Easy Fried Rice with Egg

It's so easy to make delicious fried rice at home. You only need eight ingredients, which you can find in any grocery store, and it's a great way to use up leftovers.

My 8-year-old daughter knows good food. When her favorite Italian Wedding Soup was discontinued a few years ago, I was inspired to create my own version, which has become a staple in our house (and the most popular recipe on this blog to date).

Recently she's adopted a new favorite: fried rice. The first time she tried it a local restaurant, she was immediately hooked. She's had it at many different restaurants since then, but the fried rice near our house has remained #1.

So, just like with the wedding soup, I decided to take a stab at making her favorite fried rice at home. It's the perfect simple dinner to add to my repertoire because:

1. It's inexpensive
2. It's quick
3. It's a "one skillet" meal
4. We all like it
5. AND it's customizable. You can swap in/out any protein or veggies you like, making it a fantastic way to use up leftovers.

Another thing I discovered when I made my own fried rice is that it's a lot healthier than I realized. The word "fried" always led me to believe that the rice was drowned in oil, I only needed to use two tablespoons of canola oil for several cups of rice.

After I made this fried rice the other night, my daughter declared my version her new #1. If you knew how particular she is about her fried rice, you'd know that's a huge and hard-won compliment!

Do you need a wok to cook fried rice?

The first time I made it, I used a regular stainless steel skillet because we didn't own a wok. The end result came out tasting great, but I did have a hard time preventing the rice from sticking, and clean-up was a bit of a pain.

Once I realized that fried rice was going to be our new weeknight staple, I did decide to buy an inexpensive nonstick wok, and it made the cooking process MUCH easier the next time around.

I thought the wok was a worthwhile investment since I'll be cooking fried rice often, and I also enjoy making chicken stir fry, spicy noodles, and other Asian dishes.

So the short answer to the question is: sort of. I wouldn't go out and buy a wok just to make this dish... a large non-stick skillet should work fine. But if you DO plan on cooking fried rice, stir-fry, or Asian noodle dishes with any regularity, then a wok will make your life a whole lot easier!

What type of rice is best for fried rice?

Fried rice can be made with regular long-grain white rice, but the rice needs to be COLD before you cook it. So if you're planning to make fried rice, either cook the rice a day or two ahead, or cook it in the morning and put it in the fridge until dinnertime.

You can also use leftover rice from a restaurant or take-out order if you have some on hand.

If you like spicy fried rice:

If you like a little heat, drizzle some sriracha over your finished fried rice before serving. It's a delicious way to add flavor and spice.

Other recipes to try:

• Spicy Asian Chicken Stir Fry
• Quick Spicy Asian Noodles
• Thai Yellow Curry with Chicken

Easy Fried Rice

This easy fried rice with egg only uses a handful of ingredients, yet has all of the deliciousness of your favorite restaurant's fried rice.

4.78 from 9 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 572kcal

Author: Kate

Ingredients

• 4.5 cups cooked cold white rice 1.5 c uncooked
• ⅓ cup soy sauce divided
• 1 green onion chopped
• 3 eggs beaten
• 1 cup frozen pea & carrot mixture
• 3 tablespoons canola oil divided
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1.5 cups cooked chicken, pork or shrimp optional

Instructions

• Heat a skillet or wok to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon canola oil. When oil is warm, add the eggs and cook, scrambling. Remove to a platter and set aside.
• Cook frozen pea and carrot mixture according to package directions until just barely cooked.*
• In skillet or wok, heat to medium-high. Add 2 tablespoons canola oil.
• When oil is hot, add cold rice and ¼ cup of soy sauce. Stir constantly with wooden spoon until rice is evenly coated in soy sauce and hot, adding more oil if necessary to prevent sticking.
• Add meat/seafood (if using), cooked egg, chopped scallions, peas and carrots and sesame oil. Stir until everything is combined and hot.
• Add more soy sauce to taste as needed. Serve immediately.

Notes

*I prefer to microwave the veggies so that they're just slightly undercooked, and can finish cooking quickly in the wok/skillet. My package said to microwave for 4-6 minutes, and I cooked for 3.5 minutes.

*If you like spicy egg fried rice, drizzle sriracha over the fried rice before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 115g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 759mg | Potassium: 276mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 325IU | Vitamin C: 10.1mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2.2mg