Vegetable Fried Rice is a simple, healthy, easy-to-make fried rice recipe prepared using a combination of vegetables in less than 30 minutes. This restaurant-style Chinese fried rice is vegan and gluten-free.
About the recipe
Fried rice originated in Chinese cuisine but is popular in Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and India.
If you are looking for a quick and easy dinner option for a busy weeknight or healthy lunchbox meal, try this veg fried rice recipe. This Indo-Chinese fried rice recipe tastes like your restaurant style, plus it is much healthier.
Also, if you have leftover rice, you will need less than 10 minutes to make this fried rice recipe.
What to eat with fried rice?
- Fried rice can be served on its own or with simple tomato ketchup, soy sauce, and chili vinegar.
- Serve this as a side with panda express style orange chicken, honey chili potatoes, soya manchurian, or sticky Asian chicken wings.
- Some other popular served combo are fried egg, Chinese broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts, stir-fried asparagus, dumplings, healthy spring rolls or wrapper, and crispy fried tofu.
Pro tips to make the best-fried rice
- To avoid breaking the rice, never overcook the rice. The rice should be grainy and nonsticky, non-mushy. Also, see that the rice is cooled before you toss it with vegetables and sauces. Most restaurants use day-old rice or leftover rice to make this stir-fried rice.
- Use jasmine rice or basmati rice to make your fried rice more flavorful.
- To get that authentic roadside or restaurant-style taste, try cooking in high heat from start to end. In this way, vegetables also remain crispy.
- Restaurants used large woks and stoves with high heat, which gives a smoky flavor.
- I prepare this rice often with different vegetables available in my pantry. You can also add cabbage, mushroom, baby corn, paneer, or tofu. Non-vegetarians can add meat (beef, bacon, chicken) of their choice, egg, or even shrimp to this recipe.
- The two main two ingredients that you should not miss while preparing an Indo-Chinese rice recipe are green onions (spring onions or scallions) and soy sauce. The addition of celery adds a beautiful aroma and crunch.You can add ½ teaspoon sugar to balance the flavor if needed.
Ingredients
Rice: Use any long-grain basmati rice or medium-grain jasmine rice for best results. Day-old rice or leftover rice can be used. For a weight loss diet, you can add millet, quinoa, or brown rice too. Note the taste will vary accordingly.
Oil: Oil with high smoke points like avocado, sunflower, vegetable, peanut, and sesame can be used.
Vegetables: The more vegetables, the better the taste and healthier it is. Add carrots, peas, cabbage, mushroom, green beans, bell peppers, celery, spring onions any veggie combination you choose.
Flavorings: Use good quality naturally brewed soy sauce. Add only rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar or skip it. Vary black pepper and salt to taste.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step-by-step instructions
How to cook the rice to make perfect fried rice
- Wash the rice and cook it according to the package instructions. Cook the rice al dente. Grains must be separated but fully cooked and not sticky or mushy. Use any rice of your choice. Basmati or jasmine rice tastes the best.
- Allow this rice to cool completely.
- If you use leftover or day-old cooked rice, ignore this step. One cup of uncooked rice or 3 cups of cooked rice.
How to make fried rice
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan on high heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry them for 2 minutes.
- Add celery and continue stir-frying for another 1 minute.
- Next, add carrot, capsicum, green beans, spring onion, green peas, and any other vegetables (broccoli, mushroom, baby corn, zucchini, cabbage, or any other veggies of your choice) and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes. The rawness should go, but the veggies should still have that crunchiness. Do not overcook.
- Add black pepper powder, vinegar, soy sauce, salt to taste and stir for a minute. You can add any other spices or seasonings of your choice at this point.
- Finally, add in the cooked rice and toss till everything is combined for 2 minutes. All this must happen in high flame for excellent results.
- Vegetable Fried Rice is ready. Serve hot, and enjoy.
Store and Reheat
How do you store leftover fried rice?
You can refrigerate leftover fried rice for a day or 2 in an air-tight conatiner in the refrigerator.
What is the best way to reheat leftover fried rice?
The best way to reheat fried rice is by adding moisture (water or broth around 2 tbsp.) back to the rice to prevent it from drying out. Once you add or sprinkle water and toss, reheat in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds or till heated through, on the stovetop on medium flame or in the oven at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
Recipe FAQs
One serving of homemade veg fried rice contains 255 calories with 7g of protein and 48g of carbs.
Cooking the rice al dente (nonsticky, non-mushy), letting the rice cool completely, large woks, high flame, and good quality soy sauce is what makes your fried rice the best.
Yes! Adding vegetables to your rice will only make it more nutritious and healthy. You can add this as a side for your daily meal.
Any long-grain rice like basmati, medium grain like jasmine tastes the best when making fried rice.
Yes. You can. Make sure you thaw them before adding them to the recipe.
This rice recipe is vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free.
Any oil with a high smoke point, like vegetable oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, or sunflower oil, can be used to make a Chinese rice recipe.
Never overcook the rice. Cook al dente and let it cool completely before tossing it with vegetables and sauces.
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Recipe card
Vegetable Fried Rice | Simple Chinese Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup Rice uncooked or 3 cups cooked rice
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil or peanut, seasame
- 1 medium Onion finely chopped / julienne
- 3 cloves Garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon Ginger grated
- 1 piece Celery chopped
- 1 medium Carrot finely chopped / julienne
- 1 medium Bell pepper or Capsicum finely chopped / julienne
- 5 Green beans finely chopped / julienne
- 3 piece Spring onions or Green Onions or Scallions, chopped
- ½ cup Green peas frozen
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon Vinegar (rice vinegar or apple cider)
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce
- Salt , to taste
Instructions
How to cook the rice to make perfect fried rice
- Wash the rice and cook it according to the package instructions. Cook the rice al dente. Grains must be separated but fully cooked and not sticky or mushy. Use any rice of your choice. Basmati or jasmine rice tastes the best.1 cup Rice uncooked
- Allow this rice to cool completely.
- If you use leftover or day-old cooked rice, ignore this step. One cup of uncooked rice or 3 cups of cooked rice.
How to make fried rice
- Heat oil in a non-stick pan on high heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and stir-fry them for 2 minutes.1 tablespoon Vegetable oil, 1 medium Onion, 3 cloves Garlic, 1 teaspoon Ginger
- Add celery and continue stir-frying for another 1 minute.1 piece Celery
- Next, add carrot, capsicum, green beans, spring onion, green peas, and any other vegetables (broccoli, mushroom, baby corn, zucchini, cabbage, or any other veggies of your choice) and stir fry for 2 to 3 minutes. The rawness should go, but the veggies should still have that crunchiness. Do not overcook.1 medium Carrot, 1 medium Bell pepper, 5 Green beans, 3 piece Spring onions, ½ cup Green peas
- Add black pepper powder, vinegar, soy sauce, salt to taste and stir for a minute. You can add any other spices or seasonings of your choice at this point.½ teaspoon Black pepper powder, ½ teaspoon Vinegar, 2 tablespoon Soy sauce, Salt
- Finally, add the cooked rice and toss till everything is combined for 2 minutes. All this must happen in high flame for excellent results.
- Vegetable Fried Rice is ready. Serve hot, and enjoy.
Notes
- To avoid breaking the rice, never overcook the rice. The rice should be grainy and nonsticky, non-mushy. Also, see that the rice is cooled before you toss it with vegetables and sauces. Most restaurants use day-old rice or leftover rice to make this stir-fried rice.
- Use jasmine rice or basmati rice to make your fried rice more flavorful.
- To get that authentic roadside or restaurant-style taste, try cooking in high heat from start to end. In this way, vegetables also remain crispy.
- Restaurants used large woks and stoves with high heat, which gives a smoky flavor.
- I prepare this rice often with different vegetables available in my pantry. You can also add cabbage, mushroom, baby corn, paneer, or tofu. Non-vegetarians can add meat (beef, bacon, chicken) of their choice, egg, or even shrimp to this recipe.
- The two main two ingredients that you should not miss while preparing an Indo-Chinese rice recipe are green onions (spring onions or scallions) and soy sauce. The addition of celery adds a beautiful aroma and crunch.
You can add ½ teaspoon sugar to balance the flavor if needed.
What to eat with fried rice?
- Fried rice can be served on its own or with simple tomato ketchup, soy sauce, and chili vinegar.
- Serve this as a side with panda express style orange chicken, honey chili potatoes, soya manchurian, or sticky Asian chicken wings.
- Some other popular served combo are fried egg, Chinese broccoli, roasted brussels sprouts, stir-fried asparagus, dumplings, healthy spring rolls or wrapper, and crispy fried tofu.
Store and Reheat
How do you store leftover fried rice?
You can refrigerate leftover fried rice for a day or 2 in an air-tight conatiner in the refrigerator.What is the best way to reheat leftover fried rice?
The best way to reheat fried rice is by adding moisture (water or broth around 2 tbsp.) back to the rice to prevent it from drying out. Once you add or sprinkle water and toss, reheat in a microwave-safe bowl for 30 seconds or till heated through, on the stovetop on medium flame or in the oven at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.Nutrition
This post for Indo-Chinese fried rice or veggie fried rice was first published in Feb 2017. Updated with calorie information and more details.
karrie / Tasty Ever After
Love fried rice and this recipe rocks! YUM!!
Monica
Bravo - looks so good! Fried rice is the best kind of comfort food.
Mangala
Wow luks yummy . Ll try
Alex
Ooh I love fried rice, but so often it's not gluten-free! Love that your variation is, and I'm sure the garlic and scallions add so much flavor!
Michelle
Love fried rice and the combination of veggies in this version!