This pork fried rice is pork tenderloin pieces cooked with vegetables, eggs and rice in a savory sauce. A remake of the take out classic that tastes just as good as what you’d get in a restaurant!
I love to recreate my family’s favorite take out dishes at home including savory almond chicken, quick and easy sesame noodles and this simple, yet satisfying pork fried rice.
Whenever I go to a Chinese restaurant, I always order pork fried rice. That combination of fresh veggies, tender pork and flavorful rice just can’t be beat. I’ve since learned how to make this dish at home, and it’s actually quite easy to put together.
How do you make pork fried rice?
Start by cutting pork tenderloin into small pieces, then brown the meat in a skillet. Remove the pork from the pan, then add the veggies and eggs. The next step is to add the cooked ingredients back to the skillet along with white rice, toasted sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir fry until everything is coated in sauce, then add a sprinkling of sliced green onions and enjoy.
Tips for the perfect dish
- I recommend using long grain white rice for this dish for the best results. You can use a regular white rice or an aromatic variety such as jasmine rice.
- No pork tenderloin on hand? You can use ground pork, pork loin or even leftover cut up pork chops.
- I typically make this dish with chicken breast, but diced chicken thighs will also work. You can also use pre-cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken.
- Frozen peas work perfectly in this fried rice, so there’s no need to try and locate fresh peas. That being said, skip the canned peas as they don’t have as nice of a color or texture as the frozen variety.
- Fried rice works best with cold rice, so this is the perfect way to use up leftover rice. With cold rice, the grains are all separated and firm, so you will get a better texture than you would with freshly made rice. Fried rice made with just-cooked rice will have a softer texture and you won’t end up with all those crispy little bits.
IS FRIED RICE HEALTHY?
Fried rice contains some oil, but other than that, the basic ingredients of lean pork, vegetables, eggs and rice are wholesome and contain plenty of nutrients and protein. If you’re looking for ways to make your fried rice healthier, you can reduce the amount of oil by half, substitute cooked brown rice for white rice, and add extra vegetables to the mix.
Pork fried rice flavor variations
This recipe is great as-is, but you can add other ingredientst to customize the flavors to your tastes.
- Protein: Feel free to swap out the pork for other types of protein such as shrimp, steak, chicken, bacon or tofu.
- Vegetables: I sometimes like to add other finely chopped vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bell peppers, mushrooms, or green beans.
- Seasonings: You can add other seasonings to finish the dish such as toasted sesame seeds, cilantro, sriracha or stir in some freshly grated ginger.
Next time you’re in the mood for take out, make your own pork fried rice at home instead. You’ll be glad you did!
More Asian style dishes to try
Pork Fried Rice Video
Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil divided use
- 3/4 pound pork tenderloin cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/2 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 carrots peeled, quartered and sliced
- 1/2 cup frozen peas thawed
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 3 cups cooked white rice long grain is preferable
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium is fine
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper.
- Place the pork in a single layer in the pan. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until meat is browned and cooked through. You may need to do this step in batches.
- Remove the pork from the pan. Place it on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Add 1 teaspoon of oil to the pan, then stir in the onion and carrots. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until veggies are softened. Season with salt and pepper.
- Add the garlic and ginger, then cook for 30 seconds.
- Remove the vegetables from the pan, and cover with foil to keep warm.
- Pour the remaining teaspoon of oil into the pan; add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally and breaking up with a spatula, until the eggs are scrambled. Season the eggs with salt and pepper.
- Add the rice, pork, cooked veggies and peas into the pan.
- Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil and mix gently until everything is thoroughly combined and warmed through, which will take 3-4 minutes.
- Sprinkle green onions over the top of the rice mixture, then serve immediately.
Romina says
I love fried rice and this is such a nice twist on the usual recipes.
Maria San Juan says
I love fried rice like this one! Will surely try this!!
Tawnie Kroll says
My hubby and I are in love with this recipe, it’s so easy and flavorful. Thank you!!
veenaazmanov says
My family loves such Happy Meal platters. This Fried rice is so flavorful and I love the combinations too.
Dana Sandonato says
This was perfect! None of the Chinese takeout in our neck of the woods does fried rice properly. It’s sad. This sated our craving!
Laura says
This is seriously so tasty! I love all of the veggies in there, and this makes it easy to add or change some of them.
Luci Petlack says
We love making fried rice at home. I usually add the scrambled eggs when the rice is already in the pan, but I think this way might be better. Can’t wait to give it a try!
Toni says
This is such an amazing meal!! Perfect for busy days!
Claudia Lamascolo says
this sounds really delicious and on my list to try for sure we love fried rice!
Heather Johnson says
very delicious!!! i kept the pork whole when i cooked it then diced and added at the end – stayed more moist – but loved the seasoning in the rice – great recipe!
Nic says
oh man, this pork fried rice is so good! Thanks for the recipe!