Easy Vegan Fried Rice

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Bowls of our healthy fried rice with crispy tofu for a vegan meal

Friends, do you know how long it’s been since I had fried rice? Far. Too. Long.

This recipe is my solution to that problem and you should totally get on board because it’s quick, easy and super delicious.

Cooking tofu in a cast-iron skillet for making vegan fried rice

Origin of Fried Rice

The exact origin of fried rice is unknown, but it’s earliest mention is believed to be in a book about Chinese cuisine from the Sui Dynasty (569-618). The story is that Emperor Yang Guang tasted the dish in Yangzhou and loved it so much that it became an imperial dish.

The standard recipe for Yangzhou fried rice includes rice, eggs, meat, fish, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and peas. You can find a traditional (not vegan) recipe here.

Our plant-based version strays from traditional in terms of ingredients, but is similarly colorful and cooks the rice twice for a “fried” effect.

How to Make Vegan Fried Rice

This fried rice requires just 10 ingredients and easy, fool-proof methods.

Including cooking the rice, the whole dish comes together in a little over an hour and feeds two generously as an entrée boasting 27 grams of protein!

Now we’re talking…

Cooking vegetables in a cast-iron skillet for vegan Chinese Fried Rice

It starts with my favorite crispy, baked tofu marinated in a simple 5-ingredient sauce and sautéed to crispy perfection.

Next comes a generous helping of vegetables tossed with the remaining sauce and perfectly tender brown rice.

Pouring sauce into cast-iron skillet filled with our Vegan Fried Rice recipe

The result? Fried rice perfection. It’s:

Hearty
Flavorful
Satisfying
Loaded with vegetables
Topped with crispy tofu
Subtly spiced

Make this as an entrée or a side dish when a serious Chinese takeout craving strikes! I reckon it’s far healthier and more satisfying than anything you’ll find at a restaurant.

Big pan of our Fried Rice with Crispy Tofu for a healthy plant-based meal

What to Serve with Fried Rice

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment and rate it, and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We’d love to see what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

Close up shot of a bowl of our gluten-free Vegan Fried Rice with Crispy Tofu
A big serving of our amazing Vegan Fried Rice with Crispy Tofu for dinner

Easy Vegan Fried Rice

Easy, 10-ingredient vegan fried rice that’s loaded with vegetables, crispy baked tofu, and tons of flavor! A healthy, satisfying plant-based side dish or entrée.
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Chopsticks beside a bowl of Vegan Fried Rice topped with tofu
4.84 from 470 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Course Entrée, Side
Cuisine Asian-Inspired, Gluten-Free, Vegan
Freezer Friendly No
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

RICE + VEGETABLES

  • 1 cup extra-firm tofu* (8 ounces yields ~1 cup)
  • 1 cup long- or short-grain brown rice* (rinsed thoroughly in a fine mesh strainer)
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 1 cup chopped green onion
  • 1/2 cup peas
  • 1/2 cup carrots (finely diced)

SAUCE

  • 3 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce (plus more for veggies + to taste)
  • 1 Tbsp peanut butter
  • 2-3 Tbsp organic brown sugar, muscovado sugar, or maple syrup
  • 1 clove garlic (minced)
  • 1-2 tsp chili garlic sauce (more or less depending on preferred spice)
  • 1 tsp toasted sesame oil (optional // or sub peanut or avocado oil)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or lightly grease with non-stick spray).
  • In the meantime wrap tofu in a clean, absorbent towel and set something heavy on top (such as a cast iron skillet) to press out the liquid.
  • Once the oven is preheated, dice tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and arrange on baking sheet. Bake for 26-30 minutes. You’re looking for golden brown edges and a texture that’s firm to the touch. The longer it bakes, the firmer and crispier it will become, so if you’re looking for softer tofu remove from the oven around the 26-28 minute mark. I prefer crispy tofu, so I bake mine the full 30 minutes. Set aside.
  • While the tofu bakes prepare your rice by bringing 12 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, add rinsed rice and stir. Boil on high uncovered for 30 minutes, then strain for 10 seconds and return to pot removed from the heat. Cover with a lid and let steam for 10 minutes*.
  • While rice and tofu are cooking, prepare sauce by adding all ingredients to a medium-size mixing bowl and whisking to combine. Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more tamari or soy sauce for saltiness, peanut butter for creaminess, brown sugar for sweetness, or chili garlic sauce for heat.
  • Once the tofu is done baking, add directly to the sauce and marinate for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, use a slotted spoon to scoop the tofu into the pan leaving most of the sauce behind. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deep golden brown on all sides (see photo). Lower heat if browning too quickly. Remove from pan and set aside.
  • To the still hot pan add garlic, green onion, peas and carrots. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, and season with 1 Tbsp (15 ml) tamari or soy sauce (amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
  • Add cooked rice, tofu, and remaining sauce and stir. Cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Serve immediately with extra chili garlic sauce or sriracha for heat (optional). Crushed salted, roasted peanuts or cashews make a lovely additional garnish. Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, though best when fresh. Reheat in a skillet over medium heat or in the microwave.

Video

Notes

*If you don’t like tofu, you can sub 1 cup fresh or frozen edamame – add in with vegetables.
*For the rice, you can also substitute a comparable amount of quinoa.
*Rice cooking method from Saveur! Literally, the perfect brown rice.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with the lesser amounts of brown sugar and chili garlic sauce.

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 321 Carbohydrates: 48.7 g Protein: 13.5 g Fat: 8.2 g Saturated Fat: 1.4 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.05 g Monounsaturated Fat: 1.01 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 816 mg Potassium: 385 mg Fiber: 4.8 g Sugar: 7.7 g Vitamin A: 4084 IU Vitamin C: 12 mg Calcium: 107 mg Iron: 2.7 mg

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  1. Jarro Lightfeather says

    really lovely. omitted tofu as my non vegan family was skeptical about it, they still loved it. thank you for the recipe

  2. Gavate says

    Thanks for the recipe. I made this last week, and my husband loved it. We are making a triple batch for his birthday party! Can I bake the tofu the day before and store in the fridge? Will it alter the texture/flavor uptake?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! Thank you for sharing, Gavate! The texture is best day of, but it would be okay the next day.

  3. olya m says

    Delicious. I added edamame and instead of tofu I pan fried shiitake mushrooms with sesame/olive oil, aminos + liquid smoke. Mixed it all together. It was yummy!Great sauce!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Emily, the flavor will be different but any other nut butter should be tasty here. Cashew, almond, or even tahini would be yummy!

  4. Sarah says

    This is a house favorite. I do a double batch and our family of 5 eats it up for dinner and some lunches next day. I also throw in giant handfuls of fresh spinach chopped small because I’m always trying to get the kids to eat some greens. Fits right in and is barely noticeable, fyi to parents. Thank you!

  5. Katy says

    I made this. It was delicious. I used my rice steamer to make the rice though. Does Boiling it in 12 cups water then steaming get rid of some of the starch and make the rice less sticky? Even with sticky rice it was good

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Katy, the pasta method does yield really fluffy rice! In our experience brown rice isn’t usually sticky. Confirming you were using brown, not white rice?

      • Katy says

        I had to use white rice because I was on a fiber free diet for 2 days in prep for a medical procedure. I actually didn’t notice the recipe said brown rice. Now that makes much more sense. Thanks for the reply. Next time when I use brown rice like I usually would, I will try your method. Thank you.

  6. Saara Antipas says

    This is my all-time favourite rice recipe! I’ve been making it for about 5 years now and thought I’d better let you know! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe! Xxx

  7. Mindy Artus says

    Made this last night – I think the peanut butter in the sauce gives this dish such a depth of flavor. I sauteed onion, zucchini, garlic and fresh haricot verts from the garden and added cooked basmati rice. Delicious. Served with Asian glazed grilled Norwegian Salmon and corn on the cob. Recipe is a keeper. Thank you.

  8. Julie says

    Everything about this got a thumbs up from the family except the tofu. I used an organic locally (UK) made tofu; a Japanese recipe but it’s pre-pressed so it doesn’t need water squeezing out. I’ve fried it before and it’s been fine – less crumbly then other tofu – but this method turned it into very tasty, plasticky rubber. 🤔 I guess I might need to try it again with regular tofu…
    The rice cooking technique was interesting and worked fine for me. My brown basmati might have ended up a bit overdone, so I think I’ll shave a few minutes off the half hour next time.
    I subbed in 250g chopped mushrooms for the carrot, stir fried separately in a bit of oil.
    I am curious though, your recipe has no oil mentioned at all except a tiny bit in the sauce. Are you really just dry frying everything else?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Julie, Thank you for sharing your experience! It sounds like the tofu may have baked a little too long. Perhaps that tofu is dryer and doesn’t need as long? We don’t find it necessary to bake the tofu with oil, but you definitely could bake it with oil.

  9. Colburn says

    DONT MAKE THE RICE AS DESCRIBED IN THE RECIPE

    I’ve made this twice. The first time it was fantastic.
    I made the rice according to the directions on the bag of rice. I doubled the sauce and subbed red onion and chickpeas instead of peas. Phenomenal.

    The way the recipe is asking to make the rice uses way too much water. I’ve never heard of cooking 1 cup of rice with 12 cups of water. WTF!

    I tried to do it that way the second time and the rice turned out mushy. It’s not nearly as good, the extra water diluted the flavor and it’s not recognizable as fried rice.

    Ignore this strange time consuming way of making rice and just follow the directions on the rice bag.

    Did this recipe get hacked? Never heard of making rice that way.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Colburn, sorry that method didn’t work for you! We wonder what type of rice you were using? The method we described is called the pasta method and we find it creates the fluffiest brown rice. See the notes for more info!

        • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

          Hi Colburn, there’s both brown basmati and white basmati, so we’re not sure which you used. White rice doesn’t work well with the pasta method, so if you used white, that would explain why it was mushy!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Roxanne, 1 serving is 1/4 of the total recipe, but we don’t have a precise measurement in cups. Probably 1 – 1 1/2 cups. Hope that helps!

  10. Jody says

    Thank you for this recipe. The flavors are so good and it is visually gorgeous looking. I did use my rice cooker but one of these days I’ll try it your way, I love it so much that I am making this for 15 people at a get together this weekend and I really, really appreciate that you have the increase the servings conversion — no need to guess!

    • Charli says

      Great vegan fried rice! I added a tablespoon of oil to my wok before frying the rice.

      Also, I made rice in advance earlier in the day. This would work well with leftover rice too.

      I didn’t add any sugar and it still tasted yummy!

  11. Ki says

    I’m your March 23rd review…love this! I’m making another recipe and am wondering if I can cook white rice in the same fashion as the brown rice in your recipe above,..it came out perfectly…any thoughts? I do not cook rice often at all…

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Ki, we haven’t tried this method with white rice and aren’t sure if it would work. It would certainly cook faster than brown rice, probably 10-12 minutes. Let us know how it goes if you try it!

  12. Kim says

    There were so many wonderful surprising things about this meal! From the tofu… I did not expect the texture! I did press it first. To the rice… So MUCH water!! But it worked and it was cooked to perfection! All of the flavors just came together beautifully. This will be added to my book immediately 💕😊
    No complaints from my husband and daughter… and my husband scarfed it right down 😉 I will take that as a win!!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Kim. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo

  13. Kristi E says

    This was really good and it is definitely going into my “make again” file! I added pineapple to mine and am thinking about adding water chestnuts next time for a nice crunch. The only thing I would change is the size of the tofu cubes. A 1/4 inch cube of tofu is way too small and does not look like the size on the video. (maybe a typo?) I’ll be making 1/2 inch cubes next time to see if that comes out better.
    Thanks for the great recipe!!

  14. Colin says

    A staple in my kitchen, and a (non-veg) people pleaser for sure! I usually stick to the recipe as written… sometimes with the oil, sometimes without… sometimes with peas/carrots, sometimes with whatever frozen veg I have on hand… no matter how I make this it always comes out perfect! I can’t speak on the rice cooking method, as I use a rice cooker to save myself some work. I usually serve with veggie spring rolls from Costco as a side.

    I have also applied the tofu baking method to pretty much all of my tofu applications, never with any oil (I do use parchment paper exclusively for this)… perfect crispy “fried” texture every time without frying!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Colin!

  15. M says

    I made this for my husband who is fasting for Orthodox Easter (basically needs vegan without any oil). I always struggle to make a good tasting hot meal with protein (that isn’t always beans) without being able to cook with oil. This was perfect for him!

  16. Georgia says

    I made this tonight. I used broccoli cause I needed to use it and used some olive oil gifted to me from Italy, nummy,this was very good, I loved it and so easy, just what I wanted.

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Thanks so much for the lovely review, Georgia. We are so glad you enjoyed it! Next time, would you mind leaving a star rating with your review? It’s super helpful for us and other readers. Thanks so much! xo