Best Fried Rice Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

Fried Rice! A classic, easy to make recipe. It’s filled with tender rice, colorful vegetables, hearty eggs, flavorful ham and it’s all fried with a delicious, robustly seasoned sauce.

Looking for more take-out favorites? See my collection here.

Restaurant Style Fried Rice

Fried rice has always been one of my favorite take-out dishes, how about you?

Sure many people consider it a side but I usually just eat it as the entire meal. A generous sized bowl of it, with plenty of sriracha drizzled over the top.

This fried rice recipe is deliciously flavorful, super hearty and perfectly filling, and incredibly easy to make! And it’s just as good as what you find at restaurants.

Plus it’s easy to switch up and use other vegetables or meats you like.

I love that it uses ingredients I usually have stocked, and for the few you may not it’s pretty easy to find a replacement.

A versatile, forgiving, foolproof recipe people of all ages love! A recipe worthy of the dinner rotation.

Fried Rice Ingredients and Possible Substitutions

Cooked jasmine rice: Long grain white rice or brown rice works great too.

Soy sauce: Low-sodium soy sauce may be substituted. Just keep in mind the flavors aren’t quite as potent.

Oyster sauce: I like to use the green label oyster sauce. There aren’t really any great substitutions for it but in a pinch you can omit.

Sesame oil: A little of this goes a long way. This is a key ingredient to bring flavors to the dish.

Sriracha: This just gives the sauce a little kick. You could also try Thai chili sauce or a few pinches of red pepper flakes.

Eggs: There aren’t really any good substitutes for eggs in a traditional fried rice, but if you were to try to make it vegan you could opt for tofu.

Light olive oil: Vegetable oil works fine too.

Carrots: Frozen carrots and peas can be used in place of fresh, they only need to cook a few minutes.

Yellow onion: A white or red onion will work too if that’s all you have.

Garlic: If possible I recommend sticking with fresh garlic for best flavor. In a rut dried granulated garlic will work, use 1/2 tsp.

Ginger: It won’t taste quite the same but a 1/4 tsp of dried ginger may be substituted.

Frozen peas: I recommend using baby peas if possible they taste better than the larger ones. If you don’t have them add another vegetable like small diced broccoli or asparagus.

Ham (optional): Another option is to add cooked chicken, beef, salmon or shrimp. You could even try adding cooked ground turkey or low sodium bacon.

Green onions: These can be omitted if you don’t have any on hand. They just add one more final layer of flavor.

Scroll below for ingredient amounts and full directions.

How to Make Fried Rice

Here is a quick summary of the steps to prepare and cook it:

1. Whisk sauce ingredients together, set aside.
2. Cook eggs in large skillet, transfer.
3. Saute base vegetables, scoot to one far side.
4. Fry pre-cooked rice.
5. Add ham and peas and continue to fry.
6. Return eggs, drizzle in sauce and cook 1 minute longer.
7. Stir in green onions if using and serve warm.

How Many Cups Dry Rice for Cooked Rice

Keep in mind rice usually triples in volume once cooked, for example 1/4 cup dry rice yields about 3/4 cups cooked. So for this recipe calling for 4 cups cooked you’ll begin with 1 1/3 cups dry rice.

Is Fried Rice Healthy?

With a few simple swaps you can make a healthy fried rice:

• Opt for an oyster sauce that has no msg.
• Use low-sodium soy sauce.
• Omit the ham or replace with cooked lean chicken or more vegetables.
• Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil.

How to Store and How Long Does it Keep?

• Fried rice should be chilled shortly after preparing to reduce risk of food borne illness (never leave rice out longer than 2 hours).
• It should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
• Store there up to 3 days.

How to Freeze Fried Rice

Fried rice can be frozen in airtight containers or resealable freezer bags up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.

How to Reheat Fried Rice

Fried rice can be reheated in a skillet set over medium heat on the stovetop in a little oil, with little splash of water if it seems dry. Another option is to use the microwave and reheat in a microwave safe dish.

Is it Gluten-Free?

No. Fried rice is naturally not gluten-free because of the wheat in the soy sauce but you can make it gluten-free by:

• Substituting a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari for the regular soy sauce.
• Use gluten-free oysters sauce.
• Be sure to use gluten-free ham if you opt to add it.
• And as always be sure other ingredients aren’t packed in a facility that could manufacture other gluten contained products.

Tips for the Best Fried Rice

• Number one rule, use rice cooked a day prior. Otherwise the rice is too wet and doesn’t absorb the sauce very well and the dish ends up mushy.
• Only lightly salt rice when cooking. The sauces added are pretty salty so you won’t want to overdue it.
• Dice ingredients up small for uniform texture.
• Fry the rice. Add a decent amount of oil and sauté the rice, rather than just heating briefly. This will add flavor and steam out excess moisture.
• Add a blend of sauces and vegetables for flavor. Adjust to taste.

What to Serve with Fried Rice?

• Beef and Broccoli
• Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
• Honey Garlic Chicken
• Orange Chicken
• Egg Rolls
• Teriyaki Chicken

More Fried Rice Recipes You’ll Love

Check out my other delicious variations:

• Cauliflower Fried Rice
• Chicken Fried Rice
• Hawaiian Fried Rice
• Quinoa and Shrimp Fried Rice
• Vegetable Fried Rice (Vegetarian)