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Super Veggie Fried Rice – Oil-Free, Whole Foods, Plant-Based Vegan Recipe from Plants-Rule

Colorful veggies and brown rice come together in this delicious and healthy oil-free stir-fry. This easy, vegan, weeknight dinner takes some shortcuts from the freezer section. A whole foods, plant-based meal that’s loaded with flavor!

If you like this, you’ll love Quick Chinese Eggplant Stir-Fry, Oil-Free Asian Quinoa Fried ‘Nice’, Simplest Plant-Based Oil-Free Cauliflower Fried Rice, and 10 Minute Asian Shiitake Power Bowl.

What is Traditional Fried Rice?

Believe it or not, Chinese Fried Rice is not a common food cooked in the home. In fact, most Chinese prefer plain rice, often served with soy sauce or as a base for meat. Rather, fried rice likely originated as a way for peasants to use leftover rice. They likely combined plain cooked rice with lard, meat scraps, and some scraps of vegetables to create a meal to feed the entire family.

There are few rules about traditional fried rice. The rice, of course, is the starting point. Beyond that, the options are limitless for the different proteins, vegetables, and flavors that can be added. A typical recipe will often include onion, garlic, carrot, ginger, and some sort of chili for heat. The dish is often finished with soy sauce or tamari to add salty, umami flavor.

How to Make a Whole Foods, Plant-Based Version of Fried Rice

Step One: Use a Whole Grain

The first step in making a whole foods, plant-based version of fried rice is the rice. Instead of traditional white rice, simply swap it out for brown rice. Brown rice has all three components of a whole grain (the germ, bran, and endosperm) which pack more vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber than white rice. Thus, brown rice is more nutritious than white. However, you can use other whole grain like quinoa, black rice, or farro.

Save some time and use frozen brown rice for this healthy veggie fried rice recipe

Step Two: Cut out the Eggs or Animal Protein

Traditional fried rice was a way to use scrap pieces of meat. Many recipes today also include scrambled egg. For a plant-based version, simply remove these animal products. That leaves you with extra room for more veggies. If you want to add vegan protein, you can add tofu, edamame, tempeh, or extra peas.

Step Three: Ditch the Oil

Traditional fried rice uses oil to stir-fry the veggies and rice. However, oil is full of empty calories and isn’t part of whole foods, plant-based cooking. Simply ditch the oil. Using a non-stick pan will help prevent your rice from sticking. Or, use water or vegetable stock in place of oil.

This is great recipe to use up veggies like snap peas and frozen broccoli

Step Four: Add Those Veggies

A whole foods, plant-based diet celebrates filling your plate with lots of colorful, nutritious vegetables. This is a great dish for adding veggies! The recipe below uses purple cabbage, green broccoli, and orange carrots. But, you can substitute or add other vegetables like brown mushrooms, yellow bell peppers, green beans, and purple carrots.

What’s the Secret to Making the Best Fried Rice?

There are a few simple tips that will help you make the best fried rice.

Use Cooked, Cold Rice: You need to use pre-cooked rice for fried rice. If making it from scratch, you should precook the rice and let it cool overnight in the fridge (or 1 hour in the freezer). Or, use frozen brown rice – like in this recipe!
Use Medium or Long-Grain Rice: Medium and long grain rice tend to hold up best for fried rice. Short grain rice and sushi rice are too sticky and starchy. Just remember: Short, sticky, starchy. Long is best.
Use a Big, Wide Pan: This will help you keep the ingredients moving around and cook quickly. You want to saute the vegetables and rice, keeping some crunchy texture. If you use too small of a pan, it might be overcrowded and your vegetables will steam…making them soggy.
Preheat Your Pan: While you are chopping your onion, carrot, and other ingredients, preheat your pan over medium-high heat. This will ensure quick cooking and crunchy texture. If the pan is cold, you will likely end up with soggy rice.
Remember the Aromatics: The aromatics that add flavor to Chinese fried rice are: onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and red chili. You can adjust the quantities to fit your tastes, but using these will ensure authentic flavor.
Stir Often: Remember that a stir-fry is just that… a STIR fry. That means you want to stir often, keeping the ingredients moving around the pan. This ensures even cooking and prevents burning.
Go Easy on the Sauce: Just a couple tablespoons of soy sauce or tamari is enough flavor to finish fried rice. You don’t want to drown your rice in bottled sauce or red chili sauce; you want the flavors of the sauteed vegetables and rice to shine.

The basic aromatics for most Chinese stir-fries are onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and red chili

Chef Katie’s Whole Foods, Plant-Based Cooking Tips

Veg it Up! This is a great basic recipe to veg up! You can add lots of colorful, healthy veggies to this stir-fry. Mushrooms, bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, and frozen peas all make delicious additions.

Clean Out the Fridge: Use any of your favorite veggies in this stir-fry. Bell peppers, spinach, onion, and pea pods are all great mix-in. This is a perfect end-of-week meal to clean out your fridge.

Freezer Shortcut: Many grocers now carry frozen brown rice in the freezer section. Grab a bag and keep it on hand so you can whip up this recipe any time you’re short on time – or don’t feel like pulling out the food processor.

Cooking for Kids: The ginger and red chili flake in this recipe add a spicy kick. Kids can be sensitive to spice. So, if cooking this for kids, omit or reduce the amount of ginger and red chili flake.

Gluten-Free: Tamari is naturally gluten-free. However, miso paste can be made using wheat and barley. To be 100% gluten-free, use “Certified Gluten-Free” Miso.

Soy-Free Tips: Tamari is a gluten-free version of soy sauce. If you need to avoid soy, you can use coconut aminos.

Oil-Free Mission: I’m on a mission to get rid of empty calories, and oil is the most calorie-dense food. In this recipe, I simply omit the oil. You get plenty of flavor from all of the other ingredients. You simply don’t need it.

Saute the aromatics until the start to soften, only about 5 minutes.

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Easy
Servings: 4
Ready In: 20 minutes
Yield: about 6 cups

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