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Skip the restaurant takeout and try making fried rice at home. Flavorful Homemade Fried Rice is ready in under 30 minutes!
Homemade Fried Rice is a staple side dish when making Asian food, and this recipe is quick, easy, and delicious. Serve it up with some Teriyaki Chicken or Moo Goo Gai Pan for a delicious dinner menu!
Who loves Asian food?
My family loves Asian food! We make it all the time, and we have so many favorites at this point, including Sesame Chicken and General Tso’s.
We also like to make all the sides that are common with Asian food, including Egg Rolls, Cream Cheese Wontons, and Chicken Lettuce Wraps.
One of the recipes my little sister makes for family gatherings is Egg Fried Rice. It is a favorite of ours, and I finally tried making it recently only to find out how easy and delicious it is.
Homemade Fried Rice tastes like it came straight from the restaurant and yet it’s SO simple.
How to make fried rice
I love that this Homemade Fried Rice can be made with white rice or brown rice, but we think the brown rice tastes just as good and has added health benefits.
PREP. Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
VEGGIES. Add peas and carrots and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until tender, 8–10 minutes. Lower the heat to medium-low and push the mixture off to one side.
EGGS. Pour eggs on the other side of the skillet and cook, stirring, until scrambled.
COMBINE + ENJOY! Add rice and soy sauce. Mix everything together and cook until heated through.
Secrets for perfect fried rice
Fresh, properly cooked rice is sticky and should clump together. This is especially helpful when using chopsticks! However, when making this Best Fried Rice Recipe, the grains should be separated to fry evenly.
Cold rice. The secret is to use cold rice. Cold Rice instantly begins to fry when it hits the hot pan leaving it with a crisp outside and a warm inside, whereas freshly cooked rice can become soggy.
Since cold rice is best for this recipe, I would suggest making a double batch of rice whenever possible. Day-old rice is perfect for this recipe. Freeze cooked rice to be used later.
Rice grain. Medium-grain rice absorbs more moisture than long-grain rice. This dish requires less moisture, so I recommend using long-grain basmati rice or jasmine rice.
Brown rice tends to be a little chewier than white rice, but either is a great option.
Recipe Tips
Sauce. When adding sauces, less is more. Start with a small amount and taste. If needed, continue adding small amounts until the desired flavor and texture are achieved. Oyster sauce is a delicious and common addition to fried rice.
Oil vs butter. There seem to be two opposing camps when it comes to fried rice, those who use oil and those who use butter. Neither is wrong, it’s just a matter of preference.
Oil has a high smoking point allowing the pan to get very hot before adding the ingredients. Butter has a lower smoking point, but adds great flavor. In either case, do not add too much to avoid greasy rice.
- Oils like sesame oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, canola oil, and peanut oil all work. Just be aware that the different types will alter the flavor.
- Butter. Use unsalted butter as soy sauce already adds salt to the dish. Heat the butter over medium-high heat to avoid smoking and burning.
Pan. Use a large frying pan or wok that provides ample space to fry the dish in a thin even layer. If the fried rice ingredients are too thick, then it won’t cook at the same rate which can cause some portions to be mushy while others portions are overcooked.
Veggies. When chopping the vegetables, try to make them equal sizes so that they cook at the same rate.
Variations. This Fried Rice Recipe is perfect as is, but to make them your own:
- Add shrimp, tofu, chicken, pork, beef, or bacon bits.
- Use cauliflower rice as a low-carb substitute.
- Veggies: chopped bell peppers, baby spinach, chopped bok choy, or broccoli florets.
Storing Info
STORE. Leftover Fried Rice can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.
FREEZE for up to 6 months. Reheat in the microwave or stove top.
Asian entrees to serve with rice:
- Orange Chicken and Asparagus
- Teriyaki Chicken
- Sesame Chicken
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Copycat Panda Express Orange Chicken
Homemade Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 3 cups cooked brown rice, or cooked instant white rice
- ¼ cup soy sauce
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat.
- Add peas and carrots and minced garlic. Cook, stirring, until tender, 8–10 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and push the mixture off to one side.
- Pour eggs on the other side of the skillet and cook, stirring, until scrambled. Add rice and soy sauce. Mix everything together and cook until heated through.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hi Kristyn, I’m doing Weight Watchers and it would be so great if you could give the serving size (ie: 1/2 cup, 1 cup) with the nutrition values. for all if your recipes Then I can add it to my meals. If a recipe says it makes four servings I would have to weigh or measure the whole thing. Not doing that! I’m new to your recipes!
Thank you 🙂
The recipe as a whole makes about 4 cups, which would mean each of the 6 servings would be 2/3 cups.
I doubled the eggs (to 4) bc we like eggs and found that medium-high burnt the oil/garlic. so I did medium and that was better. but very yummy even so!
Where’s the cranberry spread in the jar?
This is a great way to use leftover brown rice. It was delicious and very easy.
I love this!!! As an Asian american, the lack of authenticity is asian food in the U.S. bothers me. This reminds me of my moms! tysm!!
Oh that makes me so happy to hear! I’m so glad you enjoyed the fried rice!!
Light & fluffy!! My family prefers this over white rice, so we make it all the time.
I prefer Homemade Fried Rice over the restaurant version. I know exactly whats in it. We also like to throw in some chicken to make it a hearty meal.
Agreed! I love knowing what ingredients are in my food. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Thank you so much for this fried rice recipe! Really tasty and very easy to make! This is my new favorite!
You’re welcome!! I’m so glad you loved the rice!
I think the homemade version is better than anywhere else and it really does taste great using brown rice.
This is my go-to side with any Chinese food. Love being able to make it at home! So light & fluffy!
We love Asian food! This fried rice recipe makes a great side dish.
So good!
Easy and yummy! Just what we needed for dinner tonight!
Glad you think that! Thank you for sharing that!
I’m actually making this tonight! I like to add a little Oyster Sauce and just a touch of Sesame oil to my rice @ the end. I’ll have to try it with brown rice, I’ve always just done white.
So, what did you think? I hope you liked it!
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This dish looks delicious and attractive. I will try to make it. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Look very delicious! I like it! The instructions in your post very useful with me! Thanks your post!
Thank you, it really is our favorite! Hope you like it!
I added about ½ cup of green bell peppers and a cup of onion to the rest of the vegetables. Then I did as Amy recommended and added the oyster sauce and seseame oil at the end. Next time I’ll add some minced ginger to the vegetables as well.
Sounds wonderful!! Thanks for letting me know!
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Thank you! I hope you will all like it, as much as we do!
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Oh, it’s successful 🙂 Thank you. I tried it last weekend with white rice 🙂 My sister said it was okay so I did it. Thank you!! >.<
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