Quick Breakfast Fried Rice Recipe

Sick of the same old breakfast fare? Then recipe developer Jaime Shelbert's breakfast fried rice is the dish you have been searching for. Of course, everyone loves fried rice. But, um, for breakfast? We couldn't help but wonder what makes this meal fit for the morning. Well, according to Shelbert of Wholly Nourished, "As a dietitian, I would say that this is a great way to start the day with a balanced meal containing a carb — the rice — [plus] greens, [protein via the] eggs, and a healthy fat [via] avocado."

Shelbert also says about her dish, "I put more eggs than usual in this and topped the rice with avocado and Sriracha to give it that breakfast spin," adding, "You could also add bacon to this!" We thought of a couple more reasons why breakfast fried rice is an ideal way to kick off the morning — it's quick, easy, and reheats like a dream.

Breakfast is served with just a few ingredients, several of which you are likely to have on hand: vegetable oil, three large eggs, sesame oil, scallions, rice vinegar, soy sauce or tamari, and spinach. Not familiar with tamari? As Shelbert explains, "Tamari is gluten-free soy sauce." 

Meanwhile, Shelbert's breakfast fried rice also calls for 3 cups of cooked rice. "First and foremost, make sure it's day-old rice," Shelbert says. "I used basmati here because I like the longer grain. Longer grain tends to not stick together. Jasmine is another great choice." It's worth noting that jasmine rice may cook up softer, while basmati is fluffy.

Finally, you can finish your breakfast bowl with some optional toppings like sesame seeds, avocado, Sriracha, green onions, and additional soy sauce.

The first step to enjoying a new take on the morning is to prepare your eggs for the fried rice. You will heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil in a skillet set over medium heat. Now, simply crack the eggs right into the pan, scrambling them with a spatula. Once this has been achieved, you will remove the eggs from the pan, and set them aside. FYI, your eggs end up back in the mix in a few steps, so don't overcook them. As Shelbert says, "A soft scramble takes about two minutes."

Turn your attention to quickly assembling the other elements of this satisfying sunrise meal.

You can use the same pan for the next steps in this recipe. Shelbert instructs home cooks to heat the remaining vegetable oil, and add in the sesame oil as well. Keep the heat at medium, and sauté the scallions for two minutes. 

Next, add your day-old rice to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. At this point, raise the heat on your stove up to medium-high. You will add the rice vinegar and soy sauce (or tamari), and stir-fry the rice mixture for about three minutes. Now, add the egg back into the mix, stir-frying everything for another minute.

Finally, add in your chopped spinach, and stir. At this point, remove the pan from the heat, and add your desired toppings. Enjoy! But if you want to enjoy it the next morning, too, Shelbert says, "It can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop in a frying pan."