Veggie Fried Rice

This recipe for veggie fried rice is chock full of colorful vegetables and is ready in just 20 minutes! This vegetarian fried rice is the perfect quick and easy side dish that the whole family will love.

You can never go wrong with Chinese food at home, my family always requests that I make sweet and sour chicken and beef broccoli stir fry. This fried rice is the very best accompaniment to a variety of Asian dishes, and it’s so simple to make.

Lately I’ve really been embracing the “cook once, eat twice” motto – basically you cook enough food the first night to use all or some of the components in the second night’s dinner. It’s been a major time saver! This veggie fried rice is the very best way to take your leftovers and turn them into something special.

How do you make veggie fried rice?

This recipe starts with a blend of vegetable including onion, carrots, red bell peppers and garlic. Everything is cooked until tender, and then the eggs are scrambled in the pan. Cooked rice goes into the mix, along with soy sauce and sesame oil for seasoning. Stir fry everything together and dinner is served!

Tips for veggie fried rice

• Frozen peas work perfectly in this fried rice, no need to look for fresh peas. That being said, I don’t recommend canned peas as they don’t have as nice of a color or texture as the frozen version.
• 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, and you’ll get a better texture than you would with freshly cooked rice. Fried rice made with just-cooked rice will be softer and won’t have those crispy little bits.
• Be sure to cut your vegetables into uniformly sized pieces so that they’ll cook at the same rate.

IS VEGETARIAN FRIED RICE BAD FOR YOU?

This fried rice does contain some oil, but other than that, the basic ingredients of vegetables, eggs and rice are wholesome and packed with nutrients and protein. If you’re looking for ways to make your fried rice healthier, you can use half the amount of vegetable oil, substitute brown rice for white rice, and add even more veggies to the mix.

VEGETABLE FRIED RICE VARIATIONS

There are so many different ingredients you can add to your fried rice to customize it to your tastes.

• Protein: You can add protein such as tofu, or even chicken or shrimp if you’re not a vegetarian.
• Vegetables: I like to add other vegetables that I may have on hand such as broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms or green beans.
• Seasonings: You can add other seasonings such as sesame seeds, sriracha sauce for a little kick, or freshly grated ginger.

Everyone is sure to be impressed with this fried rice – it’s full of flavor, color and texture with minimal work involved!

MORE ASIAN FOOD FAVORITES

• Orange Chicken
• Mongolian Chicken
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps
• Hot and Sour Soup
• Chinese Lemon Chicken

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5 from 6 votes

Veggie Fried Rice

This recipe for veggie fried rice is chock full of colorful vegetables and is ready in just 20 minutes! This vegetarian fried rice is the perfect quick and easy side dish that the whole family will love.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine Asian

Keyword fried rice, vegetarian fried rice, veggie fried rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 271kcal

Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked white rice leftover rice is perfect!
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil divided use
• ½ cup finely chopped onion
• ½ cup chopped carrots
• ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
• ½ cup frozen peas
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 2 eggs lightly beaten
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional: sliced green onions for garnish

Instructions

• In a large wok or skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil over medium high heat.
• Add the onion and carrot to the pan, cook 3-5 minutes or until softened. Stir in the red bell pepper; cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
• Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the vegetables from the pan, place them on a plate and cover 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 and cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the rice, reserved cooked veggies and frozen peas to the pan. Stir in the soy sauce and sesame oil and mix gently until everything is thoroughly combined and warmed through, 3-4 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, add more soy sauce if desired.
• Serve immediately, sprinkled with sliced green onions if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 784mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g