This flavorful and nutritious Fried Rice Recipe can be ready in 20 minutes or less! It’s easy to prepare, packed with veggies, loaded with perfectly cooked eggs, and coated with a delicious sauce.
The Best Fried Rice Recipe
My husband affectionately calls this the world’s best Fried Rice recipe. With all three of our children, including the little one, eagerly devouring it every time, it’s become a frequent dish in our home. It’s our go-to meal on hectic days or when we’re looking to use up leftovers from the fridge. Fried Rice can be tailored in numerous ways, and today, I’ll offer a myriad of variations to help you create your perfect version.
Quick Tip
For Fried Rice, I like medium to long grain or Jasmine rice so it isn’t mushy. Basmati is good for its fluffiness. Rinse rice until clear, soak for 5-10 minutes, boil for 5 minutes, then drain and fluff. This method is quick and effective.
Ingredients In This Fried Rice Recipe
- Butter & Olive Oil: Used to fry the eggs and sauté the veggies, adding a rich and smooth texture.
- Eggs: Adds protein and a creamy texture.
- Yellow Onion, Garlic & Ginger: Forms the delicious, aromatic base flavor.
- Frozen Carrots, Peas & Corn: Provide color, texture, and nutrients.
- Day-Old Rice: Acts as the primary carbohydrate; its dryness ensures non-mushy fried rice. Read more about why day-old rice is best here.
- Green Onions: Adds freshness and color to this fried rice recipe.
- Sauce (Oyster Sauce, Chicken Bouillon, Soy Sauce, White Pepper, Rice Vinegar, Sesame Oil): Creates a rich, savory, slightly acidic, and delicious flavor profile.
Variations
- For more heat: Add some red pepper flakes to taste, or drizzle on some Sriracha at the end.
- Add some crunch: Top with some cashews.
- Add meat: Mix in any cooked, diced meat or seafood. Here are a few easy options:
- Cooked ham or pork: Stir in at the end.
- Bacon: Cook chopped bacon with the veggies.
- Chicken: Use diced rotisserie or leftover chicken. You can also sauté some chicken in a separate skillet while making the fried rice.
- Beef: Add thinly sliced steak or browned ground beef.
- Shrimp: Sauté about half a pound of peeled and deveined shrimp in a separate pan and toss in just before serving.
- Change up the veggies: Any stir-fry-friendly veggie will go well in this recipe. I recommend using smallish-sized frozen veggies. Simply cook the veggies until they’re no longer frozen and the water from them has evaporated.
- Some other ideas: Broccoli florets, edamame, sugar peas, snap peas, celery, cabbage, etc. are great choices in this fried rice recipe.
- Vegetarian fried rice: To make this recipe vegetarian friendly, use a vegetarian oyster sauce instead and leave out the chicken bouillon powder.
How To Make Fried Rice
- Start by scrambling the eggs (see photo collage above this one). When they’re scrambled, transfer them to a plate and keep warm.
- Add oil and the onion to the skillet or wok and sauté with garlic and ginger until tender and fragrant.
- Then come in the veggies: We use frozen (straight from the freezer—no need to thaw).
- Cook and stir the veggies until hot and the moisture has evaporated.
- Add in the cooked leftover rice and stir fry it with the…
- Sauce! This sauce has just a few quick ingredients you whisk together and then pour on top of the rice. Mix to coat.
- Lastly, add the eggs back in and fresh green onions and the fried rice recipe is ready!
Quick Tip
Can You Make Fried Rice With Fresh Rice? Yes, while leftover is preferred, if using fresh rice, spread it on a sheet pan, let it cool for a few minutes, then chill in the fridge or freezer until ready to use.
More Easy Dinner Recipes:
- Chicken Ramen better than take-out
- Easy 30-minute Chicken Chow Mein
- Curry Chicken Salad minimal ingredients
- Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with simple taco-seasoned meat
- Chicken Stir Fry addictive savory sauce
Fried Rice
This quick and tasty fried rice is ready in 20 minutes—packed with veggies, fluffy eggs, and a simple, flavorful sauce!
Equipment
- Large skillet nonstick
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1/2 inch piece
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 2 cups cooked rice from the fridge, see note 1
- 3/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil or toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Start by whisking together all the sauce ingredients except the sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside until needed. You might want to prep all the veggies too because the cooking goes fast (dice onion, mince garlic, mince ginger).
- Add butter to a large, nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. While butter is melting, add eggs to a small bowl and whisk together. Once butter is melted, pour all the whisked egg mixture into the skillet. Swirl the skillet to get the eggs in one layer, covering the bottom of the pan. Let stand for 30 seconds. Use a silicone spatula to press one side of the eggs to the other side. Tilt the skillet to get any uncooked eggs to fill that section of the pan. Continue to press the eggs gently to the other side of the pan and tilt the pan to move any uncooked eggs to touch the hot skillet. Barely break up the eggs with the spatula, then transfer them to a plate and tent with foil.
- Add the oil to the skillet and increase heat to high. Add diced onion and stir for about 3–4 minutes or until beginning to turn translucent. Add garlic and ginger and stir for about 20 seconds. Add frozen peas, carrots, and corn (no need to thaw). Stir around and cook for about 2–3 minutes or until veggies are defrosted and the excess water has evaporated completely. Add cooked and cold rice and the prepared sauce. Cook for 1 and 1/2 to 2 minutes or until the sauce coats all the ingredients.
- Add the cooked and reserved egg and the green onions. Stir together, taste, season with salt if needed (I usually add a big pinch), and remove from heat. Drizzle the top with sesame oil and enjoy hot!
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: If you don’t have leftover rice, here’s what to do: spread freshly cooked rice out on a sheet pan (lined for quick cleanup) while it’s still hot and let it stand for a few minutes. Stick the pan in the fridge (or better, the freezer), until chilled through.
Storage: Store leftover fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water or oil to refresh the texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 4servings | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 147mg | Sodium: 403mg | Potassium: 308mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3802IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 63mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was delicious and made a great quick lunch. My one year old liked it too!
A big hit with my family! Goes together quick, having it all diced and ready was very good advice.
Yay! So happy to hear this! Thanks Sarah! 🙂
this is very delicious recipe !
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
This was easy and SO good. A few thoughts
-I doubled it. We are a family of 4 (3 adult portions and 1 kid) and I have 1 large adult portion left over. My 7 year old had seconds!
-I probably threw about 1 cup more veggies than the recipe called for because I wanted to finish up some frozen veggie bags I had in the freezer.
-I didn’t have rice wine vinegar so I subbed with white wine vinegar.
-REALLY DELICIOUS!
Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed! Thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
I’ve made this several times now.
It’s the BEST!
I’ve been on the lookout for a good fried rice recipe for a long time and this is it.
I recommend your followers try it.
Thanks so much Maggie! I’m so happy to hear this!