Fried Rice
40 Comments
Updated Jan 24, 2025
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This fried rice delivers everything you want from the classic Chinese take-out version: a fluffy yet crispy texture, a harmonious blend of eggs and vegetables, and an ideal balance of savory, aromatic flavors. That’s why it’s a family favorite!
Why You’ll Love This Fried Rice Recipe
Fried rice is the quintessential “leftovers” stir-fry, where you can toss in whatever veggies or proteins are lingering in your fridge. And while there are countless ways to make fried rice, this version is what I whip up time and again. It reminds me of my favorite Chinese takeout, but making it at home somehow makes it taste a thousand times better. Plus, it pairs beautifully with dishes like egg drop soup, kung pao chicken, Mongolian beef or chicken stir-fry for the ultimate Chinese-inspired dinner. Here’s what else you’ll love about this recipe:
- It’s quick and easy. After prepping a few veggies, this dish comes together perfectly in about 20 minutes.
- It has just the right amount of flavor. Soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger and garlic create the perfect balance of rich, savory, and aromatic notes.
- You can customize it. Once you’ve nailed this classic egg fried rice, you can bring in other protein options to make it a heartier meal. I’ll give more examples below!
Easy Fried Rice Ingredients
- Rice: Day-old, cooked long-grain rice, such as jasmine or basmati, works best. Its drier texture makes it less sticky and ideal for achieving that fluffy, slightly crispy consistency.
- Vegetables: This classic version includes a mix of onion, carrot, green onion, garlic, ginger, and frozen peas for a vibrant and flavorful base.
- Eggs: Three eggs provide the perfect balance between protein and vegetables. Though you can always add another egg or two if you prefer more protein.
- Sauces & Seasonings: A combination of tamari soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, salt, and ground white pepper delivers the savory, umami-packed flavor we all love.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How To Make Fried Rice
Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and white parts of the green onion, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Then, add the garlic and ginger, and stir for another 30 seconds.
Cook the eggs. Push the veggies to the side of the pan, add a splash more oil if needed, then pour the eggs into the empty side of the wok. Use your spatula to stir and soft scramble the eggs.
Add the peas and rice. While the eggs are still a bit soft, add the frozen peas and rice to the pan and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes, until warmed through.
Add flavoring. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, and green parts of the green onions. Stir it all together until combined and you’re done!
Fried Rice Variations
- Add more protein. Whether it’s shrimp fried rice, chicken fried rice, or Chinese sausage fried rice, always cook the protein separately before adding it to the fried rice.
- Make it vegetable-heavy. Load the fried rice with extra vegetables like bell peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, baby corn, or even diced kimchi. And if you want to go extra veggie-heavy, you could even swap the rice for cauliflower rice to make cauliflower fried rice.
- Add more flavor. Two great ways to enhance the taste are using butter for a richer flavor, smoother finish or adding MSG for a more savory, meaty-packed flavor. I personally don’t love MSG, but I know it’s commonly used in Chinese restaurants.
More Rice Side Dish Recipes
- Cauliflower Rice: A great low-carb substitute.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: The best rice for Mexican-inspired meals!
- Mexican Rice: This rich tomato rice is sure to impress.
If you make this fried rice recipe, I’d love to hear how it turned out in the comment box below! Your review will help other readers in the community. And if you’re hungry for more healthy food inspiration and exclusive content, join my free newsletter here.
Easy Fried Rice
Description
Video
Equipment
- Carbon Steel Wok My favorite work for Asian stir-fry recipes.
- Stir Fry Spatula Set A great tool to have for stir fry dishes.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 4 green onions, white and green parts separated
- 2 garlic cloves
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 cup cooked white rice (day old rice)
- 3 tablespoons tamari soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- kosher salt and ground white pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Sauté the veggies. Heat the oil in a wok or large pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and white parts of the green onion, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, and stir for another 30 seconds.
- Cook the eggs. Push the veggies to the side of the pan, add a splash more oil if needed, then pour the eggs into the empty side of the wok. Use your spatula to stir and soft scramble the eggs.
- Add the peas and rice. While the eggs are still a bit soft, add the frozen peas and rice to the pan and stir together for another 2 to 3 minutes, until warmed through.
- Add flavoring. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and pepper, and green parts of the green onions. Stir it all together.
- Serve. You can serve the fried rice by the spoonful or place it into small bowls that you invert onto a plate for pretty presentation. Watch the video above to see how I do it!
Lisa’s Tips
- You can swap in a frozen veggie blend of carrots and peas (or carrots, peas, and corn), instead of dicing a fresh carrot. Just add about 1½ to 2 cups of frozen mixed veggies instead of the 1 cup of frozen peas.
- If adding cooked protein to the rice, add it in after step 4 (where you add the sauces and seasonings).Â
- Storage Tips:
- To store in the fridge: Allow the fried rice to cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container. This prevents moisture buildup, which can lead to sogginess. It will stay fresh for up to 3 to 4 days.
- To freeze for later: I love freezing fried rice as a meal prep option. Portion it into smaller servings and store it in freezer-safe bags or containers. It can be frozen for up to 2 to 3 months. When ready to eat, thaw it in the fridge overnight and reheat thoroughly.
- For reheating: To reheat, you can either use the microwave or a large pan or wok. If using a pan, add a splash of water or a little oil before stir-frying again. If using the microwave, cover the rice with a damp paper towel to keep it moist.
Nutrition
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Behind The Scenes
I can’t believe it’s taken me this many years to get a classic fried rice on the website! Normally my recipes go through many rounds of tests, but as I’ve made this recipe a gazillion times with numerous variations (like my shrimp fried rice or cauliflower fried rice), I really just need to sit my bum in front of the computer and write up the step-by-step instructions. Done and done!
Omg we love this fried rice ! Such a perfect dinner option and it does not weigh you down. Thank you so much !
Thrilled to hear you loved this fried rice recipe, Lizenda! It’s always such a great option for a Chinese-inspired dinner at home. Enjoy!
This recipe is so good! I personally wasn’t a fan of Panda Express’s fried rice, and this recipe surpasses the fast-casual restaurant by miles.
My family of six loves leftovers, so I doubled it, and it got inhaled. Only had two servings left! I will definitely recommend this recipe to friends and make it in the future. Thank you, Lisa, for everything you do. I look forward to your recipes every week!
Aw, thank you for making my recipes, Meghann! It makes me incredibly happy that you and your family love them. :) x
Simply delicious. Next time I would add some chili to it to give it some spice.
Chili would be a great addition for a little extra kick.
First fried rice we actually love!! So easy to make & really has a great taste. 10/10 for sure!
Yay, so thrilled to hear that you loved it, Alexandria!
This was the best! So easy and yummy!!
Hi Terrie – Happy to hear you enjoyed this fried rice recipe!
This is the BEST and EASIEST recipe! I love the fact that I can also freeze it and it comes out of the freezer ready for a meal. I love Lisa’s recipes, and this one is a winner!
Can’t beat a friendly-freezer meal like this! Enjoy, Susan.
Delicious. I used half rice and half cauliflower rice. I’d say it was 4 stars as written, but some sriracha bumped it up to a 5 (but then again I like spicy food).
Hi Jennifer – I’m happy you loved this fried rice recipe with a little extra kick!
5-Star Review
This fried rice was absolutely fantastic! The recipe is so simple yet delivers amazing flavor. I couldn’t resist doing the Benihana trick and added a little butter at the end—let’s just say it definitely didn’t hurt! ;) I’ve already had my dinner and packed up three lunches to take to work this week. Quick, easy, and totally delicious—this one’s a keeper. Thank you for another winner!
I’m sure the slab of butter made this extra delicious! Glad this made for the perfect weeknight dinner and packable lunch, Tara.
Love love love the simplicity of this recipe! So easy, so delicious! 💙🖤🦋
Hi Maya – Happy to hear you’re loving this fried rice recipe!
I’ve circled back around to Lisa’s recipes this January as I feel so much better when I eat the way she does. I tried this fried rice recipe last night and it turned out delicious! The husband said it wast he best he ever had. It’s so empowering to be able to have the knowledge to create nutritious and yummy meals through her videos. I coupled this with her asian chicken lettuce wraps and it was the perfect dinner. For today’s lunch I grilled some shrimp and topped it on the fried rice – great next day leftovers! Thanks Lisa!
What a delicious meal you made, Jodie! I’m so glad you and your husband loved each recipe, I can’t wait to see what you make next!
Made this for dinner, as I already had all of the ingredients on hand. It was delicious and super simple to make.
Nothing like clearing out your fridge with fried rice! Glad you enjoyed this recipe, Alicia.
So delish and easy to prepare!! Beautiful as well!!
Happy to hear you’re loving this fried rice recipe!
Delicious, healthy and easy. Thank you so much, we enjoyed this for dinner and lunch!
You can’t beat fried rice for a delicious and healthy meal! I’m glad you loved this recipe, Suzie.
I don’t bother with egg as I always add meat. Or just top with fried eggs.
Chopped peanuts on top and adding lemongrass while sautéing vegs gives it a Thai vibe too.
I remember when fried rice never had peas in it—from Chinese eateries in the US anyway. Then suddenly they were everywhere in it 🤷🏼‍♀️
Your twist on this sounds delicious, thanks for sharing!
Easy and nutritious which can be put together quickly with staple pantry and fridge items. I use variations by adding shrimp, chicken or eggs. Leftover rice works wonderfully for this dish.
Happy to hear you’re loving this fried rice recipe!
Made this tonight for dinner, as I already had all of the ingredients on hand. Super simple and delicious!!! Perfect for a cold winter night.
Wonderful! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe, Alicia.
Lisa, this fried rice recipe is very close to the one that I’ve been using for decades, and I think it’s excellent. One thing I wanted to mention is that I am also gluten-free and you said you can use oyster sauce if you are not gluten-free. But I buy gluten-free oyster sauce at my local Asian grocery and use it in many different recipes without any problem.
I’m so glad you love this fried rice recipe! As for the oyster sauce, thanks for letting me know. I’ll look into that.
I love this recipe for a quick and delicious dinner. I add shrimp. Have all your ingredients by your range ready to go. Things come together quickly and simply. Dinner is served!
This really is such a quick and easy dinner idea! Glad you loved it, Kathleen.
Made this for dinner and used all frozen ingredients as it’s what I had on hand and 1tsp of garlic powder. Made too much rice previously so I already had it in the freezer, just gave it a quick defrost in the microwave. It came together quickly and turned out delicious! I can’t wait to try it again with fresh carrots and garlic. Thank you Lisa!
I’m glad you found the best way to make use of your leftover ingredients! That’s the beauty of fried rice, glad you enjoyed this recipe, Hilary.
Well, it’s not traditional, can you swap the white rice for brown basmati rice to get more fiber? I try not to eat white rice or bread products.
Hi Carol – yes, no problem! Feel free to swap in brown rice. :)