If you have eggs and leftover rice, this easy 10-minute fried rice recipe is the best go-to meal! Made with only 6 ingredients. A great main dish, side dish or meal that's budget friendly! I share tips to make it taste like Chinese takeout.
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Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒饭) is a very quick Chinese stir-fry rice dish featuring fluffy rice, scrambled eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and green onions.
It's a very popular Chinese dish made with humble ingredients making it a staple in many Chinese households.
Growing up my mother would cook this for us hungry kids to put dinner on the table fast! We would serve it with Char Siu or Chinese Roasted Pork Belly and Stir-Fried Snow Pea Leaves.
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for measurements
- Day-Old Cold Cooked Jasmine Rice: or substitute with any cold cooked long grain white rice. Important Tip: cold cooked rice is recommended for fluffy fried rice. If you're making fresh hot rice for this, spread the hot rice in a thin layer on a large baking sheet and freeze it fully exposed for 45-60 minutes to remove excess moisture. Then break it up with clean hands before cooking.
- Green Onions
- Regular Soy Sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce of your choice.
- Toasted Sesame Oil: omit if allergic or substitute with oyster sauce to taste.
- Eggs
- Neutral Oil: any flavorless oil like avocado oil, peanut oil, grapeseed oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid using olive oil due to the low smoke point.
Note: Most Asian grocery stores will carry most of the Asian specific ingredients or check online stores, like Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use a steel wok for smoky flavor. When the oil meets hot steel, it creates a smoke in the pan, also known as "wok hei" or "breathe of wok" in Chinese - a secret ingredient to Chinese takeout. This can't be achieved with a non-stick wok unfortunately.
- Use day-old cold rice and avoid using hot or warm rice for fluffy fried rice. If you're using hot or warm rice, spread it out on a large sheet pan, freeze for 45-60 minutes.
- Break up the cold rice with clean hands or a rice paddle before cooking to make it easier. This also exposes the surface area on the rice so it toasts better.
- If you're making fresh rice for this recipe, use a few tablespoons of cooking water when steaming rice, which creates firmer grains.
- Use eggs with Omega 3s for a bright yellow color.
- Pour the soy sauce along the edges of the wok for more flavor! When the soy sauce hits the hot pan first, it toasts the sauce creating more flavor in your fried rice.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make egg fried rice:
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan or wok. If you are using a wok, allow the oil to smoke and if using a normal pan, skip smoking the oil. Pour in beaten eggs. Quickly stir-fry the eggs so they take shape.
- Once the eggs take shape but are still moist, quickly toss in rice. If rice is clumped together, break apart in pan.
- Sweep everything to the side of the pan, add remaining oil into empty space with green onions. Mix green onions into rice and eggs.
- Add soy sauce and sesame oil along the edges of the pan. Then toss until grains are colored brown. Remove off heat. Serve hot and enjoy while it's hot!
Storage
- Leftovers will last 4 days in an airtight container stored in the fridge. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat on medium heat on the stovetop in a pan.
- Freezer-friendly? Fried rice can be frozen in freezer-friendly bags for up to 1 month. Be make sure to squeeze out any air before sealing the bags. When ready to enjoy, defrost it and reheat it in the microwave until hot or in a pan on the stovetop.
Pairing Suggestions
Egg fried rice serves well:
- starters like egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup, hot and sour soup
- chow mein, or lo mein
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- protein dishes like Mongolian Chicken, Orange Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Bang Bang Shrimp, Gochujang Chicken, Soy Garlic Tofu, Chinese Braised Tofu and more!
FAQ
Egg fried rice can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To enjoy, reheat it in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat.
There are many ingredients you can add to egg fried rice to take it to the next level, such as peas, carrots, green beans, corn, broccoli florets, bean sprouts, butter, oyster sayce, chili oil, chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or tofu.
📖 Recipe
10 min. Easy Egg Fried Rice (only 6 ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice cold & day-old (or sub with any white long grain rice)
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2.5 tablespoon regular soy sauce or light soy sauce (avoid dark soy sauce)
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan or wok. If you are using a wok, allow the oil to smoke and if using a normal pan, skip smoking the oil.
- Pour in beaten eggs. Quickly stir-fry the eggs so they take shape.
- Once the eggs take shape but are still moist, quickly toss in rice. If rice is clumped together, break apart in pan.
- Sweep everything to the side of the pan, add remaining oil into empty space with green onions. Mix green onions into rice and eggs.
- Add soy sauce and sesame oil along the edges of the pan. Then toss until grains are colored brown. Remove off heat. Serve hot and enjoy while it's hot!
Brandon
Hey! I haven't made this yet, but I was wondering if you, or anyone else, has tried using the rice that comes in those packets you heat in the microwave? To my understanding it's been mostly cooked through and just needs a bit more heat to fully cook through so what if I happened to use one of the family size rice pouches in place of day old rice?
Christie Lai
Hi there, the microwaveble packs could work as long as it's a long white grain rice and I would recommend drying it out in the freezer for 45-60 minutes as they can hold onto moisture well.
Ms. B
We are allergic to sesame so left that oil out. Used olive oil in place of vegetable oil. Added steamed peas right before adding the soy sauce. 10/10. Everyone loved it. Took me all of 10 minutes if that. Light, quick, delicious, budget friendly and nutritious. Will definitely be making again. Thanks for sharing 🫶🏽
Christie Lai
Super happy to read that you enjoyed it with some yummy peas! Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing your positive experience with it here, Ms. B!
Lisa
I mean I want to make it but I'm only 9 years old. Maybe I can ask my mom, and really, this egg fried rice looks so delicious.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy cooking it if your parents say yes! 🙂