Last Updated on August 25, 2024
Vegan Fried Rice is an easy and simple plant based meal.
It is full of colorful vegetables, protein, and is naturally gluten free.
And it’s a perfect way to use up the left over rice and vegetables in the refrigerator.
Just toss everything together, warm it up on top of the stove, and you have a quick satisfying meal!
In this recipe, I added my recipe of scrambled chickpeas for added protein.
This is optional, you could replace this with a can of chickpeas for more texture.
The chickpeas are not necessary, the fried rice is just as good without any beans!
If you are going to be adding a chickpea scramble, I offer two methods of making the scramble.
On the stove or in the oven.
I prefer the oven method, this dries out the chickpea scramble better than making it on the stove top.
Ingredients needed
- Rice – I used a cooked basmati rice. Use any variety of rice. The precooked and cooled rice is best if made a day before making the fried rice. The firm texture of cooled rice helps to ensure that the rice does not clump and also helps the rice withstand the second round of cooking.
- Onion – I like to use a sweet onion for my fried rice. Choose your favorite onion.
- Garlic – I used a minced garlic in this recipe. Substituted with garlic powder.
- Peppers – Use your favorite peppers, hot or mild. I like to use a sweet bell pepper in this recipe.
- Liquid Aminos – I used liquid aminos in this recipe, it is less salty, milder, and slightly sweeter than a soy sauce. You can substitute with a soy sauce.
- Lime Juice – Lime juice adds a clean freshness to the dish.
- Sesame Oil – Just a little sesame oil adds a hint of earthy nutty flavor to the dish.
- Carrots – Fresh carrots or frozen carrots can be used.
- Corn – This can be fresh, frozen, or canned corn.
- Oil – I like to use olive or avocado oil for this dish. Use your favorite oil.
- Sriracha – This adds a slight sweetness, a bit of heat, and a tangy flavor to the fried rice.
- Seasonings – Salt and pepper to taste.
- Chives – Chives are used as a garnish. Green onion would also work. Optional.
Chickpea Scramble
Optional
- Chickpea Floor – A flour that has a mild yet nutty flavor and loaded with nutrients.
- Mustard – A simple plain yellow mustard.
- Plant based milk alternative – I have used almond or oat milk. If you would prefer a different milk alternative, make sure that it is unsweetened and plain.
- Water
- Baking Powder – A raising agent to give you the fluff of an egg.
- Vinegar – I used apple cider vinegar. The vinegar is needed to activate the baking powder. This helps to give a fluffy consistency of an egg.
- Spices – Salt and pepper to taste, onion powder, and turmeric.
- Minced Garlic – I love to use minced garlic in all my recipes that call for garlic – less mess and less work for me. Substitute powdered garlic.
How to make Vegan Fried Rice
First, make the rice of your choice the day before making the fried rice.
Clean and chop the onion, carrot, and pepper into bite sized pieces, set aside.
Add oil to a large skillet or a wok along with the carrot, onion, and peppers.
Heat everything on a medium high heat, saute the vegetables until soft.
Next add the corn, I used frozen and sauteed with the vegetables until slightly browned.
Continue by adding the cold rice along with the liquid aminos, lemon juice, sesame oil, minced garlic, sriracha, salt, and pepper.
Stir and continue cooking, making sure there are no rice clumps.
Making the chickpea scramble for the Vegan Fried Rice
Optional
Stove top or oven method
In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the chickpea flour, spices, mustard, baking powder, vinegar, water, and plant based milk, stir until well combined.
Stove top
Preheat oil in a medium sized skillet on medium low heat.
Once the pan is hot enough, pour all the batter into the pan and let it cook for a few minutes.
The edges will start to turn brown and you will notice the batter will start to resemble a pancake.
Start to run the spatula along the edges and then slide it under the batter pancake, if this holds together it is time to flip.
If the batter pancake does not stay together while flipping, do not worry, just flip everything to cook on the other side.
Continue cooking for a few more minutes, while it’s cooking, start to cut up the batter pancake with the spatula into bite sized pieces.
This will still be a little runny and stick to the spatula, continue cooking and moving the pieces around until the batter is no longer sticking to the spatula.
The Oven – my preferred method
Preheat the oven to 450° F.
Spray a 8 x 8 glass baking dish with oil.
Pour the batter into the dish, spread the batter to cover the bottom, and slide into the oven.
Bake for 20 minutes, then chop up the batter, and stir.
Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, stir, and chop up the batter.
If the scramble is still sticky, return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the scramble resembles scrambled eggs.
The scramble should be dry and form little clumps once done.
Add the scrambled chickpeas to the fried rice and stir everything together to combine.
Remove from heat, garnish with chives or green onion, and serve immediately.
Vegan Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 Cups Cooked Rice Day or two old rice is best. I like to use a basmati rice, use your favorite rice. If making the rice just for the fried rice, make 2 cups of uncooked rice, this will equal about 4 cups of cooked rice.
- 1 Onion I used a sweet onion.
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic Can substitute with 1/2 Tbsp of garlic powder.
- 1 Pepper I used a sweet bell pepper in this recipe. Use any pepper of your choice, mild to hot.
- 2 Tbsp Liquid Aminos Can substitute with soy sauce.
- 1 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1/4 tsp Sesame Oil
- 1 Cup Fresh Carrots
- 1 Cup Corn Fresh, frozen, or canned.
- 1/2 tsp Sriracha
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
- Fresh Chives Or green onion. Optional.
- 1 15oz. Can Chickpeas This or the chickpea scramble is optional.
Chickpea Scramble – Optional
- 1 Cup Chickpea Flour
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Minced Garlic Can substitute with powdered garlic.
- 1/4 tsp Turmeric
- 1 tsp Yellow Mustard
- 1/4 tsp Baking Powder
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 Cup Plain Unsweetened Plant Based Milk I used a almond milk, use your favorite plant based milk.
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 Tbsp Oil I like to use avocado or olive oil. Use your favorite oil.
- Salt and Pepper to taste.
Instructions
- First, make the rice of your choice the day before making the fried rice.
- Clean and chop the onion, carrot, and pepper into bite sized pieces, set aside.
- Add oil to a large skillet or a wok along with the carrot, onion, and peppers.
- Heat everything on a medium high heat, saute the vegetables until soft.
- Next add the corn, I used frozen and sauteed with the vegetables until slightly browned.
- Continue by adding the cold rice along with the liquid aminos, lemon juice, sesame oil, minced garlic, sriracha, salt, and pepper.
- Stir and continue cooking, making sure there are no rice clumps.
Chickpea Scramble – Stove top or Oven – Optional
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, add the chickpea flour, spices, mustard, baking powder, vinegar, water, and plant based milk, stir until well combined.
Stove top
- Preheat oil in a medium sized skillet on medium low heat.
- Once the pan is hot enough, pour all the batter into the pan and let it cook for a few minutes.
- The edges will start to turn brown and you will notice the batter will start to resemble a pancake.
- Start to run the spatula along the edges and then slide it under the batter pancake, if this holds together it is time to flip.
- If the batter pancake does not stay together while flipping, do not worry, just flip everything to cook on the other side.
- Continue cooking for a few more minutes, while it's cooking, start to cut up the batter pancake with the spatula into bite sized pieces.
- This will still be a little runny and stick to the spatula, continue cooking and moving the pieces around until the batter is no longer sticking to the spatula.
The Oven – my preferred method
- Preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Spray a 8 x 8 glass baking dish with oil.
- Pour the batter into the dish, spread the batter to cover the bottom, and slide into the oven.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then chop up the batter, and stir.
- Return to the oven for another 10 minutes, stir, and chop up the batter.
- If the scramble is still sticky, return to the oven for another 10 minutes, or until the scramble resembles scrambled eggs.
- The scramble should be dry and form little clumps once done.
- Add the scrambled chickpeas to the fried rice and stir everything together to combine.
- Remove from heat, garnish with chives or green onion, and serve immediately.
