Recipe
Egg fried rice
Chinese · 17 min · Easy
Day-old rice stir-fried with egg, scallions and soy sauce. The best use of leftovers.
Photo: Christopher Alvarenga on Unsplash
Great fried rice starts with leftover rice. Chilled, day-old grains are drier and firmer, so they fry up separate and slightly crisp instead of clumping into mush.
This version keeps it classic with egg, scallions, peas and carrots, and it's the best possible use for last night's takeout rice.
Egg fried rice recipe
By FeastPick Kitchen · Updated October 11, 2026
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 17 min
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
- 3 cups (about 450 g) cold cooked rice, preferably a day old
- 3 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 3 scallions, whites and greens sliced separately
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup (130 g) frozen peas and carrots
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- A pinch of white or black pepper
Instructions
- Break up any clumps in the cold rice with your hands so the grains are separate.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add the eggs and scramble until just set, then transfer to a plate.
- Add the remaining oil and turn the heat to high. Add the scallion whites and garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the peas and carrots and stir-fry for 2 minutes.
- Add the rice and spread it across the pan. Let it sit for 1 minute to toast, then stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes, until hot and slightly crisp in places.
- Add the soy sauce, sesame oil, pepper and the scrambled eggs, breaking the eggs into small pieces. Toss for 1 minute, then stir in the scallion greens and serve.
Tips
- No leftover rice? Cook fresh rice, spread it on a tray, and chill it uncovered for an hour.
Storing leftovers
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat in a hot pan until steaming.
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