If you’ve never made your own Fried Rice at home, this recipe will show you how easy, and versatile it is! This fried rice is inspired from the same restaurant as our Sweet and Spicy Honey-Grilled Shrimp. It’s not your typical Chinese restaurant-type fried rice; it’s a bit milder and has a little more Polynesian flair. It goes great with Teriyaki Chicken or it’s slightly naughtier cousin, Bacon-Wrapped Teriyaki Chicken Bites. Or try it with Asian BBQ Chicken or the ever-popular Spicy Honey Chicken. Or toss in some leftover Fauxtisserie Chicken or ham or shrimp (or hey, live on the wild side and add all three) and it can be a meal in and of itself.
Ingredients for Fried Rice
Cooking Fried Rice
After your veggies get a quick saute, you’ll add the the rice and it starts to come together. One of the best parts about this recipe is the seasoning mix. You’ll make a spice blend and use as much of it as you like for flavor.
It’s so easy to crack a couple eggs in there, or throw some protein on top for a one-dish meal, and it’s also the perfect side-dish for so many things. My whole family loves this meal, and it’s a great way to get your kiddos to eat their veggies!
Fried Rice
Ingredients
4 cups cold, leftover rice
3 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup minced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped green onions
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
1/4 cups chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
8 oz. (1/2 bag) coleslaw mix
3–4 generous tablespoons soy sauce
Seasoning:
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon dehydrated onion
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
Instructions
If not using leftover rice, boil water and add dry rice. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. This step can be done even up to 2-3 days in advance (and for some reason, fried rice tastes better when the rice is cold). Heat butter over medium heat and saute onions, carrots, and cabbage until carrots are tender. Add cooked rice, soy sauce, and seasoning to taste (you won’t even come close to using all of it; save the rest for future fried rice or use as you would seasoning salt.)
Questions & Reviews
My family LOVED this last night!! Thanks so much!!
I just made this with Quinoa instead of rice and it was delightful!
Made this last night, along with your Asian BBQ chicken recipe. My husband, who normally isn’t a fan of (any type of) rice, ate the entire batch (save the portion I took)! He asked me to make it again next week, whoo hoo! And what a great way to get in some extra veggies (although I couldn’t get my 3-year old to eat it, it has “green” in it–someone tell me this phase will end soon?!?!).
I’m using the leftover chicken tonight to make the bacon-artichoke penne bake using the guiltless alfredo sauce. I feel like a gourmet chef! Thanks for making dinners exciting around our house again!
So. Delicious. So, so, SO delicious.
Wow! This is an amazing fried rice. My two oldest boys said “Fantastic!”
In your instructions, you didn’t say when to add the mushrooms and garlic in. I’m assuming you saute the garlic with the onions, carrots, and cabbage. Are you also supposed to saute the mushrooms with the onions, carrots, and cabbage? Thanks (I’m not a great cook, but I’m trying to learn!)
Wooo–I’d love to try the fried rice recipe! I just saw it linked up from the recent recipe for lettuce wraps. One question: When I get take-out fried rice from the Vietnamese place down the street, it seems like there’s some kind of spice in there that gives the rice a hint of cinnamon flavor. Do you have any idea what that spice is? Whatever it is, I like it and would like to add it to this recipe.
Heather, my guess is Chinese 5 Spice powder. I’ve gotten it in the past online at Penzeys. Hope that helps! 🙂
Matt and Penny–Just the onion flakes. Hope that helps! 🙂
Quick question- what kind of dried onion are you talking about? onion salt, onion powder or dried onion flakes? I am making this for dinner tonight and don't want to mess it up.Thanks Penny
i made this for dinner tonight and it is really yummy. i used brown rice and my non-brown rice eating hubby really liked it (shhh–don't tell him) Thanks.
I hate to say the same thing everyone above has said…but this recipe is fabulous! I made this for supper tonight and can't get over how tasty it was! Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your great recipes and for sharing with us!
I heart Sara and Kate (but not in a weird, creepy way :). We had this for dinner last night and it was the best stir fry I've ever made! My mission is to make every single one of your recipes. So far, I've made about 15, all of which were spectacular (except for the tortillas, which I've tried 3 times and CAN NOT get them right…maybe if you're ever in Arkansas you can stop by for a demonstration??). Thank you! You girls rock!
Thanks Kate. I need all the help I can get in the kitchen!
I just wanted to let you know that you have the MOST AMAZING recipes. I love, love, love them! I made this rice last night and it was DELICIOUS! I even ate some cold for lunch. 🙂 Thanks for sharing. This is seriously my "go-to" site when I want something tasty and new and different! Thanks again!
Disneyland recipe, wow … impressive!! They always have such fun foods, this is a must-try!! Soon 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Janice–Did you use all the seasoning at once? Because that would definitely be too salty. 🙂 You just want to add a few sprinkles of the seasoning until it's salty enough. If that's what happened, that might be what made it too salty. Otherwise, you can cut down on the salt in the seasoning if you just find the seasoning too salty.
I made this last night and my family and I think that this is the best made at home fried rice that we have ever eaten. And I've tried a few recipes. My only problem was that it was way to salty and I only used half of what your recipe called for. Is the 1 Tablespoon a typo and should it be one tsp.
I have a totally different recipe than this one. I guess you could call it more traditional asian? I like the items you've added to yours. I will have to try it but am pretty sure we'll probably want ours too. Thanks so much!
Oh my gosh my family loved this!!! We made it with your Teriyaki Chicken recipe- Yummm O!
Seriously, thank you for the awesome recipes!
Sydney–That's awesome!! Now just get some Chinese takeout boxes from the store and no one will ever know! 🙂
As far as green onions go, I usually chop until it's not firm and white anymore (unless I'm using the green tops for something specific). It also depends on how far I need to stretch the green onions, you know? The tops are very, very mild and don't have much flavor or texture once they're cooked, so I generally don't bother too much with them.
For mushrooms, if you buy them wrapped, leave 'em that way and then wipe them with a wet paper towel to get the dirt off. If you buy them loose, it's best to wipe them off first and then store them in a paper bag so they can breathe and don't get slimy like they tend to do in plastic bags.
For salt, if you're using a larger-grained salt like Kosher or some sea salt in place of regular salt, you actually want to use a bit more because those salts don't taste as salty. If you're using regular table salt in place of Kosher salt, you'll use a bit less. But really, most of the time, I'd keep it just the same and adjust things if you need to once you've seasoned it, you know?
Hope that helps! 🙂
I made this tonight and it was a huge hit! My 5 year old finished his before I even sat down to the table and my husband said it looked and tasted like something from Panda Express! So simple to make and so delicious!
Now for a few random questions that my momma never taught me. How far up the green onion do you cut and use? What's the best way to store mushrooms in the fridge to make them last longer? If I don't have kosher salt, do I need to increase the increment if I'm using Sea Salt or table salt?
Thanks for being my go-to girls for cooking! This is the best site.
I love fried rice! Now, what do I do for my 6 year old who hates it? Blurg. I think I'll make it anyway…he can have a sandwich.
I've made this before and we all loved it. I like how it's so flexible, so you can really throw anything into it. Great way to use leftover rice too- because who eats plain leftover rice?? Thanks Kate!
I love fried rice and this variation looks perfect!
Yummy yummy i love fried rice.Your pictures are awesome too.
So glad you are back with non-dessert food, I need some dinner ideas! Hope you had a great Christmas!
Yum!
I was hoping to make a meatless dinner tonight and wanted to use up some mushrooms. Perfect timing!
You are back! YEY! Looks delish, as always!
I've never been the first to write a comment… I feel so special! This sounds super yummy! Just wanted to let you know I cook from your blog religiously and I love it!! Just served your Indian pork skewers with the coconut rice at my sons birthday last night, and everyone LOVED it! Sooo yummy! Thanks for all the awesome recipes!!!