Gimme Some Oven

Fried Rice

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This Chinese-inspired fried rice recipe is my absolute fave. It’s quick and easy to make, customizable with any of your favorite mix-ins, and so irresistibly delicious.

The BEST Fried Rice Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Hey friends! I’m digging back into the blog archives today to share one of my all-time favorite recipes.

My favorite homemade fried rice. ♡

Growing up, our family had a tradition of eating lunch every Saturday at our neighborhood’s favorite local Chinese restaurant. And every single Saturday for lunch, I ordered the same thing — egg drop soup and fried rice, my absolute favorites. This restaurant set the bar high for me early when it comes to how amazing fried rice could be. Theirs was always perfectly al dente with slightly crispy edges, full of rich savory flavors, and loaded up with plenty of extra veggies, eggs, and whatever protein sounded good.

After our favorite restaurant sadly closed over a decade ago, I spent years tinkering around with dozens and dozens of batches of fried rice, attempting to recreate a fried recipe that tasted as good as theirs. And while nothing will ever match the original in my book, this fried rice recipe that I’ve landed on is as close as I’ve come and has been my favorite go-to ever since. It’s surprisingly speedy to make, easy to customize with your favorite add-ins, and SO flavorful and comforting. Thousands of our readers have also made and enjoyed it over the years since. So if you’re looking for a good recipe to try, I hope you’ll enjoy it too.

Let’s make some homemade fried rice!

Fried Rice Recipe | 1-Minute Video

Tips For Making The Best Fried Rice:

Ok, let’s get right to it. Here are the important things I have learned over the years about how to make the best fried rice.

1) Use cold rice: You’ve gotta plan ahead and use thoroughly-chilled cooked rice. A fresh batch of warm (or even lukewarm) rice will not fry well when it hits the hot pan, and will result in soggy and sticky clumps — no good. So leftover refrigerated rice is ideal! Or, if you are in a hurry (or have an impulse craving for fried rice, which I completely understand ?), just cook up a fresh batch of rice. Then spread it out on a baking sheet or another large flat pan, drape the rice with a layer of plastic wrap, then pop it in the fridge for 30 minutes (or in the freezer for 10-15 minutes) until it is thoroughly chilled (not frozen).

2) Use butter: Yes, butter. I have made many a batch of fried rice using various oils, and I’m now convinced there’s a reason why Japanese steak houses use that big slab of butter when they’re making fried rice. It just tastes so much better, and also makes everything brown up perfectly. (Although by contrast to Japanese steak houses, we only use 3 tablespoons for a large batch of rice in this recipe.)

3) Use veggies: This is one of my big pet peeves with lame take-out fried rice — not enough veggies! In addition to adding some nice spots of color, veggies go a long way in adding some flavor and freshness to fried rice. Our local Chinese restaurant always added both white and green onions, too, which I included in this recipe. But feel free to modernize this recipe with some other delicious stir-fried veggies as well!

4)  Use toasted sesame oil and oyster sauce: If you do not eat seafood, you can leave out the oyster sauce and your fried rice will still be great. But this ingredient makes such a difference in good fried rice, and a little goes a long way. So even if you’re not into oysters, don’t be scared of oyster sauce! Toasted sesame oil, on the other hand, is 100% non-negotiable. It is my favorite smelling ingredient in my kitchen, and tastes wonderful in fried rice. (Also note that sesame oil is meant as a finishing oil, not a cooking oil, so remove the pan from the heat and then stir it in.)

5) Use high heat: This will help fry and brown the rice and veggies well, and will also help prevent the rice from steaming in the pan instead of frying.

6) Let the rice brown a bit on the bottom: If you’re like me and love your rice to be a bit crispy, let it rest for a bit in between stirs so that it can brown a bit on the bottom. It also helps greatly to use a non-stick skillet so that the rice doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

7) Don’t be afraid to add in some extra soy sauce at the end: I know that everyone has different sensitivities to salt, and different brands of soy sauce also contain pretty dramatically different levels of sodium. So I went a little light on soy sauce in the recipe below. But please add more at the end if this tastes good to you. I almost always stir an extra drizzle into my portion and love it.

Homemade Fried Rice Recipe

Homemade Fried Rice Ingredients:

Alright, so let’s talk ingredients. To make this fried rice recipe, you will need (affiliate links included):

  • Cooked, chilled rice: Any kind of white or brown rice will do. Just be sure that it is cooked (I always cook mine in this rice cooker, which works like a charm) and thoroughly chilled (in a sealed container in the refrigerator) before adding it to your hot skillet. Again, freshly-cooked rice will not work well in this recipe.
  • Eggs: Which add great flavor, texture and protein.
  • Carrots, onions, green onions and peas: This is the base mix of veggies that I always use for fried rice, but feel free to add in other stir-fry veggies you love (see ideas below).
  • Garlic: Freshly-minced.
  • Soy sauce: I created this recipe using low-sodium soy sauce. So add less if you’re using traditional soy sauce.
  • Oyster sauce: This is a major flavor booster in fried rice and (don’t worry) doesn’t taste like oysters. You can find it in the Asian section of grocery stores, or order it on Amazon. 
  • Toasted sesame oil: The finishing touch in this recipe, which is a must. You can also find it in the Asian section of grocery stores, or order it on Amazon.
  • Butter: My favorite way to stir fry rice.

How To Make Fried Rice | Sauté onions, carrots and peas

How To Make Fried Rice | Be sure to start with cold rice

How To Make Stir Fried Rice

How To Make Fried Rice:

To make this homemade fried rice recipe, simply:

  1. Scramble eggs: Using a small pat of butter, scramble some eggs in a large sauté pan, breaking them into small pieces as you go. Then transfer the eggs to a separate plate, and set aside.
  2. Sauté veggies and garlic: Return your sauté pan to the heat, and sauté the onions, carrots, peas and garlic until soft and cooked through.
  3. Stir fry rice: Then turn the burner to high heat. Scooch the veggies over to one side of the pan, melt the remaining butter in the other half, and add the chilled rice, soy sauce, and oyster sauce (if using). Then stir to combine with the veggies and continue sautéing the rice, stirring every 15-20 seconds or so for 3 minutes, or until you notice the rice and veggies starting to brown slightly.
  4. Remove pan from heat. And stir in your green onions, sesame oil, and scrambled eggs.
  5. Taste and season. Give the rice a taste, and season with salt and pepper, plus any extra soy sauce or sesame oil if needed.
  6. Serve! Then dish it up and serve nice and warm!

The BEST Fried Rice Recipe | Feel free to add chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or extra vegetables

Easy Fried Rice Variations:

The sky’s the limit when it comes to homemade fried rice variations, so feel free to get creative and use up other leftover ingredients you may happen to have on hand. That said, here are some classic add-ins:

  • Chicken Fried Rice: You can either sauté some chicken in a separate sauté pan while making your fried rice. Then shred or dice and add to your fried rice. Or for a shortcut, I like to shred a rotisserie chicken. Or even better, shred leftovers from my favorite baked chicken breasts recipe.
  • Pork Fried Rice: Sauté a boneless pork chop in a separate sauté pan while making your fried rice. Then dice and add to your rice.
  • Beef Fried Rice: Sauté steak or brown ground beef in a separate sauté pan while making your fried rice. Then crumble or dice and add to your rice.
  • Shrimp Fried Rice: Sauté half a pound of peeled, raw shrimp in separate sauté pan while making your fried rice. Then add the shrimp to your rice.
  • Vegetable Fried Rice: Any stir-fry friendly veggies would be great in fried rice! Just sauté at the same time that you cook the onions, carrots, peas and garlic. Then stir to combine with the fried rice.
  • Kimchi Fried Rice: Fresh kimchi adds a major flavor boost to fried rice. Just chop and stir it in to make kimchi fried rice.
  • Pineapple Fried Rice: Fresh pineapple can be traditional in Chinese or Thai fried rice. Just chop and stir it in to combine.

Also, in lieu of using traditional white rice in this recipe, feel free to make:

  • Fried Brown Rice: For a healthier twist, feel free to use cooked brown rice in this recipe instead of white rice.
  • Quinoa Fried Rice: Here is my favorite recipe.

What To Serve With Fried Rice:

Looking for inspiration? Some of my favorite recipes to serve with fried rice include:

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The BEST Fried Rice Recipe from Gimme Some Oven

Fried Rice

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 1309 reviews
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 4 -6 servings 1x

Description

Learn how to make fried rice with this classic recipe. It only takes 15 minutes to make, it’s easy to customize with your favorite add-ins, and it’s SO flavorful and delicious!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 2 large eggs, whisked
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
  • 1 small white onion, diced
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • salt and black pepper
  • 4 cups cooked and chilled rice (I prefer short-grain white rice)
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 34 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
  • 2 teaspoons oyster sauce (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Instructions

  1. Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large sauté pan* over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.
  2. Add an additional 1 tablespoon butter to the pan and heat until melted. Add carrots, onion, peas and garlic, and season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes or until the onion and carrots are soft. Increase heat to high, add in the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter, and stir until melted. Immediately add the rice, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue sautéing for an additional 3 minutes to fry the rice, stirring occasionally.  (I like to let the rice rest for a bit between stirs so that it can crisp up on the bottom.)  Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Remove from heat, and stir in the sesame oil until combined.  Taste and season with extra soy sauce, if needed.
  3. Serve immediately, or refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 3 days.


Notes

*Sauté pan: If you happen to own a nonstick or cast-iron pan, I would recommend it for this recipe.  But that said, any pan that you have can work — you may just have to be a bit more vigilant with stirring so that the rice and eggs don’t stick.

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2,407 comments on “Fried Rice”

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  1. This recipe is fantastic, it’s now on our regular meal rotation! I do omit the sesame oil, and add Sriracha and more soy sauce. We enjoy adding diced broccoli florets and asparagus tips.






  2. This was a great recipe!! I added some ginger and some fiery toasted sesame oil instead of the regular one to give a little kick and I added some shrimp to make it a whole meal instead of a side dish! Great base recipe!






  3. Really really good! This is the 2nd time I’ve made it and the more you play with it the better it is. Much better than takeout!






  4. I wanted something quick and delicious, and I was not disappointed. Thanks for the video and recipe.






  5. Made it tonight and it was DELICIOUS! I didn’t have carrots or peas so I made it without and it was ridiculous how EXACTLY it tasted like Arirang Hibachi Steakhouse here in Staten Island, NY. The only thing extra I did was add a bit more sesame oil to taste. And I let that baby fry, fry, fry. My son is already asking for me to make it again tomorrow :D Thank u!!!






  6. I made shrimp fried rice, best fried rice ever! Wow, this recipe turned out great! I’ve already printed this recipe and I will definitely make it again.






  7. Excellent flavor! Definitely liked the advice of letting the rice sit and get a bit browned without constantly stirring- We used some broccoli, too. We used diced leftover pork tenderloin!






  8. This was delicious. My grandkids love it. Had to add a little more oyster sauce.

  9. I made this recipe tonite with my 9 year old daughter and we LOVED it. The recipe was easy to follow and delicious. I also made your gumbo and it was amazing. This is one of my favorite site for recipes.

  10. Made it today but used olive oil instead of sesame oil and no oyster sauce. It was delicious.. ?
    Thank you for the recipe!






    • Great Recipe!
      Hard to stop eating it!
      I added snow peas nice crunch and colour,
      frozen peas and corn, pineapple and red cabbage.
      Lots of colour and the more veggies the better.






  11. I’ve tried so many different fried rice recipes but they never really tasted right. This tastes just like the fried rice I’d have while I was eating at a restaurant! Amazing recipe!






  12. SOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!! Thank you. I have never liked an online recipe as much as I did this one. You broke me out of my bad luck rut with online recipes!






  13. I have always loved Chinese fried rice but never seem to get much anymore. I get some in the local Safeway store deli now & then, but that stuff I don’t even consider to be fried rice. It’s an entity of it’s own. I came across your recipe tonight, and it sounds great. I’m a guy who barely knows how to boil water but it sounds easy enough. I’m going to give it a try.






  14. I’ve made this many times and always love the flavors! I really like this with bean sprouts so I always add a bag of them towards the end of the cooking time. Great recipe as most are just excessive soy sauce and not much flavor. Definitely have to use sesame oil and I also like some minced ginger mixed in.






  15. ?This is without a doubt the BEST friend rice recipe ever! While I know about using cold rice ( and toasted sesame oil), I still used the “make a well in the middle” of the rice and cracked the eggs cooked with oil. Not the same flavor as this one, because, well.. buttery deliciousness. Ali, you earned the ” Fried Rice Queen” award with this recipe!?






  16. Awesome. Best fried rice i have had!

  17. I have been craving fried rice. This recipe is very simple and easy, even for me who is very awkward in the kitchen. I used mixed frozen veggies, but oh the flavor was amazing. Did everything else exactly as listed. I will definitely be making this again! Thanks so much!






  18. I used sliced cabbage, yellow squash, green pepper, leftover pork loin, and some brats we needed to finish up. Actually a few little leftover Baby new potatoes as well…not sure you could go wrong with the base recipe. Great! And thanks.






  19. This is an excellent recipe. I used tinned sweet corn as I didn’t have peas and it was fine. Also put mushrooms in it. We really enjoyed it, thank you so much for the inspiration :)

  20. Oops, sorry I forgot the rating






  21. Love this recipe! Make it at least once a month with leftover pork tenderloin, shrimp, chicken or just veggies. I can’t eat onions, so I substitute with scallions.

  22. It’s so simple yet SO delicious. I didn’t have oyster sauce so I substituted for fish sauce and it still tasted wonderful. I can’t say enough great things about how easy and delicious this is. I promise you’ll enjoy each bite!






  23. You saved dinner!

    I am so excited to eat this (my first time cooking with butter)– you’re right; it’s worth it!

    I had tons of diced mushrooms, green and white onions, colourful mini bell peppers of all colour, and I mixed 1/2 jasmine with 1/2 basmati! I used fish sauce instead of oyster sauce btw to keep it shellfish-free. This was also my first time making scrambled eggs (I know, I know), and they turned out well too! Thanks so much for this, ticked ALL the right boxes! found some canned peas at the last minute and was overyjoyed!






  24. Very good — better than the best take out because you can add as many veggies as you want. I also roasted a pork tenderloin and added cubed pork. Delish!






  25. This is a great chicken fried rice recipe! Simple and yet very flavorful. It’s not like a Chinese restaurant, which isn’t a slight against the recipe at all. It can be challenging when you don’t have a decade-old wok you’re cooking in. I cooked this in a cast iron skillet and it came out great. While it may not taste like a Chinese restaurant fried rice, it’s not a bad thing. It was still still flavorful and tasted fresher than a lot of Chinese restaurant fried rice dishes I’ve had. I think the oyster sauce really sells it. It adds just enough salt without being overpowering. I didn’t even have onion on hand it still came out great. Very, very good simple fried rice recipe that’s a winner.






  26. I’ve made this recipe 4 or 5 times in the past few months. We make a double batch for our teenagers to eat all week. This is a fantastic recipe and the suggestions like using butter and oyster sauce make all the difference. Thanks for sharing!!!






  27. I have made this Recipe for Fried Rice several times and I love it! I have tried it with Chicken but prefer it without! I recommend this Recipe for anyone who loves Fried Rice!






  28. Thanks! Used the recipe tonight!!!!

  29. Thank you!
    My husband loves it ?






  30. Strange question perhaps, but could I skip the eggs without missing out on taste? I just don’t think I will like the texture of the scrambled eggs with the rice. Or is there something else I could substitute for the eggs?

  31. I made this for dinner last night (with some added kimchi for spice/complexity). My husband actually bought me flowers today to say thank you! The recipe was easy and utterly delicious. Thank you so much. Can’t wait to make it again.






  32. So good and easy. ❤️






  33. Make this dish and skip the ordering. Easy and tasty. Don’t forget the sesame oil it’s a must.






  34. Absolutely delicious and light!






  35. That’s the best fried rice I ever made. Thank you!






  36. Hi Ali
    I’ve cooked your recipe many times and always a first class dish.
    I’d like to offer you some advise…:)
    Dont scramble the eggs first. Make the entire fried rice recipes as above. Then near to the end make a well in the SFR and add butter. Drop in the eggs and stir with a chopstick. Then work the scrambled eggs into the SFR. This keeps the eggs hot and saves on yet another dish to wash.
    Hope that helps.
    Andrew
    Singapore






  37. Definitely a keeper! Thank you






  38. Delicious. Absolutely delicious. I used lower sodium soy sauce as suggested, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces 2 center cut pork chops, browned them in about 1 Tbsp butter and seasoned them well with fresh ground pepper in separate pan while following the rest of the recipe exactly. Didn’t need to add any salt as the lower sodium soy sauce had enough for our taste. Thebpepper I added to the browning pork chop cubes was perfect and needed no more. Rare to find a recipe that is perfect as written from the get-go. Thank you!!






  39. Simple, easy, tasty. Perfect!






  40. Used chicken an bell peppers was delicious






  41. Best ever! I haven’t had fried rice like this since wah kua. I am a 7 night a week cook we rarely eat out, however, Im not one to repeat meals as I get bored. I’m always looking to improve my skills in the kitchen. This is my go to for fried rice from now on. Don’t skip the cooling of the rice its a game changer.






  42. I made this with leftover turkey and green beans from Thanksgiving. Along with the traditional veggies for this dish.
    YOWZAA!!! It was so so good and she was right that this is the fried rice I remember from my youth.
    These days, it just doesn’t compare in take out.
    Definitely use cold rice.
    I fried it for about 15 minutes longer because I like mine very fried.
    Perfect flavour.
    Perfect texture.
    My adult son was here for a visit and neither of us are over-eaters…. I thought I made enough for both of us, and leftovers…. LOL… no leftovers.






  43. This turned out delicious! I HIGHLY recommend adding grated ginger if you have any—it really popped some zing into the rice. Also, if you and/or those eating this are fans of spicy food, throw a diced/minced Thai chili or jalapeño pepper (or two if you’re a true firemouth) in with the veggies. (Don’t forget to scrape up the crunchy bits that stick to the bottom of the pan—that’s the best part of this whole recipe!)

  44. It was sooo yum I Have already made it 3 times already… So easy to make and just delicious fresh or as leftovers… It’s definitely a staple food in my house now..my picky son loves it, clearly, I have to make lots as everyone wants more each time!
    Thank you so much!






  45. I’m giving it 5 stars even though mine didn’t turn out exactly 5 stars, but I’ll chalk it up to user error! Ha! I have never bought “short grain” white rice before and even googled it in the grocery store. I really struggled with what type to buy. I opted for Valencia but in retrospect, I wish I had bought Jasmine. The Valencia just didn’t come out right. My first batch cooked way too fast and started sticking badly on the bottom. It didn’t yield much at all either. I made a second batch, which cooked better but maybe was a bit soupy/gummy. Anyway, threw it all together in the fridge. The flavors of the end product were AWESOME! Definitely added a good bit of soy sauce at the end. I didn’t love the texture of the rice at all, but again, totally my poor decision on type of rice and cooking mistakes. Can you remember what type of rice you used? Some types that came up for short grain white rice were arborio, risotto, etc.






    • My go to fried rice recipe, I have made it several times and it is perfect everytime…I do add peppers and toasted almonds for some crunch and flavor and you are right, always drizzle with toasted sesame oil. Yum! Always a hit in our house!






    • As a restaurant owner who pre-portions cooked herb rice dishes to be held in Styrofoam portion cups and then microwaved to order, as a side dish to many of our offerings, we did research from the rice council many years ago and found out that if you want rice that is not sticky or gummy, and capable of holding its individual rice grain characteristics, the rice to use if par-boiled. And you can fry/toast it before you cook it to add more depth of flavor. Chinese restaurants on the other hand, tend to prefer sticky white rice, so they would not use par-boiled. On a side note, we do a wonderful rice pilaf dish with veggies and diced browned pork and for that particular dish we use Basmati which is a long grain rice that fluffs up very nicely when cooked. We bake that dish in the oven, in large batches and it turns out wonderful, and not gummy since we always toast the raw Basmati to a light golden brown before putting it in the oven with chicken broth and sauteed carrots, celery, and onion.

    • So I tried it with arborio, and… it did not go well. I would not recommend that one. I know the recipe calls for a short-grain white rice, but the type that would work for that will either need a specialty grocers or maybe from online. I am going to attempt this again here this upcoming week, with jasmine rice instead. Based on my research outside of this recipe it should work really well with fried rice.

    • Hey Amanda! I love this recipe and just use good old Uncle Ben’s from the box. Tip: once you cover the rice to let it cook, do not lift the lid. After the cook time has lapsed, turn off the heat and resist the temptation to lift the lid. :) Let it sit for 10 minutes, remove lid and fluff with a fork. I let it come to room temperature (or close) in the pot without the lid, then refrigerate for use the next day.

  46. Outstanding! Hubby requested the addition of mushrooms and broccoli, and I diced up pork chops I had cooked 2 days ago. Otherwise, I stayed true to the recipe and we were both very happy!






  47. Looks delish and will be using this recipe tonight! One thing I Iike to add into my fried rice dishes is some fresh basil…

  48. we loved it! I cut the recipe in half and used mixed frozen veggies. I also added 1/4 teas. 5 spice powder – it needed a little something something. Great advice about how to dry out the rice.






  49. Loved it, thanks! I added diced cooked chicken and cooked shrimp at the same time as the rice. Didn’t have too much time to chill the rice and it still turned out great! Subbed fish sauce for oyster sauce as it was all I had. Added sriracha to my bowl when I ate it. Delish!