have loved that soup for years.
This is so nice to hear, Liana! I’m so glad you like so many of my recipes. Thanks for reading!
Have you tried substituting quinoa in place of the rice?
I haven’t, but I think that would work well!
This recipe was great! I did a few modifications – I used chili oil for the heat and added 3/4 of coconut milk slowly when I was toasting the flakes and rice. The coconut flakes/rice absorbed all the flavour and it made it really rich and tasty. This was an awesome recipe though, I really loved it and so did my boyfriend :)
Sorry forgot to rate it – 5 stars!
Chili oil is a great idea, Holly. Thanks! I’m so happy you both enjoyed it.
This was absolutely delicious! The coconut gave a lovely crunch and sweetness to the dish. I made it for my 85-year-old mom, and she loved it. :-)
Wonderful! Thanks, Penelope. I’m glad you both enjoyed it.
First off, I’d just like to say that I love your site! It’s my go-to place when I’m trying to figure out what to make or looking for new recipes and I’ve honestly been really happy with basically every recipe I’ve tried from here. I’ve been eyeing this recipe for a long time now, and I finally got a chance to make it last night! I was not disappointed. The coconut and kale went together really well, and I would not have though to use the combination. I’ll definitely be making this one again some time!
I’m so glad you tried this, Shivani! Thanks for the kind comment.
Hi! I needed to finish up some kale so decided to give this recipe a go. It turned out great. Nice flavour and simple and fast to make as well.
Thanks :-)
Perfect! Thanks, Science Chef. (Great name!)
One word…AMAZING!!!!!! I’m not even a coconut fan, but this was delicious!! I didn’t have kale on hand so used swiss chard which turned out fantastic. This recipe was my first introduction to your site , but I can see it will be definitely not be my last! Think I’ll find something of yours for tomorrow’s dinner. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
You’re welcome, Nikki! I hope this changed your mind a little bit about coconut. I’m so glad you found my blog!
I’ve made this twice now, it’s delicious! The second time I added zucchini and mushroom to my other veggies (capsicum, green onion etc), and I found that by adding the zucchini it adds enough moisture to omit using the full amount of oil. Healthy and filling! Thank you.
Great tip, Lara! Thanks so much for the comment.
Absolutely delicious so tasty and filling. Will defo be cooking it again.
Great! Thanks, Erika.
One of my favorite recipes; Quick, easy and so delicious! I have made it several times and it is always a hit. Also, it is definitely better with the Lacinato Kale.
Great! Thanks, Chlayne.