Easy Fried Rice

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. 

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?

Enter your email below and we'll send it straight to your inbox. Plus you’ll get great new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Address Email

Email Address *

Save

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

1. Heat some oil in a nonstick skillet or wok until it’s shimmering.
2. Add in the chopped onion, carrot, and bell pepper. Cook until the onion is translucent.
3. If adding meat, add it in here.
4. 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.
5. After the eggs are almost completely cooked, add in the peas, rice, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
6. Mix together and allow to cook for 1-2 minutes before stirring again.
7. Repeat a few times.
8. Taste the rice mixture and adjust it to your own tastes. Add in salt and pepper if desired.
9. 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.

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

WANT TO SAVE THIS RECIPE?

Enter your email below and we will send it straight to your inbox. Plus you will get great new recipes from us every week!

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.

Address Email

Email Address *

Save

Easy Fried Rice

Longbourn Farm • Alli Kelley

Easy fried rice is the perfect way to use up leftovers and create a flavorful, filling meal. Try it for lunch or dinner, stand alone or as a side dish!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

Calories 637 kcal

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Equipment

• Redmond Real Salt

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 2 teaspoons cooking oil (vegetable, canola, etc.)
• ¼ cup bell pepper (diced)
• ¼ cup carrot (diced)
• 3 tablespoons onion (diced)
• ¼ cup meat (cooked, see note)
• 3 eggs (beaten)
• ¼ 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. 

Notes

You can really use any kind of vegetable or meat in this recipe. I often use leftover meat or even chopped lunch meat depending on what my family wants. 

We use Calrose Rice most often, but you can use whatever you have on hand. The 3 cup measurement is also variable, this recipe is really flexible. I usually make this with leftover rice and use however much we have left, between 2-3 cups. 

Different brands of soy sauce have vastly different flavors, add the soy sauce 1 tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go, to determine how much you would like to add. I use Kikkoman brand. 

Nutrition

Calories: 637kcalCarbohydrates: 115gProtein: 18gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 825mgPotassium: 346mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1875IUVitamin C: 16.6mgCalcium: 63mgIron: 2.1mg

Tried this recipe?Please consider leaving a review!