Fried Rice is an easy one-pot wonder and a complete meal. You can add your favorite type of meat or whatever leftovers you have on hand...ground or shredded chicken, beef, or pork, diced ham, or even shrimp are all delicious!
I'm back today with another yummy, quick, all-in-one dinner for busy weeknights.
Who doesn't like Fried Rice? It's obviously a great accompaniment to Chinese food, but my family enjoys it so much that I've learned it can easily be turned into a stand-alone meal. So any time I have leftover protein -- whether it's shrimp, ham, ground beef, rotisserie chicken, or shredded pork -- I know I'm just a pot of rice away from a quick and easy dinner!
You know what's just as exciting to this mama, who juggles dinner making with baby corralling, preschooler entertaining, and homework assisting? With this meal, I don't have to worry about the added time and work that go into veggie and carb side dishes. Fried Rice is an all-inclusive, one-pot-wonder.
How to Make It
If you've never made Fried Rice before, it's super easy! And best of all, the whole thing goes down in the same pot or skillet.
- Cook carrots and garlic in a little oil until tender.
- Push them to the edges of the pan and scramble some eggs in the center.
- Add cooked rice and other add-ins (such as frozen peas, diced meat, whatever you like). Gently stir all ingredients together until heated through.
Variations
As far as vegetables go, feel free to throw in your favorites.
We like the traditional carrots and peas, but I know lots of people might enjoy green onions as well.
I find that grating the carrots allows me to sneak in extras, because the shredded pieces cook down quite a bit and are hardly noticeable by children-who-may-otherwise-pick-them-out in the final dish. But if you don't have an issue with persnickety offspring, use frozen diced carrots if that's easier.
On this particular night I made this recipe with white rice, but I often use brown rice and it turns out tasty as well.
And while I diced up a hunk of leftover ham here, I honestly can't decide on my favorite type of meat to add to this dish. Beef Fried Rice ends up tasting totally different than Shrimp Fried Rice, but my family loves them both.
Another bonus of this recipe is that any of its components may be tweaked to your liking. If you prefer more or less of anything, adjust away.
A Note About the Soy Sauce
If you reduce a particular ingredient, just be sure you adjust the soy sauce accordingly so that you don't end up with too much sodium. In the same way, if you use a salty protein like ham or shrimp, you may want to initially decrease the soy sauce and then add it back to taste. It's always easy to add more, but it's pretty much impossible to take it away.
I hope this delicious Fried Rice recipe provides another idea for your dinner repertoire that's fast, uncomplicated, appealing to all ages, and undeniably delicious. Enjoy, y'all!
More Asian-Inspired Dinners
- One-Pan Beef & Rice Skillet
- Slow Cooker Thai Peanut Chicken
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Slow Cooker Asian Shortribs
Fried Rice
Ingredients
- Sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 3-4 cloves
- 2 cups grated carrots (about 8 ounces)
- 4 eggs, beaten
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 5 cups cooked rice, white or brown
- ⅓ cup soy sauce
- 2 cups ground/diced/shredded leftover meat (already cooked), such chicken, beef, pork, ham, or shrimp
Instructions
- Coat a large pot set over medium-low heat with 1 tablespoon of sesame oil. Cook garlic and carrots, stirring frequently, until tender. Push carrot mixture to the side of the pan and add another tablespoon of sesame oil. Add eggs in center of oil and cook as you would scrambled eggs.
- Mix carrot mixture into eggs and stir in frozen peas, cooked rice, soy sauce, and shredded/chopped meat. Turn heat to low and, stirring frequently, allow peas and meat to heat through before serving.
Notes
- You may use white or brown rice. To make 5 cups of white rice, I cook 1 ½ cups of dry rice in 3 cups of water for 20 minutes, following package directions. The water/rice ratio for brown rice is going to be slightly different and the cooking time will be approximately doubled.
- You may use regular or toasted sesame oil. If you don't have it, peanut oil or canola oil would work fine, too.
- I shred my carrots in the food processor. 2 cups may seem like a lot, but they cook down quite a bit. I find that by shredding them, they are hardly noticeable in the final dish and my kids don't mind eating them. You may also grate your carrots by hand, use packaged matchstick carrots, or even use frozen diced carrots.
- You may use whatever type of meat you have on hand. Shredded rotisserie chicken, leftover ground beef or beef roast, shredded pork, cubed ham, chunks of shrimp...the possibilities are endless!
Cliff
You would think a fried rice recipe would be simple, and that "if you've seen one you've seen them all", but that is not the case.
I have followed many fried rice recipes over the years, and I can attest to the fact that it is highly probably I will never use another. I made this 4 days ago. My family had it for dinner the first day, and for the next two days 1 or 2 of us would pop a bowl in the microwave, in our standard "free for all" lunch prep.
That first batch ran out yesterday after lunch was served...so I made another batch in the afternoon.
This is a simple AND delicious recipe.
Amy Provo
Our favorite recipe!! So simple and delicious. Perfect taste!
RObin
Great recipe! I added cabbage and water chestnuts and it was amazing ! THAnks for sharing!! Marggie
jade edward
I think I should try this one!
Katie Jean
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! I used leftover rotisserie chicken and substituted 1cup frozen corn for one of the cups of peas. I also added about 4tsp hoisin sauce that I happened to have on hand. It gave it just a little more oomph.
CA
Nothing beats homemade fried rice!
xerosyna
This recipe is quie good. I did it a little diferently by stirring the egg into the rice and adding tumeric as well as mushrooms. It was delicious!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Glad you enjoyed it, Xerosyna! I bet the turmeric and mushrooms made it even tastier! 🙂
Jenn
Yummy fried rice! Perfect addition to the pineapple/sweet and sour pork chops! Rice easy to make and love that you can use what veggies you have on hand or enjoy.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I'm so glad you enjoyed this, Jenn! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and let me know it was a hit. 🙂 Your Pineapple Sweet & Sour Pork Chops sound pretty darn good as well...I just might have to make something like that to accompany my fried rice the next time I get a craving for it! 😉
Audrey Clark
Thank you so much for this quick dinner idea. I love Chinese Food and this way, I can save my left overs and enjoy something tastee, and beautiful.
Samantha at Five Heart Home
You're so welcome, Audrey! I love turning leftovers into something new. 🙂 I hope this recipe is a hit at your house, and that you're having a great weekend!
Irv Stanley
I am in the process of right now, but do not have any frozen peas, could there be any other suggestion for substitution?
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Hi Irv! You can sub any vegetable that you like! Green beans, corn, broccoli...I think it will be tasty with any of those. And if you don't have frozen, fresh works, too. Hope you enjoy it!
Irv Stanley
It came out perfect, except it came out darker, i think i used dark soy sauce thats why 🙂
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I'm so happy to hear that it turned out well, Irv! Thanks for coming back to let me know. Hope your week is off to a great start! 🙂
Abby
Mmmmm! This was so yummy! I love that I can make my own at home! Thanks, Samantha!
Anne
I love fried rice and this one was delicious! Great recipe!
Shannah
This was so delicious. I love fried rice but rarely think to make it at home. It is so much better for you though when you can control the ingredients. Thanks for this recipe!
tanya
My kids recently discovered fried rice. Making this version at home was so much better than a restaurant!
Kelly Stephens
Yumm! Serendipitously, I have a huge pot of leftover rice in the fridge that needs to get eaten. Thanks for sharing!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
Sounds to me like it was meant to be, Kelly. 😉 Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Bintu
Yum, I am rice addict so always love finding rice recipes. Especially the easy ones. I love the sweetness that grated carrots bring to fried rice.
Dorothy
Yum! I love fried rice. And I love to make it at home.
Lara
Sounds yummy! And maybe, just maybe the little ones will eat it! Can't wait to try it!
Samantha at Five Heart Home
I hope so, Lara! And if they don't, well, that just means more for you... 😉