American
Breakfast Fried Rice
Cold rice, eggs, bacon, and scallions fry in a hot skillet so the grains stay separate. It is a use-the-rice breakfast that still tastes like you cooked it on purpose.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 12 min
- Total
- 22 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Cold rice fries. Fresh rice steams.
- Bacon fat seasons the pan.
- The eggs are scrambled in the rice, not on the side.
- It uses rice you already cooked.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Rough grocery estimate for the full recipe: about $7–$11 at a typical US supermarket. Prices vary by store, region, and season.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the edges are crisp, about 5 minutes. Leave 1 tablespoon of the fat in the pan and set the bacon aside.
- 2
Pour in the eggs and scramble them until just set. Move them to the plate with the bacon.
- 3
Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the cold rice and press it flat for 1 minute so a few grains toast, then toss.
- 4
Stir in the soy sauce, pepper, bacon, and eggs. Cook 1 minute more.
- 5
Turn off the heat. Fold in the scallions and sesame oil.
Pro tips
- Day-old rice from the fridge is the right texture. Hot rice clumps.
- If the rice looks wet, spread it and let the pan dry it before you add the soy sauce.
- Soy sauce is salty. Taste before you add more.
Easy substitutions
- Bacon
- Diced ham
- Soy sauce
- Gluten-free tamari, same amount, and then it can be gluten-free
- Sesame oil
- A few more drops of the bacon fat
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate up to 3 days.
Reheating
Warm in a skillet over medium heat with a teaspoon of oil so it fries again instead of steaming. Microwave works, but the rice is softer.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 390
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop · Dairy-Free
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From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
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