This quick and easy Spicy Vegetable Fried Rice recipe is full of flavor! Make this simple recipe as is or build off of it, adding more of your favorite veggies. Serve it on its own as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish as part of a more elaborate Chinese menu.

Fried rice with carrots, peas, and scrambled egg on a square plate with wooden chopsticks.

(This recipe was originally published in February 2015, but was updated with new photos and content in 2022).

Fried rice is a staple throughout many Asian cultures. It's also a delicious opportunity to use up some leftover vegetables and/or proteins for a quick and easy dish. I particularly love making homemade fried rice because it allows me to control the quality of ingredients and the amount of sodium.

This simple Chinese vegetarian fried rice is a bit spicy, and features garlic, ginger, and Sichuan chili bean paste, which is the main source of heat in the dish. If you want it even spicier, feel free to add more than what the recipe calls for!

Also, don't be afraid to get creative! This is a fantastic straightforward recipe for spicy fried rice. It's super colorful with bright orange carrots and green peas, but you can definitely add other vegetables that you like, or omit anything that you don't like.

Ingredient notes

Ingredients for spicy vegetable fried rice on a tan background.

Chili Bean Paste: Chili bean paste or chili bean sauce (La Doubanjiang 辣豆瓣酱) is a spicy fermented bean paste traditionally made with broad (fava) beans, red chili peppers, salt, and wheat flour. It's fairly spicy and salty, somewhat chunky, and a common ingredient in many classic Sichuan dishes. The actual English labels may vary from brand to brand, such as "Broad Bean Paste with Red Chili Oil." Although they won't provide an identical flavor/spice level, you could try substituting chili bean paste with Indonesian sambal oelek, Korean gochujang, or sriracha for an alternative spicy element.
Soy Sauce: This recipe uses both light (regular) and dark soy sauce varieties. Light soy sauce is the soy sauce most people are familiar with. I prefer low-sodium soy sauce for all my cooking needs. Dark soy sauce is thicker, darker, and sweeter than traditional light soy. It's mainly used to give a rich, dark color to dishes (and you only need a small amount to do so). If you don't have it, you may omit it but the color of your spicy fried rice will be more pale.
Rice: I prefer using jasmine rice (either white or brown) for all my fried rice dishes.
- Brown jasmine rice will make it a touch healthier, and you can barely tell a difference once it is seasoned with the flavoring sauce.
- You must cook the rice in advance, at least a day ahead of time.
- Once the rice is cooked, I like to spread it out on a sheet tray to cool and dry out. The key to good fried rice is to have relatively dry cooked rice.
- Note that 1 cup dry jasmine rice (white or brown) will yield about 4 cups cooked.
Eggs: I love scrambled eggs in my spicy fried rice, and add them for protein. If you're vegan you can absolutely omit them and still yield an absolutely delicious rice.

Vegetable fried rice on a square plate with wooden chopsticks resting on the corner.

How to make it

Heat oil over high heat in a large non-stick or well-seasoned wok. Add diced onion and carrot and stir-fry for about 5 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Add the chili bean paste, garlic, and ginger and continue to cook for another 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and golden (PHOTO 1). Mix in the peas and scallions and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes (PHOTO 2).

Step-by-step photos of making spicy vegetable fried rice in a wok.

Add the rice and mix to combine, allowing the rice to dry out in the wok a bit as you continue to stir, about 1 to 2 minutes (PHOTO 3). Add the soy sauces and stir-fry for another 1 to 2 minutes to combine (PHOTO 4).

Next, push the rice to one side of the wok and add the beaten egg to the vacant side (PHOTO 5). Allow the egg to cook, occasionally stirring the egg to gently cook until it’s no longer runny (PHOTO 6).

Then mix the cooked scrambled eggs into the rice to finish it off. Serve the Chinese vegetarian fried rice immediately.

Please scroll to the bottom of the post for the full recipe (in a printable recipe card) including ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.

Expert tips

I use basic vegetables like onion, carrot, and peas, but you can easily add any of your other favorites as long as they are all cut to about the same size so they cook evenly. If you add a lot of extra veggies, you may want to also increase the amount of a rice and flavorings to compensate. Here are a few suggestions to consider:

Sliced mushrooms
Shredded cabbage
Bean sprouts
Chopped peppers
Small blanched broccoli florets
Snow peas

Feel free to add meat to this spicy vegetable fried rice if you wish. I recommend leftover shredded chicken or even cubed char siu pork tenderloin.

Closeup of veggie fried rice with peas, carrots, and scrambled egg on a square plate.

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