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.
Jump to:
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!
edward j jarvis
may have to make a double batch was almost gone before rest of meal
Christie Lai
Haha, nice! Thanks so much for making it and glad you enjoyed it!
Brenda
Can this work with a soya sauce substitute as I sum allergic to regular soya sauce
Christie Lai
Yes, I share substitutes in the blog post under Ingredients and Substitutes. Hope this helps!
Lisa
Hi, can I use avocado oil in the recipe?
Christie Lai
Yes absolutely! Feel free to use any neutral oil that can withstand a high smoke point.
Lisa
Thank you so much for replying 😊
Nova
Easy to cook and so very delicious. Also enjoyed the tips and back story very much
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you enjoyed it! Happy that I could share the backstory to it 🙂
Kerry
This is the best homemade egg fried rice I have made.
It tastes just as good as takeout, but better, everyone loved it.
Delicious
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad everyone loved it! This is music to my ears!
Joe
This came together so quickly and I was able to concentrate on the main course. This is simple but packs a ton of flavor. And to add some guilt, I threw in some bacon.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you enjoyed it with some bacon - yum!!!
Alan Rawson Beverley Yorkshire G B
Tried it very good and easy
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it!
Ryan
Made this tonight, my wife and I loved it. Made the rice the night before and refrigerated it. The rice came out perfect. We added peas and diced carrots.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it with the peas and carrots!
eric
very nice , i just added some msg
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it with msg!
eric herman roggen
very nice , i just added some msg
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it with msg!
Tee
Super easy and delicious. I got away with frying hot rice from a rice cooker. I've done in the past and usually my fried rice is very mid when i do that. This time it was actually really good.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you liked it!
Susan
Very simple and flavorful. I often make this for the family when I get home late from work. I scoop out my picky daughter's portion and then add veggies and protein.
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it and found it simple and flavorful!
Millie
I always make this recipe and it just hits the spot every time. I’ve made so many of your recipes and they’re all so good. Thank you!!
Christie Lai
Yay! Music to my ears. Thanks for making it!
Jayne
I'm making it for a 2nd time! We love it and thank you for the recipe.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe another time! So glad you loved it!
Sally
This is a delicious and simple recipe. Thank you! I threw it together quickly for lunch. Used leftover rice and veggies from Thanksgiving.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
Helen Somerville
Love it!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!
Roz
Thank you for this recipe Christie. This is the easiest and by far the best egg fried rice recipe I've seen and made. It is full of flavor and so delicious. There was no leftovers when I made it the first and second time. From now on, it's my goto for fried rice.
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and so glad you enjoyed it! Happy it's become your go to for fried rice 🙂
PATTI
Easy and YUMMY!!!!!
Christie Lai
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for sharing this positive review!
Allison
Easy to follow and tastes great!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe! Glad you enjoyed it!