This delicious Rainbow Fried Rice recipe features bright, colorful vegetables and flavorful aromatics. It's an easy weeknight meal - just add the eggy tofu, edamame, or your own favorite protein! (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free option.)

Rainbow veggie fried rice served on a white plate with eggy tofu and chopsticks

Let's eat the rainbow with this fun & colorful veggie fried rice! It's like a bowl of delicious plant confetti.

Best of all, you can change it up with your own favorite vegetables or whatever's in season. This dish is wide open for customization, so feel free to make it your own!

It's an easy family-friendly dish that works great for lunch, dinner, or a side dish. I love pairing it with protein-rich Eggy Tofu to make it a full, satisfying meal. (So good!)

Carrots, bell pepper, red onion, sweet corn, peas, garlic, and tamari ingredients laid out on a metal tray

Ingredients for Rainbow Fried Rice

For this recipe, you'll sauté in a pan or wok on the stove:

Cooked rice: It's best to cook the rice ahead of time and let it chill in the refrigerator before preparing the fried rice. Chilling the rice results in better (and less mushy) fried rice. Either brown rice or white rice works great, so use what you enjoy. I like using organic long-grain rice like basmati or jasmine. I find jasmine has a stickier, softer texture while basmati is more firm and fluffy.
Red onion: Or substitute white onion or yellow onion, but I use red onion for the purple color since this is a rainbow fried rice.
Carrot
Red bell pepper: Or you can use yellow bell pepper or orange bell pepper, but I use red for maximum color variance.
Peas: For convenience, I use frozen green peas. There's no need to defrost them before adding to the pan.
Sweet corn: Either frozen, canned, or cooked fresh.
Fresh garlic cloves: We'll use four cloves for this recipe, but you can use more or less depending on how much you enjoy the flavor.
Tamari: Or substitute soy sauce, but I use tamari for gluten-free. Coconut aminos also works great. Be sure to use low sodium if needed.
Toasted sesame oil: We'll use just a teaspoon to sauté the veggies which adds delicious depth of flavor. However you can omit this for an oil-free version. Just swap in vegetable broth or water to sauté your veggies.

Overhead view of veggies cooking in a large skillet with stirring spoon

Customizing

Flavors: This is a basic fried rice, so amp it up with more flavor if desired! Add freshly grated ginger, more garlic, a pinch of red pepper flakes, black pepper, rice wine vinegar, hoisin sauce, or anything else that sounds good. You could also stir in some Teriyaki Sauce towards the end of cooking.

Vegetables: This recipe is wide open for customizing, so change up the veggies based on your own favorites or what's in season. Include snow peas, cabbage, spinach, cauliflower, mushrooms, mung bean sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, green onion, leeks, pineapple, etc.

Tips for Better Fried Rice!

Use cold rice. Cooking the rice ahead of time is not only a time-saver, but it makes the fried rice much less soggy. Cook the rice in advance, then let it cool in the fridge for at least a couple hours or overnight.
Use minimal oil and liquids while cooking. I enjoy the taste of toasted sesame oil, but for fried rice less is better. I find one teaspoon is plenty to get my veggies cooking while not weighing it down. The same goes for the tamari or soy sauce. Use just a little while cooking, and add more to taste right before serving if desired.
Let it fry thoroughly. Take the time to thoroughly fry your rice at the end to achieve a light golden brown color. This also allows all the flavors to combine.

Overhead view of rainbow veggie fried rice cooking in a large skillet with stirring spoon

Serving

Side dish or main dish: It works as both! As a main dish, I find it feeds about 3-4 people. However you can stretch it to 6-8 people as a smaller side dish. (Or pair it with this delicious Vegan Egg Drop Soup!)

Add vegan eggs: Fried rice often includes scrambled egg, so my favorite addition is Eggy Tofu. (I highly recommend this!) You can either stir it into the fried rice after cooking, or serve it on the side.

Add another protein: Serve this dish with cashews, peanuts, tempeh, edamame, vegan chicken strips, vegan beef, etc. Or if you're not using the Eggy Tofu, try this Easy Baked Tofu, Asian Garlic Tofu, or Teriyaki Baked Tofu instead!

Garnish: Top your bowl with sriracha hot sauce, green onions (scallions), or sesame seeds before serving if desired.

Storing

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. I find it keeps well for about 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.

Close up view of rainbow veggie fried rice on a white plate

For more inspiration, also browse all vegan Asian-inspired recipes.

Rainbow Veggie Fried Rice (Easy!)

This delicious Rainbow Fried Rice features bright, colorful vegetables and flavorful aromatics. It's an easy weeknight meal - just add edamame, tofu, or your own favorite protein!

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Comment

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 20

Chilling Time: 2

Total Time: 2 45

Author: Kaitlin - The Garden Grazer

Course: Main Dish, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian-Inspired, Gluten-Free, Oil-Free Option, Vegan

Servings: 4 (1.5-cup servings)

Ingredients

1 cup rice, uncooked (white or brown*)
1 red onion
2 medium carrots
1 red bell pepper
1 1/2 cups peas (I use frozen)
1 cup sweet corn (I use frozen)
4 garlic cloves
3 Tbsp. tamari
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil (optional**)

Optional (for serving):

Eggy Tofu (or edamame, cashews, peanuts, etc.)

Instructions

Cook the rice ahead of time according to package instructions. When the rice has cooled, transfer to a sealed container and place in the refrigerator to chill for a couple hours or overnight.*
When ready to prepare, dice the onion, carrots, and bell pepper (seeds and stem removed). Mince the garlic.
In a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tsp. sesame oil. Let heat for one minute.
When the oil is hot, carefully add onion, carrots, and bell pepper. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Then add peas and corn. Stir and cook for 2 minutes.
Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the chilled rice and tamari. Cook for about 5 minutes or until rice is slightly browned, stirring occasionally. Serve with eggy tofu (highly recommend!), sesame seeds, green onions, or more tamari to taste.

Notes

*Rice: I use long-grain basmati or jasmine rice. I find 1 cup rice yields about 3-4 cups cooked rice. You can skip the chilling step, but I find this results in better (and less mushy) fried rice.

**For oil-free: Omit the toasted sesame oil, and replace with 2-3 Tbsp. veggie broth or water to sauté, adding a splash more as needed. Some flavor will be lost, but this method works great too.

For gluten-free: Use GF tamari.

Serving: As a main dish, this serves about 3-4. Or you can stretch it to 6-8 as a smaller side dish.

Estimated nutritional content: This is calculated without the optional additions like tofu, etc.

Yield: Recipe makes 6 heaping cups fried rice.

Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)

Nutrition Facts

Rainbow Veggie Fried Rice (Easy!)

Amount per Serving

Calories

302

% Daily Value*

Fat

Saturated Fat

0.4

Polyunsaturated Fat

Monounsaturated Fat

Potassium

511

Carbohydrates

Fiber

Sugar

Protein

Vitamin A

6545

131

Vitamin C

Calcium

Iron

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sodium content: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.

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Rainbow Veggie Fried Rice (Easy!)

Ingredients for Rainbow Fried Rice

Customizing

Tips for Better Fried Rice!

Serving

Storing