Vegetable fried rice is admittedly not the most popular item at a Chinese restaurant. However, it’s a versatile recipe you can quickly throw together with whatever you have in the refrigerator. It makes a great meatless lunch, side dish, or light meal.
I personally love a good Chinese vegetable fried rice, especially when there’s a variety of vegetables. I like to add flavorful ingredients like shiitake mushrooms, as well as sweet and crunchy add-ins like snow peas and bean sprouts.
Note: This recipe was originally published in November 2013. We have re-tested and updated it with clearer instructions, new photos, updated nutrition information, and metric measurements. Enjoy!
Do you have to use cold rice to make fried rice?
Fried rice recipes are a great way to use up leftover cold rice, but what if you don’t have any? Don’t fret, you can make just enough fresh rice for this recipe and use it the same day.
What veggies can I use for fried rice?
The beauty of cooking at home is that you can put just about anything in your vegetable fried rice. While we provide a basic list of vegetables in this recipe, but you can use any stray carrot, stalk of celery, or half a bell pepper sitting in your fridge.
Some non-conventional veggies to add include mushrooms, asparagus, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, jalapeno peppers (if you want a little spicy kick), or even romaine or iceberg lettuce.
(Yes, adding some chopped iceberg lettuce right at the end, to keep it slightly crunchy, is a refreshing addition!)
How to Make Vegan Fried Rice
Vegetable fried rice is one simple step away from vegan fried rice. Just omit the egg!
If you feel something is missing, you can use cubed pan-fried tofu for additional protein.
Vegetable fried rice variations are endless, and don’t stop there. Try my version to get the method down, and then change up the ingredients and make the dish your own. If you have most of the items listed in our 10 Essential Chinese Pantry Ingredients list, I bet you can make this fried rice for dinner tonight.
Vegetable Fried Rice: Recipe Instructions
Let’s start with preparing the rice. We have slightly different instructions depending on whether you’re using leftover rice, or making rice for the express purpose of this recipe!
If You’re Using Day Old Rice:
Take your rice out of the refrigerator. Wet your hands, and break up any clumps with your fingers. Set aside on the counter for 1 hour, so the rice can come up to room temperature.
Mix sesame oil, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, turmeric (if using) and MSG (if using) in a small bowl and set aside.
If Using Fresh Rice:
Wash, rinse, and drain your rice, and prepare it how you would normally either in your rice cooker or using our stovetop rice cooking method.To the rice and water, add the sesame oil, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, turmeric (if using) and MSG (if using). Stir until the rice and seasonings are well-mixed. Cook the rice.
After the rice is cooked, leave it out to cool uncovered for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with chopsticks or a fork, and turn it out onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool further and dry out slightly. If you cooked the rice properly, you should be able to see individual grains of rice that aren’t too wet.
As you can see below, we made this recipe with rice prepared in this way:
Prepare Vegetables:
Dice and chop all of your vegetables, including the onion, carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, snow peas, and scallions, ensuring they’re all about the same size. The exception is the mung bean sprouts, which just need to be rinsed, cleaned and trimmed. Set the vegetables aside in neat piles.
Prepare Eggs:
Combine the eggs with salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine. Beat for 30 seconds.
Heat your wok until it just begins to smoke, and add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to coat the wok. Pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble them, and when they’re about halfway done, turn off the heat. Use your wok spatula to break the eggs up into smaller pieces, using the residual heat of the wok to just cook them through.
Remove from the wok and set aside.
Assemble the vegetable fried rice:
Heat the wok to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil, along with the onion, garlic (if using), and carrots.
Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the mushroom and bell peppers, and continue to stir-fry for another 30 to 60 seconds.
Turn the heat up to high, and add your rice.
Immediately begin stir-frying, firmly scraping the contents of the wok from the bottom up to prevent the rice from sticking. After 1 minute, you can pour your sauce evenly over the rice if using leftover day-old rice, and stir it in until the rice is an even color.
Add the white pepper, and keep stir-frying the rice for another minute (about 2 minutes total). You’ll see some steam starting to rise from the rice once it’s heated through. Taste now and add additional seasonings to taste (salt, soy sauce, etc.).
Add the snow peas, and stir-for 15-30 seconds.
Add the eggs.
Also add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, and stir it in.
Finally, add the bean sprouts…
And the scallions. Stir-fry until the bean sprouts just begin to wilt, and serve.
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Recipe
Vegetable Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 1/2 cups cooked white rice
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce (or seasoned soy sauce)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric (optional, for color)
- 1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
- ½ cup onion (diced)
- ¼ cup carrots (diced)
- ¼ cup fresh shiitake mushrooms (diced)
- ¼ cup bell pepper (any colordiced)
- 3/4 cup snow peas (chopped)
- 1 scallion (chopped)
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 clove garlic (minced)
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
For the eggs:
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
Instructions
If using day-old rice:
- Take your rice out of the refrigerator. Wet your hands, and break up any clumps with your fingers. Set aside on the counter for 1 hour, so the rice can come up to room temperature.
- Mix sesame oil, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, turmeric (if using) and MSG (if using) in a small bowl and set aside.
If using fresh rice:
- Wash, rinse, and drain your rice, and prepare it how you would normally either in your rice cooker or using our stovetop rice cooking method.To the rice and water, add the sesame oil, dark soy sauce, soy sauce, salt, turmeric (if using) and MSG (if using). Stir until the rice and seasonings are well-mixed. Cook the rice.
- After the rice is cooked, leave it out to cool uncovered for 5 minutes. Fluff the rice with chopsticks or a fork, and turn it out onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool further and dry out slightly. If you cooked the rice properly, you should be able to see individual grains of rice that aren’t too wet.
Prepare vegetables:
- Dice and chop all of your vegetables, including the onion, carrots, mushrooms, bell pepper, snow peas, and scallions, ensuring they’re all about the same size. The exception is the mung bean sprouts, which just need to be rinsed, cleaned and trimmed. Set the vegetables aside in neat piles.
Prepare eggs:
- Combine the eggs with salt, white pepper, and Shaoxing wine. Beat for 30 seconds.
- Heat your wok until it just begins to smoke, and add 2 tablespoons of neutral oil to coat the wok. Pour in the beaten eggs. Scramble them, and when they’re about halfway done, turn off the heat. Use your wok spatula to break the eggs up into smaller pieces, using the residual heat of the wok to just cook them through. Remove from the wok and set aside.
Assemble the vegetable fried rice:
- Heat the wok to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil, along with the onion, garlic (if using), and carrots. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the mushroom and bell peppers, and continue to stir-fry for another 30 to 60 seconds.
- Turn the heat up to high, and add your rice. Immediately begin stir-frying, firmly scraping the contents of the wok from the bottom up to prevent the rice from sticking. After 1 minute, you can pour your sauce evenly over the rice if using leftover day-old rice, and stir it in until the rice is an even color.
- Add the white pepper, and keep stir-frying the rice for another minute (about 2 minutes total). You’ll see some steam starting to rise from the rice once it’s heated through. Taste now and add additional seasonings to taste (salt, soy sauce, etc.).
- Add the snow peas, and stir-for 15-30 seconds. Add the eggs and mix again until the eggs are incorporated. Add the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, and stir it in. Finally, add the bean sprouts and scallions. Stir-fry until the bean sprouts just begin to wilt, and serve.
