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?
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. :)