The Best Homemade Fried Rice

This homemade fried rice couldn’t be easier to make. Made with whole grain brown rice, eggs, veggies and coconut aminos, it’s quick, healthy, and delicious too.

As a busy mom, I need an arsenal of quick and easy meals that are healthy and kid approved. That’s why I love making this homemade fried rice. My kids love eating it and I love making it because I can pack it with veggies and it is super easy to make!

Made with whole grain brown rice, coconut aminos, eggs , and lots of veggies, this homemade fried rice recipe is perfect for a quick dinner, quick summer or weekend lunch, or even a school lunch.

If you are busy mom, in need of another quick and easy meal, then you should definitely try out this homemade fried rice recipe.

I hope you and your kids love it as much as we do. Enjoy!

Is Fried Rice Healthy?

Typically, fried rice from your favorite chinese restaurant would not make any healthy, nutritious meals list. Full of sodium and lacking whole grains, it should not be your first choice for take out.

However, with just a few easy tweaks, the overall integrity of this meal can be greatly improved. It really comes down to three factors.

Soy Sauce Soy sauce is notoriously known for having high levels of sodium. Just 1 tbsp of regular soy sauce can have over 900 mg of sodium and the low sodium version has 575 mg per tbsp! Coconut aminos which is a great substitute for soy sauce contains 270 mg of sodium per tbsp.

Another factor when it comes to soy sauce is that it is made with soy beans which are well known for being a common GMO crop. Generally as a rule of thumb, it is best to avoid consuming any food products that contain GMOs.

Rice For those trying to adhere to a low carb lifestyle, this recipe is not for you since one cup of white or brown rice contains about 45 g of carbs each. However, if you focus on consuming a more whole foods diet, then swapping the white rice for organic whole grain brown rice is a much better choice. Brown rice contains more vitamins and minerals and has a lower glycemic index.

Veggies When making fried rice at home, its easy to incorporate a much larger amount of veggies in your fried rice than you would typically get in your takeout. Not only can you add more veggies at home, but you can also improve the quality of the veggies by choosing organic.

In summary, typical take out fried rice isn’t exactly a healthy option. However, with a few tweaks, the homemade version is a much better choice.

Homemade Chicken Fried Rice

This recipe is for basic homemade fried rice. One of the things that I love about is is that I can quickly and easily make it a more substantial meal just by adding some chicken.

My favorite way to do this is to take some frozen bite sized pieces of roasted chicken from the freezer and toss it into the skillet when the veggies are cooking to warm.

If you don’t have any precooked chicken, simply add a chicken breast or a few thighs to your wok or skillet with a tablespoon or two of avocado oil. Sauté for a few minutes on each side until both sides are nicely browned, the meat is cooked through, and the juices run clear. Remove from the pan, give it a few minutes to rest, and shred or cut it into small bite size pieces. Prepare the fried rice according to the recipe below, then add the chicken back into the skillet when you add the cooked rice.

Tips For Making Homemade Fried Rice

• Although this recipe calls for whole grain brown rice, white rice can easily be substituted.

• Remember that this recipe is versatile and is perfect for getting in a variety of nutritious veggies. Although it is best with the basics like carrots, celery, and peas included, it also works great when adding other veggies that you might have on hand as well. Try adding shredded cabbage, snap peas, riced cauliflower, or even bite sized pieces of zucchini or broccoli.

• To turn this dish into a super quick chicken fried rice recipe, prepare some chicken in advance and store it in the freezer so it is always on hand. My favorite way to do this is to roast a whole chicken. My family will eat half of the chicken for dinner. After the chicken has cooled completely, I will remove all of the remaining meat, chop or shred it into small bite sized pieces, portion it out for a few meals, and freeze separately. I use the prepared chicken for fried rice, soups, pizza, and pasta dishes. Then I use the leftover bones for homemade bone broth which can also be used when cooking the rice in this recipe.

• When meal prepping, plan a meal a day or two in advance that also contains rice. Cook some extra rice and store it in the fridge so it’s ready to go for your homemade fried rice.

How Much Rice To Cook?

Typically, 1 cup of dry rice will yield about 3 cups of cooked rice.

How To Cook Rice

By far the easiest way to cook rice is in the instant pot or a rice maker. When using the instant pot, use a 1:1 ratio for both white and brown rice. That means if you are cooking one cup of dry rice, then add 1 cup of water.

The difference is in the cooking time. Brown rice takes 28 minutes with 10 minutes of slow release. White rice takes 8 minutes with 10 minutes of slow release.

If you don’t have an instant pot, a rice cooker is equally as good when it comes to making the perfect rice. It also uses a 1:1 ratio and all that’s left to do is turn it on. A light will let you know in no time that your rice is ready and perfect!

Ingredients For Fried Rice

2 eggs

3 Tbsp sesame oil

3 cloves garlic

2 stalks celery It is best to go with organic celery as much as possible since it is on the Environmental Working Group’s dirty dozen list.

3 carrots shredded To save time, try shredding with a food processor.

10 oz frozen peas The peas do not need to be cooked in advance.

1 cup finely chopped kale I prefer using lacinato kale, commonly known as dinosaur kale, for this recipe. Try to always go with organic kale when possible since kale is also found on the dirty dozen list.

3 Tbsp coconut aminos This amount can vary. Feel free to add more or less to taste. Soy sauce or tamari can be used instead of coconut aminos.

3 cups cooked whole grain brown rice Cook in advance and place in the fridge to cool before preparing the fried rice.

chopped green onions for garnish Chives or diced garlic scapes will work as a great substitute.

How To Make Homemade Fried Rice

1. In advance, prepare 3 cups of cooked rice and store in the fridge to cool.
2. Wash and shred the carrots. This can be done with a grater or a food processor.
3. Wash and finely chop the kale and celery. Peel and finely chop the garlic.
4. On medium heat, scramble the eggs in 1 tbsp. of sesame oil. Once they are cooked, remove the eggs from the skillet and set aside.
5. Add 2 more tbsp of sesame oil to the skillet, and sauté the celery and kale for two minutes. Stir often.
6. Add in the carrots, garlic, and peas. Sauté another 3 minutes or until the the vegetables just start to soften. Continue to stir the vegetables often as they sauté.
7. Add the rice, egg, and coconut aminos for 3 more minutes or until heated through.
8. Top with chopped green onions. (optional)

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