This easy Fried Rice Recipe is a must make! It comes together in 20 minutes and makes the perfect side dish.
I absolutely love a good fried rice recipe. It’s like comfort food and a treat all rolled into one. But making fried rice at home couldn’t be easier. This is a fantastic base recipe that can be used as a side dish. Or add some more protein to round it out into a full meal.
How to Make Easy Fried Rice
This is a brief overview of how to make this delicious fried rice recipe. For the full recipe with all the measurements, follow the blue jump to the recipe button at the top of the page.
- Start with pre-cooked rice. It is really important for fried rice that you start with rice that was cooked, cooled, and refrigerated for at least four hours. Read more on this below.
- Cook the eggs. When you are ready to make your fried rice, start by melting butter in a skillet and making fluffy scrambled eggs. The remove the eggs from the pan.
- Cook the veggies. Then we will cook the carrots and then add the green onions in some sesame oil.
- Add the rice and finish off the dish. Finally we are going to add the rice, toasting it in the oil and frying it. Add in the eggs, soy sauce, and then some frozen peas.
Pre-Cooked Rice
As mentioned above, starting with rice that has already been cooked and cooled is key in fried rice. This is actually a great way to use leftover rice! If you are start with hot rice, it will clump together and then you won’t get those nice individual strands of rice fried up. Making rice in your instant pot is a quick way to make it fresh or in advance for fried rice.
In addition to pre-cooking your rice and allowing it to cool, I highly recommend rinsing your rice before cooking it. Rice is really starchy. If you wash it a few times, until the water runs clear, this will also help with clumping. I like to do this in a metal sieve as pictured above.
What Rice to Use
I love using a white rice for this recipe, such as basmati or jasmine rice. Both are a long grain rice that work great in this recipe. That being said, because we are cooking the rice outside of the recipe, you can really use any rice that you love in this recipe. Brown rice would also work well here.
Variations
I have so many great variations of this fried rice recipe.
- Shrimp Fried Rice: Adding in a little bit of shrimp adds some protein and helps round this out as a meal. This one is my favorite.
- Chicken Fried Rice: This is always a big hit with the kiddos.
- Beef Fried Rice: This makes a fantastic, fast and easy dinner the whole family will love.
- Ham Fried Rice: I love making this with leftover holiday ham.
- Thai Basil Fried Rice: This one uses different ingredients, including fresh basil, but you will adore it.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days in an airtight container. You could also freeze it in individual portions for up to three months. After taking it out of the freezer, be sure to allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before eating it.
Reheat leftovers in a covered container in the microwave. I like to reheat this at half-power until it is steaming warm. Remember to never reheat leftovers more than once.
What to Serve with this Easy Fried Rice Recipe
This recipe works great as a side dish. I love rounding this out with a main dish and another side or appetizer. Here are a few great options.
- Sesame Chicken: This is better than takeout!
- Pork Lo Mein: This is one of my very favorites. The pork is so tender in this recipe.
- Egg Drop Soup: Done so quickly, this is such a great recipe to stretch a menu.
- Asian Cucumber Salad: A great way to toss in some veggies and such a delicious side.
- Crab Rangoons: These are beyond delightful. I could eat the whole batch myself.
If you make this fried rice recipe or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Easy Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 large eggs whisked
- 1/4 cup sesame oil see note 1
- 2 medium carrots peeled and diced into small 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 5 green onions diced, plus more for garnish
- 4 cups cooked long grain rice cooled, and refrigerated at least four hours, see note 2 (890 grams)
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1 cup frozen peas see note 3 (140 grams)
- sesame seeds for garnish
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and allow it to melt.2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Add the eggs. Using a spatula, scrape from the outsides to the center, flipping them as you cook them. Cook until just done, remove from the pan and cover to keep warm. (If the pan has a lot of residual eggs, clean it and then return it to the heat.)3 large eggs
- Add oil and allow it to heat. Add the carrots to the oil and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.1/4 cup sesame oil, 2 medium carrots
- Add the green onions and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.2 cloves garlic, 5 green onions
- Add the rice and toss to fully coat it in the oil, breaking up any chunks. Then stir in the reserved eggs and soy sauce.4 cups cooked long grain rice, 1/4 cup soy sauce
- Remove from the heat and stir in the frozen peas. If you stir in the peas as soon as you turn off the heat, the heat of the dish will thaw them perfectly.1 cup frozen peas
Notes
- I love using sesame oil in this recipe because it brings in such a great flavor. That being said, if you have someone in your family with a sesame allergy, you can use a neutral oil like vegetable oil or canola oil.
- A key to a good fried rice dish is to rinse the rice until the water runs clear before cooking it, and then allow it to cool and refrigerate for at least four hours after cooking it. Doing both of these steps will prevent the rice from clumping together when it is fried up, giving you the perfect fried rice.
- It is important to leave the peas frozen until right when they go into the dish. The heat of the dish will thaw them to the perfect temperature, leaving them bright green and flavorful.
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