Vegetable Fried Rice

This Vegetable Fried Rice is so much better than Chinese take-out! Healthy, quick & easy, frugal, and the perfect way to use up leftovers! Enjoy as a main meal or as a side dish with other Chinese-style favorites like Weeknight Veggie Stir Fry, or Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli!

Back when I was a kid, on the rare occasion that my family ordered Chinese take-out, and even in my college years, fried rice was one of my favorite things to order. You could get it with vegetables only, or with chicken, shrimp, beef & etc.

Of course, back then, I had not even the faintest idea about the unhealthy oils and additives that were likely lurking in my favorite take-out. It was greasy, and all I knew was that it tasted good!

Fast forward to today. I still love fried rice, AND since we’re a family of four on a real food budget, with a monthly meal plan – I figured out the very BEST recipe for healthy and delicious vegetable fried rice at home!

It’s kid-tested, and picky-eater approved! So say goodbye forever to Chinese restaurant vegetable fried rice, and even Trader Joe’s Vegetable Fried Rice! Your family will absolutely love this recipe as a main for lunch, dinner, or as a side dish! Think Instant Pot honey garlic chicken or 30 minute cashew chicken!

Vegetable Fried Rice

Not only is this vegetable fried rice recipe amazing, I also love it because it’s:

• SO Versatile. Just about any vegetables you have lying in the fridge will work well. A good portion of these ingredients are things we could easily keep in our pantry and freezer too, making this dish an excellent back-up plan when dinner plans go awry for one reason or another.
• Healthy. As I say often- the way to go is by eating simple real food. You can’t get any more simple, healthy, and delicious than this recipe!
• Frugal. Speaking of simple, this recipe is simply amazing for your pocket book! With the fresh garlic & ginger plus rice, veggies, and stock (even better, if you use homemade chicken stock), you can’t go wrong with quality, taste and affordability!
• Freezer-friendly! Make a big batch and freeze the extras for future meals on your monthly meal plan, which saves you time and even more money!

What are the Ingredients for Fried Rice?

• brown rice (try Instant Pot brown rice)
• homemade bone broth
• saturated fat for sautéing (bacon grease, coconut oil, tallow or lard)
• eggs
• garlic cloves
• fresh ginger
• frozen mixed peas/corn/green beans/carrots (or the equivalent if using fresh)
• celery
• bell pepper (red peppers or green)
• large onion
• cooked beans (or canned garbanzo, white, or black beans)
• naturally brewed soy sauce (coconut aminos or liquid aminos)

Can I use Leftover Rice for this Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe?

Yes. Using day-old rice is perfectly fine, and it’s actually a great idea because it helps to avoid food waste. Plus it saves you time and steps in the kitchen. 

Also, if you happened to make another dish this week like Weeknight Veggie Stir Fry, or 30 Minute Cashew Chicken, where you added an extra ingredient like snow peas or green onions for garnish, feel free to use those leftovers too!

Is Chinese Fried Rice Vegetarian?

Yes, with the option of adding meat. Since we only buy and prepare one whole chicken each month, my version is written without meat.

However, you could easily add shredded chicken, carnitas (shredded pork), diced beef or even shrimp depending on what’s on sale and in your freezer.

Remember that meat should accompany meals, not be the main attraction. Allowing 1/3 cup of meat per person should be plenty for this recipe, and this could even be reduced to 1/4 if necessary.

How to Make the Best Vegetable Fried Rice

1. Prepare rice according to package instructions (or try this Instant Pot Brown Rice).
2. In a wok or very large skillet, add fat and heat over medium high heat until it melts.
3. Add eggs, then scramble the eggs in the pan with a spatula or wooden spoon. Add onion, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring often.
4. When the eggs are translucent, add the remaining vegetables and stir-fry for 2-5 mins.
5. Add rice and fold to fully incorporate with the vegetables. (Pre-cooked meat could also be added at this point.)
6. Gently fold in beans before adding soy sauce. Stir vegetable fried rice well and serve.

* Note: The rice must be cooled before making the rest of the recipe. It doesn’t necessarily have to be cold rice, but take this into consideration in advance when planning and preparing this meal.

Additional Tips for Easy Fried Rice

This vegetable fried rice sounds simple, and it really is, but the key to making it flavorful is the garlic and ginger. Do not skip out on the fresh versions of either if at all possible. (You can freeze extra ginger using this method!)

You could also take this dish and significantly change the flavors with just a few minor adjustments.

• Peanut: Use peanut oil for sautéing, combine 1-2 Tbsp of natural peanut butter with the soy sauce before adding to the rice, and sprinkle the top with peanuts
• Cashew: Add 1-2 Tbsp of natural cashew butter with the soy sauce before adding to the rice, sprinkle the top with cashews.
• Sesame: Replace 1 Tbsp of soy sauce with sesame seed oil and sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.

If you’ve never made homemade bone broth before, read this tutorial. Transform one whole chicken into ten quarts of homemade immunity boosting goodness over the course of three days while spending maybe an hour in the kitchen. Read my super-easy slow cooker method for making homemade chicken broth here or make it with the Instant Pot! (Save your kitchen scraps too!)

Here’s a thought to spend some time marinating on: if your chicken is organic and free-range to begin with, you’d be saving over $37 on chicken broth – in one month alone! 🙂

What Goes with Vegetable Fried Rice?

I love fried rice as a main meal, but you can also enjoy it as a side dish. Try serving it with:

• 30 Minute Cashew Chicken
• Weeknight Veggie Stir Fry
• Sweet and Sour Chicken
• Slow Cooker Thai Pineapple Vegetarian Curry
• Chinese 5 Spice Chicken
• Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken
• Korean Beef
• Instant Pot Beef and Broccoli

More Easy Rice Recipes

• Instant Pot White Rice
• Instant Pot Brown Rice
• Coconut Rice
• Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice
• Instant Pot Yellow Rice
• Spanish Rice

What’s your favorite variation of vegetable fried rice?