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Vegetable Fried Rice

Easy Vegetable Fried Rice that is loaded with color and variety! This tasty healthy fried rice recipe is a magnificent side dish, or – do I daresay? – main dish!

Vegetable Fried Rice with broccoli, bell pepper, peas, and carrots. a veggie-loaded rice experience

I often find myself craving vegetable stir fry (shocker)…in the form of fried rice (make sense?)

When I was a kid, my favorite food was fried rice. When my mom would bring Chinese takeout home for dinner, I’d request she triple up on the fried rice, because, I couldn’t care less about General Tso’s Chicken, Chicken Chow Mein, or Mongolian Beef.

All I wanted was the carbs.

Vegetable Fried Rice - healthier fried rice with brown rice, broccoli, bell pepper and more.

The vegetable-to-rice ratio in this application is so on point that it brings me great joy. 

Basically we’re looking at a heaping mound of sautéed vegetables with a rice chaser…just the way I like it.

I take a non-traditional approach to this recipe, as I use brown rice instead of white rice, and my cooking technique is slightly different to reduce the cooking time. 

Pro Tip: Cook the rice the day before you make this recipe, as traditional fried rice is prepared using leftover rice. 

If you don’t have cooked rice on hand and want to make the recipe right now, no worries. You’ll need 1 ½ cups of dry (uncooked) rice, which equates to about 4 to 5 cups of cooked rice.

Let’s dive into the ingredients needed for this healthy fried rice recipe.

Healthy Fried Rice with vegetables - brown rice, broccoli, carrots, peas, and more!

Vegetable Fried Rice Ingredients:

Rice: I use sprouted brown rice to make this a complex carbohydrate situation. I do love white rice as well, but I tend to stick to brown rice ordinarily to get that slow-burning fuel. 

If you want to take the traditional approach to fried rice, use white rice. Regardless of whether you use brown or white rice, steam it up the night before you make this recipe if possible, as fried rice gets its amazing texture from using leftover cooked rice.

Vegetables: Onion, garlic, bell pepper, broccoli, ginger, green onion, peas, baby spinach (optional). This combination of veggies makes for a magical all the textures, all the flavors, fresh and funky situation. 

You can make a variety of veggie swaps here. Consider using bok choy, cauliflower, celery, or zucchini for example.

Oil: We need high-temperature cooking oil to stir fry the veggies. I use avocado oil because it has a neutral flavor and a high burn point.

Seasonings: Coconut aminos (or liquid aminos or soy sauce), fish sauce (optional), and sea salt. This combination brings the umami flavor to the fried rice and also enhances the flavors all the way around. 

You can skip the fish sauce if you don’t have it (but I do recommend it!), and you can use coconut aminos for a soy-free option or liquid aminos or soy sauce depending on which one you like.

Eggs: Fried rice without scrambled eggs is no fried rice at all! 😉 We scramble up a few eggs and mix them into the veggie fried rice for a pop of creamy texture and protein.

Easy Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice with brown rice, carrots, peas, bell pepper, and more

How to Make Vegetable Fried Rice:

Cook the brown rice one to two days ahead of time (fried rice is typically made using leftover cooked rice). If you’re just now coming to this recipe and you don’t have leftover rice on hand, no worries – you can make it now.

Add 2 ½ tablespoons of the avocado oil to a large skillet or wok and add the yellow onion. Sauté, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the bell pepper, broccoli, carrot, ginger, garlic, broccoli, green onion, and peas, and stir well. Cover the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the veggies reach your desired level of done-ness.

Sauté the vegetables in a skillet

Stir the cooked brown rice into the skillet with the vegetables until everything is well combined.

Stir in the coconut aminos (or liquid aminos), fish sauce, and sea salt. Taste the rice for flavor and add more aminos, fish sauce, or sea salt, to taste.

Stir in the cooked brown rice

If adding spinach, do so now and cover the skillet for a few minutes, until the spinach has wilted.

Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to a small skillet and heat over medium-high. Pour the beaten eggs into the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the scrambled eggs are cooked through.

Scramble the eggs in a separate skillet

Stir the scrambled eggs into the vegetable fried rice, and serve.

That’s it! Your ticket to amazing, nutritious fried rice that is soy-free and loaded with Vitamins and minerals.

I hope you enjoy this pile of vegetation as much as I do!

Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice in a skillet

More Fried Rice Recipes:

Enjoy this healthy fried rice!

Easy Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice with brown rice, carrots, peas, bell pepper, and more

Vegetable Fried Rice

Vegetable-packed Healthy Fried Rice recipe with brown rice, broccoli, bell pepper, carrots, ginger, and more! Fresh, flavorful, amazing side dish or main dish!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
6 Servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice, 4 cups cooked
  • 3 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
  • 1 small yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 large crown broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 2 cups carrot, chopped or grated
  • 2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 bunch green onions, chopped
  • 1 cup green peas, frozen or canned
  • 3 to 4 Tbsp coconut aminos, liquid aminos or soy sauce, to taste
  • 2 tsp fish sauce, optional
  • ½ tsp sea salt, to taste
  • 2.5 ounces baby spinach, optional
  • 3 large eggs, well beaten and scrambled

Instructions

  • Cook the brown rice one to two days ahead of time (fried rice is typically made using leftover cooked rice). If you’re just now coming to this recipe and you don’t have leftover rice on hand, no worries - you can make it now.
  • Add 2 ½ tablespoons of the avocado oil to a large skillet or wok and add the yellow onion. Saute, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper, broccoli, carrot, ginger, garlic, broccoli, green onion, and peas, and stir well. Cover the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the veggies reach your desired level of done-ness.
  • Stir the cooked brown rice into the skillet with the vegetables until everything is well combined. Stir in the coconut aminos (or liquid aminos), fish sauce, and sea salt. Taste the rice for flavor and add more aminos, fish sauce, or sea salt, to taste.
  • If adding spinach, do so now and cover the skillet for a few minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
  • Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil to a small skillet and heat over medium-high. Pour the beaten eggs into the hot skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the scrambled eggs are cooked through.
  • Stir the scrambled eggs into the vegetable fried rice, and serve.

Nutrition

Serving: 1of 6 - Calories: 333kcal - Carbohydrates: 48g - Protein: 10g - Fat: 11g - Fiber: 6g
Course: Lifestyle
Cuisine: Chinese
Keyword: brown rice, Chinese food, healthy fried rice, side dish, Vegetable Fried Rice
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 333kcal
Author: Julia
I originally posted this vegetable fried rice recipe on March 21, 2016. I made a few changes to the recipe and re-photographed it in order to keep it fresh and updated!

Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice with brown rice, broccoli, and more! Fresh, flavorful, delicious!

Recipe Rating




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Charlie H.

Monday 7th of February 2022

Wow, does this ever look great!?! Hell yeah it does! I think that it just might be the perfect dish to fight these Winter blahs that I have. This is how I will fight back against all of those below zero days we have had recently. I'm thinking some hot Darjeeling tea and maybe some Vietnamese-style spring rolls will go along well with it! Should be awesome. Thanks for the great idea and recipe.

Julia

Monday 7th of February 2022

I'm so happy you like the idea of it, Charlie! Darjeeling tea and spring rolls sound like an amazing accompaniment...Definitely my idea of a lovely evening! Hope you love the recipe, and thanks so much for the sweet note! xoxo :D

Monique

Wednesday 21st of March 2018

I made this tonight for dinner and it was amazing loved it I added asparagus to mine as well.

Julia

Thursday 22nd of March 2018

I'm so happy to hear it, Monique! The addition of asparagus sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing ;)

Shirley

Monday 19th of March 2018

What a pretty set of pans, full of healthy, yummy food. Great recipe. I hadn't thought of loaded fried rice in a long time. We will have to add that to our menu this week.

ML

Saturday 17th of March 2018

OMGOSH the rice sounds so good. On the MENU FOR TOMORROW AND LEFTOVERS ALL DURING THE WEEK. MISSLINDY

Sarah | Well and Full

Tuesday 22nd of March 2016

Happy Spring!! This looks like the ultimate veggie fried rice, I love it!! :D

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