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!
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
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?
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!