Rating: 5 out of 5.

If you’re like me, you never really know what to do with old steamed rice.

We eat a lot of rice in our house and I used to save the leftovers in the fridge thinking I would pull it out the next day and do something with it. And then I kind of just stopped and we started throwing it away… wasteful, I know!

I stumbled upon an idea on Pinterest a few months ago to turn that day old steamed rice into Crispy Fried Rice, and I’ve never turned back.

Any time I make rice (I love making my rice in a Pressure Cooker) or order it from a Chinese carryout joint, I save the rice and make this super simple dish for lunch the next day. It makes a great side dish, lunch or midday snack.

This Crispy Fried Rice lives up to the hype. Add some bacon, turkey bacon and some frozen veggies like peas and carrots and you have yourself a second use for your old steamed rice.

Save this recipe to your recipe box so you’ll never waste rice again!

Crispy Fried Rice

PREP TIME: 5 Minutes
COOK TIME: 15-20 Minutes
SERVES: Depends on how much rice you have
CLEANUP: Easy
KID-FRIENDLY: Questionable
INGREDIENTS:
  • Cooked Steamed Rice; at least a cup…if you have more than a cup, you can modify this recipe
  • ⅓ cup frozen peas and carrots
  • 4 strips cooked bacon
  • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • Green Onions, optional
INSTRUCTIONS:
  1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine cooked steamed rice, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt and mix until all the rice is coated
  2. Add frozen vegetables and chopped up cooked bacon until combined (you can also add green onions if you love them as much as I do)
  3. In a large cast iron skillet, coat bottom with canola oil (or veggie oil) until completely covered. Add rice to skillet and press down firmly until flat
  4. Allow rice to crisp for about 5-10 minutes. You want the rice to brown, but not burn.
  5. When it seems the rice is extremely crispy, carefully flip the rice to cook other side, it’s okay if the rice falls apart a little. Flatten the rice back into a flat cake like shape and cook for another 5-10 minutes
  6. Remove from skillet and serve warm