Vibrant Vegetable Fried Rice (Printable)

Vibrant stir-fried rice loaded with colorful vegetables, garlic, ginger, and sesame oil. Ready in 30 minutes.

# What You'll Need:

→ Rice Base

01 - 3 cups cooked jasmine or long-grain rice, preferably day-old and refrigerated

→ Fresh Vegetables

02 - 1 cup carrots, diced into small pieces
03 - 1 cup bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
05 - 1 cup broccoli florets, bite-sized
06 - 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
07 - 1/2 cup green beans, chopped
08 - 3 green onions, sliced (reserve some for garnish)
09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1-inch piece ginger, minced

→ Sauces and Seasonings

11 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce (use tamari for gluten-free version)
12 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
13 - 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, canola oil, or sunflower oil
14 - 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
15 - 1/2 teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
16 - Salt to taste

# Directions:

01 - Heat vegetable oil in a large wok or deep skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
02 - Add minced garlic and ginger to the hot oil. Sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
03 - Add carrots, bell pepper, broccoli florets, green beans, and corn. Stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until vegetables are just tender but still crisp.
04 - Stir in thawed peas and most of the sliced green onions. Cook for 1 minute until the peas are heated through.
05 - Increase heat to high. Add cold cooked rice to the wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes, breaking up any clumps with your spatula, until rice is thoroughly heated.
06 - Drizzle soy sauce and sesame oil evenly over the rice. Sprinkle with white or black pepper. Toss everything together well to distribute seasonings evenly.
07 - Taste the fried rice and adjust with additional salt or soy sauce as needed for proper seasoning.
08 - Remove from heat. Garnish with reserved green onions and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The vegetables retain their vibrant colors and perfect crunch, creating a beautiful rainbow in your bowl that tastes even better than it looks.
  • You can adapt it to whatever vegetables are lingering in your crisper drawer, making it the perfect end-of-week rescue meal that never feels like a compromise.
02 -
  • Overcrowding the pan is the enemy of good fried rice, cook in batches if needed or your vegetables will steam rather than stir-fry.
  • The final dish should have distinct grains of rice with a slight chew, not soft clumps, which I learned after ruining countless batches with freshly cooked rice.
03 -
  • For restaurant-quality results, cook each component separately then combine at the end, allowing every element to develop its own character before joining the ensemble.
  • Rinse and soak your rice before cooking the initial batch, then spread it on a baking sheet to cool before refrigerating it gives you those distinct, separated grains that make all the difference.
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