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    Home » Entrees » Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

    Aug 30, 2011 · Modified: Mar 5, 2020 by Chels · This post may contain affiliate links, uses cookies, and generates income via ads · View privacy policy + disclosure statement linked in footer · 12 Comments

    Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Looking for a quick and easy healthy dinner that's also delicious? This Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice is packed with veggies and whole grains and is the perfect weeknight meal!

    (This recipe for Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice was originally posted in August 2011, but was updated with new photos in 2018).

    Head-on view of a bowl of quick vegetable fried brown rice with chopsticks balancing on it, a second bowl of rice in the background, and "Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice" text at the top

    I always say my favorite part about cooking is knowing exactly what's going into each dish I make. Of course, going out to eat is fun, but no matter what you order, it's hard to be sure of exactly what's going into your food. So, the other night when I was craving vegetable fried riced, I decided to make my own instead of ordering the take-out version from my local Chinese food restaurant. Not only was my version less expensive than the takeout version (let's be honest, if I ordered Chinese takeout, I would have also needed scallion pancakes, chicken fingers, crab rangoon, and more!), but it was also much healthier. Not only because I made it at home with all fresh ingredients, but also because this is a vegetable fried brown rice. I think we all know that brown rice is a whole lot more nutritious for us than white rice, but oftentimes people complain about not liking the taste/texture as much. Well, when you pack brown rice with this many veggies and a delicious sauce, you won't even care that it's not white rice. In fact, the brown rice gives this dish a whole other level of delicious, nutty flavor.

    QUICK VEGETABLE FRIED BROWN RICE

    I've been loving the brown rice medley from Trader Joe's lately so it's the only rice I've been using. It's a blend of long grain brown rice, black barley, daikon radish seeds and is completely delish. But you can use any brown or whole grain rice you want for this dish. I mean, technically, you could even use white rice, though then you wouldn't be able to call this "fried brown rice."  But I won't tell anyone. And, I mean, if you pack it full of veggies, it will still be nutritious! You can also, of course, use different vegetables for this fried brown rice... Really, anything goes! I went with onion, garlic, red pepper, shredded carrots, frozen peas, and scallions.

    Overhead view of a wooden cutting board with chopped red peppers, shredded carrots, chopped onion, minced garlic, and chopped scallions

    This is a great "clean out your pantry" recipe since most people always have rice on hand (if not, get yourself to Trader Joe's for their brown rice medley!) and you can use whatever veggies you have sitting in your fridge. I'm ALWAYS ready to make fried rice, so if I'm stuck on dinner ideas, you know what I'm having.

    Once you sauté the veggies a bit (if you're in the market for a wok, I cannot recommend this one [affiliate link] enough!), you'll add in a couple lightly beaten eggs and then combine with the brown rice, soy sauce, and red hot pepper flakes. Look at all those bright vibrant colors!

    Collage showing the process for making quick vegetable fried brown rice, including vegetables in skillet, vegetables in skillet with egg, and all ingredients in skillet mixed together

    I always have such lofty aspirations about eating my home cooking with chopsticks, but if you're like me when it comes to chopsticks, eating rice is nearly impossible. I was too hungry and this was too delicious for me to be patient, so I eventually switched to a fork.

    Overhead view of bowl of quick vegetable fried brown rice with chopsticks balancing on top and a second bowl in the background with red hot pepper flakes scattered around

    No matter how you eat it, you can rest assured that this is an incredibly quick fried brown rice recipe, so it's perfect for making on a busy weeknight. Which is exactly what I did this evening. The summer nights are starting to cool down here in Boston and it's beginning to feel like comfort food season. A big bowl of fried rice is definitely my idea of comfort food, but I feel much better knowing this is fried brown rice. And that I'm also getting in a ton of veggies while I enjoy it. Win win!

    Landscape view of a bowl of quick vegetable fried brown rice with chopsticks balanced on top and red hot pepper flakes scattered around

    If you like a little bit of extra spice (hiiii), I recommend adding a little Sriracha to this. I'd basically add Sriracha to everything if I could... And sometimes I do. Even just some extra red hot pepper flakes will help add a little kick. Of course, you're totally welcome to add meat to this dish, too, though I'm a big proponent of enjoying Meatless Monday on occasion. However, chicken or beef would be quite delicious in this quick vegetable fried brown rice! Tofu would work, too.

    Head-on view of a bowl of quick vegetable fried brown rice with chopsticks balancing on it, a second bowl of rice in the background

    The only thing that would make this fried brown rice better would be a couple scallion pancakes. Ha! But those take a little bit more time to make homemade (though I definitely want to tackle them at some point!) and would make this meal a little bit less nutritious.

    Do you ever make your favorite takeout dishes at home?

    If you're looking for more rice recipes, check out my Chili Mango Shrimp Pineapple Fried Rice or my Thai Beef Basil with Coconut Rice.

    Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice

    Looking for a quick and easy healthy dinner that's also delicious? This Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice is packed with veggies and whole grains and is the perfect weeknight meal!
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: American, Asian, Eclectic
    Keyword: Easy, Rice, Vegetables
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Makes: 6 servings
    Author: Sues

    Ingredients

    • 1 Tbsp olive oil
    • ½ cup chopped onion (from 1 small onion)
    • ¾ cup chopped red pepper (from 1 pepper)
    • 1 ½ cups shredded carrots
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced
    • ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
    • ½ cup frozen peas
    • 2 large eggs, lightly scrambled
    • 3 cups cooked and cooled brown rice
    • 3 tsp light soy sauce
    • 1 tsp red pepper flakes, plus more for sprinkling

    Instructions

    • Heat olive oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Add onion and red pepper and let cook for 4 minutes. 
    • Add in carrots, garlic, scallions, and peas. Stir frequently allowing scallions to wilt a bit, about 2-3 minutes.
    • Push vegetables to one side of the skillet and add the eggs to the other side. Using a spatula, lightly scramble them. 
    • Add rice, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes to skillet and stir everything together. Cook another 2 minutes to heat through.
    • Serve in bowls and top with more red pepper flakes if desired.
    Share a Photo of Your Finished Recipe!Mention @wearenotmartha and share a photo if you've made the recipe!
    Quick Vegetable Fried Brown Rice
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Barefoot Pregnant and In The Kitchen says

      August 31, 2011 at 7:10 am

      Looks amazing! Homemade fried rice is always better! My husband makes an awesome one very similar to this recipe. Yum

    2. Simply Life says

      August 31, 2011 at 7:22 am

      stir fry is definitely one of my favorite way to use up remaining veggies...and I love that medley from TJ's!

    3. Erica says

      August 31, 2011 at 7:27 am

      Homemade fried rice is awesome. Fabulous that you can throw in whatever you have on hand -veggie wise. That tjs blend is delicious

    4. Michelle says

      August 31, 2011 at 9:07 am

      When spring and summer arrive, I am so happy for natural lighting...and now it is disappearing with the warm weather. Plus, I'm still getting used to my kitchen, which has NO natural lighting. This stir fry looks great - my kind of meal!

    5. Mal @ The Chic Geek says

      August 31, 2011 at 9:21 am

      Yum! I tried my hand at fried rice a few weeks ago and was really happy with the results, and I love knowing everything in it!

    6. Michelle Collins says

      August 31, 2011 at 2:25 pm

      I have that rice in my pantry right now - it's delicious (and cheap)!

    7. Bianca @ Confessions of a Chocoholic says

      August 31, 2011 at 6:12 pm

      I love quick stir fries and always use brown rice too. I will try that TJ brown rice medley soon!

    8. sarah k. @ the pajama chef says

      August 31, 2011 at 9:43 pm

      too funny...i just posted a fried rice recipe too. yours looks great!

    9. Bridget says

      September 01, 2011 at 8:32 am

      I love quick dinners like this!! I also love TJ's 🙂 This looks fabulous! I'm pumped that Fall is around the corner!

    10. Silpa | Silpa's kitchen says

      September 26, 2018 at 4:50 am

      5 stars
      Wow, vegetable fried rice is fantastic. Great recipe. Yummy.

    11. Lois says

      March 15, 2021 at 2:31 pm

      Could one use Trader Joes frozen mixed vegetables be in this recipe?

    12. Sues says

      March 15, 2021 at 3:41 pm

      @Lois Yes! That would work well!

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