Egg fried rice is the simplest fried rice there is: rice, egg, scallions, seasoning. What makes it work is the rice — grains cooked a day ahead and refrigerated come out drier and fry up as separate grains instead of clumps. The other half is pan discipline: high heat, and not overloading the pan so the rice fries instead of steaming.
Because this recipe starts from leftover rice, safe handling of that rice matters — see the food-safety section below.
Ingredients
Serves 4 as a side, or 2 as a main.
- 3 cups cooked long-grain white rice (such as jasmine), cooked a day ahead and refrigerated uncovered or loosely covered (from about 1 cup dry rice)
- 3 large eggs, beaten with a pinch of salt
- 2 tbsp neutral oil (avocado or canola), divided
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (optional)
Method
- Rice prep: use rice cooked the day before and refrigerated. Break up any clumps with your hands or a spatula before it hits the pan — cold clumps do not break down in the wok.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until shimmering. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble quickly, breaking into small soft pieces, about 30 seconds. Remove to a plate while still just set — they finish in the pan later.
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp oil to the hot pan. Add the scallion whites and garlic (if using); stir-fry 30 seconds.
- Add the rice, spreading it in an even layer. Let it sit undisturbed 30 seconds so the bottom crisps, then toss. Repeat twice until the grains are hot and a little toasty, about 3 minutes total. Do not crowd the pan — if your skillet is small, fry the rice in two batches; overloaded rice steams and turns gummy.
- Push rice to the sides; pour the soy sauce into the cleared center so it sizzles for a few seconds, then toss everything together.
- Return the eggs to the pan along with the scallion greens, white pepper, and sesame oil. Toss 1 minute until the eggs are fully set and everything is steaming hot. Serve immediately.
Tips and ingredient notes
- Why day-old rice: refrigerated cooked rice loses surface moisture, so grains stay separate. In a pinch, freshly cooked rice spread on a tray and refrigerated a few hours is a published workaround.
- Egg doneness: cook the egg until fully set, not soft-scrambled. FoodSafety.gov lists 160°F as the safe minimum for egg dishes.
- Honest limit: plain egg fried rice is mild by design — it is a side, not a loaded main. Do not oversell it.
Storage and food safety — rice handling
Allergen note: contains egg (eggs), soy (soy sauce), and sesame (sesame oil). Safe leftover-rice handling (important): cooked rice can harbor Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking and can produce toxins if the rice sits warm too long — reheating does not destroy the toxins. Per USDA guidance for leftovers: refrigerate cooked rice promptly at 40°F or below, use within 3 to 4 days, and reheat only the portion you plan to eat until steaming hot throughout (165°F). Separately, the UK Food Standards Agency gives stricter advice specifically for cooked rice: cool it within one hour, keep it refrigerated for no more than one day, and reheat it no more than once.