Egg Fried Rice (+ Variations)

Showing you how to cook perfect egg fried rice! Made with a simple ingredient list including rice, carrots, beans and eggs tossed in a simple soy and sesame oil sauce. It's kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and perfect for using up what you have in your fridge and pantry.

When I think of comfort food, I think of soups, curries and fried rice. While I love a good cauliflower fried rice, sometimes you just can't beat the real deal. This vegetarian egg fried rice recipe is simple to prep, but so tasty and totally soul-warming!

There are so many reasons to love this recipe: it's budget-friendly, supremely flexible and perfect for cleaning out your fridge, and it makes a big batch and is freezer friendly (so it's perfect for meal prep).

Not only that, but it's absolutely delicious, and kid-friendly as well!

The best type of rice

My top pick for fried rice is a long grain white rice. This includes jasmine rice, basmati rice (my choice!), and sometimes it's just labelled 'long grain white rice'. You can also use long grain brown rice. Long grain rice is soft and fluffy enough to absorb the flavors from the sauce, but is sturdy enough to hold its texture.

Avoid- short grain rice, as they tend to be sticky and softer, wild and forbidden rice, which has a much chewier texture that is just not great in fried rice.

Fresh versus leftover rice

If possible, I advise using day-old rice, because this allows the rice to firm up slightly giving it the perfect 'chewy' texture. Freshly cooked rice is fluffy and soft, and is more delicate and easy to damage during the stir fry process. The slightly dried out day-old rice absorbs the sauce and holds its texture better.

If you are cooking the rice just before making your fried rice, cool it as much as possible before you start the stir fry step.  You can spread it out on a sheet pan and allow it to cool in the fridge while prepping the other ingredients.

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The flavor base

This recipe gets surprisingly complex flavor from a few very simple pantry ingredients:

• soy sauce- I prefer reduced sodium soy sauce, but if you are gluten-free, opt for coconut aminos
• sesame oil- I use a regular sesame oil but toasted sesame oil should work just as well
• ginger- three whole tablespoons! I grate mine on a box grater and done worry about peeling the skin off (just scrub it first)
• garlic- two cloves, but use this as a starting point and add in as much as your heart tells you to 😉

The add ins

This is where you can get creative and use up what you have in your pantry or freezer. Fried rice works amazingly well as a 'clean out the fridge' meal!

1. veggies- believe it or not, there are 8 full cups of veggies in this recipe! I've used a mix of green beans, bell peppers, carrots and onion. You can use what you have in your pantry or even in your freezer, just make sure you chop them finely so they cook through quickly.

• other veggies you could use: frozen peas, bok choy, cabbage, finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower rice (or finely chopped cauliflower), edamame, mushrooms, zucchini

2. protein- this recipe is vegetarian as written with eggs serving as the protein.

• pre-cooked proteins you could use: shrimp, finely chopped chicken, finely chopped pork, tofu

The finishing touches

You can also get creative with the toppings you add to this recipe. Here are some garnish ideas for you to help take your pantry meal to the next level:

• toasted sesame seeds
• cashews
• green onions
• sriracha
• red chiles

Variations

1. chicken- add 1 lb of cooked, cooled + cubed chicken, reduce the eggs to 3
2. shrimp- cook shrimp in 1 tablespoon of oil, remove from the pan and follow remaining steps in the recipe card above. Return the shrimp with the rice at the end and stir until warmed through.
3. pork- add 4 cups cooked + cooled pork (works great with pork tenderloin!)
4. quinoa- replace the cooked rice with quinoa
5. cauliflower - find the recipe here

Storage + Reheating

Egg fried rice works really well for meal prep! Since it makes a big batch, it's a great recipe to cook once and eat all week (or stock up the freezer). Here's how to store it:

• fridge- store in meal prep containers in the fridge for up to 4 days
  • reheat- in the microwave or the frying pan until steaming hot
• freezer- store in meal prep containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure your meals are fully cooled before freezing.
  • reheat- I recommend you thaw completely before reheating in the microwave or the frying pan until steaming hot

*rice food safety tips: do not leave your cooked rice at room temperature for long periods of time. Store in the fridge for a maximum of 5 days. Reheat until steaming hot, and do not reheat more than once. (see more info here)

More tasty rice recipes:

• 7 Easy Rice Recipes
• Instant Pot Fiesta Rice Bowls
• Instant Pot Wild Rice Pilaf
• Instant Pot Cajun Rice + Sausage
• Southwestern Wild Rice Sweet Potato Salad

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Perfect Egg Fried Rice (+ Variations)

5 from 20 votes

Prep Time: 40 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

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Showing you how to cook perfect egg fried rice! Made with a simple ingredient list including rice, carrots, beans and eggs tossed in a simple soy and sesame oil sauce. It's kid-friendly, freezer-friendly, and perfect for using up what you have in your fridge and pantry.

7 servings

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
• ▢ 6 large eggs
• ▢ salt & pepper
• ▢ 2 onions (diced)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons ginger (grated)
• ▢ 2 carrots (peeled and finely chopped)
• ▢ 1 bell pepper (diced)
• ▢ 6 oz green beans (2 cups; cut into small pieces)
• ▢ ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• ▢ 3.5 cups cooked and cooled rice (day old recommended; see note *)
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt (**see note)

Garnish

• ▢ 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions 

• Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat in a large wok or pan.
• Beat the eggs together, season with salt and pepper, then add to the heated pan.
• Cook the eggs, scrambling, until cooked through. Transfer the eggs to a clean bowl.
• Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok or pan.
• Add the onions and ginger, and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add the carrots, bell pepper and green beans, and cook for another 5 or so minutes, until cooked to your liking.
• Add the soy sauce, sesame oil and rice to the pan and stir until everything is evenly distributed.
• Fold in the eggs.
• Taste and add more salt if necessary.
• Sprinkle with sesame seeds and enjoy!

Tips:

Storage

• fridge– store in meal prep containers in the fridge for up to 4 days
  • reheat- in the microwave or the frying pan until steaming hot
• freezer- store in meal prep containers in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make sure your meals are fully cooled before freezing.
  • reheat- I recommend you thaw completely before reheating in the microwave or the frying pan until steaming hot

*Rice

Day-old cooked long grain white rice (jasmine or basmati) recommended for this recipe. If you are cooking the rice fresh, spread it out on a sheet pan and refrigerate while you prep the other ingredients.

 

**Soy Sauce

If using regular soy sauce (not reduced sodium), you may not need additional salt.

Swap for coconut aminos and add salt to taste for a gluten-free recipe.

 

Variations

1. chicken fried rice- add 1 lb of cooked, cooled + cubed chicken, reduce the eggs to 3
2. shrimp fried rice- cook shrimp in 1 tablespoon of oil, remove from the pan and follow remaining steps in the recipe card above. Return the shrimp with the rice at the end and stir until warmed through.
3. pork fried rice- add 4 cups cooked + cooled pork (works great with pork tenderloin!)
4. quinoa fried rice- replace the cooked rice with quinoa
5. cauliflower fried rice- find the recipe here

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/7 of batch (1.5 cups), Calories: 311kcal, Carbohydrates: 46g, Protein: 9g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 159mg, Sodium: 962mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 5g

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Chinese

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