Fried rice is a take-out classic because it’s fast, easy, filling, delicious, and inexpensive, which is everything I want from a meal made at home, too! I love making vegetable fried rice at home because it’s an easy way to use up odds and ends in my fridge, it’s always satisfying, and it’s FAST. Plus, I can always add some meat or seafood if I’m feeling it!
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What is Fried Rice?
Fried rice is a Chinese dish made with cooked rice that is then stir-fried in a wok with other ingredients, like meat, seafood, vegetables, and eggs, and then seasoned with a savory sauce. It’s extremely flexible and budget-friendly, which is why we love this dish! The recipe below is an American adaptation, using a skillet instead of a wok and ingredients that are easily sourced in most American grocery stores. If you’d like to try an authentic Chinese Fried Rice recipe, be sure to check out Chinese Fried Rice from Rasa Malaysia, Egg Fried Rice from Red House Spice, or Classic Chicken Fried Rice from The Woks of Life.
Use Leftover Rice for Best Results
To avoid clumpy or gummy fried rice, use rice that has been previously cooked and completely cooled, preferably overnight. The slightly drier, less starchy rice is perfect for stir-frying because it can absorb moisture from the sauce and vegetables without becoming overly sticky. If you don’t have leftover rice from the day before, simply cook some rice, spread it out thin on a baking sheet or wide baking dish for faster cooling, then refrigerate until completely cool before using in the stir fry.
Do I Need a Wok?
Woks are wonderful for stir fry because the large surface area makes it possible to add a lot of ingredients without overcrowding. While using a frying pan doesn’t work quite as well, we can make up for the crowding issue by cooking the ingredients separately, then combining them at the very end.
What Else Can I Add to Vegetable Stir Fry?
Here’s my favorite part. A simple Vegetable Stir Fry is a blank slate for all sorts of add ins, whether it’s more vegetables, a meat or seafood, a different sauce, or even a crunchy topping! Here are some other fun add-ins for your stir fry:
- Other vegetables like beansprouts, mushrooms, green beans, corn, broccoli, red chiles, or kimchi
- Meat or seafood like chicken fried rice, beef, shrimp, pork, or sausage
- Other sauces like oyster sauce, sriracha, or chili crisp
- Crunchy toppers like cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, crushed ramen noodles
Vegetable Fried Rice
Servings 4 about 1.25 cups eachIngredients
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.16)
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger ($0.10)
- 1 carrot, diced ($0.16)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced ($1.50)
- 4 green onions, sliced ($0.40)
- 2 large eggs ($0.46)
- 1 cup frozen peas ($0.50)
- 3 Tbsp cooking oil, divided ($0.12)
- 3 cups cooked and cooled rice ($0.62)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.18)
- 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil ($0.30)
Instructions
- Prepare the vegetables before hand so they're ready to go when needed. Mince the garlic, grate the ginger, dice the carrot and bell pepper, slice the green onions (separate the green ends from the white ends), and measure the frozen peas.
- Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the eggs and gently scramble until cooked through. Transfer the cooked eggs to a clean bowl or plate.
- There should be a good amount of oil left in the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the diced carrots and stir and cook for about two minutes. Next add the bell pepper and the white firm ends of the green onions. Cook and stir for one minute more. Finally, add the frozen peas and stir and cook until heated through. Transfer the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
- Add the remaining 1 Tbsp cooking oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the surface. Add the garlic, ginger, and cooked and cooled rice to the skillet. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the rice is heated through.
- Pour the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil over the rice. Stir the rice and sauce together until evenly combined. Turn the heat off.
- Add the eggs and vegetables back to the skillet with the rice and stir to combine. Allow the residual heat to heat everything through. Top with the remaining green ends of the sliced green onions. Taste and adjust the soy sauce or sesame oil to your liking.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Nutrition
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How to Make Fried Rice – Step By Step Photos
Prep the vegetables before you begin cooking because once you start, it will go fast! Mince two cloves of garlic and mince or grate about 1 tsp fresh ginger. Peel and dice one large carrot and one red bell pepper. Slice four green onions, separating the tender green top half from the firm lower half, and measure out one cup of frozen peas.
Lightly whisk two large eggs. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the eggs to the skillet and gently scramble until cooked through. Remove the scrambled eggs to a clean bowl or plate.
There should be quite a bit of oil left in the skillet after removing the eggs. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the diced carrot to the skillet and stir fry for about two minutes. Next, add the bell pepper and the firm white ends of the sliced green onion. Stir fry for about a minute more. Lastly, add the frozen peas and stir fry just until heated through. Remove the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
Add another tablespoon of cooking oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the surface again. Add the minced garlic, ginger, and three cups of cooked and cooled rice to the hot skillet. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes. Don’t worry if the rice sticks a bit to the bottom. It will loosen after the sauce is added.
Add 3 Tbsp soy sauce and 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil to the rice. Fold the rice and sauce together until the rice is evenly coated in the sauce.
Add the vegetables and eggs back to the skillet. Turn the heat off and stir to combine, allowing the residual heat to reheat everything through.
Top with the sliced green ends of the green onions and you’re done! Give it a taste and add extra soy sauce or sesame oil to fit your taste buds.
What do you like to put in your fried rice?
Tasty and fast! Added in some corn and broccoli to clear out some left over veggies
Made this tonight….so good! Added tiny shrimp. Already looking forward to the next time I make it! Like other comments, love that I can always mix up what I add to it Thank you for another great recipe!
i have sesame oil but not toasted sesame oil . is there a difference tk you.
It’s a subtle difference! Toasted sesame oil is made from toasted sesame seeds and regular sesame oil is made from raw sesame seeds. Toasted is just slightly nuttier, but if you have regular already that’s totally fine!
I’ve made this so many times, and probably never the same twice. Today I had shredded carrots, shelled edamame, and cabbage so that’s what went in along with the garlic, ginger, and onion. Oh, and one lonely half-cup of cooked quinoa joined the rice. My guys loved it.
Really fast and easy recipe that helped sweep the kitchen after (Canadian) thanksgiving weekend. I threw in some leftover ham and didn’t have more carrots, but still awesome!
Nailed it! I just used 2 cups of frozen mixed vegetables thawed a little and leftover chicken. Best fried rice I’ve had.
So good. So easy and so worth it! Added the oyster sauce and sriracha like you said, and it was perfect! I didn’t have day old rice, so I cooked it and refrigerated for a few hours on a sheet pan as you suggested. Love this recipe.
Can I make this a day ahead? Would this work well for weekly meal prep?
Thanks
Hi, Karen! This can be made ahead and will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge. (I wouldn’t try to freeze it.) It will reheat the same way as any Chinese takeout rice. I like to sprinkle about a teaspoon of water (or a tablespoon, depending on the serving size!) over the rice, which will help it steam again, and warm it up in the microwave. I bet it would also be a fabulous recipe for meal prep! If you’re planning to carry other foods in the same container (like we usually do), I’d make sure whatever I chose also reheats well in the microwave. ~Marion :)
Thank you for inviting me 😊
YUM! Wonderfully satisfying and savory, and so versatile – I’ve made this with everything from leftover roasted broccoli & sweet potato to a package of frozen mixed veggies. Anything goes, really, as long as you have about 2 cups of veggies total. Firm tofu (cooker or uncooked) also makes a great, protein-rich addition.
I am new to tofu and wanted to add some i had to this, but wasn’t sure the best way. Do you fry it separately like the eggs or add in with the veg? Do you season it first or just toss it in?
I would definitely make it and season it separately and then toss it all together at the end! You could check out one of our tofu recipes, like this soy marinated tofu to get a better idea how to prepare it! https://www.budgetbytes.com/soy-marinated-tofu-bowls-spicy-peanut-sauce/
I was just curious how much rice you cooked to yield 3 cups?
Hi Ava. One cup of uncooked rice will yield approximately three cups cooked. XOXO -Monti
I was REALLY looking forward to Not fried Rice. Perhaps veggies added to the rice prior to the rice being cooked. Wether hotel pan prepared or done in a pot stove top or even a rice cooker. Rice, water, prepped veggies and add heat.
I am allergic to sesame oil. Is it completely essential?
No, sub with your favorite. Substitutes for sesame oil include olive, grapeseed, walnut, avocado, and peanut oils. XOXO -Monti
I am allergic to sesame oil. Is is completely essential?
This was very tasty!
This is an end-of-the-month pantry meal when I’m scratching around to feed my hungry husband. I always have rice and frozen vegetables, and even sometimes a single frozen chicken breast I can add for his “protein tooth!” Thank you, Beth, for your help in stretching our grocery dollars in these days of mad inflation!
Definitely thinking of trying this next week. Question: After cooking, would it last 3-4 days in the fridge?
I would definitely eat the leftovers! Of course, with leftovers, it’s always kind of subjective about how well they hold up. :)
I enjoy cooking fried rice, with shrimp or chicken but the stick to much for me.
It’s better than restaurant.
Love it love it! But did you say 3 cups of rice? It’s perfectly proportioned and I added mushrooms and broccoli but I did not have a pan quite big enough. I made due and I noticed in your pictures above, it doesn’t look like you have 3 cups of rice in your pan. We will have enough for the rest of the week. Good things my kids loved it!
Yep, 3 cups of cooked rice. :) It’s a very large skillet, so maybe it just looked like a little amount comparatively.
Looks so nice, will make it today
So simple, love how you can just use your veggie leftover lying around, that’s really handy
Making this as I type!! I’m very much an adult but have always been a picky eater, I bought all the ingredients yesterday and included a bottle of fish sauce, as I’ve read many times that a tiny bit adds great flavor. Gonna try a teeny splash in the first bowl to see if I like it. Thanks for this recipe Beth, can’t wait to try it!!
Eggs aren’t listed as an ingredient. Not sure how many to use or how they factor in for the cost. Otherwise everything looks tasty!
Oops! Thanks for catching that. It’s two eggs for $0.46. :)
Um… the eggs aren’t included in the updated ingredients list. :/
Thanks, just fixed it!
Eggs seem to have dropped off the ingredient list for this update, but I think the original said to add two? I usually add more like 4 or even 6 for my egg loving kiddos. Otherwise the four year old just picks out all the egg and leaves none for the rest of us! I love how flexible this one is though.
Yep, sorry about that, it’s two! I just fixed it. :)
This recipe is easy and delicious! Personally I added a little extra of each vegetable and added more soy sauce and sesame oil, plus a little dash of msg for a more takeout-style flavor :)
This was so satisfyingly flavorful! The steps were easy to follow. I used frozen bell pepper instead of fresh. Extra appreciation for the calculator that adjusts ingredients to different serving numbers.
This was delicious! We doubled it to feed our family of 6 for lunch. We only had 2 cups left over! We added a little more soy sauce to each bowl, but it may have been our bell peppers were bigger than Beth’s. We also subbed regular onion for green onions, ground ginger for fresh, and used instant brown rice instead of regular. We will make it again!
Made it for my boyfriend and I for lunch and it was very good. I used frozen peppers and made it in my electric skillet like TY did :) I also added some garlic chili sauce to mine it but I like things a little spicy. Fantastic thank you Beth :)
This was delicious! So fast, and so easy, especially since we started keeping a good amount of cooked rice on hand as a matter of course. We might add a third egg next time around, since ours are a bit on the small side.
I was just hoping to see if anyone used entirely frozen veg and if that made any sort of difference?
My picky eater had 2nds! I made this and added the left-over turkey from Thanksgiving and it was fabulous! This is a great thing to have in rotation as my sons can’t pick-out the veggies (I cut them up small) and they love rice. The protein is optional depending if I have left-over chicken or turkey in the fridge.
HOORAY!! Shout from the rooftops! Way to go Jennifer!
I made this with leftover yellow jasmine rice (my favorite rice recipe), and it was unbelievably good!
Great recipe! Made this tonight as I had everything plus I added some red cabbage I had in the refrigerator. Pretty and tasty.
Delicious! Every recipe I have tried has been a keeper. I am so glad I found your blog, I plan my meals for the week with your recipes. Thank you for budget minded, fresh, delicious food!!
I make it the same way, except instead of green pepper I add bean sprouts. This recipe is great with crab meat added after the egg is cooked :) Crab Fried Rice, so good!
Yummy!!!! That sounds delicious!!! :-)
Used this to make a “Green-Breakfast” fried rice with leftover Jasmine rice from last night’s African Peanut Stew! Celery, peas, cilantro, scallions and two eggs. I have GOT to keep rice in the fridge/freezer. I think fried rice is my new favorite breakfast!
Beth, going to make this again for lunch. So easy and so good. Used my electric skillet, so easy clean up too. I’ve really enjoyed many of your recipes and plan to buy your book as Christmas gifts for the kids and their families.
Like the new photo, too. :)
Made this for lunch this afternoon! It was probably the 30th recipe I’ve made from your site, and it was yummy and easy like all the rest!
This turned out great! Easy and satisfied my fried rice craving without the greasiness. I’ll definitely make it again.
I just made this (with a few changes based on what I had) with your recipe for seasoned rice. Oh, man, this was delicious! I couldn’t stop eating and am so pleased it’s so easy, in sure I will be making this often. Thank you!
Thank you so much for all these delicious, cheap and easy recipes! I added a touch of fish sauce, a sprinkle of curry powder and some celery to this dish and it was amazing!
Made this tonight using short grain brown rice because that’s what I had on hand and it came out great. Thanks!
Hi Beth,
I’m planning on making this tonight. You said that brown rice would not work but it looks like you used it in your recipe (or does it have to be half brown half white?)
Ha! I made this so long ago that I didn’t realize that I had used brown rice. Okay, so let me explain. :) These days I personally like the texture of white rice a LOT better than brown in recipes like this, but back when I made this (2010), I was a lot less discriminating. If I were to make it today I would not use brown rice, but it looks like I did back then and enjoyed it, so maybe you would too! :) *SMH*
I love fried rice but also wanted a healthier version. How well do you think brown rice would work in this?
Personally, I don’t think it would work well. It just has such a different texture.
Hey Beth! The idea behind the wok is a large surface area. These days, even gas ovens can’t evenly heat that surface. An electric skillet is closer to that idea than a large wok at home you can’t really heat.
Because tofu doesn’t run all over the place you can just cook it with the vegetables at the same time. The only reason you need to remove the veggies before you cook the egg is so that it doesn’t coat the vegetables in the pan/wok :)
Also Im not going to use egg going to use tofu, should I still remove the vegetables to first fry the rice and tofu and then add the veggies back in?
does the garlic make your breath smell bad for the whole day or does it get sort of mellowed out in the cooking?
This was delicious! :)
is the cool one, thanks i have read a lot here .. hehe
http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/equipment-how-to-buy-a-wok-which-wok-is-the-best.html
I would recommend using day old (or several days old) rice instead of freshly cooked rice. Day old rice doesn’t stick as much, is drier and absorbs more flavor and has better texture when cooked.
This is fantastic — I adore your blog. Keep up the great work.