Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

Fried rice is an easy dish that anyone can cook within 10 minutes, especially if you already have all the ingredients in your fridge or pantry. It is bursting with flavor, and certainly a dish that’s perfect as a side dish or even as a one-bowl dinner. 

If you’re tired of your run-of-the-mill stir fry, here’s something new for you. Vegetable Fried Rice is a yummy recipe that’s loaded with colorful vegetables, incredible flavors, and of course, rice! If you love fried rice, you’ll certainly fall for this Vegetable Fried Rice recipe too!

What Is the Difference Between Chinese Fried Rice and Veg Fried Rice?

Chinese Fried Rice can include eggs, sausage, shrimp, or other meat in it. On the other hand, Vegetable Fried Rice will only have vegetables as its mix-ins. Other vegetable fried rice recipes may even only use plant-based components to flavor and cook the fried rice to make it friendly for vegans.

Other than the ingredients, there isn’t much difference between Chinese Fried Rice and Vegetable Fried Rice. Sometimes, Vegetable Fried Rice is even referred to as Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice.

Chinese Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe Ingredients

• 3 cups leftover white or brown rice
• 1/4 cup chopped red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green beans
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrots
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons cooking oil (vegetable oil)
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
• Chili oil or chili-garlic sauce (optional)
• Sesame seeds (optional)

Veg Fried Rice Recipe Directions

1. Before you start making fried rice, make sure that all of the ingredients are prepared.
2. Warm a large skillet over medium-high heat. 
3. Add 1 tablespoon of oil and stir-fry the chopped garlic for 30 to 40 seconds.
4. Add the carrots to the pan and stir-fry until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Add the bell pepper and the white firm ends of the green onions. Stir-fry for a minute.
6. Next, add the frozen peas and stir-fry until heated through. 
7. Transfer the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
8. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the large skillet, retaining the medium-high heat. Swirl to coat the surface with the hot oil.
9. Add the cooked and cooled rice to the pan. Stir fry, stirring occasionally, until the rice grains are lightly browned in spots or about 5 minutes. 
10. Add the soy sauce and the sesame oil to the stir-fried rice mixture. 
11. Return the vegetables to the pan, stirring often until everything is combined and the vegetables are just tender, or about 3 minutes. 
12. Sprinkle green onions over the cooked Veg Fried Rice. 
13. Add optional ingredients such as sesame seeds or chili-garlic sauce over the Vegetable Fried Rice. Adjust the taste as well by adding more soy sauce or sesame oil according to your preference.
14. Serve immediately.

Veg Fried Rice Recipe Tips

• It is best to use a cast-iron pan or a stainless steel skillet to stir-fry rice as it can give the Vegetable Fried Rice a smoky aroma.
• Cooked and cooled rice is the best kind of rice to use for fried rice.
• If you don’t have leftover rice but still want to have Vegetable Fried Rice, you can still use freshly cooked rice. Spread it on a baking sheet then let it dry and cool completely by putting it in the fridge. Once you have cold rice, you can now use it to cook fried rice.
• Long-grain rice such as Jasmine rice or Basmati rice is best to use for fried rice. You may also use medium-grain rice. 
• You may use white rice or brown rice for this fried rice recipe. You can also make fried rice with cauliflower rice for an even healthier dish.
• This Veg Fried Rice recipe uses red bell pepper but you can also use green or yellow bell pepper.
• Use any cooking oil that has a high smoke point to ensure that the Vegetable Fried Rice cooks perfectly. Peanut oil, avocado oil, or sunflower oil all work well. Olive oil is not suitable for stir-fried rice. This is because olive oil is a low-smoke point oil and it is also highly aromatic and may change the flavor of the fried rice.
• Feel free to mix in other veggies in this Vegetable Fried Rice. Add fresh green peas, corn, mushrooms, broccoli, beansprouts, and the like.
• Modify this recipe to make other fried rice recipes! You can use this as a base for Kimchi Fried Rice or a Pineapple Fried Rice recipe.
• Adjust the flavors of the Vegetable Fried Rice according to your taste. You can use regular soy sauce instead of low-sodium soy sauce. 
• While this recipe is for Vegetable Fried Rice, you can still use it as a base for non-veggie fried rice! Simply add your choice of meat like leftover chicken, scrambled eggs, chopped sausage, and more.
• Soy sauce isn’t the only thing that you can use to increase the flavor of your fried rice recipe! Other sauces such as oyster sauce or hoisin sauce are also great options.
• You may skip the green onions and the bell pepper in this Vegetable Fried Rice if they are not to your liking.

Final Note

The best fried rice recipe doesn’t have to be complicated or use tons of ingredients! This Vegetable Fried Rice is certainly proof of that. Simply toss in leftover white or brown rice and your preferred vegetables, add a dash of soy sauce and sesame oil, and you’re good to go! What are you waiting for then? Enjoy Veg Fried Rice at home with this recipe! 

Proud of making Vegetable Fried Rice and want to cook other dishes in your kitchen? Check out our recipe collection!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the secret ingredient in Chinese fried rice?

Want to make fried rice at home but you can’t seem to get down how Chinese restaurants cook it? The secret to that is using already-cooked rice! That’s right; the best fried rice recipe will always use leftover rice. 

Compared to freshly cooked rice, leftover rice from the day before has grains that are dry and separate easily. When stir-frying cooked rice, it ends up crispy, making it perfect for numerous fried rice recipes. Moreover, when it comes to cooking rice, most Chinese restaurants use Jasmine rice as it has a light and fluffy texture compared to Basmati rice or other varieties. Most restaurants use white rice but you can use brown rice as well.

What gives Chinese fried rice its flavor?

The secret to any Chinese fried recipe is using light soy sauce and dark soy sauce as the seasoning. Adding sesame oil to cooked rice can also make a difference as it adds warmth and complexity to the dish. 

Additionally, a cast iron work or a stainless steel pan is the best to use for any fried rice recipe. This is because when you stir-fry in an iron pan, the heated oil during the cooking process emits a smoky aroma, contributing to the overall taste of the stir-fried rice. 

What is the secret powder for fried rice?

There is no “secret powder” when it comes to making the perfect fried rice. It all boils down to the seasonings such as salt, pepper, soy sauce, and sesame oil used in the cooking process.