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Egg Fried Rice (蛋炒é¥) 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
- Leftover cold white rice: ideally Jasmine rice or white long grain rice. Avoid using short-grain rice.
- 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.
- Beaten 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.
Best rice to use?
Use day old or leftover rice that has been sitting in the fridge. This is important if you want fluffy rice because the cold air removes excess moisture that is the leading factor to clumpy fried rice.
Also, choosing the right type of rice is equally important. I recommend jasmine rice or a long grain white rice.
Can I use same day cooked rice?
You may use same day warm cooked rice but it will create clumpy fried rice due to the excess moisture.
To fix this: Spread out the hot rice in a thin layer on a large baking sheet. Place it in the freezer for 45-60 minutes fully exposed. Then break up the rice with a rice paddle or clean hands moistened with neutral oil to prevent it from sticking.
Expert Tips
- Use a steel wok for that smoky flavor. When the oil meets hot steel, it creates a smoke in the pan which is also known as "wok hei" or "breathe of wok" in Chinese. This is the "secret ingredient" that offers that smoky taste in most Chinese takeout. Unfortunately, you can not achieve in a non-stick pan (sorry!)
- Ideally use day-old rice in the fridge to create for fluffy grains since rice has been dried out by the cold air.
- Break up the cold rice leads to better fried rice that will cooks better in the wok due to the exposed surface area of each grain.
- Use less cooking water when steaming rice, a few tablespoons less. This makes the rice granules firmer making them less prone to become soggy.
- Use eggs with Omega 3s for a bright yellow color. I recommend using fresh local free run eggs with omega 3s for those vibrant yellow egg yolks.
- Pour the soy sauce along the edges of the wok for more flavor! When the soy sauce hits the hot pan first before hitting the rice, it toasts the soy sauce giving extra umami as the heat brings out the flavor!
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make egg fried rice:
Heat oil
Over medium high heat in a steel wok, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Let it to smoke. Important: if using a non-stick pan, do NOT smoke oil and keep it on medium heat allowing the oil to get hot.
Fry Beaten Eggs
Once it smokes, pour in beaten eggs. Quickly stir to form shape.
Toss in Rice
Once the eggs form shape but are still moist, quickly toss in rice. If rice is clumped together, break apart in pan.
Toss in Green Onions
Sweep everything to the side of the wok, add remaining oil into empty space with green onions. Mix green onions into rice and eggs.
Add Seasoning
Add soy sauce and sesame oil along the edges of the pan. Then toss until grains are colored brown. Remove off heat.
Serve
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:
- with egg rolls, crab rangoons, egg drop soup
- cooked vegetables like bok choy or garlic green beans
- honey sesame chicken, honey walnut shrimp, soy garlic tofu and more!
FAQ
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.
No, a large pan will work fine! You just won't get that smoky flavor that you find in most Chinese takeout.
Other recipes you may like
📖 Recipe
10 min. Easy Egg Fried Rice (6 ingredients!)
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked jasmine rice day old cold rice
- 1 green onion finely chopped
- 2.5 tablespoon regular soy sauce not dark soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Over medium high heat in a steel wok, add 1 tablespoon of cooking oil and allow it to smoke. Important: if using a non-stick pan, do NOT smoke oil and keep it on medium heat allowing the oil to get hot.
- Once oil begins to smoke, pour in beaten eggs and quickly stir to form shape. Once the eggs form shape but are still moist, quickly toss and mix in rice. If rice is clumped together, break apart in pan.
- Sweep everything to the side, add remaining oil into empty space with green onions. Quickly mix green onions into rice and eggs.
- Add soy sauce and sesame oil along the edges of the pan. Toss until grains are colored brown and immediately remove off heat. Serve hot and enjoy!
Diane
I have been looking for an easy fried rice recipe for so long, but I come across this simple way of making fried rice in ten minutes with simple ingredients and I am really happy with its outcome. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for this kind and positive review, Diane! I am really happy to hear it's easy and quick. Have a lovely day!
Rita Kell
I made it, easy and really good. I used 2 eggs instead of 4. I did not have green onions, so I minced a couple tablespoons of white onion.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for the positive review, Rita! I am so happy to hear that it worked out with less eggs and white onion.
Carrie
This simple egg fried rice was delicious and so flavorful. It came together quickly and easily. Loved it!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Carrie! I'm so happy that it was delicious and it came together easily in little time 🙂 Have a wonderful day!
Max
Tasty and easy! I was able to make this in my college dorm. I didn't have sesame oil, so I replaced it with chili oil as recommended. I also didn't have green onions, so I added some minced garlic to make up for the flavor loss. Overall, super easy and filling!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my egg fried rice, Max! So happy to hear that it worked out with the minced garlic 🙂
Furness N
Thanks so much for this recipe and the tips! I tried it without egg (just out of preference) and I loved it too! Maybe I can impress my mother one day haha
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe, Furness! Happy that you enjoyed the recipe and it worked without the eggs! I hope she likes it as just much 🙂
Trisha Mae B. Abata
This fried looks so good and when i try to cook. when i finish to cook it, it was really yummy and its good to eat.
i am really obsessed of this fried rice. THANK YOU for sharing the recipe.
christieathome
Aww thank you so much for making it Trisha! I am so happy that you love it so much! I appreciate the kind review and have a lovely day!
Arlene
Best fried rice! So simple and straight to the point, I’ll be adding shrimp to this next time. Thank you for sharing!
christieathome
Thank you so much for making my recipe, Arlene! I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it and shrimp would be a fantastic addition 🙂 Have a great evening!