This is my quick and easy fried rice recipe made for busy families! It’s a delicious 20-minute dinner and a great way to use up leftover rice. You can customize this basic egg fried rice with chicken, steak, shrimp, or vegetables.
Make it Asian night and serve this kid-friendly fried rice recipe with mild cashew chicken or beef and broccoli. Takeout who?!
Today’s easy fried rice recipe is a huge hit with my kids, and I hope you’ll say the same once you’ve tried it! Fried rice is a wonderful way to sneak extra protein and vegetables into a meal. You can adapt this Chinese-inspired recipe with beef, chicken, and just about any veggies, depending on what your family likes. It’s a simple fried rice recipe with very few ingredients, but there’s no shortage of flavor. Throw it together in one skillet on busy weeknights to serve with orange chicken or your favorite Asian mains.
About This Quick and Easy Fried Rice Recipe
- Clean out the fridge. Fried rice isn’t just a great way to use up leftover rice. It’s great for using up any cooked protein and veggies in the fridge, too.
- Customize it. Make chicken fried rice, beef, or shrimp fried rice. Or, adapt this fried rice recipe with mixed vegetables and tofu for a vegetarian version.
- Win over picky eaters. I’ve made this recipe mild and kid-friendly! Salty, umami-rich, crispy rice tossed with tender egg and sweet veggies is a hard combination to resist, even for the pickiest of eaters.
- Ready in 20 minutes. Make your fried rice in one pan and have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes. It doesn’t get better than that!
What You’ll Need to Make It
I’ve kept my fried rice recipe approachable for most kitchens, and I’ve included notes on the ingredients in case you need some guidance and substitutions. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the full amounts. The beauty of this recipe is that it’s very flexible, so a lot of what you see here can be adapted to taste.
- Soy Sauce – Low-sodium or regular soy sauce. Substitute soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos as needed.
- Ginger – Ground ginger works perfectly, but you can use fresh ginger root if it’s available. Substitute 1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger with 1 tablespoon of fresh, grated ginger.
- Sesame Oil – There’s really no replacement for the flavor of sesame oil in Asian recipes. Do your best to get your hands on either toasted or plain sesame oil from the condiment aisle at the store.
- Chili Paste – This ingredient is optional. Even though I only add a small amount to my recipe, you can omit the chili altogether if you or someone you’re serving is sensitive to spice. On the other hand, if you don’t have chili paste but would still like a little kick in your fried rice, try chili flakes instead.
- Vegetables – I use a mix of chopped carrots, scallions, and frozen peas. A bag of mixed, frozen vegetables also works well here. You can really add any veggies you’d like.
- Garlic – Freshly minced. Or, like the ginger, there’s the option to use garlic powder instead. Replace each teaspoon of freshly minced garlic with 1/8 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Eggs – Scrambled egg is a classic ingredient in traditional fried rice recipes. You’ll lightly beat the eggs in a bowl before you add them to the rice.
- Rice – Our star ingredient. This can be any long-grain white rice, like jasmine rice or basmati. I always recommend day-old, leftover rice when making fried rice. Otherwise, make sure any rice you use is cooked and cooled completely.
Choose the Right Rice
Jasmine rice is my first choice, but the key here is to use white or brown long-grain rice, which is sturdier and won’t clump. Short-grain rice (i.e., sushi rice) tends to be softer and stickier.
Optional Fried Rice Add-Ins
Like I mentioned earlier, this easy fried rice recipe is a fantastic dish for cleaning out the fridge. Be sure to pre-cook vegetables and proteins before you add them to your rice. In most cases, the following add-ins can be stirred in near the end of cooking:
- Chicken fried rice. Add up to 2 cups of your choice of cooked chicken.
- Bacon. Stir in cooked diced bacon to make bacon and egg fried rice.
- Other protein. Try pork fried rice, or add beef, shrimp, or ground meat. Stick to 2 cups for each so you don’t overload the rice.
- Vegetables. Any assortment of stir-fry vegetables. They can be raw, frozen, or pre-cooked! Good options include broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, spinach, and sweet corn.
- Sauces. Add 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce or hoisin sauce for more flavor. You could also add a few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or fish sauce.
Tips for Perfect Fried Rice
Refer to the recipe card for step-by-step instructions on how to make fried rice. For now, here are some quick pro tips that I’ve found helpful over the years:
- Use day-old rice. Leftover rice has had time to dry out, resulting in crispier fried rice. However, you can still make this recipe with same-day rice. In this case, allow the cooked rice to rest and cool for at least 1-2 hours. You can also chill it in the fridge. This gives the excess moisture a chance to absorb into the rice. If you cook your fried rice with fresh, warm rice, it’ll turn out mushy.
- Use a large skillet. Even better, use a wok if you have one! Make sure the pan is large enough so the rice can cook over a larger surface area. If the pan is too small, the rice will steam instead of fry.
- Make sure the pan is hot. After cooking your vegetables and eggs over medium heat, crank the heat to high when it’s time to fry the rice. The pan should be sizzling hot before you add the rice.
- Mise en place. Have all your ingredients chopped, prepped, and measured out before you start your fried rice. The rice cooks quickly, and having your ingredients ready to go makes the process that much easier.
What to Serve With Fried Rice
Fried rice is great to serve on its own or as a side dish to Asian favorites like Mongolian pork and crispy honey sesame chicken. I’ll also serve it with saucy slow cooker honey garlic chicken or these easy chicken pineapple skewers. Add a rainbow crunch salad on the side and dig in!
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
- Refrigerate. To safely store fried rice, store any leftovers airtight in the fridge within 2 hours of cooking. Enjoy your leftovers within 3 days.
- Reheat. Warm the fried rice in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove until it’s piping hot throughout. Stir the rice occasionally so that it heats through evenly.
- Freeze. For longer-term storage, freeze the fried rice in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Thaw the rice in the fridge before reheating.
More Easy Weeknight Recipes
Easy Fried Rice Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: serves 4
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Asian
Description
This is my 20-minute, easy fried rice recipe made for busy families! Customize this basic egg fried rice with chicken, steak, shrimp, or veggies.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon chili paste
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 3 eggs, whisked
- 4 cups cooked rice (day old is best)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, and chili paste. Set aside.
- Melt 2 tablespoons of butter into a large skillet over medium heat, add the carrots and cook for 5 minutes, or until they are softened slightly. Add in the scallions, peas, and garlic, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes until peas are warmed. Remove the vegetables from the pan and place in a bowl.
- With the pan still on medium heat, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the skillet. Add the eggs to the pan and cook until scrambled. Transfer the eggs into the same bowl as the vegetables.
- Turn the pan up to high heat. Add the rice into the pan, and cook for one minute, stirring to break up any clumps. Add in the reserved soy sauce mixture and stir to coat. Add the vegetables and egg back into the pan and stir to combine, cooking for 3-4 minutes, or until the rice is warmed through.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- You can add in another form of protein along with or in place of the egg, like cooked chicken or shrimp.
- Once rice is finished cooking, feel free to add another splash of soy sauce or more chili paste to suit your own taste.
- Day-old rice is best for this recipe. It has a drier, chewier texture, which works perfectly for fried rice.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 472
- Sugar: 4.7 g
- Sodium: 560.1 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 63.9 g
- Protein: 12.6 g
- Cholesterol: 170 mg
Simple, quick and delicious!