This restaurant-style egg fried rice is a quick, easy, one-pan dinner recipe, ready in just 15 minutes. This Indo-Chinese recipe uses leftover rice, eggs, fresh vegetables, and soy sauce. The rice grains stay separate, with soft scrambled eggs and slightly crunchy veggies.
Whenever I have leftover rice, I often make this egg fried rice at home. It's quick to make and works especially well on busy weekdays when I need to get dinner on the table without spending too much time in the kitchen.
It is so easy to make. Just scramble some eggs, stir-fry some vegetables, and combine them with cooked rice and soy sauce. Love Indo-Chinese dinner? Try my Schezwan chicken fried rice next.
My kids love Chinese food, but as a mom, I also like adding vegetables to their meals. This egg fried rice with vegetables is an easy way to combine the flavors they enjoy with the kind of nutritious meal I want to give them. It makes a simple and satisfying family meal. It tastes great with these Indo-Chinese sides like Gobi Manchurian, Dragon Chicken, or Chilli Chicken.
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Why you'll love this recipe
- Quick 15-minute meal
- Uses leftover rice
- Better than takeout
- Customisable
About this Egg Fried Rice Recipe
Egg fried rice is one of those easy dinners that I make again and again. It is made with fluffy rice, scrambled eggs, and a smoky flavour, cooked on high heat in a wok.
The secret to fluffy restaurant-style egg fried rice is to use cold, day-old, long-grain rice, crank your heat to maximum, and season with a mix of chicken bouillon powder and soy sauce drizzled around the hot pan edge.
Here's a tip: On Sunday, prepare a large batch of rice, allow it to cool fully, transfer it to an airtight container, and then refrigerate. Then, a quick dinner is only a few minutes away if you need some delicious homemade egg fried rice.
You may also like these other popular egg recipes from this website:
Ingredients & Substitutes
This egg fried rice recipe is very flexible and easy to adjust. You can use any vegetables you have at home and even add chicken, shrimp, or tofu for extra protein. If you skip the eggs, you can still enjoy a simple vegetable fried rice that tastes just as good.
- Rice: You can use any long-grain or medium-grain rice, like basmati or jasmine, for this recipe. I prefer using cooked and cooled rice, as it prevents the fried rice from becoming mushy. If using fresh rice, follow the tips in the recipe card notes.
- Eggs: Eggs are used to make soft scrambled eggs that mix well with the rice. You can replace them with chicken or shrimp if needed. For a vegetarian option, use tofu or paneer. For a non-vegetarian option, use chicken to make chicken fried rice.
- Vegetables: Fresh carrots, capsicum, cabbage, and green beans are used in this recipe. You can also use frozen vegetables, but make sure to thaw and dry them well to remove extra moisture.
- Soy sauce: I use both light and dark soy sauce. Light soy sauce adds salt and flavour, while dark soy sauce gives a darker colour and deeper taste (it is optional). You can also use low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos as a substitute.
- The secret seasonings: Season the fried rice with salt, white pepper, chicken bouillon powder, and a little MSG for restaurant-style flavor. I skipped MSG for this recipe. These seasonings add a subtle savory, umami flavor without making the rice dark.
- Oil: You can use any oil with a neutral flavor and a high smoke point. I used sunflower oil.
- Chili sauce: I use red chili sauce for a spicy kick. You can replace it with Schezwan sauce, sriracha, or any hot sauce. If you don't like spicy fried rice, use sweet chili sauce or skip it completely.
For a detailed list of ingredients and their measurements, check out the recipe card below.
How to make Egg Fried Rice with Vegetables
Step 1: Finely chop all the vegetables (carrot, capsicum, garlic, ginger, onion, spring onion, and French beans).
Step 2: Keep all the sauces and seasonings ready before stir-frying.
Step 3: Whisk four eggs with ½ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep it aside. I prefer scrambling the eggs separately for a soft and fluffy texture.
Step 4: Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok or skillet on medium-high heat. Pour the egg mixture and scramble, stirring occasionally until fluffy. Do not overcook. Remove to a plate.
Step 5: In the same wok, heat 3 teaspoons of oil on high heat.
Step 6: Add ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds for the best flavour.
Step 7: Add onions and cook until lightly golden.
Step 8: Next, add carrots, cabbage, capsicum, and beans. Add ¼ teaspoon salt and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly soft. Do not overcook. The vegetables should stay slightly crunchy.
Step 9: Stir in cooked rice and scrambled eggs. Add chili sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, and pepper.
Step 10: Stir-fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes until everything is well mixed and the rice is lightly toasted. This gives a smoky restaurant-style flavour.
Step 11: Break any rice clumps while stir-frying. Check below for detailed instructions on cooking rice.
Step 12: Taste and adjust the seasoning. Turn off the heat. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot and enjoy.
How to cook rice to make fried rice?
- Rinse the rice well under cold water to remove extra starch. Soak it in water for 30 minutes. This helps the rice cook faster and stay fluffy. Drain the water after 30 minutes.
- Bring water to a boil in a pot and add 1 teaspoon salt. Add the soaked rice and cook until al dente (slightly firm).
- Drain the rice and spread it on a plate to cool for 30 minutes. Then refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight for best results.
Tips to make Restaurant-Style Egg Fried Rice
- Use day-old rice: Use cold, day-old rice for best results. The grains stay separate and don't turn mushy while stir-frying. Fresh rice is soft and can become sticky.
- Prep ingredients first: Chop vegetables, whisk eggs, and keep rice and sauces ready. Stir-frying is fast, so everything should be ready before you start.
- Hot wok & high heat: Use a very hot wok, kadhai, or cast-iron pan. Cook on high heat to get that smoky, restaurant-style flavour and avoid soggy rice.
- Stir-fry quickly: Keep the flame high and stir quickly. This helps in even cooking and prevents sticking.
- Soy sauce: Use a good-quality soy sauce for the best flavour. Add a little at a time to avoid making the rice too salty.
Recipe FAQs
Egg fried rice turns soggy when the rice is too soft or freshly cooked. Also, too much sauce, cooking on low heat, or overcrowding the pan releases moisture and makes it sticky.
Long-grain rice like basmati works best. The grains stay separate and give that restaurant-style texture.
Yes, but it must be cooled completely first. I usually spread it on a plate for 30 minutes and then refrigerate it for 1-2 hours to dry it out.
Yes, you can skip the eggs and make simple vegetable fried rice. I sometimes add paneer or tofu instead, and it still tastes really good.
Recipe Card
Egg Fried Rice (Restaurant Style)
Video
Equipment
- 1 Cast iron skillet/wok
Ingredients
- 3 cups of cooked rice or 1 cup of uncooked rice (instructions to cook rice given in recipe card notes)
For scrambled eggs
- 4 eggs
- ½ teaspoon white/black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon oil
For egg fried rice
- 3 teaspoon oil
- 2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1.5 cups of mixed vegetables (½ cup carrot, ½ cup capsicum, ¼ cup cabbage, and ¼ cup french beans/green beans)
- 1 teaspoon red chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
- 1 chicken bouillon cube
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon white/black pepper powder
- 2 tablespoon spring onion greens (or scallions) for garnish
Instructions
- Finely chop carrot, capsicum, cabbage, French beans, onion, garlic, ginger, and spring onion.
- Keep all sauces and seasonings ready before cooking (important for stir-fry).
- Whisk 4 eggs with ½ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Keep aside.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok on medium-high heat. Add eggs and scramble until soft and fluffy. Do not overcook. Remove and keep aside.
- In the same wok, heat 3 teaspoon oil on high heat. Add ginger and garlic, and stir-fry for 30 seconds for the best flavour.
- Add onions and cook until slightly golden.
- Add carrot, cabbage, capsicum, and beans. Add a little salt and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes on high heat. Keep vegetables slightly crunchy.
- Add cooked and cooled rice along with scrambled eggs.
- Add chili sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce (optional), vinegar, and pepper.
- Stir-fry on high heat for 2-3 minutes until well mixed and slightly toasted. This gives a smoky, restaurant-style flavour.
- Break any rice lumps gently while mixing. Do not mash the rice.
- Taste and adjust salt if needed. Garnish with spring onion greens. Serve hot.
Notes
-
- Use day-old rice: Cold, day-old rice is drier, and the grains stay separate while stir-frying. Freshly cooked rice can easily turn soft and mushy.
- Using fresh rice? Cook it al dente in salted water, drain, and spread it on a large tray to cool. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to dry out the grains and make them firm enough for stir-frying.
- Prep the ingredients: Keep the chopped vegetables, eggs, cooked rice, sauces, and seasonings ready before you start. Fried rice cooks quickly, so there's little time to stop and look for ingredients.
- Hot wok & high heat: Use a hot wok, cast-iron skillet, or kadhai and keep the heat high. This helps stir-fry the ingredients quickly without making them soggy.
- Stir-fry quickly: Keep tossing and stirring the ingredients so they cook evenly and don't stick to the pan.
- Soy sauce: Use good-quality soy sauce for a savory flavor. Don't add too much, especially if you want light-colored fried rice.
- MSG (Optional): Add ½ teaspoon MSG for extra umami. I skipped it, and the fried rice still tasted great.
- Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Preeti
This vegetable egg fried rice recipe is so incredibly easy to make, and tastes delicious. It's the perfect weeknight meal, and I hope you'll give it a try.