This quinoa fried rice can be ready in about 30 minutes or less! It’s easy to make, packed with protein, loaded with veggies & perfectly cooked eggs, and tossed in a delicious & simple sauce.
Pair this quinoa fried rice with this Asian cucumber salad for a filling and veggie packed meal.
Quinoa fried “rice” is the perfect clean-out-the fridge meal. It’s great for using up leftovers and it’s so easy to customize! It’s also such a great nutritious meal that’s filling even without meat thanks to all the fiber and protein in quinoa and the protein from the eggs.
I hope you love this fun variation on typical fried rice.
How to use fresh quinoa
Quinoa fried rice is best with cold, refrigerated, leftover quinoa. BUT, if you’re in a pinch and want to make this recipe with fresh quinoa, here’s how you do it:
Variation ideas
- For more heat: add some red pepper flakes to taste, or drizzle on some Sriracha at the end
- Add some crunch: chop up some coarsely cashews to top the quinoa fried rice with
- Add meat: add in some already cooked and diced meat like leftover leftover ham, leftover chicken (or rotisserie chicken), or leftover pork. You can also fry up some chopped bacon alongside the veggies. Another great addition is to add in some cooked seafood (I recommend shrimp).
- Change up the veggies: really, any stir-fry friendly veggie will go well in this vegetable fried rice recipe! I recommend using smallish sized veggies that are frozen. 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.
- Fried quinoa vegan: leave out the eggs, chicken bouillon powder, and replace the oyster sauce with a vegetarian version. You could also add in some cooked tofu.
- Cauliflower and quinoa fried rice: add in a cup of riced cauliflower with the veggies; you might also want to do a little more sauce 🙂
How to make quinoa fried rice
- I start by scrambling the eggs (see photo collage above this one). Once they’re scrambled, they are transferred to a plate and we add oil and the onion to the skillet (or wok if you have one!) The onion is sautéed with garlic and ginger until tender and fragrant.
- Next come in the veggies: we use frozen (straight from the freezer — no need to thaw!) and cook them until not frozen and the moisture has evaporated.
- Add in the cooked leftover quinoa and stir fry it with the…
- Sauce! This sauce is a few quick ingredients whisked together that goes in with the quinoa.
- The sauce is added in with the quinoa and mixed to coat.
- Add the eggs back in and fresh green onions and your quinoa fried rice is ready!
What can I add to quinoa for flavor?
This quinoa fried rice is seasoned with a simple sauce. We use:
- Oyster sauce: this adds a great depth of flavor to the quinoa fried rice
- Soy sauce: every soy sauce is different, and there are different tolerances for sodium levels, so add this ingredient to your personal preference. I’ve listed how much we love in the recipe, but you may want slightly less or, alternatively, may want to add an extra drizzle at the end 🙂
- Sesame oil: this ingredient is a great flavor enhancer; it adds a nice nutty flavor to the meal
- Chicken bouillon powder: while you don’t have to add this, I feel like it adds an extra layer of flavor to the dish.
- Rice vinegar: every meal is better with acid, and rice vinegar is the perfect hit of acid in this quinoa fried rice.
More quinoa recipes:
- Quinoa Chili with sweet potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Salad with a lemon vinaigrette
- Quinoa Enchilada Bake vegetarian recipe
- Quinoa Salad reader favorite recipe!
- Kale and Quinoa Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
This quinoa fried rice can be ready in about 30 minutes or less! It's easy to make, packed with protein, loaded with veggies & perfectly cooked eggs, and tossed in a delicious & simple sauce.
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs whisked
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (~2 cloves)
- 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (~1/2 inch piece)
- 1 cup frozen diced carrots and peas
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen broccoli florets, (give a quick coarse chop to the large pieces)
- 2 cups cooked day old quinoa (from the fridge) Note 1
- 3/4 cup green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
- 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil (or toasted sesame oil)
SAUCE: Start by whisking together all of the sauce ingredients EXCEPT the sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside until needed. You might also want to prep all the veggies here now too because the cooking goes FAST (dice onion, mince garlic, mince ginger)
EGGS: Add butter to a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. While the butter is melting, add all three eggs to a small bowl and whisk together. As soon as the 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. Grab a silicone spatula and press one side of the eggs to the other side. Tilt the skillet to get any uncooked eggs to now fill that section of the pan. Continue to press the eggs gently to the other side of the pan and tilting the pan to move any uncooked eggs to touch the skillet. Break up with the spatula and then transfer to a plate and tent with foil.
FRIED QUINOA: Add the oil to the skillet and increase the 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 in the frozen peas, carrots, corn, and frozen broccoli (no need to thaw, but you might need to give the frozen broccoli a quick coarse chop if the pieces are too big). Stir around and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until veggies are defrosted and the excess water has evaporated. Add in the cooked and cold quinoa and sauce. Cook for 1 and 1/2 - 2 minutes or until the sauce coats all the ingredients.
SERVE: Add in the cooked and reserved egg and the green onions. Drizzle over sesame oil. Stir together, taste and season with salt if needed (I add a big pinch usually), remove from heat, and serve hot!
Note 1: If you're in a pinch and want to make this recipe with fresh quinoa, here's how you do it: spread the freshly cooked quinoa 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 freezer), until chilled through to use in this recipe.
Quinoa fried rice calories
Health FAQS
Is fried rice good for you?
Quinoa is very nutritious* —it’s full of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. From purely a calorie perspective: one cup of cooked quinoa has approximately 40 fewer calories than an equal amount of white rice. From more of a nutritional profile, white rice has almost 15 times more grams of carbohydrates while quinoa provides 5 more grams of fiber and double the protein.
Quinoa is referred to as a complete protein, which means it contains all the essential amino acids that the body can’t make (and needs to obtain from food). You can read more about the health benefits here.
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