Feast your eyes on an amazing, full-of-flavor, DELICIOUS Steak Fried Rice, combining rice, juicy pieces of marinated beef, mixed veggies, and scrambled eggs in a truly flavorful yet simple sauce with bold, umami flavors.
This steak fried rice recipe is so easy to make. It’s a one-pan meal that you can make in under 20 minutes. Skip Chinese takeout and make this right at your own home! I promise you it’s much tastier, healthier and more budget-friendly.
Easy Beef Fried Rice
Ah fried rice. The staple, throw-it-together, clean-out-your-refrigerator food that most of us who grew up in many parts of Asia know way too well. However, throw-it-together doesn’t mean it cannot be scrumptiously delicious.
With this Steak Fried Rice recipe, I make it not because I have leftovers in the fridge, but because I love it so dang much I HAVE TO HAVE IT.
The truth? I had a love-hate relationship with fried rice for the longest time, until I discovered the difference between good fried rice vs. bad fried rice, and learned how to make the GOOD kind.
Along with my Chicken Fried Rice, Hibachi Fried Rice, Bulgogi Fried Rice, Thai Pineapple Fried Rice, this Steak Fried Rice is indeed the ‘good kind’. 🙂 It is made with the proper fried rice techniques, has complex flavors, and doesn’t just rely on soy sauce to deliver its flavors (psst there’s more seasonings than soy sauce to truly make a good fried rice!).
This Beef Fried Rice is a tried and true recipe in our household. One of my reliable, go-to easy meals, especially when I have plenty of leftover rice in the fridge.
It’s great as a side dish, or could be a complete meal in itself. Once you have cooked rice ready to go, it takes 20 minutes to get dinner on the table and have it taste amazing too. WOWZA. It’s that simple!
Try it, and once and for all, say goodbye to greasy Chinese takeout!
Kitchen Tools
This Steak Fried Rice recipe is best cooked in a wok or a large skillet that heats up quickly and retains heats very well. Using a sufficiently large pan is important because you want to be able to freely move the items around. Not being able to do so will undercook some items and overcook others.
If you need suggestions, check out this wok along with this turner that I’ve been using for years. The wok is also non-stick, which makes both the cooking and cleaning up a breeze. The turner is slightly bendable and can withstand up to 600 degrees F, which is perfect for when you need to cook dishes on high heat.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to make an incredible steak fried rice:
- Sirloin steak: This is my preferred cut of beef – it’s not super expensive yet still fairly tender. I like using sirloin in most of my beef stir fry such as Mongolian Beef Noodles, Black Pepper Beef etc. Cut sirloin steak cross-grain into bite size pieces. Other cuts of beef work too – flank steak, strip steak, skirt steak, or even ribeye for a more pricier cut.
- Soy sauce: This contributes to the umami depth and savory flavor.
- Oyster (flavored) sauce: This is strongly recommended when making any sort of Chinese fried rice dish. It gives the dish that restaurant-quality taste.
- Sesame oil: A few drops of sesame oil goes a long way when it comes to giving your dish a nutty taste.
- Minced garlic: Using fresh minced (rather than the powdered stuff) for much flavor.
- Diced onions: I typically use diced white, yellow or sweet onions.
- Jasmine rice: Use cooked rice, preferably day-old cold rice because it’s drier. It should also be broken up into fine pieces (avoid big clumps) when added to the skillet/wok. Fresh cooked rice tends to have more moisture in it, which is less ideal for fried rice.
- Frozen mixed vegetables: I like using mixed frozen veggies because it makes it’s quick and easy. No chopping of vegetables or veggie cleaning needed! Frozen mixed vegetables typically include carrots, peas and corn – which are commonly added to such dishes.
- Egg: Eggs are truly a staple ingredient of this dish.
- Vegetable oil: Canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil, or another neutral oil are good oil options for stir frying steak fried rice.
- Scallions: Also called green onions, this is used as a garnish at the end for a fresh punch of onion flavor – it is an easy way to take the final product up a notch.
Method
Step 1: Make the sauce
Mix together my special sauce, which I deem superior. I’ll let you in on the secret… 😉 it consists of:
- soy sauce
- oyster sauce
- sesame oil
- white (or black) pepper powder
Keepin’ it simple, but rest assured it is truly flavorful.
Step 2: Prepare Ingredients
Cut steak into 1-inch cubes, and then pour half of the sauce you prepared to the steak, save the other half of the sauce for when you cook the fried rice.
Coat steak with sauce. If you have time, marinate for 30 minutes. If you don’t, don’t worry about it.
Then mince garlic and onions, and get the rest of the ingredients ready – frozen mixed vegetables (peas, carrots and corn), marinated steak, the rest of the sauce, egg, and cooked rice. Also, use a large spoon to fluff the rice to remove clumps.
For stir fry, always prep your ingredients before cooking, because the actual cooking happens so fast you want to have all your ingredients ready to go and at a reachable distance once you heat up that large pan.
Step 3: Fry it up!
When you have everything ready, add vegetable oil to wok/skillet and heat it up on high.
When wok or skillet is heated up, add steak pieces and stir fry for a few minutes until they are cooked to your liking (medium rare, medium etc). Always under cook it a bit because you’ll be throwing them back into the wok again later at the end.
If you have your stove on high heat, it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes or else you might be overcooking your steak.
Remove steak pieces from wok, and set aside.
Add additional vegetable oil, and let the wok or skillet heat up again. Add garlic and onions, stir continuously, and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until onions turn slightly golden brown. After that, rice goes in next. Cook rice for a minute or so, also stir continuously.
Next, add sauce and mixed vegetables, and bring the cooked steak pieces back into the wok. Stir continuously and combine everything together.
I like to add an egg to the fried rice to enhance the texture of the fried rice.
To do so, push fried rice to one side of the wok and break an egg directly onto wok or skillet where there is no fried rice.
Use your turner to break the yolk and mesh the egg slightly, then cover the still-runny/slightly raw egg with the rice.
Let it stand for a few seconds, then stir to combine the egg pieces and the rice for a minute or so.
Remove promptly from heat. Avoid overcooking.
And there you go! Steak Fried Rice. Oh yum yum YUM!
Garnish Steak Fried Rice with some thinly sliced scallions or green onions, then take a bite into this delicious creation. It will knock your socks off.
The steak is cooked perfectly; there is actually great flavor in the rice; and I love the slight crunch from the carrots, peas and corn.
SO DANG GOOD.
Not too bad for less than 20 minutes in the kitchen and you get a one-pan meal with plenty of proteins, carbs and veggies incorporated into it.
This also keeps well as leftovers and freezes well too, so it is also very meal prep friendly.
All the reasons we should make steak fried rice!
Variations and substitutions
Use the recipe as a guidance and feel free to switch up the ingredients if you are feeling creative:
- Rice: Jasmine is a common rice used but it is not the only one that works for this recipe. You can use almost any type of rice. Use medium/short-grain rice, white or brown rice (brown rice is healthier), other long grain rice such as basmati rice, etc.
- Veggies: Chop up whatever veggies you have in your fridge and add them in! Green onions, bell peppers, broccoli, Chinese broccoli…they all work.
- Protein: Got beef with beef? Use chicken, pork, shrimp, tofu etc. instead!
- Egg: Feel free to omit the egg. Or, if you have leftover scramble egg in your fridge, toss that in too.
- Sweet surprise: Sometimes I like to add in some pineapple chunks or raisins.
- Spicy sensations: Add chili or sriracha to spice it up!
- Butter: Melt some butter right before adding garlic and onions to further add to the taste and fragrance. This is what we do for our Hibachi Fried Rice and it’s pretty awesome.
- Want more flavor? At the end, taste and add salt and black pepper to open up the flavors of your steak fried rice if needed.
Make Ahead, Storage, and reheating
Make ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead to take to work for lunch because all the proteins, veggies and rice are all in one bowl and it’s easy to heat up in the microwave.
Storage: To store leftovers, keep in an airtight container and store in refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can freeze for up to 2 months.
Reheating: Drizzle a bit of water and heat in the microwave oven on high until fully heated.
Tips and Tricks
There are some things you need to know that will bump your fried rice-ability up a few notches. TRUST ME.
- Cut steak into small cubes: The recipe suggests 1-inch cubes, but you can cut the steak into even smaller pieces to maximize flavor (the marinate will have more surface area to seep into). When cut smaller, the steak is also easier to stir fry and to work into rice. Just be sure that the cut pieces are similarly sized for even cooking.
- Day-old rice is preferred: Cook with day-old rice because they are drier and give your fried rice the perfect texture. I am one of those people who almost always have leftover rice in the fridge, because whenever I cook plain white rice I make a large batch and save leftovers.
- Bulking it up: To make a complete meal out of this dish and make it heartier, consider add more veggies (frozen or fresh) or cooking more eggs into the rice.
- Low carb alternatives: feel free to use brown rice, cauliflower rice for a healthier spin to this steak fried rice.
- Cook in hot wok or skillet: No low-heat, no simmering. HOT HOT HOT is how we do this. Since we are cooking under high heat, the process will go fast.
- Don’t crowd the pan: Use a sufficiently large pan to make sure everything is evenly cooked. If doubling the recipe, I recommend cooking this in two batches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Two things: sauce and heat. You can replicate that sauce with my recipe here. Good fried rice is also cooked with “wok hei“, which is produced when cooking is done at very high heat, creating a nice char that contributes to the taste and smell.
Yes, as long as the rice hasn’t gone bad. Sometimes the older the better (again, assuming it’s still good) since the rice would be drier.
If you really, really crave fried rice and do not have day-old rice at hand, it is okay, use that fresh rice that you just cooked. Don’t give up on your dreams. There are many other great things going about the recipe (sauce, steak, the right stir frying technique, SAUCE) that will make up for it. You can also cook your rice longer in the wok/skillet to dry it up if it’s wet and soggy.
Use brown or cauliflower rice instead of white rice; and chicken, shrimp, or tofu instead of beef. Also add more veggies for additional fiber and nutrients.
We do that so we can give the beef a nice sear and cook it appropriately before adding more stuff to the pan, which will make it difficult to control the doneness of the steak.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Fried Rice Recipes
Other Chinese takeout recipes
- Baked Cream Cheese Wontons
- Sweet and Sour Chicken
- Kung Pao Chicken
- Egg Drop Soup
- Hot and Sour Soup
- Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Steak Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1/2 lbs sirloin steak
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster (flavored) sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp garlic minced
- 3 tbsp onions diced
- 1/2 tsp white or black pepper
- 3 cups cooked jasmine rice
- 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables (peas, corn, carrots)
- 1 egg
- vegetable oil
- scallions sliced
Instructions
- Prepare sauce by combining oyster (flavor) sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and white or black pepper in a small bowl.
- Cube steak into 1-inch cubes. Add half of the sauce prepared to steak cubes, and save the other half for later. Mixed sauce with steak. Set aside and marinate for ~30 minutes.
- Mince garlic and dice onion. Fluff cooked rice to remove clumps. Set all ingredients needed for stir fry by stove – egg, mixed vegetables, rice, garlic, onion, marinated steak, and sauce.
- Add vegetable oil to wok or skillet and heat on high heat. When wok/skillet is heated, add steaks to wok/skillet and cook for 2-4 minutes, or to desired doneness. Avoid over-cooking. Remove and set aside.
- Add vegetable oil to wok/skillet again and heat on high heat. When wok/skillet is heated, add minced garlic and onion, stir continuously, cook for 30-60 seconds or until onions turn slightly golden brown. Add rice to wok, stir continuously, cook for 1-2 minutes. Add mixed vegetables, stir, cook for 1 minute. Add sauce that you set side earlier and the rest of the steak, stir and cook for another minute.
- Push fried rice to one side of the wok, and crack an egg directly to the wok/skillet (where there is no fried rice). Break the yolk and mesh up egg using turner/spatula. Then cover the slightly raw egg with the fried rice (pile the rice on top of the still-runny egg). Let it sit for a few seconds, then stir to combine egg with rice. Cook for a minute.
- Remove fried rice from heat. Garnish with scallions (if desire).
- Serve and enjoy!
Made it! Love love love it! I used steak and chicken a 4 cups of rice with 2 cops of veggies. Doubled the sauce and OMG!!! I won’t ever order takeout again!
YESSS!!! That’s what I want to hear! 😀
I love this recipe for a number of reasons. First of all, it’s sooooo tasty! It also makes a sizeable portion and keeps extremely well in the fridge. It makes a great side – or main course – the first night, and lunch is already made for most of the week (if you can keep from eating it that long!)
I was worried about not having another use for the oyster sauce or sesame oil, but this rice is so good I’ll need to buy more of both soon!
That’s great, Andrew! If you want to find other use for oyster sauce and sesame oil, check out Ginger Scallion Beef and Beef Chow Mein – two of my faves! If you like this fried rice recipe I think you’ll love those too!
The best fried rice I’ve ever had! This was my first time making fried rice, and this will be my go-to recipe from now on!
Aw yay! Makes me so happy hearing that!
easy and yummy
That’s great to hear!
could I make this with cauliflower rice?
Yes!!
This was delicious! Super easy to make, and really flavorful. Thanks!!
Thank you, Sara! Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
I only had the 90 second microwave pouches of rice on hand, so I used that. I used steak, chicken, and shrimp to make house special fried rice. Doubled the veggies and sauce, and it turned out delicious. I wish it had a stronger flavor, but it’s quite good. If it had a stronger flavor, it would be 5 stars!
For a stronger flavor, try using more oyster sauce or soy sauce!
AWESOME RECIPE.
Going to make it on Saturday for LEKKER lunch.
My mouth is watering can’t wait to make it. It looks so freaking YUMMY 😋
Thank you.
Thanks, Christine! Enjoy <3
Awesome.
Making it for dinner tomorrow.
Thank you
Can’t wait for you to enjoy this recipe!
Would it be OK to marinate the steak overnight?
Yes! That should be fine!
Oh, I thought of one more question. I am doubling the recipe so I’m using a pound of steak so how much vegetable oil should I use for when I’m frying the steak and how much do I use for sautéing the onion and garlic? Thanks
I would use about 1-2 tsp of oil when you are frying the steak and another 1-2 tsp when you are sauteing the onion and garlic. I typically would almost double the amount of oil used if I’m doubling a recipe. ALso, if you don’t have a large skillet or wok that you can move the items around easily when stir frying, I would consider cooking in two batches. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes 🙂
I have made this a few times and it has turned out great. I skip the green onions. I want to try the pineapple version next time. Oh, and I 1.5x the recipe since I always have more rice than it calls for.
I’m so glad this is a regular for you !
except the Chinese use baking powder and cornstarch for their meat to be tender
Yes, that does tenderize the meat and you add that extra step if you prefer!