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Delicious Fried Rice Recipe, ready in 20 minutes! This easy fried rice with egg and vegetables is perfect for a quick dinner, or serve it as a side dish.

Fried rice in a skillet with a wooden spoon.

Everyone needs a few go-to, quick dinner ideas in their back pocket and this fried rice recipe is one of ours. You’ll love this recipe because it appeals to everyone, even picky eaters, and calls for just a few simple ingredients. Start to finish, you can have this fried rice on your table in just 20 minutes. That’s a meal worth adding to your regular rotation!

The secret to the best fried rice? Use cold cooked rice. Leftover rice is perfect, or you can cook the rice earlier in the day and pop it in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. To make this fried rice, you’ll sauté some veggies, scramble a few eggs and then mix it all together with a bit of soy sauce and toasted sesame oil. It comes together in one pan, so clean up is easy too.

Why You’ll Love this Fried Rice Recipe

  • Quick & Easy Recipe: This 20 minute meal is a family favorite! You can have it on your table faster than picking up takeout from your local Chinese restaurant.
  • Balanced Meal: The combination of rice, vegetables and eggs will leave you feeling satisfied.
  • Uses Leftover Rice: We always seem to have leftovers when I cook rice for dinner, and this recipe is a great way to use them up!

Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this fried rice recipe:

Ingredients for fried rice recipe.

  • Canola Oil: For sautéing the vegetables.
  • Onion & Carrots: Fresh chopped onion and carrots will give you the best texture and flavor. Be sure to chop the carrots up small so that they soften quickly.
  • Fresh Garlic: For flavor.
  • Frozen Peas: An easy way to add another veggie to the dish. You don’t need to thaw them before adding them to the pan.
  • Butter: For cooking the eggs.
  • Eggs: Two eggs are lightly beaten and then scrambled right in the skillet alongside the vegetables.
  • Cooked Rice: Use cold cooked rice for best results. White rice is typically used to make fried rice, but you can substitute brown rice if you prefer. Learn How to Cook Rice perfectly every time. Or cook the rice in the Instant Pot.
  • Soy Sauce: For flavor. I like to use a low sodium soy sauce to limit the amount of salt in the dish.
  • Toasted Sesame Oil: Adding a bit of toasted sesame oil gives the fried rice an authentic Chinese fried rice flavor.
  • Salt & Pepper: Enhances all of the flavors.
  • Green Onions: Add mild onion flavor. I’ve listed them as optional, but I always add them!

How to Make Fried Rice

Making this fried rice recipe takes just 3 simple steps: sauté the vegetables, scramble the eggs (in the same pan!), add the rice, soy sauce and sesame oil and then stir it all together. Then dig in!

  1. Sauté the veggies. In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, cook the onion and carrot in a bit of canola oil until the veggies start to soften. Add the garlic and frozen peas, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 2 minutes. Two side by side photos showing carrots and onion, then peas and garlic added to skillet.
  2. Scramble the eggs. Push the vegetables to one side of the pan. On the other side, add the butter and let it melt. Then add the eggs and cook, stirring gently, until they’re scrambled. Two side by side photos, showing butter melting in pan and then scrambled eggs in pan with veggies.
  3. Stir in the rice and seasonings. Mix the eggs into the vegetables and add the cooked rice, soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook, stirring, until the rice is heated through. Then season the rice to taste with salt and pepper, stir in the green onions, and serve. Two photos showing rice and seasonings added to pan and then green onions added.

Recipe Tips

  • Use cold rice for fried rice with the best texture. Leftover rice works perfect. You just don’t want to use rice that is freshly cooked and hot.
  • Have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. Once you start adding the ingredients to the hot skillet, the dish comes together really quickly. It’s best to have the eggs cracked and scrambled, the vegetables chopped and your measuring cups and spoons handy before getting started.
  • Use a nonstick skillet so that the eggs won’t stick to the pan.
  • To make gluten free fried rice: instead of soy sauce use gluten-free tamari, gluten-free coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce.

Fried rice with egg in skillet.

Recipe Variations

You can add chicken, shrimp, pork or pineapple to this vegetable fried rice recipe:

  • Chicken Fried Rice: Stir in diced or shredded cooked chicken along with the rice. Both Baked Chicken Breast and Instant Pot Shredded Chicken work well.
  • Shrimp Fried Rice: Add cooked shrimp to the fried rice. This Air Fryer Shrimp works perfect, or cook the shrimp in a separate skillet while you sauté the vegetables.
  • Pork Fried Rice: Chop up leftover pork tenderloin and add it to the fried rice.
  • Pineapple Fried Rice: Fresh pineapple chunks add delicious sweet flavor to fried rice.

What to Serve with Fried Rice

Fried rice can be a meal on its own, or serve it with one or two other dishes for variety. It goes well with a side of egg rolls, egg drop soup or hot and sour soup. Serve it alongside a Chicken Stir Fry or Broccoli Stir Fry. Or enjoy it with:

Fried rice served in a bowl with chopsticks.

More Rice Recipes

This fried rice is a tasty gluten free meal or side dish, perfect for lunch or dinner. Add it to your meal plan this week!

Close up of fried rice with egg on a wooden spoon in a skillet.
5 from 1 rating

Fried Rice

Servings: 4 main dish servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
This easy Fried Rice Recipe comes together in just 20 minutes. Enjoy it as a vegetarian main dish or side dish, or add chicken, shrimp or pork.
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • ¾ cup chopped yellow or white onion
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped into ¼-inch pieces
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • ½ cup frozen peas, do not thaw
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 3 cups cooked, chilled white rice
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 3 green onions, chopped, optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat the canola oil in a large skillet or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes, until the vegetables start to soften.
  • Add the garlic and frozen peas and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
  • Push the vegetables to one side of the pan. Add the butter to the empty side of the pan. Once the butter is melted, add the eggs to the butter side of the pan and cook, stirring gently, until scrambled.
  • Mix the scrambled eggs into the veggies and then add the cooked rice, soy sauce and sesame oil. Cook, stirring, until rice is heated through.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the chopped green onions if using. Serve.

Notes

Calories: 309kcal, Carbohydrates: 44g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 89mg, Sodium: 560mg, Potassium: 308mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 5531IU, Vitamin C: 13mg, Calcium: 58mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: Chinese
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
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