Making your favorite take-out recipes at home is a great way to save money. And with the help of your air fryer, you can speed up the cook time of a variety of delicious Chinese recipes. This simple air fryer fried rice recipe features all the elements of classic fried rice without all the extra work!
What Do I Need to Make Air Fryer Fried Rice?
Making your own takeout fried rice at home couldn’t be easier when you have an air fryer in your kitchen. But the best part about this simple recipe is that you only need a handful of ingredients to prepare it! To make your own fried rice at home, you’ll need:
- Steamed Rice
- Diced onion
- Soy sauce
- Sesame oil
- Mixed sesame seeds
- Ground ginger
- Cooked, cubed chicken
- Eggs
- Frozen peas and carrots
Equipment Needed:
Air Fryer
Air Fryer Safe Pan
How Do I Make Air Fryer Fried Rice?
Using your air fryer to prepare fried rice is such a simple process. In fact, this quick recipe can be made in just four steps! Follow these easy instructions to make your own fried rice at home:
Step One: Mix the Ingredients
Add the steamed rice, onion, soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, ground ginger, and cooked chicken to a large bowl. Stir to mix all the ingredients, making sure the rice is fully coated in the sauce
Step Two: Air Fry the Fried Rice
Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish that’s small enough to fit inside your air fryer basket. Cook the rice at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.
Step Three: Add the Egg
While the rice is cooking, add the eggs to a bowl and whisk them together until they are well combined. After the cook time is up, remove the basket from the air fryer and pour the eggs over the top of the rice. Then, return the basket to the fryer and allow the eggs to cook for 3 minutes.
Step Four: Add the Veggies
After cooking for three minutes, remove the air fryer basket again and stir the rice to mix in the cooked, scrambeld eggs. Then, add the frozen peas and carrots to the mixture. Carefully stir the veggies into the rice, then return the basket to the air fryer to cook for 5 minutes. When the cook time is up, allow the rice to cool slightly, then garnish with sesame seeds and chopped green onion before serving.
Can You Cook Rice in the Air Fryer?
Preparing your rice in the air fryer is a great option if you have the right equipment. Since you can’t place rice directly in the air fryer basket because the basket has holes in it, you’ll need a dish to cook the rice in. You can use a pan made specifically for cooking in your air fryer. But if you don’t have an air fryer pot, any oven-safe dish will work in your air fryer. Just make sure you use a dish that’s small enough to fit inside your basket without blocking the air flow.Air Fryer Fried Rice Recipe Ideas
Once you have this basic air fryer fried rice recipe down pat, you might want to try some different variations to change it up the next time you make it. Try these recipe ideas to create a delicious new fried rice recipe in your air fryer.
Leave out the chicken. To create a delicious fried rice side dish for your next meal, try leaving the chicken out of this recipe. You can combine the rice and sauce ingredients for your fried rice without the chicken to create a simple side or delicious vegetarian recipe.
Add more vegetables. In addition to frozen peas and carrots, you can add a variety of other vegetables to your fried rice. Popular options are corn, green beans, water chestnuts, broccoli, and cauliflower. If using larger veggies, like broccoli stalks, you may need to increase the cook time to ensure your vegetables are cooked through or precook your veggies before adding them to the air fryer.
Try different meat. You can also swap out the cooked chicken for your favorite protein to easily change up this simple recipe. Substitute cooked pork, shrimp, or steak for the chicken in this recipe to make your favorite fried rice recipe at home.
Start with cold rice. If you have extra time preparing this dish, try using cold rice when making your fried rice in the air fryer. Making the rice ahead of time and placing it in the refrigerator is the best way to prepare your fried rice. Allowing the rice to cool will help it soak in the sauce ingredients and give it that classic Chinese fried rice texture when it’s finished cooking.
Try brown rice. While fried rice is traditionally made with white rice, you can make your recipe a little healthier with the use of brown rice. Simply prepare your brown rice according to the package instructions, then combine it with the rest of the recipe ingredients.
