Easy Veggie Fried Rice (vegetarian)
This recipe for easy veggie fried rice is loaded with a variety of healthy vegetables, tons of flavor, and is on the table in about 20 minutes! This is the perfect healthy vegetarian, easy, veggie-loaded side to any dinner!
Originally published February 15, 2016. Last updated February 18, 2021.
Vegetable Fried Rice might be the most well received veggie-loaded dinner side on the face of Earth.
By kids. By veggie-iffy adults. By people who claim they don’t like healthy food….this is one side you can almost count on them gobbling up.
Why?
Well, for one, it is all kinds of delicious. It’s packed with veggie, yes but oodles of flavor and great texture. Second, this vegetarian fried rice is a healthier version of the classic Chinese takeout…made with extra veggies, brown ride (or traditional white rice, if you prefer), less salt…so it feels like you are eating one of your favorite comfort foods!
And the best part is, this veggie fried rice is so easy to make and can be on the table in about 20 minutes!
Why this veggie fried rice is so good…
- It tastes so much like takeout fried rice! This recipe is husband and 9-year-old approved….so you know its good one!
- Adaptable. Use the veggies I suggest in the recipe or use what you have. I really don’t think there is any wrong way to veggie-load fried rice.
- Easy to make. Especially if you have pre-cooked rice and frozen veggies on hand! This dinner side will perfect for those nights when you don’t have a lot of steam for making dinner.
- Veggie-loaded. Of course! That is what you are here for, after all!
Wondering how to store your carrots so they stay fresh as long as possible? Check out my post on How to Keep Cut Carrots Fresh and get the most out of your produce buck!
Tips for making vegetarian fried rice
Be sure to cut your veggies small. Especially the carrots! That way, everything cooks up quickly.
Use a food processor for quick veggie chopping. Just toss the veggies for this vegetarian fried rice recipe into the food processor with the “S” blade and pulse a few times. It’ll chop your veggies in no time and save you time.
Repurpose that leftover rice in this recipe! I love to make a batch of rice at the start of the week for ease, throw-together meals and that rice works great in this fried rice recipe. It also makes this recipe extra quick to make on a busy weeknight.
Suggested Adaptations
As I said, this recipe is easy to make your own, but here are some variations that you might find helpful
- Add meat. This vegetable fried rice recipe is written to be vegetarian, but you can easily add some cooked chicken, beef or shrimp if that is your jam!
- Add extra veggies. Finely chopped red cabbage, red bell pepper, fine chopped broccoli, mushrooms…seriously, pretty much any veggie I can think up would just make this extra colorful and delicious!
- Replace the rice with cooked quinoa.
- Use all riced cauliflower instead of rice. If you want to REALLY up the veggies on your dinner table, use only cauliflower “rice” in this fried rice recipe.
- Make it gluten free by using coconut aminos or tamari.
- Throw in some cooked tofu. I love this recipe for crispy tofu and it is the perfect addition to this vegetable fried rice!
- Use olive or avocado oil instead of sesame. The sesame oil adds a great flavor to this fried rice, but if you have a sesame allergy to consider or simply don’t have it on hand, you can sub in whatever your preferred cooking oil.
- Add some heat. Grate in some fresh ginger root or add a little sriracha sauce.
Other veggie-loaded sides that will rock your world
- Baked Buffalo Cauliflower Wings
- Cheesy Cauliflower Nuggets
- Chickpea Vegetable Nuggets
- Roasted Carrots and Potatoes
- Parmesan Kale Chips
- Easy Greek Quinoa Salad
Loving this vegetarian fried rice and are hungry for more?
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Easy Vegetarian Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided
- 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 1 cup finely chopped carrots, can use frozen
- 1 cups riced cauliflower, you can use fresh or frozen
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups cooked brown or white rice, leftover rice is great in this!
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, can sub tamari or coconut aminos for gluten free option
- 1 teaspoon rice vinegar
- salt & pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add onions and carrots. Cook until softened, about 2 to 4 minutes.
- Add the cauliflower, peas, and corn to the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic to the skillet and cook 1 more minute or until garlic is fragrant.
- Remove vegetables from skillet and set aside, covered to keep warm.
- Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the skillet. Once hot, add beaten eggs and cook, moving around and breaking apart with your spatula, until they are just starting to cook. About 1 minute.
- Add cooked rice to skillet with eggs and push around to incorporate. Cook for 2-3 more minutes or until eggs are cooked and rice is warm.
- Add cooked veggies back to the skillet. Add soy sauce and rice vinegar. Stir to incorporate. Season everything with salt and pepper. Let everything heat up together for about 2-3 minutes before serving and enjoying. Garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.
Yum! I love cauli-rice and this looks so delicious! Definitely will share this via FB this weekend! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Cauliflower rice might just be a serious obsession of mine.
I cooked this for dinner & just finished my 2nd bowl of it. It is delicious!!! I will be making this regularly. I made it exactly how the recipe calls. I don’t even like cauliflower. Super impressed. Thank you for a great recipe!!
I’m so happy to hear thatI Love and adore cauliflower rice too! I think it actually made a cauli lover out of me!
This dish is fantastic! My husband even loved it. I added shredded chicken because my husband likes meat in his dishes. Very good. Thanks so much!
Thats so wonderful to hear!
Roast the core and stem pieces! I also roast broccoli stem pieces that I do
not use. The uncooked pieces can be stored in the fridge a few days, then roasted along with other veggies a few days later. Mom always said, waste not, want not…and in this case, you get a great, healthful dish!
Tried this for the first time last night, and it’s going to become a regular! My boyfriend even went back for seconds!
I bought the frozen cauliflower rice. Should I cook it frozen or steam it in the bag first before cooking?
Like!!
This was really good. I used all frozen veggies and it was super fast and easy to make.
Hi Trisha! Frozen veggies are a great way to go! Time saving and veggie-loading!
Delicious!!
Skipped the egg, for personal preference. Came out super yummy!
So glad you enjoyed AND made it your own!
Use cold rice. The eggs should be made flat somewhat like a crepe then remove from pan and thinly sliced. I’d sauté some thin sliced cabbage. Put some sesame oil in pan and add cold rice and break up pieces until separated. Add cabbage, peas, egg slices. Then season with some oyster sauce. They have veggie oyster sauce. If you want a little heat add a few drops of chili sesame oil. If you want add salt or a few drizzles of shoyu. Sometimes add small amount of pre sautéed shredded carrots for color.
You can leave out egg if vegetarian.
Add char siu if want meat.
Main thing the rice should be cold from fridge.
Your recipe sounds delish. Just giving you a more “local” style fried rice.
I totally appreciate all of that! I learned to cook by other’s being generous with their cooking wisdom and am always excited to learn more. Thank you for sharing, Jazzy!