This vegetable fried rice is one of my absolute favorite go-to recipes. It's the perfect thing to make for an easy weeknight dinner using up any leftover rice in your fridge. I love allowing the rice to crisp up on the bottom as it cooks; it adds so much texture to the dish!
This was the very first recipe published on my blog on Jan 21, 2019! It was updated on February 28, 2025 with new photos and helpful step by step instructions.
Growing up, my mom often made fried rice with all of the random vegetables laying around in the fridge. In fact, this was one of the very first recipes I learned to cook because it was so simple and easy to make with whatever I had on hand.
Veggie fried rice is great to make at the end of the week with your leftover rice and veggies. Add in a couple of eggs or feel free to leave them out to make this recipe vegan. Drizzle in soy sauce and sesame oil and you’ve got yourself a meal!
Fried rice pairs well with a fresh broccoli beet salad, air fryer snow peas, cabbage carrot salad or lemon roasted asparagus.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This is a great dish to make at the end of the week with all of your random veggies! It’s easy to tailor to your liking based on what you have available.
- It’s a great way to use up any leftover rice!
- Enjoy this savory fried rice for breakfast, lunch or dinner! The choice is up to you.
Ingredient Notes
- Oil - you will need both a neutral flavored oil such as avocado oil or vegetable oil AND sesame oil, which acts as a finishing oil.
- Eggs - the eggs are optional but you will need 2 if you choose to use them.
- Onion - onion acts as a base flavor and when diced small it is distributed evenly throughout the dish, making each bit full of flavor.
- Carrots - carrots add a hint of sweetness and a pop of color to fried rice.
- Garlic - this recipe calls for 2 cloves to add a subtle garlic flavor. Use more if you want!
- Peas - you can use fresh or frozen peas. I recommend frozen because they keep in the freezer for so long.
- Spices - a pinch of salt, crushed red pepper flakes and freshly ground black pepper.
- Rice - you will need cold, leftover rice. White or brown rice will work.
- Soy sauce - this umami ingredient takes fried rice to the next level! I recommend using reduced-sodium soy sauce so you are able to control the sodium levels a little more.
Substitutions and Variations
- Vegan - omit the eggs to make this dish vegan.
- Gluten-free - use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
- Crispy - allow the rice to brown on the bottom of the pan. This will create a delicious crispy texture!
- Spicy - add another ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes or add a tablespoon of sriracha.
- Veggies - throw in any vegetable of your choosing. I’ve made this rice with edamame, cabbage, peppers, green onions, mushrooms, zucchini, corn and more!
- Pineapple fried rice - add in cashews, raisins and diced pineapple!
- Chili crunch oil - cook the eggs in chili crunch oil to add some spice!
Step by Step Instructions
Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk together. Cook the egg over medium heat, stirring them around as they cook using your cooking utensil to break the eggs into pieces. Remove and set aside.
Sauté the onions and carrots. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the peas (from frozen), minced garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes until the peas warm up and the garlic is fragrant.
Add the rice and start to break it up with your cooking utensil. Add the eggs, soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well. Cook for another 5 minutes over medium-low. Turn off the heat and enjoy!
Hint: let the rice crisp up on the bottom of the pan as it cooks in order to make crispy fried rice!
Top Tip
Make sure to use cold, leftover rice for this recipe. Fresh, warm rice will not work as well because it will be more sticky and may become mushy during cooking.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Since we are already using leftover rice, I do not recommend keeping it longer than that.
This recipe tastes best fresh. While you can use frozen rice to make this recipe, I do not recommend freezing the fried rice.
Frequently Asked Questions
If the rice looks too dry you can add in a splash of water, vegetable broth or rice vinegar to bring some moisture back into the dish.
Yes you can make this using a bag of frozen mixed veggies. This is a quick and efficient way to reduce prep time.
Yes you can use tamari or coconut aminos in place of soy sauce.
Vegetable Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons neutral flavored oil (such as avocado oil or vegetable oil)
- 2 eggs (optional - omit if vegan)
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup peas (fresh or frozen)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or less - this is optional)
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups leftover rice
- 2 ½ tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
- ½ tablespoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a small bowl and whisk together.
- Heat ½ tablespoon of neutral flavored oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir them around as they cook using your cooking utensil to break the eggs into pieces.
- Remove the scrambled eggs from the pan and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of neutral oil to the pan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Sauté for 5-8 minutes until they begin to soften.
- Add the peas, minced garlic, salt, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes until the peas warm up and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the rice and start to break it up with your cooking utensil. Add the scrambled eggs back in and stir well.
- Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Mix well in the pan so all of the rice is coated. Cook for another 5 minutes over medium-low. Turn off the heat and enjoy!
Notes
- Make sure to use cold, leftover rice for this recipe.
- To make crispy fried rice let the rice cook longer so it gets browned and crispy. This adds a nice texture to the dish!
- Add in any vegetable of your choosing. I’ve made this rice with edamame, cabbage, peppers, green onions, mushrooms, zucchini, corn and more!
- To make this gluten-free use tamari or coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
Emily says
This is truly the only way I use leftover rice. I often use frozen vegges when I don't feel like doing any chopping.
Great post keep making these says
Great post keep making these
Emily Toshiko says
Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed it.