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Overhead view of vegetable fried rice in a skillet.
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4.82 from 32 votes

Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable Fried Rice is a fast, easy, delicious, and budget-friendly meal that you can whip up with ingredients on hand at any time!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time12 minutes
Total Time27 minutes
Course: Dinner, Lunch
Cuisine: American, Chinese
Total Cost: $4.22 recipe / $1.06 serving
Servings: 4 servings (about 1.25 cups each)
Calories: 371kcal
Author: Beth Moncel

Equipment

  • Large 12" skillet

Ingredients

  • 2 garlic cloves minced, $0.12
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger grated, $0.12
  • 1 carrot diced, $0.16
  • 1 red bell pepper diced, $1.48
  • 4 green onions sliced, $0.48
  • 2 large eggs $0.39
  • 1 cup frozen peas $0.49
  • 3 Tbsp cooking oil divided, $0.15*
  • 3 cups cooked and cooled rice $0.38**
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce $0.15***
  • 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil $0.30****

Instructions

  • Prepare the vegetables before hand so they're ready to go when needed. Mince the garlic, grate the ginger, dice the carrot and bell pepper, slice the green onions (separate the green ends from the white ends), and measure the frozen peas.
  • Lightly whisk the eggs in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium. Once hot, add 2 Tbsp of cooking oil and swirl to coat the surface. Add the eggs and gently scramble until cooked through. Transfer the cooked eggs to a clean bowl or plate.
  • There should be a good amount of oil left in the skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the diced carrots and stir and cook for about two minutes. Next add the bell pepper and the white firm ends of the green onions. Cook and stir for one minute more. Finally, add the frozen peas and stir and cook until heated through. Transfer the vegetables to a clean bowl or plate.
  • Add the remaining 1 Tbsp cooking oil to the skillet and swirl to coat the surface. Add the garlic, ginger, and cooked and cooled rice to the skillet. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the rice is heated through.
  • Pour the soy sauce and toasted sesame oil over the rice. Stir the rice and sauce together until evenly combined. Turn the heat off.
  • Add the eggs and vegetables back to the skillet with the rice and stir to combine. Allow the residual heat to heat everything through. Top with the remaining green ends of the sliced green onions. Taste and adjust the soy sauce or sesame oil to your liking.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*Use a neutral cooking oil that can handle medium-high heat, such as vegetable or canola oil. The sesame oil is added later for flavor rather than for stir-frying.
**For reference, 1 cup of uncooked rice makes approximately 3 cups cooked. I use long-grain white rice as it’s a great budget-friendly option, it cooks up fluffy, and the grains separate easily, but jasmine or brown rice will also work. Make sure the cooked rice is completely cool before starting.
***Soy sauce varies in saltiness between brands. Regular or low-sodium soy sauce will work. I recommend tasting the finished rice before adding any extra.
****Toasted sesame oil has a deeper, nuttier flavor than regular sesame oil, but either will work here. If you already have regular sesame oil, there’s no need to go buy another bottle!
Want to double this recipe? Adjust the number of servings in the recipe card, and the ingredient amounts will automatically update for you. I'd cook it in batches so the ingredients still have enough contact with the hot skillet.

Nutrition

Serving: 1.25cups | Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 17g | Sodium: 807mg | Fiber: 4g