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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.
Thanks for the recipe – it works well and tastes great. This is a variation that some people may want to try, make your rice with the juice from another dish. For example, I used the sauce (water, spices, and meat drippings) from a pork roast that I made in a crock pot. It gave the rice a faint, spicy pork flavor that made the fried rice even better.
Not sure why this is called Easy Fried Rice. All fried rice is easy. If you wanted to make this Japanese style instead of Chinese, just add a little white pepper and garlic salt to taste. I like to add leftover cooked salmon to mine!
That sounds delicious.
I’m making this right now. Basically what I figured it was but glad I found it here to verify. This beats me going out and spending $15 on Chinese food when I really just wanted fried rice. 😉
This was incredibly easy and came out fantastic! I’m definitely not skilled at cooking and if I can do it, anyone can! I will definitely attempt the sweet and sour chicken next!
I thought I had messed up the rice (it didn’t seem cooked when I put it in the fridge), but I added a little extra soy and it was perfect!
Thought it was a simple but very good recipe. I added beef to mine. Next time I may try a different oil with the beef but it was a very fine recipe
Hello Alyssa
I’m going to try this recipe with brown rice and want to add strips of pork chops. Can I simply fry the chops and then proceed with the recipe? This sounds amazing
Thank you
Made this rice with your sweet and sour chicken and was very happy I did. I thought both recipes where easy to follow and easy to complete. The only thing I did different is the way I dredged the chicken. I like a thicker coating so I stuck with dry, wet, dry for dredging. Great recipes though. Thank you
Do I have to use sesame oil? My daughter has an allergy what other alternative would you recommend?
The sesame oil gives it that authentic flavor but you would be fine with frying it in some vegetable oil. 🙂 It will still be delish!
Why do you use frozen carrots instead of fresh? Whats the difference in making this to use fresh ones? Dont want to have to go to the store for one item…
If you use fresh they will just have to be fork tender when you add it to the rice. 🙂
is that 1/2 CUP or BAG of frozen peas and carrots?
1/2 cup but you can add as many as you would like!
I tried this and LOVED it!
That honestly an amazing reciepe period .
so , easy and quick and so delicious thank you . i will try all yours
Yes, I make fried rice now and thanks a lot for this tips.
How many servings does this rice make?
I would say 6-8.
What is the serving size?
I would say 6 servings
I always get confused on this point- is it a 2 cups of rice AFTER its cooked or raw before I cook it? Thanks!!!
You add in cooked rice. 🙂
So double clarify, your recipe uses just one cup of uncooked rice, which turns into 2 cups cooked? Or do you start with 2 cups uncooked which gives you four cups cooked?
It is two cups cooked rice. 🙂
My husband loved it. He told my married kids all about it. Looks like I will be making baked sweet & sour chicken on Christmas Eve. Thank you.