In this lockdown period, skip the wait for take-out, and make this Easy and Quick Vegetable Fried Rice Recipe instead! This Chinese restaurant-style fried rice recipe is amazing. It just best to fit in the busy daily routine of our work-from-home schedule. It takes only 20 minutes to make and is customizable with any of your favorite mix-ins, and so irresistibly delicious!
My mom makes the best Indo-Chinese food. Vegetable fried rice or Schezwan fried rice is often made when she’s lazy or doesn’t want to cook the whole meal.
The good thing about this fried rice is, that it is chocked full of colorful veggies, which makes it healthy and delicious at the same time.
You just can never go wrong with Chinese food at home, it is easy to make and less complicated.
This fried rice is the best accompaniment to a variety of Asian dishes such as chili paneer, tofu stir fry, or any sauce-based dish.
Why you’ll love this Vegan Fried Rice
- Healthy, Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, and plant-based
- A quick one-pot recipe made in under 30 minutes
- Perfect vegan easy dinner for cozy fall and winter seasons!!
- Loaded with plant-based protein // great for meal prep
- Surprisingly easy // minimal and healthy ingredients
- A healthy, wholesome, and protein-packed vegan dinner recipe
- Comforting, warming, and satisfying
Easy Homemade Vegetable Fried Rice Ingredients:
- Rice: Any kind of white or brown rice will work for this vegan fried rice recipe. Just make sure the rice is cooked through perfectly and it is thoroughly chilled before adding it to the hot skillet.
If you are not using the leftover rice for making this fried rice recipe then check the instructions below about – How to make vegetable fried rice using fresh rice? - Protein: if you are not making a bowl of vegan fried rice then you can add scrambled eggs, shredded chicken, or grilled chicken which add great flavor, texture, and protein content to the fried rice.
Plant-based Protein: You can use scrambled tofu or fried tofu. - Vegetables: chopped carrots, onion, peas; this is the base mix of veggies that I prefer to use for any kind of fried rice. But feel free to add in other veggies of your choice (check vegetable fried rice variations below)
- Ginger & Garlic: use freshly minced garlic and ginger. You can also use ginger & garlic paste for this recipe if you do not have fresh ones.
- Soy sauce or Tamari: I have used a low-sodium soy sauce for this fried rice recipe and add less amount if you’re using the traditional soy sauce.
If you are making gluten-free vegetable fried rice, then make sure to add certified gluten-free tamari. - Toasted sesame: This step is optional, I love finishing my fried rice with toasted sesame seeds, it adds crunch to every bite and enhances the taste. You can find it in the Asian section of any grocery store.
- Vegan Butter: Fried rice or stir-fries are just incomplete without butter.
You can make your vegan butter at home or you can find it in the vegan section of the grocery store.
HOW TO MAKE A GREAT STIR FRY?
When you are cooking stir fry dishes like this, you want to make sure that all of your ingredients (veggies in this case) are cut and ready to go before you begin the cooking process- once you have started the cooking, it goes every rapidly, like you can not get time to find something or chop your veggies.
The main idea is to add the veggies in phases so that everything gets cooked at the same time. You can start with more dense veggies first since they may take a little longer time to cook, or instead you can roughly cut all the ingredients into smaller and similar sizes so they cook even more quickly.
HOW TO PREPARE VEGETABLE FRIED RICE?
Recently, I have been loving the “cook once, eat twice” idea- it is just you cook enough food the first night to use all or some of it in the second night’s dinner.
It saves quite a lot of time! This vegetable stir fry is the very best way to take your leftovers and make something amazing out of them.
Okay, let’s move on to the recipe!
This recipe starts with a mixture of vegetables including carrot, capsicum, onion, some finely chopped cabbage, beans, and garlic.
Everything is cooked until tender, then salt and pepper. Cooked rice goes into the mix, along with traditional soy sauce and sesame oil or olive oil for seasoning.
Stir fry everything, until combined.
IS VEGETABLE FRIED RICE HEALTHY?
Well, this vegetable stir fry does contain some oil, but other than that, the primary ingredients are vegetables, rice which is packed with nutrients and protein.
But if you wish to make your healthy version of fried rice, you can simply half the amount of vegetable oil, substitute brown rice with the white, add some more veggies combination into it, and lastly, you can even add scrambled eggs and shredded chicken to it.
VEGETABLE FRIED RICE VARIATIONS:
Once you get the hang of it, there are so many different ways and ingredients you can add to your fried rice recipe to customize it to your taste.
- Protein– You can add a protein such as cottage cheese or tofu, or even chicken or shrimp.
- Vegetables– I also love to add other vegetables that I may have on my hands such as mushrooms, broccoli, green peas (frozen), corn, or beetroot.
- Seasonings- You can add other seasonings such as sesame seeds, lots of chopped cilantro, or freshly chopped ginger.
Steps to Make Vegetable Fried Rice:
1. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil, over medium to high heat. Add chopped green chilies and garlic. Cook for 30 to 40 seconds, until the garlic, starts browning a bit. Add ½ cup finely chopped onion, keep the flame on medium, and cook until the onion becomes translucent.
2. Now, add chopped vegetables, capsicum, carrots, cabbage, beans, and season with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Stir fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, or until the veggies get softened.
3. Keeping the flame at high, saute the veggies then add soy sauce, a pinch of paprika, mixed herb seasonings (optional). Stir until everything is combined.
4. Immediately, add the frozen rice or cold rice ( do not use warm rice), stir in gently until everything is combined. Saute for another 2 to 3 minutes to fry the rice. Remove from the heat, and stir in the olive oil until combined.
Everyone is sure to be impressed with this vegetable fried rice, it is full of flavor, texture and above all it’s healthy!
Check Out other Easy and Quick Instant Pot Recipes:
- Orange Tofu
- Chickpea Butternut squash curry
- Instant Pot Spiced Yellow Lentil curry
- Best Basmati Rice in Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Tapioca pudding
FAQs on Vegetable Fried Rice
HOW TO MAKE VEGETABLE FRIED RICE WITH EGGS?
The rice is not hot enough to cook the egg completely. It is better to crack the eggs into a small bowl and beat them. Heat a pan with 1 tbsp oil over low to medium heat. Add the beaten eggs and scramble them for about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the scrambled eggs to a container and turn of the heat. Mix the scrambled eggs with rice.
IS VEGETABLE FRIED RICE BAD FOR YOU?
Vegetable fried rice is healthy, but it depends upon who is making it, homemade is always better than a restaurant take out. If you wish to make a healthy version of vegetable fried rice then simply half the amount of oil, substitute brown rice with white and some more veggies into it, and lastly, you can even add some protein-rich ingredients such as tofu, cottage cheese, scrambled eggs, or shredded chicken.
IS VEGETABLE FRIED RICE GLUTEN FREE?
Rice, oil, and veggies that you put in could all be gluten-free at home. The risk with fried rice is not only the soy sauce directly put in, or other marinated ingredients, spices, etc, but gluten contamination from shared cookware and utensils, be it in a professional or home kitchen.
How many calories in vegetable fried rice?
There are 300 Cal in every 1cup (220g) of homemade vegetable fried rice. Here is some detailed nutritional information on vegetable fried rice.