Budget Egg Fried Rice
Cheap, speedy fried rice using day-old rice, frozen veg and eggs — perfect for leftovers and weeknight wallets.
This is the thrifty weeknight fried rice everyone should know: cheap store-cupboard staples, frozen veg and a few eggs turn leftover rice into a satisfying meal. It’s fast, flexible and deliciously wallet-friendly.
Use day-old rice if you can — that extra step gives the grains a nicer texture when frying — but I’ll explain how to rescue fresh rice in the tips. Perfect for evenings when you don’t want to plan dinner but still fancy something proper.
Ingredients
- 600 g day-old cooked long-grain rice — preferably chilled; see tips for cooking from raw
- 30 ml sunflower oil — divided (approx. 2 tbsp)
- 3 eggs
- 150 g frozen peas
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves — peeled and minced
- 30 ml soy sauce — approx. 2 tbsp; adjust to taste
- 5 ml sesame oil — approx. 1 tsp, optional but flavourful
- 3 spring onions — trimmed and thinly sliced
- salt — to taste; a small pinch for eggs and more later if needed
- ground black pepper — to taste
Instructions
Beat the eggs in a small bowl with a pinch of salt until combined.
Heat a frying pan over medium–high heat. Add about half the sunflower oil (15 ml). When hot, pour in the beaten eggs, let them set for 10–15 seconds, then gently scramble until just cooked but still moist. Transfer the eggs to a bowl and set aside.
Add the remaining sunflower oil to the pan. Fry the brown onion for 2–3 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant.
Tip in the frozen peas and stir for 90–120 seconds until thawed and warmed through.
Push the veg to one side, turn the heat up to high and add the day-old cooked long-grain rice. Break up any clumps with the spatula and stir-fry for 4–5 minutes until the rice is hot and starting to colour in places.
Return the scrambled eggs to the pan, drizzle over the soy sauce and sesame oil, add the spring onions and toss everything together for about 30–60 seconds. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and ground black pepper, then serve straight away.
Tips
- Day-old rice is best because the grains dry out a little and separate — if you must cook rice from scratch, rinse 300 g long-grain rice, cook with 600 ml water for 12 minutes covered, then spread on a tray and chill for 20–30 minutes before frying.
- Work on high heat and don’t crowd the pan — too little heat and the rice steams and goes gummy.
- If you want extra veg, add grated carrot or sliced peppers with the onion; frozen mixed veg works fine and keeps costs down.
- Make ahead: cool fried rice quickly, refrigerate and reheat in a hot pan with a splash of water or soy sauce. Eat within 48 hours.
- To keep it gluten-free, swap soy sauce for gluten-free tamari and check labels on any store-bought sauces.
Substitutions
frozen peas → frozen mixed veg (150 g)
Stays closeeggs → firm tofu, crumbled and fried (200 g)
Noticeably differentsoy sauce → tamari, equal quantity (30 ml) for gluten-free
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 400
- Calories
- 12 g
- Protein
- 53 g
- Carbs
- 13 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
- Sugar
- 800 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegan?
Use crumbled firm tofu fried until golden instead of eggs, and check the soy sauce is vegan. The texture and flavour will change but it’s still very tasty.
What if I only have freshly cooked rice?
Spread the hot rice on a baking tray to cool and chill it briefly (20–30 minutes) so the grains dry out a little — that stops the fried rice becoming mushy.
How long will leftovers keep?
Store cooled fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 48 hours. Reheat thoroughly in a hot pan or microwave until piping hot.
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