Air fryer fried rice
by Air fryer fried rice is a playful take on a Chinese takeout classic. Easy to make with little hands-on time, fried rice in air fryer uses less oil and doesn’t splatter. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and pantry staples in a money-saving and versatile meal.
Loving the air fryer? Try my air fryer rice recipe for fluffy long grain white rice cooked to perfection. And don’t miss out on my air fryer cooking times cheat sheet, a printable guide for meat, seafood, vegetables, and frozen foods.
Ingredients
Air fry fried rice is a perfect “clean out your fridge” meal. Incorporate leftover rice, meat, and veggies in a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Air frying rice at home saves time and money! Even better, it’s seasoned with pantry staples that you already have on hand.
- Rice: Use cold leftover rice or rice that’s been cooked and cooled in the refrigerator. You can use white or brown rice. (Check out my guide for how to cook rice in an air fryer!)
- Frozen vegetables: I used diced-up carrots, peas, green beans, and corn. You can use any type of vegetables, fresh or frozen, as long as they are diced into small pieces.
- Avocado oil, coarse sea salt, granulated garlic, granulated onion
- Ground white pepper: You can also use ground black pepper. It’s more common in Asia to season fried rice with white pepper, so white pepper is more authentic.
- Coconut aminos: A naturally sweet and gluten-free soy sauce alternative. You can use soy sauce if you prefer. If using soy sauce, use half the amount as it is much saltier.
- Scallions: Slice the scallions and keep the white and green parts separate. The white parts will cook in the air fryer and the green parts will be used for garnish.
- Egg: Completely optional — you can make this air fry rice with or without an egg.
Ingredient substitutions
- Onion: can also use fresh chopped onion or frozen mirepoix diced into small pieces. This will add more moisture to the dish and can change the texture a bit.
- Different fat: Melted butter or olive oil will also work.
- Vegetables: Use any diced-up vegetables that are either frozen or fresh. Broccoli florets would be yummy! Chop into smaller pieces so they cook quickly with the rice.
- Eggs: You can make this dish without an egg. If you like a runny yolk, top with an air fryer poached eggs or fried egg in air fryer.
Flavor variations
- Topping choices: Add cooked and diced-up chicken or shrimp, toasted sesame oil, or sesame seeds to garnish.
- Sauces: For a flavor boost, garnish an aromatic sauce, like my garlic chili sauce, vegan oyster sauce, nam jim jaew (Thai chili dipping sauce), or Shacha sauce.
How to make fried rice in air fryer
This airfryer rice recipe comes together in 15 minutes or less with minimal hands-on effort. The recipe calls for cooked and cooled (or leftover rice), so be sure to have that on hand. Can you cook rice in an airfryer, too? Absolutely! Click the link for instructions on how to cook rice in air fryer first.
- In a large bowl, add the cold rice, frozen vegetables, and oil. Gently toss to coat the rice evenly. This will help the rice “fried” up evenly. Add dry seasonings and mix well.
- Transfer the rice mixture into an oven-friendly cake pan that’s big enough to hold the rice but small enough to fit inside your air fryer basket. Spread rice to an even height.
- Air fryer at 380°F (193°C), uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the pan and use a wooden spoon to stir the rice mixture. Mix in the coconut aminos and white scallions and then pour in the whisked egg. Stir everything again.
- Lower the temperature to 360°F (182°C) and air fry the rice for 5 more minutes. Stir the rice mixture again to break up the rice and the egg. Garnish with green scallions and serve.
Chef tips
- Good fried rice has separated grains, not clumps. To achieve this, coat the rice evenly in oil and dry seasonings and cook part way before adding liquid seasonings so they fry up evenly.
- The eggs can stick to the rice, changing the texture. The whisked egg cooks differently in the air fryer than on a hot wok with constant stirring. For a perfect fried egg texture, cook scrambled eggs in air fryer (recipe coming soon!) and then combine with the rice mixture.
Is making fried rice in an air fryer better than stovetop?
There are pros and cons to making fried rice in an air fryer versus on the stovetop.
Stovetop:
Making fried rice on the stovetop requires more hands-on effort but achieves a great texture, evenly cooked eggs, and an authentic wok aroma. Stovetop fried rice takes longer, but the rice cooks evenly and incorporates the egg nicely.
Air fry:
In contrast, using an air fryer to make fried rice is fast and easy, requiring little monitoring while using less oil, though it may not evenly fry all the rice grains and doesn’t replicate the flavor of the wok. Air fryer is time efficient but the egg can stick to the rice. If you wouldn’t mind extra time, cook the eggs separately before combining them with the rice to air fry.
Final thought:
Ultimately, stovetop fried rice delivers an authentic taste and texture that the convenience of the air fryer cannot truly duplicate. However, making fried rice in an air fryer is time-saving when you consider how long to cook rice in air fryer versus on the stove.
How to store and reheat
Fried rice is a tasty meal that is best enjoyed fresh, especially because you are already using leftover rice to make it. If you find yourself with leftovers, here is how to store and reheat them.
To refrigerate: Let cool to room temperature before storing in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
To freeze: Let cool to room temperature and place into a freezer-friendly storage bag/container. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To reheat:
- Reheat rice in air fryer: Sprinkle the rice with a few drops of water. Add rice to a cake pan and air fry at 360°F (182°C) for about 3-5 minutes.
- In a microwave: Put rice in a microwave-safe container. Loosely cover the bowl with saran wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute.
- On a stovetop: Warm up the rice in a non-stick pan over medium heat. You can add a touch of oil or a few sprinkles of water to the pan to soften the rice. Stir with a wooden spoon until the rice returns to room temperature.
What to serve it with
Fried rice is such a versatile dish. You can pair it with other dishes or enjoy it as a meal, especially if you’ve added protein like eggs and meat. I like to pair it with other dishes for a family-style meal.
- Meat dishes: Serve with classic takeout favorites like this Panda Express orange chicken copycat dish, sweet and garlicky General Tso shrimp, this simple yet satisfying black pepper beef, or my super savory Chinese eggplant with garlic sauce.
- Vegetarian dishes: For veg options, pair with my tangy Chinese cucumber salad, these crispy yet chewy rice paper dumplings, or this crispy golden salt and pepper tofu in air fryer.
- Soup: For a super nourishing meal, pair your fried rice with my gluten free wonton soup. Made with homemade wontons filled with juicy chicken, it really is a soup for the soul!
Expert tips
- Use day-old, chilled rice: Use chilled, day-old rice. Fresh rice can turn out mushy in the air fryer, whereas day-old rice is drier and fries up better.
- Cook ingredients in batches: Overcrowding the air fryer basket will steam instead of fry. Cook proteins like shrimp or chicken first, then veggies, and finally rice.
- Oil distribution: While the air fryer requires less oil, the rice should be lightly and evenly coated. This ensures every grain gets crisped.
- Stirring: Stir and toss the rice halfway through cooking so that the rice and ingredients cook evenly and don’t burn.
- A word about eggs: If you want to incorporate eggs and don’t mind a little extra time, consider scrambling them separately and then mixing them into the rice before air frying. This prevents them from sticking to the rice.
- Vegetables: If you’re adding vegetables, consider using diced-up veggies (either fresh or frozen) so that they can cooked evenly in an air fryer.
- Seasoning: Cook the rice with oil and dry spices first before adding in the liquid seasoning so that the grains can “fry up” evenly.
- Check Consistency: Not all air fryers are made equal. Keep an eye on the rice the first few times you make it to find the perfect time and temperature settings for your device.
- Finish on the Stove: If you miss the wok aroma, consider tossing the air-fried rice on a hot stovetop pan or wok for a minute with a dash of sesame oil at the end. This imparts a traditional fried rice flavor.
- Rehydrate: If your rice turns out too dry, sprinkle a little water or broth before air frying to maintain moisture.
FAQs
Yes, you can make fried rice in an air fryer. Use chilled, day-old rice for best results. Lightly coat the rice with oil, air fry, stirring occasionally, and add desired seasonings and pre-cooked ingredients for flavor. The result is a quick, less oily version of traditional fried rice.
To air fry leftover fried rice, spread the rice evenly in the air fryer basket. Set the temperature to 360°F (182°C) and cook for about 3-5 minutes, stirring halfway, until the rice is heated thoroughly and slightly crispy. Serve immediately.
You can cook rice in an air fryer, with long-grain basmati being ideal. After rinsing, put the drained rice in an air fryer-safe dish. Use a 1.25:1 water-to-rice ratio. Cover with foil or a lid. Cook at 300°F for 30 minutes, then let sit for 15 minutes before fluffing to serve.
If you try to air fry freshly cooked, warm rice, it will likely end up soggy and mushy instead of light and fluffy. The high moisture content in just-cooked rice will steam and stick together in the air fryer rather than getting crisped up. For best results, day-old chilled rice is ideal for air frying, as it has had time to dry out in the refrigerator overnight. Drier rice grains will fry up better in the hot air circulation of the air fryer.
More fried rice recipes you might like
Love rice, but not the carbs? Give one of my low-carb rice alternative dishes a try!
Air fryer fried rice recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked rice, refrigerated and cold
- 1.5 cup frozen mixed vegetables
- 1.5 tbsp avocado oil
- ½ tsp coarse sea salt
- ½ tsp garlic granule
- ¼ tsp onion granule
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper, or black pepper
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos, or 0.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 bulb scallion, diced and separate white and green parts
- 1 large egg, whisked, optional
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cold rice, frozen vegetables, and oil. Gently toss and coat the oil evenly over the rice grains. This will help the rice “fried” up evenly. I recommend wearing a kitchen glove and use your hand to do this for easy control.
- Add the salt, garlic and onion granule, and ground pepper. Toss again to combine well.
- Transfer the rice mixture into an oven friendly cake pan that’s big enough to hold the rice but small enough to fit inside of your air fryer basket. My cake pan size is 7.5-inch height x 3.5-inch wide for a 6-qt. air fryer.
- Spread the rice out into an even height and air fryer at 380°F (193°C ), uncovered, for 5 minutes. In the meantime, whisk the egg, if using.
- Carefully remove the cake pan from the air fryer. Some rice grains on the surface might get a little browned and crisp and that are totally okay. Use a wooden spoon to stir the rice mixture and add in the coconut aminos and white scallion parts, and pour in the whisked egg, if using. Stir everything again.
- Drop the air fryer temperature to 360°F (182°C) and air fry the rice for 5 more minutes. Remove the cake pan from the air fryer basket and stir the rice mixture again to break up the rice and the egg. Transfer it to a large serving plate.
- Garnish with green scallions parts. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper seasonings, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- You can also garnish the rice with toasted sesame oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds to the rice before serving.
- To reheat the rice in the air fryer: Sprinkle the rice with a few drops of water and air fry at 360°F (182°C) for about 3-5 minutes.
- Good fried rice has separated grains, not clumps. To achieve this, coat the rice evenly in oil and dry seasonings and cook part way before adding liquid seasonings so they fry up evenly.
- The eggs can stick to the rice, changing the texture. The whisked egg cooks differently in the air fryer than on a hot wok with constant stirring. For a perfect fried egg texture, cook scrambled eggs in air fryer (recipe coming soon!) and then combine with the rice mixture.
- Also see my how to cook rice in air fryer if you are making it from scratch.
Nutrition
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This air fry fried rice is great! Perfect for a busy family. Very fast and convenient to put together and my kids loved it. It’s also a great way to use up leftover cooked protein and vegetable scrapes. Thanks for sharing!