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Fried Rice is a combination of long grained rice, mixture of warm peas, carrots and onions with scrambled eggs mixed all together! You will not be getting take out any longer!
Have fried rice as an entree or a side dish when serving it! If you love fried rice try these variations of fried rice: Bacon Fried Rice, Shrimp Fried Rice, Ham Fried Rice or Chicken Fried Rice.
Easy Fried Rice
I have always loved fried rice. I could probably eat an entire bowl. The great thing about this recipe is that you can add whatever you would like! I have added bacon, chicken, and ham. It is the perfect fried rice base and they say the secret ingredient to get the authentic Chinese taste is sesame oil. Whatever it may be it is fantastic!
I had my entire family over for chinese night. It was a lot of work, but I wanted them to experience my famous sweet and sour chicken. They absolutely loved it and agreed that it tasted straight from a restaurant.
I always serve this amazing fried rice with all of my Chinese dishes. It is easy and goes perfectly as a side!
Ingredients in Fried Rice
- White long grain rice- Day old and cold rice help to keep it from being mushy.
- Small white onion
- Vegetables- Peas and Carrots. You can also add in other veggies such as bell pepper, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, snow peas and cabbage.
- Eggs
- Sesame Oil
- Soy Sauce
- Green Onions- Garnish with adding in sliced green onions right at the end!
How to make Fried Rice
Preheat Skillet. Turn your skillet to medium high heat and pour sesame oil into the bottom of your skillet and add the onion, peas and carrots. Fry this until they are tender.
Slide the veggies to the side. Pour the beaten eggs onto the other side. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs. Mix them together with the veggies.
Add the rice. Combine it with the veggie and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top and stir until it is heated throughout. Garnish with green onions.
Tips for making Fried Rice:
My Chinese sister in law gave me these awesome tips and recipe that I feel make it truly authentic. This is a tried and true family recipe that tastes even better than take out. We love have family gatherings and this is always a favorite recipe to use.
Here are some tips that will make this fried rice simple and easy for you to make. The great thing about this fried rice is made all in one pan. Less clean up for you and more time to sit and enjoy your fried rice as a family.
- Cold rice or day old rice is best. This helps to prevent and keep the rice from sticking together and getting mushy. It does not have to be cold, but it is best to have day old rice instead of fresh rice.
- Scramble the egg in the same pan. To save on dishes you can just slide the veggies to one side and pour the egg in the other side. Scramble the egg with a spatula and then combine with the vegetables.
- Use Jasmine or long grain rice. Using a long grain rice will produce the best results and is most commonly used.
- Use Sesame oil. For the authentic flavor this is a MUST! Sesame oil has distinctive nutty aroma that brings the flavors together in this dish.
- Soy sauce is your best friend. Little to a lot is all up to you. Don’t be afraid to go wild or stay true to the recipe. You will enjoy the extra flavoring soy sauce has to offer mixed with veggies and rice.
- Cook the veggies and egg in the same pan. This is my favorite trick to making this recipe all in one pan. As soon as the veggies are tender just slide them over to the side, pour the eggs onto the other side and scramble. It is as easy as that!
Fried Rice is great for leftovers!
- Can you reheat Fried Rice? Yes! This is an easy fried rice recipe that is great to double to have left overs for the following day. The best way to reheat fried rice is either on the stove top or in the microwave. You don’t want to reheat fried rice more than once for best results.
- Can you freeze Fried Rice? Yes! It is best to place cooked fried rice in air tight containers or ziplock bags. When ready to reheat, the microwave is the best option.
- How long does Fried Rice last? After you cook fried rice, it is best to refrigerate in air tight containers. If it is properly stored, fried rice will usually keep between 5-7 days in the refrigerator.
Is it healthy for you?
This Quinoa Fried Rice or even this Cauliflower “Fried Rice” are both healthier ways to make fried rice. Quinoa and cauliflower fried rice are perfect for making the dish low carb. You will get that same authentic and delicious Chinese flavor. Fried rice on average is about 333 calories in 1 cup. You better have 2!
What to serve with Fried Rice
- Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Slow Cooker Beef and Broccoli
- Sticky Asian Glazed Chicken
- Baked Kung Pao Chicken
- Firecracker Chicken
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Easy Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice *
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 small white onion, chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce more or less to taste
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons green onions, chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat. Add the sesame oil, onion, peas, and carrots. Cook until tender.
- Slide the onion, peas, and carrots to the side, and pour the beaten eggs onto the other side of the skillet. Using a spatula, scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the vegetable mix.
- Add the rice to the veggie and egg mixture. Pour the soy sauce on top. Stir and fry the rice and veggie mixture until warmed through and combined.
- Add chopped green onions if desired.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The sesame seed oil is a MUST, trust my words, I actually added a bit extra.
Same here! It was delicious but definitely needed a bit more sesame oil and a tad more soy sauce.
i have been making chinese stir fry for 30 years and eating it for 50. from chinatowns in la and sf and porland oregon. all these places use peanut oil and a wok not sesame and a frying pan the reult is not the same.certainly not better than take-out. sesame oil is used in marinades for flavor and you can add it to the rice mixture,but it has a low smoking point. never make kung pao in an oven!
Light Sesame for flavoring but dark sesame is for cooking/frying as it has a higher smoke point and more flavor. I made this yesterday at home for the first time. No more takeout for my wife and I now!
So easy and a family fav! Have been using this recipe for the last year or so.. finally put a comment up. Our taste buds thank you and this busy Mum thanks you for a fast easy and healthy dinner option.
This has been my go to recipe for fried rice. So easy and great taste
By day old rice…. what does she mean? Cook it the day before and then reheat in the pan with everything else?
Yes! That is correct. Cooked rice is best for fried rice because it is not as sticky.
The best fried rice ever!! The only change I did was a bit less sesame oil (it is too strong for us) but other than that, this is a family FAVORITE!!!!! Thank you!
Yes, I agree… 1 T sesame oil was enough in my opinion.
Stupid delicious! Seriously the sesame oil is key! Thank you for sharing ( I have never left a response…. Never felt the need to. Until now!
I would like to know if it can work if I can add prawns to this recipe. Let me know please.
Yes, that will be perfect! I even have this shrimp fried rice to try: https://therecipecritic.com/better-than-takeout-shrimp-fried-rice/.
I have been making fried rice for quit a while. Always plan the previous day and cook your rice then. It really needs to sit in the fridge overnight. I also use a cheap peice of pork that I cut up into chunks and cook the previous day. . I cook the pork with some olive or cannola oil. So when preparing the Rice. use real butter instead of oil. It fries better and doesn’t stick the rice in the pan, also adds great flavor. I agree to add peas/carrots, onion and scrambled eggs. soy sauce, small amout of sesame oil and whatever spices you want. (sprinkling of Chili powder for heat). Add the meat. At about 3 minutes before removing from the stove top add a small can of drained pinapple chunks and a small can of drained water chestnuts. stir them in and just heat a little. Fantastic and enjoy! Best fried rice I ever made.
This recipe was simple and delicious 😋Tonight was the first time I made fried rice and it was a hit! I added ginger and used frozen peas & carrots but followed the recipe as shown. Thank you for sharing!
Needed something quick, easy and I could use my extra veggies with!!!! My kids LOVED this recipe just as much as takeout!!! Thank you.
Ginger is a fantastic addition too.
Easy to follow directions and recipe came out delicious. I added sea salt and used a sushi grade cooked white rice. Cut up fresh carrots and frozen peas. Thank you so much!
I want to try this recipe but the print is so small I can barely read it. Is there a way to print it in larger print?
Thank you for letting me know. We just updated the printable version and it should be larger now. Please let me know if you have any other problems with it.
Going to try this but what’s the recommended serving size? A cup?
Yes, one cup is the serving size.
Thanks for featuring this recipe. I’m making Asian inspired pork ribs today (they’ve been marinating in the fridge) and decided to try the fried rice tonight. I was wondering how it would be with brown rice (not as good as white rice). I made brown rice last night to use in the recipe. Just curious as to what your thoughts would be with using brown rice. By the way I love Asian sesame oil! Thanks.
I’ve been making fried rice for 40 years. First started when I got my first wok at 25 and it came with Madame Wong’s Chinese cookbook, which has become my Bible to Chinese cooking. It can be found online , but no longer is published. It’s wonderful!A few tips that you left out about rice. Always use long grain rice, measure your rice into your pot and before you cook it run cold water over the rice and rinse at least five times and watch all the starch pour out from your rice. You’d be surprised at all that glue!
Fresh ginger is very overpowering. Sesame seed oil can be overpowering. There is bottled stir fry oil, or use cannola! I’ve never used carrots or peas, instead quickly stir fry first fresh sliced pea pods, lots of sliced green onion, a little bit of fresh (not canned or bagged) bean sprouts. You can add mushrooms, bits of red pepper too. Follow instructions as above, but ALWAYS RINSE YOUR LONG GRAIN RICE 5 TIMES before cooking and ALWAYS refrigerate rice till cold before frying it.