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There couldn’t be an easier dish to make for dinner than this Frozen Veggie Fried Rice. It’s simple, yet delicious and a breeze to put together. A great way to use up leftover rice while clearing out the freezer, this recipe is worth putting on your menu this week!
Easy Veggie Fried Rice
You know we love when a take-out style dinner can be made in less time than it takes to order it! And even more so when it’s healthier for you and tastes way better, and this Veggie Fried Rice is all that and more! This hearty dish can be made quickly, using leftover rice, frozen veggies, and a few pantry staples. While we outline our favorite commonly found frozen veggies, you certainly can swap in with what you have at the moment, and have given some guidance below for how to do that. This vegetarian dish is wholesome and so delicious.
Frozen Veggie Options for Fried Rice
We love how many veggies this fried rice uses and how versatile this dish can be, depending on what frozen vegetables you have in your freezer.
For this Fried Rice we’ve chosen frozen:
- Peppers
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Peas and Carrots Mix
But definitely use any stir-fry friendly frozen or even fresh veggies you might have on hand.
Do you have to thaw the veggies first?
The short answer is: kind of! We recommend quickly running the frozen veggies under lukewarm water for about 30 seconds before using. You don’t want them to be fully frozen, but you also don’t want them to be completely defrosted. Cooking them while partially defrosted allows them to cook together in this dish until they’re fully cooked through, but still vibrant and crisp!
Other Fried Rice Variations
Want to mix things up and add-in some other flavors for this fried rice? There are tons of options here.
- Chicken: Feel free to add in leftover rotisserie or cooked chicken, for an easy chicken fried rice.
- Shrimp: Either use leftover or raw shrimp. Cook the raw shrimp in the pan beforehand, and set aside and add in at the end along with the coconut aminos.
- Beef: Either leftover shredded beef or even raw ground beef can work. If using raw, cook in the pan beforehand, and then remove and set aside and add it at the end along with the coconut aminos.
- Cauliflower Rice: Go ahead and swap out the leftover cold rice for frozen cauliflower rice! Make sure not to defrost it before using.
- Brown Rice: This works equally as well with leftover cooked brown rice as it does with white rice.
- Pineapple or Mango: Like the sweet and savory combination? Add in some diced fresh or canned pineapple or mango along with the veggies.
Tips for Making the Best Fried Rice
Tips for Making the Best Fried RiceFried rice is a stir-fry using rice as the base. It’s a simple dish to make, but the following tips will make sure that your fried rice will shine:
- Start with leftover cold rice. You cannot make this dish with fresh hot rice, as it will all clump together. If the fried rice craving strikes and you do not have leftover rice, you can cook fresh rice but you need to cool it as much as possible first by spreading it in a thin layer and letting it cool at room temperature for 10 minutes and then placing in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes. It won’t work nearly as well as very cold and dry leftover rice, but it can work in a pinch.
- Make sure all your ingredients are prepped up before you start! Everything happens quickly so you don’t want to be caught chopping veggies when you should be paying attention to the stir fry.
- Use a high heat oil, like avocado oil. This ensures you can get your pan nice and hot without the oil smoking or getting any off flavors.
- Make sure your pan gets really hot! It gives the veggies good flavor and the correct cook of crisp, but tender.
If you like this rice recipe, check out these others:
- Kimchi Fried Rice (Cauliflower Rice or White Rice)
- Breakfast Fried Rice
- One Pot Turmeric Chicken and Rice
- One Pan Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice
Check out our other homemade take-out favorites:
- Healthy General Tso’s Chicken
- Easy Vegetarian Hot and Sour Soup
- Paleo Orange Chicken
- Instant Pot Mongolian Beef (Paleo)
FROZEN VEGETABLE FRIED RICE
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons oil divided
- 2 eggs whisked together
- 2 green onions sliced, green and white parts
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 ” piece fresh ginger optional
- 2-1/2 cups frozen mixed veggie peas, carrots, cauflower, peppers, broccoli, etc, slightly defrosted (see notes)
- 3 cups leftover cold rice
- ¼ cup soy sauce/coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in large heavy skillet over medium high. Once hot, add eggs and cook a scramble until just set. Remove from pan, and set aside. Wipe pan clean if needed.
- Add remaining oil and, add green onions, garlic and ginger. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add in slightly thawed frozen veggies and cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
- If pan is dry add a bit more oil, and then crumble in leftover rice, breaking up any clumps with your fingers before adding. Cook until warmed through, about 3 minutes. Add back in scrambled eggs along with the coconut aminos, rice vinegar, honey and sesame oil and stir it all together. Taste and add in salt and pepper as desired.
- Serve immediately with the reserved green parts of the scallions and any additional desired garnishes such as srirachi or sesame seeds.
Notes
- We recommend quickly running the frozen veggies under lukewarm water for about 30 seconds before using. You don't want them to be fully frozen, but you also don't want them to be completely defrosted. Cooking them while partially defrosted allows them to cook together in this dish until they're fully cooked through, but still vibrant and crisp!
Love this rice, super easy
Perfect in a pinch! Added some leftover chicken. Love how easy and delicious this is.
Seriously, this was fantastic! Added some ground beef, my husband said it was the best fried rice I’d made. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
This was amazing! I used fresh veggies and frozen edamame because that’s what I had and also added shredded beef that I had previously made and frozen. So delicious and so easy!
LOVE IT.