Easy fried rice is a recipe that you can make in just minutes. It’s completely customizable and truly delicious. Skip the takeout lines and enjoy a homemade meal that is sure to have you feeling satisfied.
Egg fried rice is a recipe that I grew up with because it was always my dad’s go-to dinner recipe. It’s a quick-fix recipe that can use any number of veggies or meats, and it’s as frugal as it is versatile. Perfect for any weeknight meal or budget.
Use up leftovers and still create a flavorful and filling meal with this vegetable fried rice recipe. It’s great for “cleaning out the fridge.” Once you learn how to make fried rice with egg, you’ll want it at every meal. Serve it up for lunch, dinner, or as a side dish, and it’s sure to be an instant favorite just the same.
Ingredients for Egg Fried Rice
- Cooking oil
- Bell pepper
- Carrots
- Onion
- Cooked Meat
- Eggs
- Frozen peas
- Sesame oil
- Cooked rice
- Soy sauce
- Salt
- Black pepper
- Scallions
For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.
How to Make Easy Fried Rice
- Heat some oil in a nonstick skillet or wok until it’s shimmering.
- Add in the chopped onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- If adding meat, add it in here.
- Move the meat and veggies to the outer edges of the pan or wok and pour your eggs into the empty center. Scramble the eggs until they are cooked while trying to avoid the meat and veggies around the edges of the pan.
- After the eggs are almost completely cooked, add in the peas, rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
- Mix together and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes before stirring again.
- Repeat a few times.
- Taste the rice mixture and adjust it to your own tastes. Add in salt and pepper if desired.
- Top with sliced scallions and serve warm.
Recipe Tips
- I recommend using leftover cooked rice and not freshly cooked rice. Leftover rice will fry up much nicer without becoming mushy or sticky. This is because the starches in the rice harden as they are chilled in the fridge, making them easier to separate in the pan.
- The ideal rice to use is short-grain white rice. While you can use other varieties like Jasmine rice, short-grain white rice holds its shape better and stays separated when stir-fried.
Substitutions
- You can sub out the white rice for brown rice or cooked quinoa.
- You can replace the white rice with riced cauliflower. To do this, you will need to use cauliflower rice that has been cooked in a separate pan and then add it in when you would add the rice.
Variations
There are practically an unlimited number of options for making this recipe unique and flavorful. You can use almost any veggie or meat of choice to create a new dish every time.
Vegetable Fried Rice Ideas:
- Diced carrots
- Peas
- Snow peas
- Small broccoli florets
- Bell peppers
- Ginger
- Green Beans
- Cabbage
For a delicious meat fried rice, here are some great ideas:
- Beef fried rice (can be made with cooked ground beef or thin beef steak strips)
- Spam for a delicious spam fried rice (would taste great with added pineapple chunks too!)
- Ham fried rice is also delicious and a great way to use up leftover holiday hams.
- Hot dogs, shredded or diced chicken, shredded pork, and tiny shrimp are also great options.
Using leftover already cooked meats is great for when you’re in a hurry, but if you have to cook the meat fresh, cook the meat in the pan and remove it before adding in the veggies. While the veggies are cooking, dice or shred the meat before stirring it into the pan.
You can keep your leftover fried rice stored in the fridge for up to 5 days in a well-covered or airtight container.
This is a great recipe for making in large batches and freezing for future meals. So go ahead and portion it into meal-sized or single-sized portions into ziptop baggies or airtight containers and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to reheat, you can simply cook it on the stovetop until warmed through or microwave a single portion at a time.
Yes, you can use fresh rice to make fried rice, but you will want to prep it at least an hour in advance. Cook your rice according to the package directions, and then once it has finished cooking, place it in an even layer on a large baking sheet so that the rice is as spread out as possible. Let the rice rest like this for 1 hour, or speed up the process by placing it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.
What to Serve With Fried Rice
This delicious fried rice recipe is a complete meal on its own, but if you want to make it into a side dish, it would pair wonderfully with any of these tasty recipes:
- Oven-Baked Teriyaki Chicken
- Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
- Honey Garlic Shrimp
- Teriyaki Meatballs
- Garlic Pepper Steak Kabob Recipe
- Korean Beef Bowls
Easy Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons cooking oil vegetable, canola, etc.
- 1/4 cup bell pepper diced
- 1/4 cup carrot diced
- 3 tablespoons onion diced
- 1/4 cup meat cooked, see note
- 3 eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup peas frozen
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 3 cups rice cooked, see note
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce see note
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- scallion sliced, for serving
Instructions
- In a non-stick skillet or a wok, heat cooking oil until shimmering.
- Add the chopped onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent.
- If you are adding cooked meat, add it here.
- Move meat and vegetables to outer rim of the pan or wok. Pour eggs in the middle of the pan (now clear) and scramble, trying to avoid meat and vegetables on outer rim of pan.
- After eggs are almost completely cooked, add peas, rice, and soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix together and then let the bottom cook for 1-2 minutes before stirring again. Repeat this a few times.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if desired.
- Top with sliced scallions.
Sammi Windley says
Fried rice is such a fun easy recipe! My whole family loves it.