20-Minute Leftover Fried Rice
The weeknight method: leftover rice toasted in two batches in a smoking-hot wok, then tossed with onion, carrot, garlic and scallions, a little soy and sesame oil, one egg and a handful of frozen peas.
Serious Eats' J. Kenji López-Alt tested the rules everyone repeats about fried rice: that it must be day-old, that it must be medium-grain. He found nearly every kind of white rice worked, with jasmine, Chinese medium-grain and sushi rice his favorites and long-grain rice the most troublesome. The bigger finding was about moisture. Rice dried under a fan was ideal, fresh rice spread out to steam for a few minutes was excellent, and rice kept loosely covered in the fridge got harder to fry for the first several hours before it got easier; by 12 hours it was ideal.
That makes a weeknight version simple: leftover rice, a few vegetables you already have and frozen peas. Kenji's other trick is to fry the rice in two small batches, because a home burner cannot keep a full wok hot, and to toast each batch until it is pale brown and a little chewy before anything else goes in.
Why it works the kitchen science
Two small batches
Half the rice at a time keeps the wok hot enough to toast the grains instead of steaming them, the step Kenji says makes fried rice taste like rice.
Light seasoning
Just 1 tsp each of soy sauce and sesame oil lets the toasted rice and vegetables carry the flavor, the Chinese style Kenji says he grew up eating.
Step by step
- Step 1
If the rice is day-old, break it into single grains with your hands.
- Step 2
Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add half the rice and stir and toss about 3 minutes, until it is pale brown, toasted and lightly chewy. Move it to a bowl. Repeat with another 1/2 tbsp oil and the rest of the rice.
- Step 3
Return all the rice to the wok and push it up the sides to make a space in the middle. Add 1/2 tbsp oil to the space, then the onion, carrot, scallions and garlic, and stir gently about 1 minute, until lightly softened and fragrant. Toss with the rice.
- Step 4
Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, toss to coat and season with salt and white pepper.
- Step 5
Push the rice to one side, add the last 1/2 tbsp oil and crack in the egg. Season it with a little salt and scramble it into small bits with the spatula, about 1 minute, until fully cooked. Toss it through the rice.
- Step 6
Add the frozen peas and keep tossing 1 to 2 minutes, until the peas are thawed, every grain is separate and the rice is steaming hot (165°F). Serve right away.
20-Minute Leftover Fried Rice
Serves 2 · 2 plates (3 as a side) · 20 min total
- 2 cups (12 oz, 350 g) cooked white rice, day-old (up to 3 days refrigerated) or freshly cooked and spread out 5 minutes
- 2 tbsp vegetable or canola oil, divided
- 1 small onion (4 oz), finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot (3 oz), peeled and diced small
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Kosher salt and ground white pepper
- 1 large egg
- 4 oz frozen peas
Method
- If the rice is day-old, break it into single grains with your hands.
- Heat 1/2 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add half the rice and stir and toss about 3 minutes, until it is pale brown, toasted and lightly chewy. Move it to a bowl. Repeat with another 1/2 tbsp oil and the rest of the rice.
- Return all the rice to the wok and push it up the sides to make a space in the middle. Add 1/2 tbsp oil to the space, then the onion, carrot, scallions and garlic, and stir gently about 1 minute, until lightly softened and fragrant. Toss with the rice.
- Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, toss to coat and season with salt and white pepper.
- Push the rice to one side, add the last 1/2 tbsp oil and crack in the egg. Season it with a little salt and scramble it into small bits with the spatula, about 1 minute, until fully cooked. Toss it through the rice.
- Add the frozen peas and keep tossing 1 to 2 minutes, until the peas are thawed, every grain is separate and the rice is steaming hot (165°F). Serve right away.
Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt, "Easy Fried Rice", Serious Eats (February 2016, updated July 21, 2026; serves 2 to 3). We follow it as written: 2 cups (350 g) cooked rice, 2 tbsp oil used 1/2 tbsp at a time, a small onion, a carrot, 2 scallions, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp each soy sauce and sesame oil, 1 egg and 4 oz frozen peas; each half of the rice toasted about 3 minutes, vegetables about 1 minute. Serious Eats lists 5 minutes prep and 20 minutes cooking; with the rice already cooked, our timing is 20 minutes in all. The 165°F check is ours. Serious Eats. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (1)
Tips
- Use Chinese-style medium-grain, jasmine or sushi rice for the best texture, Serious Eats says.
- Rinse raw rice before you cook it for fried rice; excess starch is what makes it clump.
- A Serious Eats reader's tip: cook the egg all the way before mixing it in, or it can make the rice mushy.
- Leftover chicken, ham or shrimp can go in with the peas; heat it until steaming.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Fried rice must be made with day-old rice. Disputed: Serious Eats found freshly cooked rice, spread out to dry, worked better than rice refrigerated 1 to 6 hours; see Thai Crab Fried Rice for the other sources.
- You need a wok. Folklore: Serious Eats prefers a flat-bottomed wok, but every method here also works in a large skillet with smaller batches.
- Long-grain rice is best. Disputed: ATK uses it for hibachi rice; Serious Eats found it the most troublesome.
- Oil the cold rice before frying. Folklore: Serious Eats tested it and says cold oil spreads poorly, so you end up using more.
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