Easy Veggie Fried Rice | Elizabeth Rider

This Easy Vegetable Fried Rice is a delicious, healthy, and versatile dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

It’s easy to make and can be adapted to suit different tastes. This healthy recipe is so easy and uses simple ingredients like green onion, eggs, carrots, peas, bell pepper, and rice which are cooked in sesame oil for extra flavor.

The result is flavorful veggie fried rice with loads of flavor that’s sure to please everyone.

Important Recipe Note: Fried rice is best when made with COOKED THEN COOLED rice. Freshly cooked rice will give you a mushy fried rice. When rice is cooked then cooled, it becomes firmer in texture for a better fried rice. It also develops resistant starch, which some nutritionists think is a healthier version of starch. Cool your rice in the fridge 4-48 hours for best results.

Ingredients

• Avocado oil: You’ll need 3 tablespoons of avocado oil or another neutral high-heat cooking oil that you prefer.
• Eggs: You’ll also need 3 large eggs, beaten. Veggie fried rice is great with the scrambled eggs that are traditionally found in fried rice recipes. If you don’t eat eggs you can leave them out.
• Broccoli: You’ll need ½ cup finely chopped broccoli. I’m constantly trying to reduce waste in my kitchen so for this Easy Vegetable Fried Rice recipe, we’ll use both crowns and stems. They add amazing texture and you’re not wasting anything.
• Carrots: Carrots add great texture to veggie fried rice. I prefer them shredded on a box grater. Add ¾ cup of shredded or minced carrots.
• Cabbage: You’ll need 1 loosely packed cup of shredded cabbage. Tip: Grab pre-shredded cabbage in the lettuce section of the grocery store, or even off the salad bar if you’re only going to use it in this recipe.
• Green onions: Green onions are classic in any fried rice recipe. Add 5-6 green onions finely sliced. Use both white and green parts, divided, to save some of the green parts for garnish.
• Bell pepper: For this Easy Vegetable Fried Rice recipe, you’ll need ½ cup of minced or sliced bell pepper. I like to use red, but yellow and orange also work. Green bell peppers are too bitter for me in my veggie fried rice, but use it if you like it.
• Peas: Frozen peas are traditional in fried rice, simply add them towards the end of the cooking process because they defrost quickly. Plus, they taste great. You’ll want about ½ cup.
• Shelled edamame: This is optional for flavor, variety, and extra protein and fiber. You can either add ½ cup of shelled edamame or more peas, it’s your call.
• Rice (obviously): You’ll need 3 cups of cooked and cooled white rice or brown rice (quinoa works, too, if you’re on a special diet). It’s essential to use cooked and cooled rice in fried rice for the best texture. Freshly cooked rice will be too soft and mushy. Cook and cool it at least 4-48 hours in advance and store it in a covered container in the fridge until you use it. Veggie fried rice is a GREAT way to use up leftover rice.
• Ginger: For flavor, you’ll need 2 teaspoons of freshly grated ginger.
• Garlic: You’ll also need 2 large cloves of garlic, grated, pressed, or minced.
• Low-Sodium Soy sauce or Tamari: Add ¼ cup of low-sodium soy sauce, plus a bit more for serving if needed. I prefer tamari (wheat-free soy sauce) or low-sodium soy sauce because it’s still very savory and a bit healthier. “Coconut Aminos” is a soy-free sauce that tastes a lot like soy sauce, so you can use that here, too.
• Sesame oil: Now this is what’s going to bring your Easy Vegetable Fried Rice recipe together. Add 1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil. Look for the toasted variety for the best flavor.
• Salt & ground pepper: Freshly ground black or white pepper adds a great flavor. There is a lot of salt in the soy sauce (or tamari or coconut aminos) so use salt to taste at the end if needed.

How to Make Vegetable Fried Rice

1. Beat the eggs together and season with a big pinch of salt and pepper. 
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of avocado oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. 
3. Add the beaten eggs and scramble quickly until just set and not browned, about 1-2 minutes. 

4. Move the scrambled eggs to a large bowl or plate and set aside while you cook the veggies.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over high heat. 
6. Add the broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and bell peppers (and any other veggies you’re using). 

7. Stir to coat and sauté until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.
8. Return the skillet to high heat, add 2 teaspoons of oil then add the rice. Stir fry, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned and a little crispy in spots, about 5-6 minutes. (To use less oil in this recipe, you can skip the 2 teaspoons of oil in this step and simply heat the rice through instead of frying it.)
9. Return the eggs and veggies back to the pan. Add the ginger and the garlic then stir for about 1 minute until they’re fragrant. Add the soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, and ½ cup scallions, then stir again until well incorporated. 

10. Cook everything together, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed.
11. Sprinkle the reserved fresh scallions over the top, and serve your Vegetable Fried Rice. 

See the full details in the recipe card below.

If you’re looking for more fried rice recipes, you can try my Cauliflower “Fried Rice” recipe or this Easy Healthy Fried Rice recipe.

Cook Time

Total time is about 25 minutes.

Prepping the ingredients for your Easy Vegetable Fried Rice will only take about 10 minutes, then you’ll need around 15 minutes to cook the veggie fried rice. It’s pretty simple!

One caveat, you need to use cooked & cooled rice. You can cook the rice 4-24 hours (even up to 48 hours) ahead of time. Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover plain rice. Or, grab some cooked rice at the hot bar at your local grocery store and let it cool. Your fried rice will turn out mushy if you use freshly cooked rice. Let it cook in the fridge at least 4 hours. I think it’s best if cooled over night. Cooked then cooled rice is full of resistant starch, making it even healthier, too.

Storing

Store any Vegetable Fried Rice leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. This rice is great hot, room temp, or cold.

Yield

This recipe makes 4 portions of Vegetable Fried Rice, give or take depending on your prefered portion size.

Print

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe

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  Author: Elizabeth Rider
• 
  Prep Time: 10 minutes
• 
  Cook Time: 15 minutes
• 
  Total Time: 25 minutes
• 
  Yield: 4 1x
• 
  Category: Lunch, Dinner
• 
  Method: Chop, Stirfry
• 
  Cuisine: Chinese-Inspired

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Description

This Easy Vegetable Fried Rice is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

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Ingredients

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• 3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided*
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup finely chopped broccoli (use crown and stem)
• ¾ cup shredded or minced carrots
• 1 cup shredded cabbage (loosely packed)
• 5–6 green onions finely chopped, use both white and green parts, divided
• ½ cup thinly sliced bell pepper, cut into ½ inch pieces
• ½ cup frozen peas
• ½ cup shelled edamame (or more peas)
• 3 cups cooked and cooled white rice or brown rice (quinoa works, too)
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
• 2 large cloves garlic, grated, pressed or minced
• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce, plus more for serving
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil, regular or spicy
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Beat the eggs together and season with a big pinch of salt and pepper.
2. Heat 2 teaspoons of avocado oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add the beaten eggs and scramble quickly until just set and not browned, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Move to a large bowl or plate and set aside while you cook the veggies.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the same skillet over high heat.
6. Add the broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and bell peppers (and any other veggies you’re using).
7. Stir to coat and sauté until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 3-4 minutes.
8. Return the skillet to high heat, add 2-3 teaspoons of oil then add the rice. Stir fry, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly browned and a little crispy in spots, about 5-6 minutes. (If you prefer to use less oil, skip the oil in this step, and instead of frying the rice, you’ll simply heat it though.)
9. Return the eggs and veggies back to the pan. Add the ginger and the garlic then stir for about 1 minute until they’re fragrant. Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, and ½ cup scallions, then stir again until well incorporated.
10. Cook everything together, stirring often, for about 3 minutes, to allow the rice to absorb the flavors. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper, if needed.
11. Sprinkle the reserved fresh scallions over the top, and serve hot. Veggie fried rice is good hot, room temp, or cold. Store leftovers in a covered airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days.

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Keywords: Veggie Fried Rice