We’ve been on a huge Chinese food kick lately. I’ve been craving fried rice and orange chicken like crazy! So, I decided to whip up a batch of our favorite homemade fried rice- it’s so easy to make and tastes way better than any takeout you could order. Plus it’s ready to go in just 20 minutes… you can’t beat that!
The Key to Making Fried Rice at Home
The key to making crisp and flavorful fried rice at home is chilling the rice before using it. I’m talking overnight people. The longer it chills and dries out, the better the result!
I like to cook my rice the night before, spread it out on a baking sheet and leave it uncovered in the refrigerator until the next evening when I’m ready to fry it up. Then all you have to do is chop up some vegetables, whisk a few eggs and you’re ready to go!
How to Make Fried Rice
Like I mentioned above, this rice is so easy to make.
Heat a large (the biggest you have) skillet over medium-high heat.
Add some butter and scramble the eggs.
Transfer the eggs to a dish and add the remaining butter to your pan.
Cook the carrots and onion until they’re nice and soft.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Next comes the most important part.
Turn your heat up (I do almost full heat).
Add your COLD rice along with the peas. It will sizzle and brown a bit on the bottom as long as you leave it for a minute or two. I suggest tossing it about 3 times, that way the rice has a chance to get crispy.
Add back in the eggs along with some green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce.
Season with salt and pepper and serve piping hot!
Fried Rice Variations
If you want to transform this side into a main dish, just add some chicken, shrimp, beef, pork or a combination.
Want a Hawaiian Fried Rice, then leave out the carrots and peas, add some chopped ham, chopped red bell pepper, sliced green onions and pineapple chunks.
Sometimes we add sprouts or broccoli which helps bulk it up a bit. But it’s fantastic either way.
Our family loves this fried rice and I think yours will too! It’s crisp, flavorful and loaded with veggies and eggs just the way it should be!
Once you try this dish, you’ll never want to order takeout again!
Storing Info
How long can fried rice keep in the refrigerator?
Fried rice is good for 5-7 days in the refrigerator. Keep it in zip top bags or in an air tight container in the fridge.
Can you freeze fried rice?
Yes, you can freeze fried rice. Fried rice is a great meal to freeze and reheat.
How to Freeze Fried Rice?
To freeze fried rice, just let it cool first. Then, portion into zip top freezer bags and remove as much air as possible from the freezer bags. Label the bags with the date and freeze for up to 6 months.
How to Reheat Fried Rice?
You can reheat fried rice in the microwave or on the stovetop.
To reheat in the microwave, you don’t need to thaw first. I like to add a little water (1-2 Tablespoons) and cover the microwave safe bowl to steam up the rice so that it doesn’t dry out.
To reheat on the stove top, then thaw the rice first, heat a little oil in your skillet or pan, add the thawed rice and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes until it is warmed throughout.
MORE TAKE OUT INSPIRED CLASSICS:
- Beef And Broccoli
- Better Than Takeout Sesame Chicken
- Sweet And Sour Chicken
- Instant Pot Teriyaki Chicken
- Better Than Takeout Cashew Chicken
Better Than Takeout Fried Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter - divided
- 3 eggs - lightly beaten
- 1 large carrot - peeled and cubed
- 1 small white onion - chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - minced
- 4-5 cups rice - cooked and chilled
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 4 green onions - thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup soy sauce * - plus more to taste
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 tsp oyster sauce
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat a large skillet or wok to medium heat (I've used both a nonstick and a regular skillet, I kind of prefer a nonstick for this rice). Add 1 tbsp. of the butter into the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the lightly beaten eggs. Let them cook for about 30-40 seconds or until set, then scramble. Once the eggs are fully cooked, remove them and set them aside.
- Add the remaining butter to the pan- when it's hot, add the carrot and onion and cook until tender, then add the garlic and cook until fragrant, taking care not to brown. Turn the heat up slightly and add the cold rice and peas. Cook the the mixture for about 3-4 minutes (it will sizzle and should brown a bit), then add the eggs, green onion, soy sauce, sesame oil and oyster sauce. Cook for a few more minutes or until the mixture is hot. Season with salt and pepper, serve immediately.
VIDEO
NOTES
Recipe source: Life Made Simple
Is the oyster sauce absolutely necessary?
In my opinion it gives the rice a lot of flavor, but you could omit it and just add a tad bit more soy sauce if you don’t have it on hand.
I chose not to use oyster sauce and added a little more soy sauce and sesame oil. It was delicious! I am making more tonight!
That’s a great option! Happy you liked it! Thank you!
I go to print out the recipe for Better than Takeout Chicken Fried rice, and it says I must print out 7 pages for the short recipe for the Rice, whats going on, I dont want to waste ink for 7 pages for one short recipe. What gives herer? I have never had that happen with otherYummly recipes I print out. Rose Lucy
Hmmm, are you trying to print from the top of your internet browser? Try hitting the rectangular print button where the recipe is (in the light blue area under the little square picture) it should print out a nice 1 page recipe card for you!
I just made this and it turned out great! I’ve always had trouble making good fried rice, but your tips did the trick, thank you so much for sharing!!
This has made it to my Regularly Repeated Recipes List.
Big thumbs up.
Anyone ever made this in”quantity” for a party? Like triple batch?wondering if I can make a few hours ahead and keep warm in a crockpot perhaps?? Thoughts?
prob keep warm in catering dish (like at panda express)
This was easy & delicious! Thank you for sharing the recipe! We will have it again!
I am so glad it was! Thank you for trying it out 😉
The rice was wonderful. A lot of good tips.
Yay!! Thank you for sharing that!
The rice turned out great! I think the toasted sesame oil really brought the flavor. Pinned for future use!
I am so glad you thought so! Thank you for letting me know!
I am making this for my son’s 12th birthday tonight. What is the best type of rice to use?
I am so sorry, I didn’t message you back soon enough. What did you end up using? I have used white, long grain rice & jasmine rice. Whatever you like best 🙂
If I wanted to make chicken in it, at what step would you add it in? Season it with anything specific?
I would probably add already cooked chicken cubes. I usually just season it with a little salt & pepper, when I am cooking it up. I would then add it in step 2, with the rice. Hope that helps 🙂 Enjoy!
Made last night for my boys and they LOVED it! My husband said “save this recipe” which is a first, so you know it was a winner of a dish. I have leftover brown rice from another recipe so I’m going to omit the egg and oyster sauce for a vegan version for myself. Thank you for the fantastic recipe!
It wouldn’t let me rate the recipe, but definitely 5 stars!
You are very welcome!! That makes me so happy to hear that. Tell your hubby, thank you!
This is awesome from my daughter who considers herself a fried rice officiant says “ This is real good fried rice. Can’t tell where the onions are. Good job on dinner”
I did not add the oyster sauce, but had never used sesame oil before- it made the rice so good. Thank you
You are so welcome! Please tell your daughter thank you & thank you for trying it. I am so happy you liked it!
This was delicious! I skip the onion, saute the green onion and garlic, use frozen peas and carrots and way less soy sauce. I only made 4 cups of rice and 1/4 cup would have been too salty for us. I used maybe 3 tbsp or so. We love the sesame oil and oyster sauce! I served this with shrimp tempura!
Thank you for sharing what you did. That sounds delicious, too!
I have made many different fried rice recipes, but this is the best I’ve ever had or made! I used a little fish sauce instead of the oyster sauce. I think the butter and the fresh, not frozen, veggies made a huge difference. I only made a half of the recipe and now I’m kicking myself hahaha.
Haha..now you know for next time! So, happy you like it! Thank you!
Amazing! My husband and I ate so much and enjoyed every bite. I can’t wait to make this again, I will never willingly eat Chinese food restaurant fried rice again.
Yay! I love hearing this! Thank you!
This recipe is sooo delicious!! I won’t be doing any take out for fried rice!
That’s so nice of you to say! Thank you for letting me know!
This really is better that takeout fried rice! They flavors are amazing and it taste much more fresh! Adding this into our dinner rotations!
This does look better than takeout! I love fried rice & I am excited to give your recipe a try!
This was really delicious. I didn’t use the oyster sauce and added grilled chicken to it but it was absolutely better than takeout!! Thank you for the recipe!!
You are so welcome! I am glad you liked it better! Thank you!
This is an amazing recipe and for a first timer, it turned out great!! And I actually added some chicken. Perfect!😊
I am so glad you tried it! Thank you 🙂
Thank you! This was the best fried rice I have ever had. I do believe oyster sauce is a must.
You are so welcome! Thank you for saying that 🙂
Am i missing how much rice you cook?
It’s in there, but it’s 4-5 cups of cooked rice 🙂
I made this in my wok, I did not have green onion & used a frozen bag of peas & carrots & it turned out absolutely delicious!! Am making it again this evening! The amount of soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil is about perfect with extra soy sauce depending on your preference. I let the boys add as they please. The most IMPORTANT part to this recipe is definitely drying out your rice. I make my rice in the instant pot & put it on a cookie sheet & into the fridge to dry and cook until evening dinner time. Works like a charm!
That sounds perfect!! Thank you for sharing what you do!
The best fried rice! I normally do not like fried rice, but this was awesome. Husband asked for it to be in “rotation”. I subbed the soy sauce for Coco Aminos, and it was great!
That’s what I love to hear! Thank you for trying it!
I’ve been making this recipe for the past few months,and my family just loves it. Thank you
You are so welcome! Thank you for trying it & for letting me know!
This recipe does not disappoint. It’s a keeper!
The best rice I make this a least once a week. Thank you
I’m so glad this has been a go-to recipe for you! Thanks for sharing!
Wow, this recipe is excellent!! I made this fried rice today and we loved it very much. It is definitely better than takeout!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for sharing!
I‘d like to try this recipe tomorrow 🙂 Could you tell me how much raw rice I would have to measure and cook to get the 4-5 cups of cooked rice as a result?
For 4 cups of cooked rice you would need 2 cups of raw rice. For 5 cups of cooked rice you would need 2 1/2 cups of raw rice. Hope this helps and that you enjoy the recipe!
Haven’t read this one yet.
Let me know how you like it! I’d love to hear!
This was delicious! I followed the recipe except for the carrots because I didn’t have any, and added some ground chicken I had that needed to be cooked. It came together so easy and quick! Loved it with a little bit of yum yum sauce! Will definitely be making again!
I love when you can take a great recipe and then add what you need to use up!
Loved this recipe. Making it right now. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for trying it – happy eating!
Excellent recipie, I make this all the time now.
Love that you found a recipe to have on repeat!
A great recipe to start with and make your own. I used peanut oil, more carrot and peas, and less soy sauce.
Simply the absolute best! I use brown rice and damn it’s delicious:)
Great recipe. I substituted Chinese Chicken Marinade sauce for the oyster sauce.
Delicious! I always cook according to our taste; so i added some ginger and cut back on the oyster sauce and soy sauce, you can do what ever you like with this recipie; add pork, shrimp, chicken or steak… more veggies.. add sweet and sour at the end…my absolute base for making fried rice, thank you
Can you freeze this fried rice?
Hi Jacqueline, yes, you can freeze fried rice. Just let it cool first, then portion into zip top bags for air tight containers, label with the date and freeze for up to 6 months. To reheat, you can reheat in the microwave without thawing first. I like to add a little water and cover the microwave safe bowl to steam up the rice so that it doesn’t dry out. If you want to reheat on the stove top, then thaw the rice first, heat a little oil in your skillet or pan, add the thawed rice and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes until it is warmed throughout.