Making Chinese Fried Rice at home takes less than 20 minutes and makes a delicious side or main dish the whole family will love. The secret to perfect fried rice is pre-cooking and chilling the rice to help remove excess moisture. The chilled rice crisps up better in the hot pan and better absorbs the savory and familiar flavors of sesame oil, soy sauce, and oyster sauce.
I like to make this recipe with onions, carrots, and frozen peas because I usually have the ingredients on hand, but you can substitute or add other vegetables like mushrooms or snap peas. The veggie stir fried rice is a staple side dish when serving other Chinese food favorites, or you can mix in chicken, shrimp, or steak to transform this recipe into an entree. For more stir fry recipes, try my shrimp fried rice, vegetable stir fry, or chicken fried rice.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Rice – cooked and cooled long-grain white rice absorbs the flavors of the sauce well. Brown rice or jasmine rice also works for this recipe. Day-old rice that has been refrigerated is best for this recipe.
Eggs – scrambled eggs are a signature component of this dish, and fry up quickly in the hot wok with melted butter.
Vegetables – onions, carrots, and peas are traditional fried rice vegetables, adding sweetness and vibrant color. You can also substitute or add in other vegetables you prefer.
Oyster sauce – sweet and salty oyster sauce has a delicious umami taste. I don’t recommend substituting or omitting this ingredient because its flavor is unrivaled for authentic-tasting rice.
Sesame oil – a small amount of this oil made from pressed sesame seeds packs in nutty and earthy flavors and smells amazing.
How to Make Fried Rice
1. Over medium-high heat, heat a large wok or large skillet, add the butter, and swirl the pan until the butter is melted and bubbly. Scramble the beaten eggs, stirring often, then transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
2. Maintaining a medium-high temperature, add the canola oil to the wok to heat. Add the diced onions and carrot and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 6 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and frozen peas to the wok and continue cooking and stirring for 30-60 seconds, or until the garlic is fragrant and the peas are thawed.
4. Stir in the cooked rice until mixed with the vegetables.
5. Add the soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Cook, stirring often, until the rice begins to crisp, about 4-5 minutes.
6. Return the eggs to the wok and stir to combine. Garnish with green onions, if desired, and serve hot.
What kind of rice should I use?
A simple long-grain white rice works great! You can use jasmine or basmati varieties, or make brown rice. Brown rice will have a bit of a different texture, but still works well in this recipe.
What if I don’t have day-old rice?
Cook the rice fresh, then spread it out on a parchment or wax paper-lined baking sheet and cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Pop it in the freezer for 20 minutes, and then make the fried rice.
What can I substitute for the Oyster sauce?
I do recommend using oyster sauce, but if you’re in a pinch and don’t have any, you can substitute it with extra soy sauce, or mix equal parts hoisin sauce and soy sauce together. If you have fish sauce, you can use that in place of oyster sauce as well.
How to Serve it
I love serving fried rice as-is or with an extra fried egg on top and sriracha or kimchi on the side. You can also serve it as a side with some of your favorite takeout-style dishes like orange chicken, kung pao chicken, or bourbon chicken. It’s also excellent alongside air fryer egg rolls!
Fried Rice Variations
You can add a variety of vegetables or protein to this recipe. Some vegetables to try include bell peppers, snap peas, broccoli, corn, or mushrooms. Saute firmer vegetables along with the carrots and wait to add more delicate vegetables along with the peas. Mix in stir-fried or cooked chicken for chicken fried rice, tofu, shrimp for shrimp fried rice, or steak to serve this as a main dish.
Pro Tips For Making The Best Fried Rice
- Use cold rice. Day-old rice that has been refrigerated and is still cold is the best for making fried rice! Chilling allows the surface of the rice to firm up and dry out a bit, preventing sticky fried rice. Hot rice will clump and stick together, creating a mushy rice.
- Break up any clumps of rice. When you’re ready to use the chilled rice, break up any large clumps of rice. The best fried rice has loose individual rice grains, perfect for soaking up lots of delicious flavor.
- To prep ahead, combine 1½ cups long grain white rice, rinsed and drained, with 2¼ cups water and a generous pinch of salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, spread it on a sheet pan, and cool. Then chill for at least 1 hour uncovered, or cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
- Use high heat and stir the ingredients frequently. The best homemade fried rice has tender vegetables and well-seasoned rice that sears on the bottom of the pan. High heat is needed to cook the vegetables and crisp some of the rice grains. Stir frequently while making this recipe to prevent burning and sticking.
- Use a large pan. A large wok provides lots of surface area for the ingredients to cook and crisp and also holds and transfers heat well because of its shape. If you don’t have a wok, use the largest skillet you have so the most rice can come in contact with the pan.
- Garnish the rice. I like to serve this dish with sliced green onions, but there are many ways to garnish the rice that will add flavor. Try adding bean sprouts, black or white sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. They also can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Defrost the rice overnight in the refrigerator or on low heat in the microwave. Reheat the rice in a wok or skillet with a small amount of oil to crisp some of the rice and heat the vegetables through.
Making the rice a day in advance is a helpful meal prep step, but it also produces the best fried rice! Chilled day-old rice or leftover rice means the rice is not too moist and doesn’t clump together when added to the vegetables, making the fried rice soggy.
If you don’t have time to make it ahead, spread freshly cooked rice on a baking sheet and cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then freeze for 20 minutes or refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or until you are ready to use it. Fresh rice has too much moisture and will become mushy instead of crispy if used immediately. Store-bought frozen cooked rice is also a great option!
I like to use a combination of butter and canola or vegetable oil for fried rice recipes because the combination creates the best flavor and texture. Butter adds richness to the scrambled eggs. Stir frying the rice with oil allows for it to crisp up at a high heat without burning.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this fried rice recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Fried Rice
Equipment
- Large skillet or wok
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup frozen peas (130g)
- 4 cups cooked rice (chilled) (500g)
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1½ teaspoons sesame oil
- Sliced green onions for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter and swirl the pan until melted. Add the eggs, and cook, stirring often, until scrambled, about 45 seconds. Transfer the egg mixture to a bowl, and set aside.
- Add the canola oil to the wok and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in the onion and carrots. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and peas. Cook, stirring often, until the garlic is fragrant and the peas are thawed, 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Stir in the cooked rice, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil. Cook, stirring often, until rice is evenly coated in the sauce and beginning to crisp in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir the eggs back in and remove from the heat. Garnish with green onions and serve hot.
Notes
- Use cold rice. Day-old rice that has been refrigerated and is still cold is the best for making fried rice! Chilling allows the surface of the rice to firm up and dry out a bit, preventing sticky fried rice. Hot rice will clump and stick together, creating a mushy rice.
- Break up any clumps of rice. When you’re ready to use the chilled rice, break up any large clumps of rice. The best fried rice has loose individual rice grains, perfect for soaking up lots of delicious flavor.
- To prep ahead, combine 1½ cups long grain white rice, rinsed and drained, with 2¼ cups water and a generous pinch of salt in a medium pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cover, and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork, spread it on a sheet pan, and cool. Then chill for at least 1 hour uncovered, or cover and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
- Use high heat and stir the ingredients frequently. The best homemade fried rice has tender vegetables and well-seasoned rice that sears on the bottom of the pan. High heat is needed to cook the vegetables and crisp some of the rice grains. Stir frequently while making this recipe to prevent burning and sticking.
- Use a large pan. A large wok provides lots of surface area for the ingredients to cook and crisp and also holds and transfers heat well because of its shape. If you don’t have a wok, use the largest skillet you have so the most rice can come in contact with the pan.
- Garnish the rice. I like to serve this dish with sliced green onions, but there are many ways to garnish the rice that will add flavor. Try adding bean sprouts, black or white sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, or cilantro.
