Make this Chinese restaurant-style vegetable fried rice in 20 minutes using simple ingredients. It is quick, easy to make, and customizable. Serve it as a side dish or a main course by itself.
If you are a fan of Chinese take-out, try these recipes as well – Egg Foo Young, Hunan Chicken, Drunken Noodles, and General Tso’s Tofu.
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About This Recipe
If you are a Chinese food fan like me, then vegetable fried rice must be a regular feature on your table. I have been making veg fried rice for a long time now and I can very safely say that this recipe beats any take-out any day.
Just a few tips to keep in mind and you get smoky, delicious, full of good flavors restaurant-style vegetable fried rice in under 20 minutes. The best is you can customize it according to your preferences. Add the veggies you like, adjust the sauces and choose the variety of rice you want, fun right!
Good veg fried rice is all about smoky flavors, vibrant colors and a perfect balance of sauces and this recipe has it all.
This Veg Fried Rice is,
- Delicious
- Vegan
- Easy + Quick
- Loved by kids
- A great way to use leftover rice
Ingredients
Rice – The key to making a bowl of good vegetable fried rice is day-old rice. When the rice is cold, the grains do not stick to each other making the final dish fluffy with each grain separate. So plan ahead and make a batch of rice a day earlier.
Freshly made rice results in soggy sticky rice which is not what we are looking for. If you have not planned ahead and still want to make this dish, make fresh rice. Spread it on a baking sheet. Cover the sheet with cling wrap and refrigerate the rice for 30 minutes or freeze for 15 minutes.
I like to use medium-grain rice like Jasmine rice or Indian Sona Masuri to make this dish. Having said that, any rice that you have at hand works fine in this recipe.
Vegetables – Veggies add a nice crunch, color, and freshness. Use as many vegetables as you like. I have added onions, carrots, cabbage, and green onions, but you can add any vegetables of your choice.
Celery adds a very restaurant-like taste to this rice. I was out of it the day I made this recipe, but you must try to use it.
You can add other veggies like mushrooms, green beans, zucchini, broccoli, asparagus, snow peas etc.
Make sure to cut the veggies in equal size. It looks pleasing to the eyes and also makes the cooking uniform.
Oil – You can use any vegetable oil. I have added a teaspoon of toasted sesame oil at the end of cooking, as it adds a very traditional Asian flavor.
Others – You will need other ingredients such as fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and ground white pepper. Use regular white vinegar if rice vinegar is not available.
Restaurants add Ajinomoto (MSG) which gives a nice umami flavor. If you are comfortable using it, add ½ tsp of it along with the sauces. Ajinomoto is also called Chinese Salt in the grocery stores. Some people are allergic to it and so they need to avoid using it in their cooking.
I have seen some people adding a little bit of star anise powder to this rice. You can try that too.
How to make Vegetable Fried Rice?
Start by cooking the rice. Wash 1 cup raw small grain white rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. We want to get rid of as much starch as possible as it makes the rice sticky and mushy. You can cook the rice over the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in an instant pot.
- Stove Top – Add the washed rice to a pan and add double the amount of water to the pan. Add a few drops of lime juice and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cook the rice on low heat for 15-20 minutes until it is tender and all the liquid is absorbed.
- Rice Cooker – Add the washed rice to the pot of the rice cooker. Add a little less water than double to the pot. Add a few drops of lime juice and cook the rice as per the instructions.
- Instant Pot – This is my fav method to cook the rice. It comes out perfect without any effort every single time. I have a detailed recipe to make rice in the instant pot. Do check it out.
Once the rice is cooked, fluff it using a fork. Refrigerate it for 4-5 hours or overnight. If you want to make the veg fried rice instantly, then spread the cooked rice on a baking tray and cover it with a cling wrap. Freeze the tray for 15 minutes. Now you can use the rice.
Next step is to prepare the vegetables
- Ginger – peel a 1-inch piece of ginger and chop finely
- Garlic – peel 3-4 garlic cloves and chop finely
- Onion – peel ½ onion and chop it
- Celery – chop 1 celery stalk
- Cabbage – shred a small piece of cabbage thinly. We need ½ cup of shredded cabbage
- Carrot – cut ½ small carrots into small cubes
- Green Beans – chop 4-5 green beans finely
- Green Onions – chop 2 stalks of green onion
To save time, you can use pre-cut vegetables which are easily available these days in supermarkets.
Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to a large wok and heat it on the highest heat. The trick to making smoky rice is cooking it on high heat. Cooking on high heat keeps the rice and veggies crunchy and not soggy. Large carbon steel or cast iron wok works best for this recipe.
Note – If you are making a big portion, fry it in batches.
Once the oil is very hot, add the chopped garlic and chopped ginger and fry for 8-10 seconds. You can increase the quantity of garlic if you like its flavor.
Add chopped onion and chopped celery (recommended) and fry for 10-15 seconds. Keep stirring while frying. Since the heat is high, be very careful not to burn the ingredients.
Add chopped carrot, shredded cabbage and chopped beans and saute for 30-40 seconds.
Now add 2 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, salt to taste, ¾ tsp white pepper powder, and ajinomoto (optional), and toss everything well.
Crumble the cooked rice to separate each grain and add it to the wok. Mix well to coat the rice with the sauces.
Cook for a minute.
Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot.
Pro Tips by Neha
Always try to use a day old cold rice to make vegetable fried rice.
Make sure the veggies are at room temperature. If they are cold, they will release moisture and become soggy.
The choice of wok is very important. Use carbon steel or a cast iron wok and always stir fry on the highest heat possible.
You should be quick while stir-frying. So prepare all the ingredients and arrange them next to the stove.
This recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. But make sure to fry in batches for the best result.
Soy sauce is quite salty on its own. So be careful of the extra salt that you add.
Adjust the amount of sauces as per your liking.
Variations
Healthy – To make a healthier version of this rice, make it using brown rice. Check out my instant pot brown rice recipe to cook the brown rice to perfection. You can add more veggies and reduce the amount of oil to make it healthier. Quinoa or couscous can also be used in place of white rice for a healthy version.
Cauliflower – Replace white rice with cauliflower rice to make cauliflower fried rice. Check out my Asian cauliflower rice recipe here.
Egg – Scramble 2-3 eggs in the wok and take them out in a bowl and keep them aside. Make the rice as mentioned in the recipe and add the scrambled egg at the end of cooking. Check out my detailed egg fried rice recipe here.
Kimchi – Adding some chopped kimchi to veg fried rice gives it a delicious flavor boost. Just chop some kimchi and add it along with the veggies. Keep the rest of the recipe the same.
Pineapple – Chop canned or fresh pineapple into small cubes. Add it along with the veggies for a sweet and sour flavor. Check the recipe to make pineapple fried rice here.
Mushroom – I love the crunch mushroom give to this dish. Use any mushroom of your choice while making this dish. Check out my detailed recipe to make mushroom fried rice here.
Some of my other favorite variations are Schezwan Egg Fried Rice, Bacon Fried Rice, Shrimp Quinoa Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Hibachi Fried Rice, Schezwan Fried Rice, and Thai Fried Rice.
Serving Suggestions
You can serve vegetable fried rice with any Indo-Chinese gravy as a side dish or on its own as a main course.
One of the easiest Chinese recipes of all time, this rice dish can be served with veg manchurian, Oriental crispy mushrooms, or any Chinese gravy that you deem fit.
Also serve a dimsum or a momo on the side to make your meal even more delicious.
Storing Suggestions
Store veg fried rice in an air-tight container and refrigerate for about 3 to 4 days. Re-heat only the amount you want to serve, otherwise, it will decrease its shelf life.
Reheat it either in a pan or microwave. If you feel it has become a little dry, then sprinkle a little water on top and then reheat it.
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Recipe Card
Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice (cold)
- 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3-4 cloves of garlic (peeled and finely chopped)
- 1 inch piece of ginger (peeled and finely chopped)
- ½ onion (chopped)
- 1 celery stalk (chopped)
- ½ small carrot (cut into small cubes)
- ½ cup shredded cabbage
- 4-5 green beans (finely chopped)
- 2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- salt to taste
- ¾ teaspoon white pepper powder
- 2 stalks green onions (chopped)
Instructions
- Start by cooking the rice. Wash 1 cup raw small grain white rice 2-3 times with water until the water runs clear. We want to get rid of as much starch as possible as it makes the rice sticky and mushy. You can cook the rice over the stovetop, in a rice cooker, or in an instant pot.
- Stove Top – Add the washed rice to a pan and add double the amount of water to the pan. Add a few drops of lime juice and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Cook the rice on low heat for 15-20 minutes until it is tender and all the liquid is absorbed.Rice Cooker – Add the washed rice to the pot of the rice cooker. Add a little less water than double to the pot. Add a few drops of lime juice and cook the rice as per the instructions.Instant Pot – This is my fav method to cook the rice. It comes out perfect without any effort every single time. I have a detailed recipe to make rice in the instant pot. Do check it out.
- Once the rice is cooked, fluff it using a fork. Refrigerate it for 4-5 hours or overnight. If you want to make the veg fried rice instantly, then spread the cooked rice on a baking tray and cover it with a cling wrap. Freeze the tray for 15 minutes. Now you can use the rice.
- Next step is to prepare the vegetables
- Ginger – peel a 1-inch piece of ginger and chop finelyGarlic – peel 3-4 garlic cloves and chop finelyOnion – peel ½ onion and chop itCelery – chop 1 celery stalkCabbage – shred a small piece of cabbage thinly. We need ½ cup of shredded cabbageCarrot – cut ½ small carrots into small cubesGreen Beans – chop 4-5 green beans finelyGreen Onions – chop 2 stalks of green onion
- To save time, you can use pre-cut vegetables which are easily available these days in supermarkets.
- Add 2 tbsp vegetable oil to a large wok and heat it on the highest heat. The trick to making smoky rice is cooking it on high heat. Cooking on high heat keeps the rice and veggies crunchy and not soggy. Large carbon steel or cast iron wok works best for this recipe.
- Note – If you are making a big portion, fry it in batches.
- Once the oil is very hot, add the chopped garlic and chopped ginger and fry for 8-10 seconds. You can increase the quantity of garlic if you like its flavor.
- Add chopped onion and chopped celery (recommended) and fry for 10-15 seconds. Keep stirring while frying. Since the heat is high, be very careful not to burn the ingredients.
- Add chopped carrot, shredded cabbage and chopped beans and saute for 30-40 seconds.
- Now add 2 tsp dark soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, salt to taste, ¾ tsp white pepper powder, and ajinomoto (optional), and toss everything well.
- Crumble the cooked rice to separate each grain and add it to the wok. Mix well to coat the rice with the sauces.
- Cook for a minute.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot.
