Easy Fried Rice is better than take-out style rice that’s loaded with veggies and seasonings and made in just minutes! Perfect for using up leftovers too!
When it is just too hot to grill or even turn on the oven, resist the urge to grab those take-out menus! This awesome stove top recipe for Easy Fried Rice is just what you need for these dog days of summer..or for anytime. Just make some rice, let it cool in the fridge and 15 minutes later dinner is on the table. To make it more hearty, you can add in some cooked chicken or shrimp.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE EASY FRIED RICE
- Cooked Rice – You gotta plan ahead and use COLD cooked rice for this recipe. Warm rice will hit the pan and get mushy before you’ll ever get those delicious crisp edges on some of the rice pieces. I always cook mine in an Instant Pot for perfectly cooked rice every time. I like to use Basmati rice for making fried rice. It’s a long-grain rice that remains an individual grain when cooked and doesn’t stick together. It’s also sturdy enough to stand up to frying. Jasmine and American long grain rice are also good choices.
- Butter – Yes, but is necessary here! If you’ve been to a hibachi Japanese restaurant, remember the large brick of butter they throw into the rice? That’s the flavor we’re going for here! Unsalted butter is what I use (and all I buy). If using salted butter, watch the amount of soy sauce you use to avoid an overly the rice being too salty.
- Eggs – This recipe calls for 2 eggs, but if you love those crispy egg pieces in your rice, throw in another one.
- Peas and Carrots – Grab a 12 ounce bag of frozen peas and carrots. It’s so convenient, I keep a stash of them in the freezer.
- Garlic – I’m all about easy cooking so keeping a jar of minced garlic in the fridge is my secret weapon.
- Green Onions – also known as scallions. Use just the green for more subtle onion flavor.
- Soy Sauce – Regular or Low-Sodium varieties are fine.
- Oyster Sauce – To build instant flavor, you don’t want to miss this sauce. It’s a sweet and salty ocean flavor that gives your rice that certain something. If you don’t have it, that’s okay.
- Toasted Sesame Oil – Pure liquid gold for Asian cooking and is 100% essential to making delicious, full-bodied fried rice. Toasted Sesame Oil is thick, rich and smells amazing….it’s also a finishing oil so stir it in after you take the rice from the heat.
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST EASY FRIED RICE
First, melt the butter in the skillet over medium-high heat and add the whisked eggs. Scramble the eggs until they are almost dry. Salt and pepper the eggs to taste, and remove the eggs from the pan.
Next, add the rest of the butter into the skillet and saute the garlic for about a minute. Add in the whole bag of frozen vegetables and continue to saute until the vegetables are heated thru…about 3 minutes. (go ahead…put that frozen bag on the back of your neck for a sec …it will cool you right down)
Add the rice, soy sauce, oyster or fish sauce and green onions to the skillet and stir until everything is blended. Then fry the rice for about 5 minutes and remove from the heat.
It may take a little work to get everything worked into the chilled rice. But it is so worth it! Just a note – the oyster or fish sauce really give this rice an authentic take-out flavor, but the rice is still amazing without it. If you are adding in cooked meat, this is the time to add it to the skillet.
The final step is to add the sesame oil and stir to blend it in. Now you’re ready to serve your fried rice with flavor that’s just like take-out. Who could ask for more?..unless you’re talking about jewelry of course!
CAN FRIED RICE BE FROZEN?
Yes, absolutely. Let the fried rice cool in the pan, then transfer into freezer bags or containers. Label and freeze for up to 3 months.
EASY FRIED RICE VARIATIONS
There’s no limit to the fried rice variations that you can create. Use up leftovers you have on hand, or create some new ones.
- Pork Fried Rice – Fry a pork chop in your skillet before making the rice. Cool and slice into small pieces before adding into the finished rice. Or even better, make our favorite Pork and Vegetable Ponzu Fried Rice recipe.
- Chorizo Fried Rice – This spicy pork will add major flavor to fried rice. Just cook and stir in at the end.
- Chicken Fried Rice – Cook a chicken breast while making the rice and cut into bite size pieces to add at the end, or shred a rotisserie chicken. Even better, make our Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken. It’s a meal starter you’ll want to keep on hand in the freezer.
- Shrimp Fried Rice – Saute a half pound of peeled, deveined shrimp in a separate pan while cooking the rice. Then add it to the fried rice at the end.
- Fried Brown Rice – for a healthier option, swap long grain brown rice for the traditional white rice in this recipe.
Easy Fried Rice
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter divided
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 12 ounce frozen peas and carrots
- 2 tsp minced garlic about 4 cloves
- 4 cups long grain rice cooked and chilled
- 3 medium green onions thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup soy sauce more or less to taste
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce or fish sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- In a large skillet*, over medium-high heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the whisked eggs and scramble until almost dry about 2 to 3 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Transfer eggs to a plate.
- Melt the remaining butter in the skillet. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute until fragrant. Add the bag of frozen peas and carrots to the skillet, along with a pinch of salt and pepper and saute until heated thru. Stir in the rice, green onions, soy sauce, oyster or fish sauce to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the eggs back to the skillet and stir to combine. Remove from heat and add sesame oil. Toss to combine.
- Serve rice immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.
© Copyright Christine Mello for Must Love Home. We would love for you to share a link to this recipe but please do not copy/paste the recipe instructions to websites or social media. We are happy for you to share a photo with a link back to this website instead.
Hi Christal, I’m so glad you liked it. We double and triple the recipe to make extra to freeze in plastic freezer bags… so we always have it on hand! Thanks for the comment and rating, we really appreciate it!😁
It was light, tasty, and easy to halve the recipe. I love how easy and fast it was, thank you!
Hi Dave, for best results use a long grain rice like Basmati, Jasmine or American Long Grain because the grains don’t stick together after cooking. Long rain brown rice (whole grain) works well too. I hope that helps.?
Does it matter what type of rice is used in this recipe? I ask because of dietery needs.
I’m happy this turned out well for you. Yup, chilling the rice makes a world of difference in the final texture. I saw it on a cooking show years ago, tried it and now I always include that step! I love feedback on my recipes, so thanks for letting me know how yours turned out.
I really liked this rice!! Thank you because what I cook for the first time usually never turns out and this one did! Thanks for explaining the importance of chilling the rice in the comments because I did not do that this time and it did turn out soggier than I would have liked- so I will definitely try chilling next time. Loved the recipe- thank you again.
Hi Melissa, thank you for your comment. The rice is chilled to help dry it out. If you use just cooked, warm rice, the fried rice will turn out soggy, without the individual grains that gives fried rice its texture.
The recipe ingredients call for the rice to be cooked and chilled before starting. It takes 15 minutes to actually cook the fried rice. I hope this answers your question. Have a nice evening Melissa.
Could you please explain why it is important to cool the rice? 15 minutes in the fridge will just cool it somewhat, it won’t even be cold…
Hi Dave, thanks for the great comments! I am so glad you enjoyed the rice! Christine
Excellent fried rice! Once you’ve cooked it you’ll find out you can add or change some of the ingredients with different veggies and or meat. Very, very good recipe!