Egg Fried Rice

Cold rice wok-fried with egg, scallion, and soy — the five-minute classic.

12 min2 servingsChinese476 kcal/serving15g protein
Egg Fried Rice — Chinese recipe, finished and plated

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Ingredients

  • 300 g White rice
  • 3 Egg
  • 3 Scallions
  • 2 tbsp Light soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp Peanut oil
  • 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil (optional)
  • ¼ tsp White pepper (optional)

Method

  1. Break up the cold cooked rice with wet fingers so no clumps remain. Beat the eggs and slice the scallions.
  2. Heat the wok until smoking, add the oil, and scramble the eggs loosely. Pull them off while still glossy.
  3. Add the rice and press it against the hot wok, tossing, until it sears and steams, about 3 minutes.
  4. Return the egg, splash in the soy around the rim, and toss with the scallions and white pepper. Finish with sesame oil.
  5. Tip into bowls and serve at once.

Nutrition per serving

476Calories
15gProtein
48gCarbs
25gFat
2gFiber

Estimated from ingredients; varies with exact portions and brands.

About Egg Fried Rice

Egg fried rice is the workhorse of the Chinese home kitchen and the takeout counter alike: cold cooked rice tossed hard in a screaming-hot wok with egg, scallion, and soy until every grain is separate, toasty, and faintly smoky. The dish traces to a thrifty logic shared across Asia, where yesterday's rice is treated as a feature rather than a leftover, because chilled grains have dried out and fry without turning to mush. What defines a good version is texture over garnish: loose scrambled egg clinging to distinct grains, the savory-salty backbone of light soy, and a whisper of white pepper and toasted sesame oil.

This is fast food in the truest sense, ready in about twelve minutes for two, and it rewards a few deliberate moves. Breaking up the cold rice with wet fingers before it hits the pan keeps clumps from steaming rather than searing, and pressing the rice flat against the metal is what builds that lightly charred wok flavor cooks call wok hei. Splashing the soy around the hot rim rather than straight onto the rice lets it caramelize on contact instead of pooling. Serve it on its own as a light meal, alongside a stir-fry or braise, or dressed up with chili crisp and a fried egg on top.

Equipment: wok.

Egg Fried Rice: frequently asked questions

How many calories are in Egg Fried Rice?

One serving of Egg Fried Rice has about 476 calories, with 15g of protein, 48g of carbs, 25g of fat and 2g of fiber. These are estimates based on the ingredient amounts in this recipe and will vary with your exact portions and brands.

Is Egg Fried Rice gluten-free?

As written, no — it contains Light soy sauce. You'd need a certified gluten-free swap for that ingredient to make it gluten-free.

Do I need every ingredient to make Egg Fried Rice?

The core ingredients are essential, but you can leave out toasted sesame oil, white pepper — they're optional and mainly there for extra flavor or finish.

How many servings does Egg Fried Rice make?

This recipe makes 2 servings. In the app you can scale it up or down and the ingredient amounts adjust automatically.