My Instant Pot Fried Rice is officially the easiest and most delicious way to make fried rice! This fried rice comes out even better than take out, and with tons of veggies and eggs, it is packed with nutrients and protein.
You all know that Fried Rice is one of my favorite recipes to make at home. Try some of my other fried rice recipes like Ham Fried Rice and Easy Beef Fried Rice!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox! You will also receive other new recipes in your inbox weekly!
Instant Pot Fried Rice
Yes you can finally make fried rice in less than 30 minutes starting with uncooked rice! I tested this recipe a bunch of times to get perfect rice that does not stick in the Instant Pot! Once the rice is cooked I pop it on a sheet tray and place it in the freezer to quickly chill it. By the time I finish scrambling my eggs and sautéing my veggies the rice is cold!
This Instant Pot Fried Rice Recipe is a great alternative to my Air Fryer Fried Rice or my Chinese Fried Rice Recipe when you’re short on time and don’t have leftover rice.
Fried rice is something we make every single week! I use whatever protein I have on hand and leftover veggies from the week. I’ll even make it with brown rice, cauliflower or even quinoa if that’s what I have on hand that week. Chicken, beef, shrimp, ham or even bacon would be delicious in this instant pot fried rice recipe.
You can eat fried rice on its own or serve it alongside some of my favorite copycat takeout recipes like Slow Cooker Beef & Broccoli and my Sweet & Sour Chicken!
What you’ll need:
- White Rice & Water: I used jasmine rice, but any long grain white rice will work! You will need water to cook it right up in the instant pot.
- Butter: The secret magic ingredient to any delicious fried rice! Butter is used to sauté the ingredients and adds a nice flavor.
- Veggies: Onion, carrots, garlic and peas are added to build flavor and have added nutrients!
- Low Sodium Soy Sauce: I like using low sodium soy sauce to control the saltiness here.
- Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce is another one of my secret ingredients. It adds a ton of umami flavor that makes this fried rice so delicious!
- Sesame Oil: The nuttiness from the sesame oil adds another flavor profile and is really tasty.
- For Garnish: Sliced Green Onions and Sesame Seeds.
Rice in the Instant Pot that DOESN’T Stick!!
- Rinse: First, rinse the rice to remove excess starch. This is the key to perfect rice!
- Sauté rice in fat: Next, select the SAUTE option on the Instant Pot. Add in 1 tbsp of butter and once melted, add in the rice. Toast the rice for 2 minutes.
- Pressure cook: Add in the water and stir. Cover and set valve to STEAM. Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. Make sure to uncheck the setting that says “keep warm”. This will cause the rice to stick to the bottom!
- Release Steam: Allow the steam to naturally release for 10 minutes. Learn more about naturally releasing here. Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer the rice to a sheet tray and place in the freezer while you are working on the rest of the steps.
- Scramble the Eggs: Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the Instant Pot and add in the whisked eggs. Cook until scrambled, making sure to keep a close eye on them. Remove them from the pot and set aside on a plate. Wipe the pot clean.
- Sauté Veggies: Add the remaining tablespoon of butter to the pot. Add in the carrots and onions and sauté for 4 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for an additional minute. Remove rice from the freezer and add the cold rice to the Instant Pot. Fry rice for 2-3 minutes.
- Season with Sauces: Next, add in the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Add the eggs back into the pot and stir to combine. Serve immediately with green onions and sesame seeds for garnish!
Tips for Success
- Beat the eggs well before cooking! I like to really whisk the eggs well before I cook them so that they are super fluffy and all the same consistency.
- Don’t skip the butter! Have you ever been to a hibachi restaurant and thought the fried rice was so so good? It is because of the butter! I definitely didn’t add as much butter as the restaurants, to keep this recipe healthier. But, the butter is important to building flavor in instant pot fried rice!
- Make sure to put the rice in the freezer before using it! If you use warm, just cooked rice, you will end up with mushy and lumpy fried rice. The rice needs to be cold in order for the grains to not stick together.
- To store leftover fried rice, place in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop until the rice is piping hot. You may need to add a sprinkle of water before reheating in case the rice dried out.
What To Serve With Fried Rice
- Honey Chicken Stir Fry
- Air Fryer Crab Rangoon
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- Mongolian Beef
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Vegetable Chow Mein
- Japanese Cucumber Salad
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cook Fried Rice without an Instant Pot?
Absolutely. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can follow my classic Easy Fried Rice recipe. You can also make fried rice in an air fryer using my Air Fryer Fried Rice recipe!
Can I use brown Rice or Quinoa for fried rice?
If you want to use a whole grain like brown rice of quinoa, you definitely can. I still recommend making sure that the brown rice or quinoa is cold before throwing it in with the rest of the ingredients! Also be sure to add extra cook time for the brown rice. The flavor profile will be slightly different, but it will still be a delicious and healthy fried rice!
More Take-Out Inspired Meals to Try
- Chicken Lo Mein
- Air Fryer Egg Rolls
- General Tso’s Chicken
- Garlic Fried Rice
- Chicken Teriyaki
- Beef Fried Rice
Instant Pot Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup uncooked white rice, I used jasmine
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 3 tbsp butter, divided
- 3 large eggs, whisked
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup peas
- 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- sliced green onions, for garnish
- sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
Cook Rice
- Rinse rice to remove excess starch.
- Next select the SAUTE option on the Instant Pot. Add in 1 tbsp butter and once melted add in the rice. Toast the rice for 2 minutes.Add in the water and stir. Cover and set valve to STEAM. Pressure cook on HIGH for 5 minutes. *Very Important* Uncheck the setting that says "keep warm". This will cause rice to stick to the bottom of the pot.
- Allow the steam to naturally release for 10 minutes. Open the lid and fluff the rice with a fork. Transfer the rice to a sheet tray and place in the freezer while you are working on the rest of the steps.
Scramble Eggs
- Add 1 tbsp of butter to the Instant Pot and add in the whisked eggs. Cook until scrambled making sure to keep a close eye on them.Remove them from the pot and set aside on a plate. Wipe the pot clean.
Cook Vegetables / Assemble
- Add the remaining 1 tbsp of butter to the pot. Add in carrots and onions and sauté for 4 minutes. Add in garlic and cook for an additional minute.Remove rice from the freezer and add the cold rice to the Instant Pot. Fry rice for 2-3 minutes.
- Next add in the soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. Add the eggs back to the pot and stir to combine.Serve immediately with green onions and sesame seeds for garnish!
Nutrition Information
Did you make this?
I'd love to hear your feedback! Leave a review and make sure to share your pictures on social media! Don't forget to follow @thechefsavvy.
Robert
How many eggs are in the recipe?
Kelley Simmons
So sorry about that Robert! You will need 3 large eggs. Thanks so much!
Megan Bruinsma
I am planning to make this recipe for large event. Do you think reheating it in a crockpot would be okay?
Kelley Simmons
Yes I would even try reheating it in the stove then leaving it in the crockpot on warm so it doesn’t over cook. Thanks!
Eric Thompson
This is a super great recipe to go with stir fry and very easy to make.
Kat
There should be more comments. I blame the enormous amount of fried rice recipes that come up in a search. Once someone has a decent fried rice method, they stick with it. That’s the nature of man. It’s also the nature of fried rice in that it’s very hard to go wrong. So, finding something on the first hit or two that just works has good odds. But the nuances can be key. I’m glad I went down the search results and found this. It should be pushed up higher.
This recipe has outstanding parts that I haven’t seen before. 2 parts, especially.
1. Use a flat sheet in the freezer to get the rice ready. <– Excellent! I usually did the overnight refrigerator prep for the rice. Never again, cuz, you know, waiting overnight. A few times I used the instapot method of decreasing the water slightly from a 1:1 ratio. That came out well and I could fry it up near immediately. But it could get the burn notice and this is mo' betta.
2. Toast the rice after rinsing. I could only guess at the reasoning. I like science but I'm more of an electronics person. So I trusted the food science background of the classically trained chef. Toasting must have done something because things were, well, better.
I think the amount of oyster/soy sauce and sesame oil is a bit higher than most recipes I see. And I like it. I've always added more anyway. Cooking should be to your taste. In general others have seemed a bit light in that sauce area, for my taste. Butter, absolutely. 'Why doesn't my cooking taste like it's from a restaurant?', Most likely not enough butter and salt. Butter and salt aren't masks, they're just good. Mo' fat is generally mo' betta. Salt, gotta add it till it tastes right.
Salt is about the most consistent ingredient you'll have. What you add it to will always be less consistent than the salt. Brands, freshness of vegetables and the dirt they grew in, how an animal was raised and its genetics, moon phase. All can be different each time. Taste your food as you go.
I went on a little rant there. Sorry. Enjoy the recipe from this author. I did and you can trust me.
Kelley Simmons
Aww what a glowing review!! Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed my tips and enjoyed this recipe!