Extra Vegetable Fried Rice
Learn how to make vegetable fried rice—it's a simple and satisfying dinner! This recipe features extra vegetables and brown rice. Vegetarian/gluten free.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
I set out to create a more interesting take on greasy take-out vegetable fried rice. Here it is in full glory, and it’s as flavorful as it is colorful. Hooray!
I used brown rice, naturally, and even threw in a handful of greens, which offer even more health bonus points. (The greens are optional.)
I also played around with a variety of vegetables, and all of them worked well as long as they were cut into very small pieces.
This is exactly what you should make when you have leftover rice and some random raw vegetables in your fridge. You’re going to love it!
The Best Vegetable Fried Rice
I designed this recipe to work well in a regular skillet (preferably cast iron), since most of us don’t have woks at home.
The only tricky part, which really isn’t so difficult, is to cook the eggs, vegetables and rice separately, and combine them all at the end.
That way, each component will be cooked just right, and the vegetables and rice will get a chance to develop those delicious golden edges.
Delicious veggie fried rice, coming up! As always, please let me know how you like this recipe in the comments. I’m always so eager for your feedback.
Craving more? Check out my Thai pineapple fried rice. If you’re looking for more versatile recipes to use up the last of your vegetables, don’t miss this roundup.
Watch How to Make Vegetable Fried Rice
Extra Vegetable Fried Rice
Learn how to make vegetable fried rice—it’s a simple and satisfying dinner! This vegetarian recipe features extra vegetables and brown rice. Recipe yields 2 large or 3 moderate servings (I think you could double it if you have a large enough skillet, but you might not get as much caramelization on the edges of the veggies and rice).
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons + 2 tablespoons avocado oil or safflower oil, divided
- 2 eggs, whisked together
- 1 small white onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 medium carrots, finely chopped (about ½ cup)
- 2 cups additional veggies, cut into very small pieces for quick cooking (see photos for size reference; options include snow peas, asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, bell pepper, and/or fresh or frozen peas—no need to thaw first)
- ¼ teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1 tablespoon grated or finely minced fresh ginger
- 2 large cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (*see notes!)
- 1 cup greens (optional), such as spinach, baby kale or tatsoi
- 3 green onions, chopped
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium tamari or soy sauce**
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Chili-garlic sauce or sriracha, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- This recipe comes together quickly. Before you get started, make sure that all of your ingredients are prepped and within an arm’s reach from the stove. Also have an empty bowl nearby for holding the cooked eggs and veggies. I’m suggesting that you start over medium-high heat, but if at any point you catch a whiff of oil or food burning, reduce the heat to medium.
- Warm a large cast iron or stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat until a few drops of water evaporate within a couple of seconds. Immediately add 1 ½ teaspoons of oil and swirl the pan to coat the bottom. Add the scrambled eggs and swirl the pan so they cover the bottom. Cook until they are just lightly set, flipping or stirring along the way. Transfer the eggs to a bowl and wipe out the pan with a heat-proof spatula.
- Return the pan to heat and add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring often, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining veggies and salt. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally (don’t stir too often, or the veggies won’t have a chance to turn golden on the edges), until the veggies are cooked through and turning golden, about 3 to 5 more minutes. In the meantime, use the edge of your spatula or a spoon to break up the scrambled eggs into smaller pieces.
- Use a big spatula or spoon to transfer the contents of the pan to the bowl with the cooked eggs. Return the pan to heat and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Add the ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant while stirring constantly, about 30 seconds. Add the rice and mix it all together. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is hot and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the greens (if using) and green onions, and stir to combine. Add the cooked veggies and eggs and stir to combine. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the tamari and sesame oil. Taste, and add a little more tamari if you’d like more soy flavor (don’t overdo it or it will drown out the other flavors) or salt, if the dish needs an extra boost of overall flavor.
- Divide into bowls and serve immediately. I usually serve mine with chili-garlic sauce or sriracha on the side. Leftovers store well in the refrigerator, covered, for 3 to 4 days (if you used purple cabbage, it might stain your scrambled eggs a funny blue color, but it’s fine to eat).
Notes
*Rice notes: You’ll need to cook about 1 cup dry rice to yield enough for this recipe; be sure not to over-cook it or it will stick to the pan. I prefer short-grain brown rice since it’s a little chewy, but medium-grain or jasmine rice will work, too. Here’s how I cook brown rice. You can use freshly cooked rice if you spread it onto a large tray and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes first (this gives it a chance to dry out a bit so it doesn’t steam itself in the pan). Day-old leftover, refrigerator rice is great, too. Just break up any clumps of rice before you add it to the pan. Credit goes to Serious Eats for the rice tips!
**Make it gluten free: Be sure to use gluten-free tamari, not regular soy sauce.
Make it vegan: Omit the eggs and the 1 ½ teaspoons oil that goes with them. For extra protein, you could mix in 1 cup edamame (thawed if necessary) or a batch of my crispy baked tofu with the cooked veggies at the end.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Looks amazing, going to make this tomorrow am! Can you use basmati rice? If not, is long-grain brown rice okay?
Sure, you can use basmati rice or long-grain brown rice, either one! If it’s white basmati (not brown), just cook it according to the package directions. My rice-cooking directions are designed for brown rice (any variety), just an FYI.
I never developed a taste for brown rice in all of my almost 69 years. Always too nutty, chewy, hard, just not near as good as white rice. Well, yesterday pretty much changed my mind.
Easy peasy, boil for 30 minutes with a little salt and the rice is done. I followed the recipe for the vegetable fried rice here and my wife raved over it! I was sooooooo impressed I am gonna have to search out more recipes here.
Thanks!
I was searching for a way to use leftover rice and bits of vegetables to good to waste but not enough for a side dish. This turned out wonderful. For me, the key was the three steps of cooking the eggs first, then vegetables, and finally the rice. In these tough economic times, food should not be wasted. Thank you.
I’m glad this one worked for you, Suzette! Thanks for taking the time to review.
I made this recipe and it was delicious, I had bok Choy and I added it. Thank you for this recipe.
Made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! I didn’t have any greens to add but otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. It was a big hit, thanks.
This recipe is both delicious and forgiving! I added chicken and used red peppers, mushrooms, snap peas, and baby spinach, in addition to the carrots and onions. Husband had seconds- always a good sign!
This has become my favorite dish since the lockdown. It’s healthy, tasty, and everyone loves it. Thank you so much!
Very beautiful and healthy meal! We used all of the vegetables that you recommended but also added a habanero and serrano for extra spice, yum. We served it with a squirt of lemon. I usually add a little bit of brown sugar to my vegetable fried rice to round out the flavors so I’ll do that next time. Thank you so much!!
I love your recipes
Wanting to make this but wondering what you recommend as substitute the for safflower or avocado oil? Will olive oil work? Canola
Hi! You do want a higher heat oil for this. But, I do know olive oil has worked for some. You just need to be mindful of the heat. Coconut oil could be a substitution.
Oh my gosh! This was wonderful. I didn’t have all the veggies in the recipe, but I did have carrots, onion, purple cabbage, and broccoli. This is the best fried rice I’ve had. No meat necessary and I love the brown rice. I will make this often. *I cooled the rice to room temp and put it in the fridge while I prepped and cooked the rest.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing, Diana.
This was plus/minus for me, but I think mostly due to my issues so won’t rate it with stars. It was a little short on flavor for me. I didn’t let the veggies or rice brown enough to get that nice caramelized flavor. Next time will add more garlic and ginger, and more sesame oil as those flavors didn’t come through as much as I like. I may have added more veggies than the recipe calls for so diluted out the flavor. Despite this, it was a good meal and a GREAT way to boost our veggie intake. I added 1/4 a block of tofu that I needed to use up as well as peppers, cabbage, carrots and mushrooms. I precooked the mushrooms separately since they have so much water to release. Will certainly try this one again and I LOVE the versatility of using what I have in the fridge.
Absolutely amazing! Cooked squash zucchini and cabbage separately and then blended together once on my plate and you talking about GOOD! Loved it! Thanks for this receipt Kate.
You’re welcome, Monica! Thank you for your review.
This is my new favorite recipe!! I packed so many veggies into one meal it was awesome–and there was so much flavor with very little seasoning added (I omitted the red pepper but added onion and garlic powder). For veggies I included: bok choy, garlic, yellow onions, green onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, peas, carrots and zucchini. I followed the rest of the recipe pretty much except I used hulled barley in place of rice and it was amazing. I can see this being a daily meal for me.
Hooray! This is a great one to have as a favorite. Thanks for sharing what you included, Mika.
We absolutely love this recipe. We don’t use cabbage, but we do use sugar snap peas, carrots, broccoli, standard peas, and bell pepper. It’s super tasty and filling!
Honestly I have never rated a recipe before in my life. However, this is the best fried rice I’ve literally ever had. If you’re thinking about making it… Do.
It’s hard to find vegetarian recipes that taste delicious and incorporate lots of actual veggies and fill you up. This recipe checks every single box. I added extra pepper flakes and added the chili garlic sauce right into the pan, which gave it a great kick. Highly recommend.
I love this so much!! It’s so fun to prep all the pretty and delicious veggies. I added bacon for the men folk, and they loved it too! Thank you for all of your delicious recipes- yours are alwAys flavorful and delicious!
Just made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for a great recipe.
You’re welcome, Abby! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
This. Is. AMAZING! Best fried rice ever. I used red cabbage and it turned my egg purple but hey, it tastes the same so who cares! I used snow peas, snap peas, celery, carrot, onion, and red cabbage. So yummy. Thank you for this recipe!! I am making it again for meal prep for this week :)
This is one of my top favorite recipes EVER. I almost have it memorized. Every time I make it I get rave reviews. Just wanted to say thank you thank you for this, it’s one of the very best in my repertoire!
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I made this fried rice for supper tonight. It was delicious! My husband loved it and ate seconds.
Another yummy recipe! I love everything I make from this website!! Thank you!
Love this — so simple, tasty and filling! The thing that I do change for efficiency’s sake is instead of whisking the eggs together and cooking them first, I push the veggies to the side and just crack the eggs directly into the pan, scrambling with my spatula and mixing with the veggies (at the end of step 4) before dumping it all onto a plate and adding the ginger/garlic/pepper to the pan. Doing this eliminates a dish to wash!
Made this tonight! It was delicious and a WONDERFUL way to use up veggies and languishing greens!
Thank you for your review, Donna!
Delicious!
Thank You for all the vegan recipes You make they are really inspired .
Thank you again.
Do you think this would freeze ok?
Ellie, you could try it. Although I’m not sure how some of the ingredients would hold up. Let me know!
Just so you know, next time I’m going to follow your recipe exactly, but tonight I am going to modify the basics to use up leftover quinoa from last night. I don’t have fresh ginger so I’ll sub a teaspoon of dry ground. Have to leave out the green onions. Plus I’m using sunflower oil because that is what I have. I’ll let you know what I think when I follow your recipe. The stars today are thanks for the brilliant inspiration.
Thank you for sharing, Delphi! I appreciate your review.
The quinoa version was delicious. Everyone ate every bit without complaint. I’m making the real version next week and am looking forward to it. Thanks for posting this recipe.
Just finished making and enjoying this recipe. Wow – I thought I knew how to make fried rice before, but … I guess I do now! This is a really special combination and I am grateful for now understanding how it should come together. My wife and kids will be even more grateful when they try it, but not sure if they will get home in time to try this batch!
I’ve been making my way through your recipes, and this one is my favourite so far! So budget friendly, easy, and delicious. Thank you :)
Hooray! Thank you so much, Chloe!
Great fried rice. Delicious and easy to make . Follow the steps and be ready it does come together fast. Paired with the Crispy Tofu for a very tasty meal.
I have tried numerous vegetarian fried rice dishes in the past but this is absolutely amazing. I always try to make enough to go two nights but it never does due to the fact my family love this dish also. By far the best fried recipe.
Hooray! That’s great to hear, Flip. I appreciate you taking the time to review.
Hi,
I’ve decided to go vegetarian and I tried your recipe and it’s wonderful .
Easy, tasty , filling and great for lunches the next day .
Thank you !
Absolutely delicious. I can prep ahead of time and throw this meal together in 10-12 minutes! Yummy!
Hi Kate,
Im new to your blog:) all your recipes sound and look fabulous. We tried the extra veggie and Fried Rice and it was fantastic. Definitely going to make this again. I made it with ground ginger, because I was out but I will make sure to follow the recipe:)
So yummy, thank you:)
Hi Anne, I’m happy to hear that! Thank you for your review.
So yummy! I love how full of veggies it is, and I ended up using long grain rice because it is all I had and it worked well! Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome! I’m delighted you enjoyed it, Sundee. Thank you for your review!
Hi I was wondering how many grams makes each serve? I am currently Neal prepping and calorie counting so would love that info. Thank you :)
Hi! Nutritional information is below the the notes section. I hope this helps!
Could I use frozen mixed vegetables in this recipe?
Hi M, that should work. Just be sure to thaw before cooking. I hope you enjoy it!
Making this tonight for my family (for the 2nd time). We all absolutely love it!
That’s great to hear! Thank you for your review, Pia.
So yummy!!
So we eat a LOT of Asian food. And lots of fried rice! Don’t know what took me so long to look up your recipe. Am big fan. And this was best ever! Why would I be surprised!
Is Cookie a cattle dog mix? She’s adorbs!
Hi! I’m delighted you tried this one and loved it. Cookie is half schipperke and half dachshund/Australian koolie mix.
This recipe is fantastic – thank you!
My husband and I are transitioning to a vegetarian diet and this is one of the first new recipes I found online. It will definitely become a regular for us.
I made use of all the veggies left over from last week’s shop so it’s a great way to clear out the fridge too :)
Welcome, Tahlia! I’m happy you were able to enjoy this one and it will be a repeat for you.
Made this for the first time tonight and will be making it again soon! Chopped up a variety of vegetables as you suggested, and it was so incredibly yummy! Easy too. Thanks for sharing!
This was a very yummy recipe! My whole family enjoyed it, and we will defintely make it again.
That’s great, Michelle! I appreciate your review.
I love your website Kate! I am a busy mum with 3 kids, 1 with a gluten allergy and 1 is very fussy. This recipe is delicious and my whole family loved it. Thank you!!
You’re welcome, Anja! I appreciate your review.
I’ve made this twice now, once using only fresh vegetables and once using a large bag of frozen mixed vegetables as the base. Both ways it was delicious. To boost the protein I added cooked edamame beans for the last five minutes of cooking, and roasted peanuts when serving. I also like how it tastes when topped with sambal oolek. I used some of the leftovers for breakfast the next day, adding an egg and scrambling it together. Also super tasty. I like how healthy and delicious this recipe is.
Thank you for sharing, Stephanie! I’m glad you enjoyed it.
Made this twice this weekend. Love this recipe! I overdo the veggies, wait not sure that’s possible!! First time I used brown rice, second time basmati. Both were great in this recipe. Will def be a weekly meal for me.
This was fantastic. Took a little longer than I thought it would to prep for double the recipe but it was worth every minute because it was so delicious. I used asparagus, red pepper, purple cabbage and frozen peas for my extra veggies.
I’m happy you loved it, Leslie! Thank you for your review.
Made this for dinner tonight. Lovely flavors. We all enjoyed it. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Isabel!