Try swapping out traditional rice for quinoa in this easy quinoa fried “rice” recipe! It’s amazingly flavorful and delicious, and only takes about 15 minutes to make.
A year ago I shared my hands-down, all-time, better-than-the-restaurant, finally-perfected, FAVORITE fried rice recipe. Readers have made it hundreds of time since and love it. I have made it countless times ever since and love it. Let’s be real — the world loves some good fried rice.
But last week when a cold and stressful day hit and all I was craving a bowl of rice, a tiny problem popped up: no rice in the casa.
Argh. So I scavenged my pantry and decided to try subbing in the next closest thing: quinoa.
Game changer.
Quinoa Fried Rice Recipe | 1-Minute Video
I probably shouldn’t have been surprised by this one. I regularly sub in rice and farro for quinoa in recipes that call for rice, and know that it is usually a great swap. But this was fried rice that we’re talkin’ about here. The holy grail of rice dishes, in my book. Very, very rice-ish.
Still, it was rainy out and I didn’t want to traipse across the neighborhood to my Chinese restaurant. So quinoa it was.
I whipped up a batch of quinoa, made using veggie stock (my favorite). Then in order to speed up the chilling process (essential for making fried rice), I spread it out on a baking sheet and popped it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, I chopped and sauteed my veggies and garlic, and got things rolling. Then finally added in the chilled quinoa and the remainder of the ingredients, sauteed in lots of butter over high heat (my secret to fried rice).
The result?!
Well, honestly, the result was the best compliment I could pay to this dish:
It tasted just like fried rice!!!
Again, this probably should not have come as any sort of surprise. But after finally landing on my perfected recipe for fried rice, I was a little shocked that quinoa could swoop in so stealthily and carry the dish. But it did! And it was just as delicious and comforting and satisfying as the original, but made a bit healthier with the addition of protein-packed quinoa.
Win = win.
Look out rice, I’m totally making this again.
Quinoa Fried “Rice”
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
All of the goodness of traditional fried rice, but made with protein-packed quinoa instead of rice!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, divided
- 2 eggs, whisked
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt and pepper
- 4 cups cooked and chilled quinoa (*see instructions here for how to cook quinoa)
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce, or more to taste
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Heat 1/2 tablespoon of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add egg, and cook until scrambled, stirring occasionally. Remove egg, and transfer to a separate plate.
- 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. Saute 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 cooked quinoa, green onions, soy sauce and oyster sauce (if using), and stir until combined. Continue stirring for an additional 3 minutes to fry the quinoa. Then add in the eggs and stir to combine. Add the sesame oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat.
- Serve warm.
Soooo DELICIOUS!!!! I LOVE IT! Made it for dinner the other night with spring rolls and it was too good! My daughter especially! Thank you for the recipe, it will be a favorite in our house :)
We’re so happy you and your daughter liked it Anna, thanks for sharing! :D
Oh my goodness. I never feel the need to comment on recipes I get from the internet, but this one is spot on. :)
At first, my husband was disappointed that there was no meat. Then he took it back. His exact words were “I like this more than fried rice” I’m so glad! :)
(I will say, that I used a bouillon cube for the quinoa) Also, Instead of fresh carrot, for ease, I just bought the bag of mixed peas and carrots in the frozen section.
Thanks for taking the time to let us know Joanna, we’re so happy to hear you and your husband enjoyed this! :)
My mom directed me to your website and told me to try this recipe. I don’t usually care for quinoa, but this was really good! Thanks for the recipe! I’m excited to try some of your other ones.
That’s great Natasha, we’re happy you enjoyed this! Thanks for sharing with us. :)
It’s me, Lindsey, again! I made this yesterday, and while it had great flavor, the quinoa seemed mushy and sticky. I’ve never made quinoa before, did I maybe overcook it? Or chill it in the fridge when it was still too warm from the stove? Thanks for your help!
Hi! I’m excited to try this recipe! But I’m a little confused about the dry vs. cooked. How much dry quinoa do I need to make 4 cups of cooked quinoa?
Hey Lindsey, we’re sorry for the confusion — 1 cup of dried quinoa should yield about 4 cups of cooked quinoa. Enjoy!
This is amazing! Made it and love it! Thank you for sharing!!!
Thank you Brooke, we’re glad you enjoyed it!
How many does this recepie serve?
Hi Charlotte, it serves 4. We hope you enjoy!
I would have never thought to replace rice with quinoa. I made this tonight (this was also my first time trying quinoa) for dinner and it was absolutely delicious!!
Thanks Natasha, we’re so glad you enjoyed it!
We made this for dinner Friday after work. It was awesome and answered the Chinese food craving we had. Thanks for sharing.
That’s awesome Dawn, we’re so happy you guys liked it! :)
I made this last night and it was amazing! Will def be making it again very soon!
Thanks Parveen, we’re so happy you enjoyed it!