How to Make Fried Rice: This Chinese fried rice recipe is now a favorite recipe to have at home after my husband perfected after three tries!
My husband and I have been having so much fun in the kitchen lately. He absolutely loves making this beef tenderloin and helping with this easy fried chicken recipe, but now…
…after the third time of creating and perfecting this Chinese Fried Rice recipe, it’s time to share this one with you.
How to Make Fried Rice
I’m sure you’ve had many different styles of fried rice like I have.
Some are loaded with peas and green onions, different types of meat or even fruit like pineapple!
With this fried rice, you can add your preference of toppings and vegetables to make it your very own!
NOTE: We LOVE garlic in our house, so we use 3 cloves in our recipe, but feel free to cut this back in yours. I’ve noticed ours has a little more garlic flavor than restaurant fried rice.
What Kind of Rice to Use for Fried Rice?
When we’re making it at home, we use whatever rice we have on hand. However, our absolute favorite rice to use for any dish, is basmati rice, which is used in a lot of Indian Recipes like this Chilli Chicken Recipe. But feel free to use:
- Basmati Rice
- Jasmine Rice
- Instant Rice
- Long Grain
Note: Just make sure directions on rice packaging matches up (or are similar) to how we cook our rice in the recipe card below. If not, follow the directions on the type of rice you’re using, so you have a fully cooked rice, before finishing the fried rice recipe.
Do I Have to Use a Wok Pan to Make Fried Rice?
Nope. You can use a regular skillet, but we love using a wok because it makes things much easier (and fun) to toss the rice around while it’s cooking.
What are the Different Types of Fried Rice
There are many different types of fried rice, and that’s what I love about sharing easy recipes with you here on Fantabulosity because they’re super flexible to customize to your liking! Here are a few ideas:
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice
One of the most popular fried rice dishes in our family, whether at home or at our local favorite Chinese restaurant, is chicken fried rice.
This is easy to do! You can make chicken similar to how we made chicken bites, chicken breasts in the crock pot, or grab a rotisserie chicken and use the meat from that along with this fried rice recipe below!
How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice
If you’re wanting to make shrimp fried rice, there are different ways you can do this!
- Buy pre-cooked shrimp that just needs to be warmed up.
- Make your own shrimp like this garlic butter shrimp on the stovetop.
- Use a shrimp marinade and grill your shrimp like in this grilled shrimp recipe.
- Or get creative and use this fried shrimp recipe! Doesn’t that sound amazing?
Just don’t forget to remove the tails of the shrimp before adding them to the rice for much easier eating!
How to Make Stir Fry Rice
My grandma used to LOVE making stir fry. She’d steam white rice and serve mixed veggies and soy sauce with it and would call it day. It was one of my FAVORITES!
Well taking hers up a notch, we love making stir fry with this fried rice recipe and tossing in stir fry vegetables like:
- Frozen mixed stir-fry veggies
or
- Canned bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, water chestnuts and baby corn.
Other Types of Fried Rice:
- Pineapple Fried Rice
- Pork Fried Rice
- Tofu Fried Rice
- Cauliflower Fried Rice (look for frozen cauliflower rice!)
- Cashew Fried Rice
- Lobster, Scallop or Crab Fried Rice
So no matter if you want to enjoy it alone or if you want to add something into your fried rice recipe, this recipe will be fantastic to use…
What to Serve with Fried Rice
If you’re looking for a side dish for fried rice, you’ll LOVE this pan-fried dumplings recipe!
📖 Recipe
Chinese Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon salted butter
- 1 cup rice
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 sweet onion chopped
- 1 cup carrots chopped
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 cup meat chopped and cooked (optional)
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoons sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a saucepan, melt butter on high and add rice.
- “Toast,” the rice on high heat stirring often, for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
- Add water, and cover and let sit for 15 minutes on low, set aside.
- In a wok pan, pour in sesame oil, and turn the heat on high. When smoking, add onion. Cook onions until clear (3 minutes)
- Add carrots, and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add oyster sauce
- Add in cooked rice from earlier, and mix well.
- Add choice of meat if desired. Mix.
- Push rice mixture to one side of wok pan.
- Crack eggs into the side of pan and scramble, and mix with rice once cooked.
- Add soy sauce, pepper, and sesame seeds
- Serve!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
What Should I Serve with Fried Rice?
You can eat fried rice just as it is, but serving the standard Chinese food favorites like:
Or if you’re looking for a completely different type of side dish to serve with fried rice, here are some of our favorites:
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Egg Rolls
- Crab Rangoons (or our guacamole wontons for a fun spin)
- Chinese Dumplings
Love Restaurant Meals at Home?
Then you’ll LOVE these:
Terri Miller says
I don’t like oysters. Is there something you can use instead of oyster sauce? If I eliminate it altogether will it taste like something’s missing?
Jessica says
You can actually make this without it! We’ve done that before and it’s STILL delicious!
Ima says
What does “toasting” the rice first do for the dish?
Thanks!
Jessica says
It gives the rice a good little “crunch!” I’m a huge texture person, and love how it has that added characteristic to it!
Danelle says
I love fried rice! I cannot wait to try this–I bet it’s so much better that what you get from a restaurant!
Jessica says
I may be a bit partial, but it is pretty delicious. Lol! I’m so glad that you came by. I’m actually FLATTERED, that you came by. I just love your blog. XOXO!
Amanda @ Dwelling in Happiness says
This looks SO good! I’ve tried other fried rice recipes and they’re just ok, but this one looks way better! I’m pinning this so I can make it soon! 🙂
Jessica says
Oh yaaaay! I’m so glad that you’ve come by and are going to make it soon! I’m tellin’ ya… it’s yumalicious! 😉
Amy@ A Cup Full of Sass says
YUM!!! That looks amazing! Going to try this! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Jessica says
You totally have to try it! Or….. come over and eat here and we can drink wine. 😉 Wait… I think I say that about everything we both post. Hahaha!