30 Minute Fried Rice Recipe That Beats Takeout
This fried rice recipe is the one I make when takeout sounds good, but the wait doesn’t. Cold rice hits a hot pan, and thirty minutes later, dinner is done; no delivery bag required.
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The hardest part to making this easy dish is having cold rice on hand. Sometimes, If I don’t have leftover rice, I’ll cook the rice and spread it out thin on a pan and pop it into the fridge to chill. You really do need cold rice to make the best fried rice.
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I finish mine with butter instead of extra oil. It’s a small swap, and it’s the difference between fried rice that tastes like the takeout container and fried rice that tastes like something you made on purpose.
Chef Jenn’s Take on Fried Rice
Most home fried rice turns out mushy or bland, and it’s almost always the rice. Freshly cooked rice is soft and full of moisture, so it steams instead of frying, and you end up with something closer to stir-fried porridge than fried rice.
The fix is heat and patience. Give the rice room in the pan, let it sit long enough to pick up color before you stir again, and don’t rush the eggs off the heat before they’re set.
The other thing that matters is butter at the end. Most fried rice recipes stick with oil from start to finish. I stir in butter with the rice itself, and it rounds out the soy sauce instead of just coating it. That’s the difference between fried rice that tastes like a side dish and fried rice you actually want on its own.
What You’ll Love About Fried Rice
- Butter instead of oil at the end is the one swap I won’t skip. It rounds out the soy sauce instead of just sitting on top of it.
- It uses what’s already cooked and sitting in the fridge. Rice, a couple of vegetables, eggs; that’s the whole shopping list.
- Ready in under half an hour, and it holds up as a side or a meal on its own with whatever protein you have leftover.
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil – Any neutral oil works for the first saute. Skip anything with a strong flavor of its own.
- Onion – Yellow or white both work. Dice small so it cooks through with the carrots.
- Carrots – Dice small and even. Big pieces stay crunchy after the short cook time.
- Frozen peas – No need to thaw first. They’ll heat through in the pan.
- Eggs – Lightly beaten before they hit the pan. Scramble them separately so they stay in distinct pieces instead of disappearing into the rice.
- Cooked white rice – Day old is ideal if you have it. Fresh rice works too, just spread it out to cool and dry slightly first.
- Butter – Cut into small pieces so it melts evenly through the hot rice instead of pooling in one spot.
- Soy sauce – Add gradually and taste as you go. Too much at once turns the rice dark and salty instead of seasoned.
- Salt and pepper – Optional. Taste before adding, the soy sauce carries most of the seasoning already.
How To Make Fried Rice
Scroll down for the full recipe card with exact measurements and printable instructions.
Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and cook until they soften, stirring occasionally so nothing scorches on one side.
Stir in the peas once the carrots are tender. They only need a minute or two, so don’t add them any earlier or they’ll turn mushy alongside everything else.
Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and pour the beaten eggs into the empty space. Scramble them with a spatula, breaking them into small curds as they set, then stir them into the vegetables once cooked through.
Add the rice and mix everything together so it’s coated in the same pan drippings as the vegetables and eggs.
Cut the butter into small chunks and scatter them over the rice. Stir well and let the rice sit undisturbed for a minute or two at a time. That resting time is what actually fries the rice instead of just warming it through.
Add soy sauce a little at a time, stirring and tasting between additions. Season with salt and pepper only if it still needs it once the soy sauce is in.
Serve it hot, straight out of the pan.
Make It A Meal
I put fried rice next to almost anything that needs a side. I serve it with my Garlic Chicken Skillet on a weeknight, or my Grilled Ribeye Cap Steak when I want more of an occasion.
Garlic Shrimp Scampi turns it into a surf and turf situation without much extra work, and my Smoked Pork Tenderloin gives you a protein you can slice cold or reheat quick, so it works well made ahead too.
Storage
Store leftover fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a hot pan or skillet with a small splash of water to loosen it back up, microwave works in a pinch but the texture suffers. It freezes well for up to 2 months; thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, though it changes the texture. Brown rice is chewier and takes on less of the pan-fried texture, so expect a heartier bite rather than the light, individual grains you get from white rice.
Yes. Add cooked, diced protein along with the rice so it heats through with everything else instead of overcooking on its own.
No. A wide, heavy skillet works fine. What matters more than the pan shape is giving the rice enough surface area to fry instead of steam.
Yes. The rice and vegetables hold up fine without them, though you’ll want to add a little extra butter or oil to make up for the richness the eggs would have added.
Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup onion diced
- 1/2 cup carrots diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 2 tablespoons butter
- soy sauce to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat. Add the onion and carrots and sauté until tender.
- Add the peas and stir to combine.
- Push the vegetable mixture to one side of the pan. Pour the beaten eggs into the empty space and scramble with a spatula until fully cooked, then stir into the vegetables.
- Add the rice and mix well to combine.
- Cut the butter into small chunks and scatter over the rice. Stir well and let the rice fry for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add soy sauce to taste and stir well to combine.
- Season with salt and pepper if desired.
Notes
Recipe Card Tips
- Let the rice sit undisturbed for a minute or two at a time once the butter goes in. Constant stirring keeps it from ever picking up color.
- Dice the onion and carrots small and even. Larger pieces won’t cook through in the short sauté time before the peas go in.
- Add the soy sauce gradually. Pouring it all in at once makes the rice look and taste over-salted before you’ve had a chance to taste as you go.
Nutrition
A Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for this recipe is provided as a courtesy and is calculated based on available online ingredient information. It is only an approximate value. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site cannot be guaranteed.