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
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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.
Had a Deliciously made fried rice without egg. Was great! Thank you for the recipe.
I made this tonight for the first time, it was delicious! I added a little honey to the soy mixture and I had some left over chicken so I threw that in. My husband loved it. Thanks!
That’s great to hear, Kim! Thank you for your review.
This is the most delicious best ever fried rice I’ve ever had – thank you! I made it with broccoli and orange bell,peppers for the vegetables. (I had snow peas but forgot to put them in. ).
I actually froze 1 serving and it froze/reheat pretty well – not as amazing as when in was freshly made but still quite tasty.
I made it for the first time 3-4 weeks ago and am making it again tomorrow. Which is really unusual for me to repeat a recipe that soon!
Tonight I made your herbed quinoa and chickpea salad – also delicious! Quite a few of my favorite recipes are yours.
Great to hear you enjoyed it, Ellen! Thank you for sharing how you made it and other recipes you have tried.
I have made this twice and it always turns out great!
Great to hear, Jeanette! I appreciate your review.
This was delicious! My new go-to recipe for veggie fried rice. I didn’t change a thing, made the recipe exactly as written. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Elaine! I appreciate your review.
I made this and didn’t quite double it but used a whole bag of frozen veggies and probably 2.5 cups of rice. It made a lot, maybe 5 servings. I also added kimchi and marinated/fried tempeh. Delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight. It’s the best fried rice I’ve ever had, even better than restaurant! I want to increase the number of vegetarian meals (although this would also be great with shrimp added in!) I make each week, your website is going to help me! Thank you!
Hooray! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
We love this recipe!! I think it is a little different each time I make it, depending on what veg is on hand. We like to top with some of the chinese spicy mustard. Adding some edamame tonight!
Sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, Dee.
Made this for dinner tonight. Was honestly skeptical, but we’re trying to cut back on the meals we eat each week with meat, and this recipe had good reviews, so we went for it.
Oh my goodness! This was so delicious! I can’t wait for leftovers because of how good it was! This will definitely become a regular on our dinner rotations.
I did double the garlic (we love garlic) and put in 3 eggs instead of 2. We used red cabbage, red peppers, cauliflower, and snow peas for the veggies and I used kale as the greens. So, SO good!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Thank you for your review, Ana! I’m glad you loved it.
Exceptional recipe as always! Been looking for a go-to way to cleaning out any veggies languishing away in the fridge and this is exactly what I was hoping for. Thanks for your your unfailingly perfect techniques and delicious results!
Thank you, Stacey!
Tried this tonight using the vegetables I had on hand, adding a bit more oil than was called for. It was delicious. Will definitely make this again.
That’s great, Mar!
Great recipe! Hits all the right notes. If you happen, as I did, to have leftover stems from a leafy green—chard and some kind of choy, in my case—the two cups of veggies here are a great way to use them. Not to mention that leftover brown basmati rice. I found I needed a bit more oil at each stage (using a large, thirsty pan). Served with kimchi for spice. (Even more extra veg!)
Thank you for sharing how you made this, Laura! I appreciate your review.
My husband, who might be described as non-vegetarian, and I LOVE this recipe. As we attempt to try more plant based meals, this is a must. Kudos!
Great to hear, Valeta!
So grateful for this recipe! Perfectly used up all the random ingredients I had languishing in my fridge at the end of the week. Added a little butter before frying the rice (for extra flavor) and used a LOT more than 2 cups of veggies – a combo of broccoli, frozen mixed veggies, spinach & green onions, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Will definitely be making this again next time I have leftover brown rice in the fridge!
Great to hear, Melissa! Thank you for sharing how much you enjoyed it and how you made it.
Hi! I just made this for the first time last night. I used a bag of fresh Ready Veggies from Trader Joe’s. It was delicious! My family loved it! Thank you.
Love this recipe, made it with cauliflower rice and no eggs, delish!
This recipe is great! I wanted to point out that there is no way it has 24g of sugar though unless I’m misunderstanding something!
Hi Kelly, Please see my Nutrition Disclaimer.
So happy with this! What a great use for leftover rice and/or veggies! We seasoned it with a bit more sesame oil and soy sauce at the end. We would have added sesame seeds too but we were out. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Jayme! I appreciate your review.
I was worried this wasn’t going to be flavorful enough because there wasn’t a “sauce,” but man was I mistaken. I used mushrooms and spinach and served it with the baked tofu. Delicious!
I’m glad you loved it, Jessie! I appreciate your review.
Tried this recipe so many times and love it more every time
That’s great to hear, PT! I appreciate your review.
So good. Came out perfect in my cast iron pan. If you’re a slow chopper like me, prep is definitely longer than 20 minutes, but everything else was spot on!
I’m happy you enjoyed it, Nancy!
Thank you Kate!!! I love your recipes and will be making this one. I am so glad you are still posting. In remembrance of Cookie….always Beth
You’re welcome, Beth!
Yummy! Just what I’ve been craving. My omnivore husband gave it a 7/10, saying, “it’s like she’s a 10, but then you realize she ain’t got no beef.” Typical. I punched it up with extra tamari, black pepper, Sriracha sauce, and various spices. It could stand to have a little more seasoning but otherwise a delight.
This is the best recipe for fried rice!
Thank you, Jessika! I appreciate your review.
Thank you for sharing. Your cooking principals are first class. Best regards from Crete. I’m Chris and have been vegetarian for 40 years.
I’ve been doing your pineapple fried rice for years,but needed to use some veggies from the garden up.this was delicious! I used mushrooms, fennel, carrots, chard, zucchini, shelled peas, and green beans. Skipped the garlic because I didn’t have it on hand, used ginger paste because I did. I made a double batch and still had a high veggie:rice ratio. It was perfect for us!
what in the world are “caper flakes? and where would one get them? i’ve never ever heard of them before. wow!
Excellent recipe. Made it with black rice and I flavored the water when cooking the rice with chicken bouillon paste. Other than that I followed the recipe. Came out very tasty. Can eat alone as a veggie meal, and the black rice adds a special something to the overall flavor and contrasting colors. Wish i could add a picture, its so beautiful looking. Thanks for this incredible recipe .
You’re welcome, Karen! I appreciate your review.
Was a little lazy, didn’t follow the recipe exactly.
Even though it was fabulous
Will try again and this time follow recipe exactly.
This recipe quickly became a family favourite!
That’s great to hear, Jennifer! I appreciate your review.
I found this recipe while searching for more vegetarian meal options. It did not disappoint. I did not make adjustments to the recipe with the exception of omitting the red pepper flakes, due to personal taste. I used red pepper, green pepper, snap peas, and broccoli for the vegetables, and kale and bok choy for the greens. It was delicious and both my husband and I enjoyed it. I will certainly make this again!
Hands down the best fried rice recipe I’ve ever made — and I’ve made a lot. This is my number one go-to for comfort food nights (goodbye mac ‘n cheese), unexpected guests (a guaranteed crowd pleaser), what’s in the fridge the night before shopping day? (no more ‘there’s not enough of this to make that’) and any time I realize we’re getting a little too stocked up on backyard eggs. Thank you!
Wonderful to hear! Thank you for your review.
Great recipe!!! Can you freeze leftovers?
Absolutely delicious! Scrambled soft tofu instead of the eggs, and used broccoli, cabbage, and extra carrots for the veg. Cheap, healthful, and very tasty!
Thank you for your review, Monique!
We LOVE this recipe. It is flexible, easy and delicious. Thank you.
Great fried rice! If I don’t have fresh ginger, could I sub for ground ginger? If so, how much would you suggest? Thanks!
I recommend this best as written. I don’t have a ground ginger recommendation, sorry.
Very good fried rice! I used sugar snap peas, carrots, and zucchini as that is what I had on hand. Thank you for your excellent recipes!
You’re welcome, Kathleen!
My rice was sticky. I used brown basmati rice. I cooked according to the directions, but it wasn’t ‘flaky’ like rice should be. I will try again, but will use regular brown rice.
I’m sorry to hear that! Did you use leftover, cold rice?
I’ve commented before but just had to say this is a very soul-nourishing recipe. I was distracted tonight and made so many flubs—couldn’t cook rice ahead of time and then used too much, unexpectedly had no eggs, moldy ginger, too-small pot—and yet, while not its crispiest self, this was still the delicious, comforting bowl of well-flavored rice and vegetables I was craving—especially with a good helping of chili crisp! Snap peas and asparagus were pretty together and so sweet. (No carrot because I didn’t have that either; I kind of liked the all-green look and taste.)
Thank you for your comment and review, Laura!
Absurdly delicious, thanks for this wonderful recipe. The flavours and textures are unreal. I cooked this for my mum when she was drunk and she said it was the best meal she’s eaten in her life! (she mentioned that the red enchiladas from your cookbook were also in contention).
I use tat soi, sugarsnaps (snow peas?), asparagus, red cabbage, broccoli, carrot & plenty of white onion.
Great to hear, Chris! I appreciate your review.
Wonderfully healthy and delicious way to use up leftover rice! Even my veggie-avoiding spouse happily cleans his plate. This is yet another one of your fabulous recipes on regular rotation in our household. Thanks, Kate!
You’re welcome, Stacey!