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You guys love all of my fried rice recipes, and this Ham Fried Rice is a classic! Just toss in leftover rice, ham, and a few simple ingredients, itโ€™s ready in under 30 minutes!

Overhead shot of ham fried rice in a skillet.

A Reader’s Review

“This really is the best fried rice. I have now made it with pineapple and left over pork and it was superb. Love it!”

– Jan

Bye-Bye Takeout, Hello Flavor!

  • Use Up Leftovers! This recipe is a great way to use up leftovers! If you have leftover rice or ham, this will be your new go-to recipe!
  • Everyone loves it! Ham fried rice is one of those dishes that everyone can agree on. Kids, adults, they all love it!
  • 30 Minute Meal! You can have this delicious dish ready in just 30 minutes! It is a complete meal on its own, or you can serve it as a side dish with my baked honey sesame chicken and crispy air fryer egg rolls.

Ingredients Needed

Overhead shot of labeled ingredients.
  • Rice Tip:ย Use long-grain, day-old rice. The texture gives the best results. Short grain tends to be too mushy.
  • Bring On The Veggies! You can load it up with your favorite veggies, like peppers, mushrooms, zucchini, and chopped cabbage for crunch!
  • Use Leftover Ham: Making ham for Sunday dinner? Use the leftovers to make this recipe for a quick and easy dinner later in the week!

How to Make Ham Fried Rice

My obsession with ham fried rice started at a young age. I was the pickiest eater ever! This fried rice recipe takes me back to times when this was all I would eat. It’s so simple yet so delicious!

  1. Cook the Ham and Veggies: Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat, then add 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to the bottom. Add 1 cup diced white onion, 1 ยฝ-2 cups diced ham, and 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, and fry until tender.
  2. Scramble the Eggs: Slide the ham mixture to one side of the wok, then add the lightly beaten eggs onto the other side. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the ham mixture.
  3. Add the Rice and Soy Sauce: Addย the cooked rice and soy sauce to the ham mixture, then stir and fry until heated through and combined.
  4. Enjoy! Top with chopped green onions, if desired, and salt and pepper to taste, and serve!

How to Store Leftovers

This ham fried rice is a favorite at our house, so I always make a big batch for leftovers!

  • In the Refrigerator: Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • To Reheat:ย Reheat individual portions in the microwave. Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between, should do the trick!
Plated hame fried rice with chopsticks.

More Fried Rice Recipes To Try

You are all big fans of fried rice. Here are a few of my top recipes! Let me know if there’s one I missed that youโ€™d like to try!

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Better than Takeout Ham Fried Rice

5 from 4 votes
By: Alyssa Rivers
Ham fried rice is a 30-minute, on-pan dish that turns your leftovers into a simple yet delicious dinner. It tastes even better than takeout!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 Servings

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Heat a large skillet or wok over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons sesame oil to the bottom. Add 1 cup diced white onion, 1 ยฝ-2 cups diced ham, and 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, and fry until tender.
  • Slide the ham mixture to one side of the wok and pour 3 large lightly beaten eggs onto the other side. Use a spatula to scramble the eggs. Once cooked, mix the eggs with the ham mixture.
  • Add 3 cups cooked rice and 2-3 tablespoons soy sauce to the ham mixture. Stir and fry until heated through and combined. Top with 2 tablespoons chopped green onions if desired and serve.

Notes

Originally posted May 19, 2014
Updated April 1, 2025

Nutrition

Calories: 184kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 10gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 77mgSodium: 787mgPotassium: 125mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1766IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 27mgIron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Asian American
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!

About Alyssa Rivers

Alyssa Rivers is the author of 'The Tried and True Cookbook', a professional food photographer and experienced recipe-developer. Having a passion for cooking, her tried and true recipes have been featured on Good Morning America, Today Food, Buzzfeed and more.

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Recipe Rating




41 Comments

  1. Love your basic recipe, with a few of my own touches. Along with the onion and frozen peas, I added fresh diced carrot, garlic, just a little red sweet pepper and mushrooms. I sauted.saute do all the veggies in olive oil with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar and a tablespoon of soy sauce. Affair I added the ham and rice I added and TBS and a half more soy sauce. It made a perfect after Christmas ham leftover meal. Thanks for showing me the right steps to start with.

  2. This is fabulous! My teenage boys want a never-ending supply in the fridge to snack on. I have tried many recipes and this is my favorite! Thank you so much!

    1. That is great to hear!! It is so addicting! I love it and love it after the kids are in bed. lol!! Thanks for sharing! I am so glad your boys loved it! XOXO

  3. It looks very tasty and I wanna try this.
    Alyssa, could you please advise? I wonder 3 cups cooked rice – 3 cups dry rice before cooking, or I should measure 3 cups already cooked rice?

    1. I am also wondering about this? Should I use 1 cup uncooked rice to make 3 cups, or 3 cups uncooked rice?

      1. You will want 3 cups cooked rice for this recipe. I use a rice maker and usually make a big batch of rice and use it for other recipes during the week or split it between two recipes. Hope that is a better clarification and you can enjoy this fried rice! Thanks so much for following along with me! XOXO

  4. Is the sesame oil super strong? We aren’t huge fans but I wanted to give this a try since it looks so easy. Thanks for sharing!

  5. Made this for my family last night, pairing it up with homemade steak teriyaki . I followed the recipe thoroughly opting out the onions (kids are not fans of onions). A couple of empty plates later, my hubby asked where did I get the take out from, lol…

    Thanks for this great recipe

  6. Perfect recipe! Made this tonight using leftover baked Christmas ham. Everyone loved รฎt and went for seconds. My son said it was the best fried rice I made! Try it, you won’t regret it.

  7. If I can I would like to add something special to your fried rice recipes. Try cooking your rice with a couple Tbls of Coconut Oil. Makes a world of difference.

  8. I made this for the first time last night & it was absolutely delicious! I had problems finding sesame oil at first, but it’s next to the stuff in the Asian section in the grocery store. I’m definitely making this again! Thank you! This reminds me of the fried rice I used to get back in my hometown. But better! =)

  9. Hi everything on your Blog look’s so good it make’s me hungry everything look’s so easy Thank You!!

  10. This is the most awesome fried rice recipe!
    If you want to take it to another level add 1 tbsp minced ginger.and garlic never ruins any thing but dessert.

  11. Hi,

    i’m always curious, what type of ham do people use in fried rice, those pre-cooked large glazed type something else. I don’t usually buy pork other than pork shops so i’m basically clueless on what type is needed. thanks

    1. I have done it both ways. I have just chopped up a real ham or buy the pre packaged ham. I just fry both with the veggies for a minute or two. ๐Ÿ™‚

    2. Iโ€™ve used cubed spam before now and itโ€™s been very similar to the stuff they use in the local takeaways

    3. If I can find diced or cubed ham in the store I use that. Smithfield is the brand my store carries and I will buy an extra 1-2 packages to keep in my freezer when they are on sale. If I can’t find that then I just buy a ham steak and dice it up myself. I haven’t tried any other style ham. This has become a favorite meal and husband requests it often.

  12. Seriously awesome fried rice! My husband was convinced he didn’t like pork fried rice until he tried this dish. It is so, so, so good and super easy, too. Love it! I doubled the veggies just because I was trying to use up items in my freezer before I restock and sauteed some carrots and celery along with the onion and it was wonderful! It also made enough food that I was able to reheat leftovers quickly and top with 2 soft cooked eggs for his dinner the next day and he’s already asking me to make it again! Definitely a recipe that will go into our monthly rotation!

  13. I have not been able to find decent fried rice around here so I am definitely making this! It looks like my perfect fried rice!

  14. I love ham fried rice along with special fried rice. Give me a bowl of this and some sweet chili chick and I’m good!

    1. I can’t wait to make this recipe my husband and I love ham fried rice , it looks really easy to make . Thank you for your recipe

      1. Ginger!
        I am so happy to hear this! I love it also! Let me know what he thinks! Thanks for following along!