Easy Fried Rice – The Ultimate “Use What You Have” Dinner

Easy Fried Rice is the ultimate "use what you have" dinner. It's quick, cheap, and easily adaptable. This isn't about chasing restaurant-style perfection or sticking to strict ingredients. It's about turning leftover rice, a few vegetables, and whatever protein you've got into a hot, flavorful meal in just 20 minutes.

The beauty of fried rice is that it welcomes creativity. No peas? Use chopped green beans or edamame. Out of carrots? Try bell peppers or zucchini. Swap the meat for tofu, keep it vegetarian, or load it with shrimp, chicken, or pork. You can even make it without any protein at all for a light side dish.

With just a little oil, a splash of soy sauce, and a few pantry staples, you can have a steaming bowl of fried rice that tastes like you planned it!

I like to serve this easy fried rice with my Asian baked drumsticks for an easy weeknight meal. It's also delicious (and so pretty!) with a portion of garlic-honey broiled salmon served on top.

What Makes This Fried Rice "Easy"

The beauty of this easy fried rice is that it's built for busy nights and minimal effort. You don't need a long list of specialty ingredients or a deep dive into traditional techniques, just a handful of pantry staples, some leftover rice, and whatever veggies or proteins you already have.

• Uses leftover rice: Day-old rice has a firmer texture that fries up beautifully without turning mushy.
• Pantry-friendly sauces: Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and even fish sauce give you plenty of flavor without a complicated marinade.
• Flexible ingredients: Swap carrots for bell peppers, peas for corn, or chicken for shrimp, pork, steak, or tofu.
• One-pan cooking: Everything comes together in a single wok or skillet, so cleanup is quick.
• It's ready in 20 minutes: Perfect for weeknights, last-minute lunches, or when you need a side dish fast.

This recipe is less about following strict rules and more about using the stir-fry method to turn odds and ends from your fridge into a hot, satisfying meal.

Ingredients & Substitutions

You only need a few basic ingredients to make this easy fried rice, and most can be swapped for what you already have on hand.

Cooking oil: Canola oil works great for high-heat cooking, but vegetable oil, peanut oil, or avocado oil are all good alternatives. Add a drizzle of toasted sesame oil at the end for extra flavor.
Garlic & Onion: Fresh garlic adds a ton of flavor, and of course goes hand in hand with onion. Use red, yellow, white onion, or even green onions at the end.
Carrots: Diced carrots give a little sweetness and color. Try bell peppers, zucchini, or broccoli if that's what's in your fridge.
Eggs: They add protein and texture. You can skip them or use scrambled tofu for a vegan option. Add an extra egg if you're not adding a meat protein.
Protein: Any chopped leftover meat works: chicken, pork, beef, ham, or shrimp. Or keep it vegetarian with tofu or edamame.
Peas: Frozen peas are easy and quick to use, but corn, edamame, or green beans make great swaps.
Rice: Leftover medium or long-grain rice is perfect. Freshly cooked rice can work too, just cool it in the fridge for at least 2 hours so it doesn't clump.
Sauces: Soy sauce, oyster sauce, and fish sauce are great for umami. Tamari or coconut aminos work for gluten-free versions. I've even added a spoonful of hoisin sauce!
Seasoning: A pinch of coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to balance the flavors.

Tip: Keep a bag of frozen vegetables and some leftover rice in the freezer, and you'll be just minutes away from a hot, homemade fried rice any time. You can even keep a stir-fry sauce on hand to make it even easier!

How to Make Easy Fried Rice

This easy fried rice comes together fast, so it's best to have all your ingredients prepped and ready before you start cooking. Here's how to make it:

1. Prep the rice: If you're using leftover rice, break up any clumps with your hands or a fork so it's loose and easy to stir-fry. If using freshly cooked rice, spread it on a baking sheet and chill in the fridge first for at least 2 hours.
2. Heat the oil: Place a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat the pan so nothing sticks.
3. Cook the vegetables: Add the carrots first since they take the longest to soften, cooking for about 2 minutes. Then add the garlic and onion, stirring for another 1-2 minutes until they're starting to soften.
4. Scramble the eggs: Push the veggies to one side of the pan. Crack in the eggs and scramble until just set, then mix them back in with the vegetables.
5. Add the protein: Stir in your leftover meat, tofu, or shrimp, cooking for 1-2 minutes to heat through.
6. Add the rice and sauces: Stir in the rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and optional fish sauce. Toss it well so every grain is coated.
7. Finish and serve: Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Season it to taste with salt and pepper, then serve it hot.

Tip: If the rice starts sticking, add a small splash of oil or water and keep the pan moving to prevent burning.

Tips

Fried rice is simple to make, but a few small tricks can take it from good to great:

• Use cold, day-old rice: Leftover rice has less moisture, so it fries up fluffy instead of turning soggy. If you have to cook fresh rice, spread it on a baking sheet and chill it uncovered for a couple of hours first.
• Cook over medium-high heat: A hot pan helps the rice fry instead of steam, giving it that slightly toasted flavor.
• Don't overcrowd the pan: Too much food at once lowers the heat and makes the rice clump. If needed, cook it in batches.
• Add the vegetables in order of their cooking time: Start with harder veggies like carrots, then add quicker-cooking ones like peas toward the end.
• Push ingredients aside for the eggs: Cooking the eggs separately in the same pan keeps them fluffy instead of mixing in raw with the rice.
• Season in layers: Add a little soy sauce and oyster sauce early, then taste at the end and adjust the seasoning if needed.
• Finish with fresh ingredients: A sprinkle of green onions, fresh herbs, or a drizzle of toasted sesame oil right before serving adds a lot of flavor!

Flavor Variations

One of the best things about this easy fried rice is how easy it is to adapt to your mood, the season, or whatever's in your fridge. Here are a few tasty ideas:

• Vegetable Fried Rice: Skip the meat and load up on colorful veggies like broccoli, bell peppers, zucchini, corn, or snap peas.
• Spicy Fried Rice: Add a spoonful of chili paste, sriracha, or diced fresh chili peppers when cooking the vegetables.
• Kimchi Fried Rice: Stir in chopped kimchi and a splash of the brine. Top it with a fried egg, too!
• Shrimp Fried Rice: Use chopped cooked shrimp or quickly sauté raw shrimp before adding the vegetables.
• Pineapple Fried Rice: Toss in diced pineapple and cashews or almonds for a sweet-salty combo.
• Teriyaki Fried Rice: Replace the soy sauce and oyster sauce with teriyaki sauce for a slightly sweeter glaze.

Tip: You can even split your batch into halves or thirds before adding sauces and mix-ins so everyone gets their favorite flavor without making separate recipes.

Storage & Reheating

Fried rice stores well and reheats beautifully, making it perfect for meal prep or using up a big batch.

• Refrigerator Storage: Transfer any cooled fried rice to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 4 days.
• Freezer Storage: Fried rice freezes well. Portion it into freezer-safe containers or bags, removing as much air as possible, then freeze it for up to 2 months.
• Reheating in a skillet: The best way to bring fried rice back to life is in a skillet over medium heat. Add a splash of water or broth to loosen it up, then stir until hot.
• Reheating in the microwave: Place the rice in a microwave-safe dish, cover it loosely, and heat in 30-40 second bursts, stirring between each. Adding a damp paper towel over the dish helps prevent drying out.
• Reheating from frozen: Thaw it overnight in the fridge before reheating, or heat straight from frozen in a skillet with a splash of water, breaking apart any clumps as it warms.

Food Safety Tip: Because fried rice contains cooked rice and often meat or eggs, store and reheat promptly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related

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Pairings

These are my favorite dishes to serve with this easy fried rice:

Continue to Content

Easy Fried Rice

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Keep just a few ingredients on hand to make this easy fried rice anytime!

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ medium onion, chopped (I use red but any will do)
• 3 medium carrots, diced
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup leftover meat, chopped
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 3-4 cups leftover rice (preferably medium or long-grain)
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• Dash of fish sauce (optional)
• coarse salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Place the rice in a bowl and break up any large clumps.
3. Add the oil to wok and swirl it to coat the sides.
4. Add the carrots, stir and cook for two minutes.
5. Add the garlic and onion, cooking for another two minutes.
6. Move all the ingredients to one side of the wok, then break the eggs into the wok and stir until they’re almost cooked completely.
7. Add in the chopped meat, peas and rice, stirring quickly between each addition.
8. Stir in the oyster and soy sauces, and stir constantly until the rice is coated with the sauce and all the ingredients are heated thoroughly, about 3 minutes or so (add more oil if the rice begins to stick to the wok).
9. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 818Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 124mgSodium: 887mgCarbohydrates: 145gFiber: 5gSugar: 4gProtein: 29g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is a five-time cookbook author, travel writer, and culinary instructor who has been developing recipes for national brands since 2009. A former personal chef, she learned to cook from her mother and grandmother before refining her skills at the Culinary Institute of America’s Boot Camp.

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