Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice: 10 minutes is all you need to make homemade fried rice with veggies and eggs. This simple veggie fried rice recipe is a perfect side dish or vegetarian dinner. 

Growing up my mom’s go to easy dinner recipe was fried rice. She called it stir fry, but really all it was leftover rice, shredded carrots and fried egg and sometimes chicken.

It was such a simple meal and one that as kids we all loved–which as one of four kids, this fried rice, pizza meatloaf and creamy parmesan pasta were about the only meals my mom didn’t hear complaints about!

The funniest memory about my mom’s fried rice was that my dad ate it with buttered bread. Like he scooped up the fried rice and ate it on white bread that was slathered with butter–crazy, right?!

While I don’t love fried rice on buttered bread, I do love an easy, kid-approved meal.

And given that I can whip up this fried rice in less than 15 minutes, it is definitely a favorite in my house.

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice

I have an extensive collection of 30 minute meals and a list of recipes that I resort to when I am too tired to cook to cook.

In fact in my recipes to cook when too tired to cook, one of the meals I suggest is an easy stir fry with leftover rice–which is VERY similar to this recipe for easy fried rice.

But this meal has saved me on so many busy nights and always makes my family happy, I knew I just had to share my version of easy fried rice with you!

How to Make Easy Fried Rice

For fried rice, rice, veggies and soy sauce are the absolute MUSTS!

My mom also added shredded carrots and sometimes chicken, but I like to add peas, cabbage and eggs as well. I also use brown rice in place of white rice, but you can use any rice you want.

How to fry rice

To make fried rice, you need to know how to fry rice. And while, it seems quite simple–there are a few tricks.

• Start with large skillet. A wok if you have one, but a regular old skillet or cast iron pan works as well. For fried rice, I do not recommend a nonstick skillet.
• You also need an oil that can handle high heat. I use avocado oil or peanut oil, but coconut oil or vegetable oil will work in a pinch.
• The other key is that your rice is cold and dry–so leftover rice is best! I personally like to make extra rice on purpose. I will freeze the leftover rice in 2 cup batches and use it for Creamy Cheesy Chicken and Rice and this Fried Rice and just defrost when needed. Just be sure to use a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture on your rice (that moisture could cause your oil to spit at you when you add the rice and it makes it harder for the rice to crisp up.)
• To fry the rice, heat your oil and add in your rice. Stir the rice back and forth and let it get browned–this only take a minute or two, then you add in seasonings and brown another minute, then your vegetables.
• Finally, you push the rice to the sides of the pan and add in your eggs and quickly scramble the eggs. Once eggs are set mix into rice and fried rice is ready to be served.

Can Fried Rice be made with fresh rice?

Leftover rice is best for this recipe for because as rice sits in refrigerator, it dries out.

Dried rice will produce that crispy texture a classic fried rice has.

You can use fresh rice, but I would recommend spreading it out on a sheet pan after cooking and pop it into your freezer to cool slightly.

Just remember using freshly cooked rice for fried rice will turn out soggy and won’t produce the crispy nuggets of rice that is distinctive of fried rice.

Can Fried Rice be made without eggs?

Absolutely! The eggs are a classic addition and add a does of protein, but there is no need to add in eggs if you have an allergy, don’t like them, or ran out of eggs at your house!

What vegetables do you add to fried rice?

You can add any vegetables you would like–you just want to be sure they either cook quickly or are precooked in order to keep this stir fry riced fast.

My family loves shredded carrots and shredded cabbage because they blend perfectly in with rice. We also love to add defrosted peas for color and taste.

A few other suggestions would be:

• chopped kale–not traditional at all, but delicious
• defrosted edamame
• fresh broccoli florets
• chopped celery
• peppers
• onions

I love how vegetables stay crisp tender in fried rice, but you can use frozen vegetables as well.

If using frozen vegetables, be sure to fully defrost or slightly cook the vegetables first and soak up excess moisture with a paper towel before adding to your hot skillet.

How can you reheat fried rice?

The best way to reheat fried rice, is to heat up the same skillet you made your fried rice recipe in and then saute the leftover fried rice quickly on high heat for 2-3 minutes until heated through.

Tips on Egg Fried Rice

• Remember if you do use eggs, whisk your eggs up before adding to your skillet so that they are even in color.
• You can also fry up chunks of chicken, steak, pork or tofu, BEFORE you saute your rice. Cook the meat/tofu until browned on all sides, then add in your rice and proceed with recipe.
• I use brown rice, but any rice will work. I have found that wild rice and black rice don’t fry up as nicely as plain jasmine, brown, or white rice.
• Do not add any salt until after you have cooked the rice. Whether you need to add additional salt will depend on the type of soy sauce you use.
• To make Gluten-Free Fried Rice, use tamari or certified gluten-free soy sauce.

 

How to make Homemade Stir Fried Rice

To Make Fried Rice at home, You May Need

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If you liked this recipe for Brown Fried Rice with Veggies, you may also like:

Green Bean Chicken Skillet

Stir Fried Chicken with Bok Choy