This easy fried rice recipe makes a delicious Chinese fried rice, perfect as a base for any Chinese Food! This is a great way to use up leftovers without thinking of them as leftovers – You’re just cooking ahead! You can mix and match your favorite ingredients, so use just what your family likes. We include a list of popular add-ins in this post. You can find this Chinese fried rice recipe in our Dining On A Dime Cookbook, Volume 1.
Discover the ultimate quick and delicious meal with this Easy Chinese Fried Rice recipe! This fried rice is a perfect complement to your favorite Chinese food dishes, but it is also delicious as a standalone meal.
Perfect for busy weeknights or whenever you’re craving something tasty, this dish is incredibly simple to make. With just a few ingredients like leftover rice, fresh veggies, scrambled eggs, and a splash of soy sauce, you can whip up a flavorful, satisfying meal in no time. The combination of savory soy sauce, aromatic garlic, and crunchy vegetables makes every bite irresistible. Enjoy a restaurant-quality dish at home with minimal effort – it’s the perfect go-to recipe for any occasion!
Fried Rice Ingredients
Fried rice can really use almost any ingredients you would like to add. Our basic fried rice recipe calls for rice, eggs, bell peppers and soy sauce, but don’t be afraid to stop there. Some of the most common things people like to add are onions, peas and carrots, and chicken. We have included a complete list of variations below, including proteins, vegetables, sauces and garnishes.
Rice – Leftover rice is perfect because the slightly drier texture of leftover rice makes for a better fried rice. White rice works best for its texture and flavor, but you can use cooked brown rice if you prefer.
Scrambled eggs are a staple for virtually all varieties of fried rice. You can scramble them right in the pan you will be using to cook the other fried rice ingredients, or you can scramble them separately and add them as you go. If you do not like eggs, if you cannot eat them, or you don’t have any on hand, you can leave them out.
Vegetables – You can add a variety of different vegetables to fried rice to suit your taste. it is best if the vegetables are cut into smaller pieces to keep the texture of the fried rice. The basic recipe below calls for green bell peppers, but many people use peas and carrots or other frozen mixed vegetables. If you have leftover vegetables, this recipe is a great way to use them. For more ideas, be sure to check out our list of variations below.
Soy sauce – Our easy fried rice recipes calls for soy sauce, which is the most common sauce to use to flavor fried rice. If you’re gluten free, you can look for a gluten free soy sauce in the store. You can also use other sauces along with or instead of the soy sauce. You can see some other sauce suggestions in the variations list.
How To Make The Fried Rice
Fried Rice is super simple to make. Our easy fried rice recipe below is a basic fried rice, but you can add any vegetables, rice or proteins you like. If you have leftover items, throw them in to this recipe to use them without wasting them!
Start by sautéeing the bell peppers and any other vegetables that you want sautéed in butter, margarine or oil. Sautée them in a frying pan that is large enough for everything you will be adding to the fried rice. Don’t over cook the sautéed vegetables as they will continue to cook after you add the other ingredients. If you add more vegetables than the basic recipe calls for, you might need a little more butter or oil.
Add the eggs and stir until scrambled and set. If you have never cooked scrambled eggs, you want to stir them until they firm up and are not too runny. Don’t overcook the eggs or they will get dried out. (You can find our scrambled eggs recipe here.)
If you don’t want the eggs to cook with the peppers and onions, you can scramble the eggs separately and add them pre-cooked to the sautéed peppers and onions.
Once the eggs are cooked, add the rice and soy sauce to the frying pan. If you would like to add any other ingredients like the vegetables, cooked meats and sauces listed in the variations below, add them now with the rice.
Cook everything until it is warmed through. For the best flavor, cook until the rice is browned. As you cook the fried rice, stir and turn over the rice frequently so that it all cooks evenly.
Easy Fried Rice Variations and Add-Ins
There are many delicious variations you can add to fried rice to enhance its flavor and texture. Here are some popular additions:
Proteins:
- Chicken
- Shrimp
- Beef
- Pork
- Tofu
- Eggs
Vegetables:
- Carrots
- Peas
- Bell peppers
- Broccoli
- Snap peas
- Corn
- Mushrooms
- Onions
- Scallions
Flavor Enhancers:
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Soy sauce
- Oyster sauce
- Hoisin sauce
- Sesame oil
- Sriracha or other hot sauces
Garnishes:
- Fresh cilantro
- Chopped green onions
- Sesame seeds
- Crushed peanuts or cashews
Fruits (for a twist, if you’re feeling a little more adventurous):
- Pineapple
- Mango
Experimenting with these ingredients can help you create a fried rice dish that suits your taste and makes the most of what you have on hand.
This easy fried rice recipe is from our Dining On A Dime Cookbook, Volume 1.
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Easy Fried Rice Recipe
This easy fried rice recipe makes delicious Chinese fried rice perfect served alongside any Chinese food dish. Simple to make and customize to your taste, it’s an ideal way to use leftover rice, vegetables, and more.
- Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1/2 green pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp. butter, margarine, or oil
2 eggs
4 cups rice, cooked
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
Instructions
- Sauté the green pepper in a skillet with butter.
- Add eggs and stir until scrambled and set.
- Add rice and soy sauce.
- Heat through. For the best flavor, cook until it is heated through and the rice is browned.
Notes
The basic fried rice recipe is super versatile and easy to customize you your own taste. While the recipe only calls for rice, eggs and bell peppers, you can add any kind of vegetables and proteins that sound good. This recipe is a great way to use leftover rice, vegetables, chicken and more.
Here are some other things you might want to add to the easy fried rice recipe to make it a little more fancy:
- Mixed vegetables, like peas and carrots or a vegetable blend
- Onions, chopped and sautéed (You can sauté them as they are cooking in the fried rice.)
- Cooked meat, like chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or fish.
- Fried tofu
- Your favorite Asian sauce
- Any of the variations in our list above or anything that sounds good to you.
If you don’t like eggs or if you can’t eat them, you can leave them out of the recipe.
This recipe is a perfect way to use leftovers, so if you have any kind of leftover vegetables or cooked meat, add them to this fried rice recipe to use them without calling them leftovers.
What To Serve With This Easy Fried Rice Recipe
Easy Chinese Chicken Recipes – Quick And Delicious!
Vegetable Spring Rolls
White Rice – How To Cook Rice Recipe – Easy Way To Make Rice (If you don’t have leftover rice, start with this recipe.)
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Two things make fried rice more like Chinese restaurant rice: one is old rice you made yesterday. The second is Shaoxing cooking wine, which almost every Chinese restaurant uses in every dish. Try it and see.