Cold rice is fried in a hot skillet along with soy sauce and sesame oil, then mixed with plenty of ham, peas and corn, eggs, and a generous handful of mushrooms to make this Ham Fried Rice.
It’s easy to make, a great use for leftover ham, and most importantly, completely and utterly delicious.
When I tell you that this recipe is “Better Than Take-Out,” I’m not exaggerating.
Not only is it tastier than almost any of the fried rice you can order at your local take-out place, but it’s also budget-friendly and super easy, especially if you have leftover ham in the fridge.
This wound up being my family’s favorite meal of the week.
As this rice was cooking, every single one of my boys wandered into the kitchen and asked what smelled so good for dinner. I let each of them “taste test” for me and they all rated it two thumbs up. When dinnertime arrived, my family polished this rice off without hesitation.
I’ve been making rice skillets and my own random versions of fried rice for as long as I can remember. Fried Rice is a terrific way to use up bits and pieces of leftover meats and vegetables. It’s often my answer for how to use up small amounts of leftovers since so many things are delicious in a fried rice dish.
When I stumbled onto my friend Julie’s recipe for Ham Fried Rice with her method of cooking the eggs first, basically in a flat pancake, and then dicing that up, I couldn’t resist trying it right away.
How to Make Fried Rice
One thing that sets this method apart is the extended cooking time of the rice with the sauce. Leaving the rice in the skiller by itself with only the sauce is different than the average fried rice recipe and makes so much difference. It lets the flavor permeate each grain of rice and it crisps up a bit as well.
And when I say “longer cooking time,” don’t let that scare you away. Start to finish this entire recipe is still going to be done in 15-20 minutes. That’s just as fast, if not faster, than getting delivery or take out!
Just don’t skip that extra 5 minutes of time with the rice in the skillet. It’s worth it, I promise!
The most important thing to follow in this recipe is making sure that the rice is COLD COLD COLD. I typically double the amount of rice we need anytime I’m cooking rice. That way I always have plenty of leftover cold rice to use a few days later.
This is one of those occasions when leftover rice really is better than fresh made so it has plenty of time to chill and get slightly dry before you fry it up in the skillet. Using hot rice just won’t work nearly as well.
Ham Fried Rice
Ham is one of my favorite meats to use in fried rice recipes. Its salty, savory flavor pairs so well with the veggies and sauce here.
Plus, I love to make a big batch of one of my favorite ham recipes then have leftovers to use for fried rice! (Sometimes I find myself cooking a ham JUST so that I’ll have an excuse to make this fried rice later in the week. It’s that good.)
This is hands-down the best fried rice I’ve ever made and it’s better than any fried rice I’ve had in a restaurant. It is top notch, not to be missed, better than take-out fried rice, and I will be making fried rice this way every time in the future.
I serve it on its own as a quick and easy one pan meal but it would also be delicious as a side dish for an Asian inspired meal like Spicy Chinese Vegetable Stir-Fry.
This fried rice is so simple to make and serve that you’d be remiss not to give it a try. Make it part of your regular menu and you’ll never worry about not having time to make a tasty homemade dinner ever again.
Kitchen Tip: I use this skillet and this spatula to make this recipe.
Ham Fried Rice Recipe
- Warm a tablespoon of bacon grease, or oil, in a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl the oil to coat the surface of the pan. Pour the eggs into the pan and tilt as needed to spread across the skillet. Let the eggs cook for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Cook one more minute. Slide the egg out of the skillet onto a cutting board and allow it to cool. Cut into 1/2-inch wide strips and then and cut into small pieces.
- Add a tablespoon of grease, or oil, to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Spread them across the skillet and let them cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Stir and cook until slightly softened, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the plate with the chopped eggs.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of grease, or oil, to the skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Add the rice and stir to coat. Continue stirring and cooking for about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir well, to distribute the sauce throughout the rice. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the rice is heated through.
- Add the ham, corn, and peas. Stir and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until everything is hot. Add the eggs, mushrooms, and green onions to the skillet. Sprinkle with pepper. Stir gently to mix. Push the rice out of the center of the skillet and add the butter. Allow it to melt and stir to distribute the melted butter throughout the rice. Taste the rice and add salt, only if needed.
{Better Than Take-Out} Fried Rice with Ham and Vegetables
Ingredients
- 4 cups COLD cooked Jasmine rice
- 3 tablespoons bacon grease or the oil of your choice
- 3 eggs beaten
- optional: 10 small button mushrooms halved and sliced thin, about 1 cup
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 cups diced cooked ham approximately 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 3 green onions sliced thin
- ¼ – 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter
- optional: kosher salt only as needed.
Instructions
- Warm a tablespoon of bacon grease, or oil, in a large skillet over medium heat. Swirl the oil to coat the surface of the pan. Pour the eggs into the pan and tilt as needed to spread across the skillet. Let the eggs cook for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Cook one more minute. Slide the egg out of the skillet onto a cutting board and allow it to cool. Cut into 1/2-inch wide strips and then and cut into small pieces.
- Add a tablespoon of grease, or oil, to the skillet. Add the mushrooms and toss to coat. Spread them across the skillet and let them cook for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned. Stir and cook until slightly softened, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mushrooms to the plate with the chopped eggs.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of grease, or oil, to the skillet and increase heat to medium high. Add the rice and stir to coat. Continue stirring and cooking for about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Stir well, to distribute the sauce throughout the rice. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice is heated through.
- Add the ham, corn, and peas. Stir and cook an additional 3-4 minutes, until everything is hot. Add the eggs, mushrooms, and green onions to the skillet. Sprinkle with pepper. Stir gently to mix. Push the rice out of the center of the skillet and add the butter. Allow it to melt and stir to distribute the melted butter throughout the rice. Taste the rice and add salt, only if needed. Enjoy!
Notes
Technically, the mushrooms are optional here, but we loved the extra flavor and meatiness that they add to this rice. Feel free to skip them, if mushrooms aren’t your thing.
Nutrition
{originally published 8/23/16 – recipe notes updated 3/24/21}
jade edward says
thankyou for the recipe 🙂
Elaine says
I’ve done this as long as I can remember. My Mom taught me. I put in any left over meat. chicken beef, pork, the same with veggies. I like more eggs than that. The only difference is the Sesame oil, I will try that next time though.
Nathan M Roelke says
Used rice I’d made that day. Put in freezer and stir every 5 minutes till cooled
Nora says
thankyou for the recipe 🙂
Charles Campbell says
Could you use Wild Rice instead of Jasmine? As a diabetic I’m always concerned about
highly glycemic ingredients .
Mary says
This would be delicious with wild rice as well!
Carmen says
You can use riced cauliflower instead of rice. Tastes great!
Mary Younkin says
I’ve done cauliflower rice stir-fries in the past and enjoyed them. That would work here too.
Elizabeth Rhymer says
I usually make basmati rice. Is it important to use jasmine for this recipe? Also, how would brown rice do?
Mary says
Any rice that you enjoy will work for this recipe. Jasmine is our personal preference.
Cyndy says
Loved this recipe! It was an instant hit with the whole family, even the picky eaters. I used this recipe to clean out my veggie drawer so added chopped up broccoli, celery, and shredded carrots. To get the rice dry as suggested I cooked it the day before then let it sit out, covered, on the counter. I really liked cooking the egg by itself then chopping it up. I’ve used recipes where you add the raw egg in with the veggies and rice then stir and cook it with everything else but it has always ruined the texture. I’ll be adding this in to our meal rotations, especially as I was able to sneak in extra veggies for everyone!
Mary Younkin says
Fried rice is a great “clean out the fridge” dinner, Cyndy. I’m glad you like it!
Stan says
For my first time, turned out really good. Didn’t know the rice needed to be cold. So was a tad mushy. But I thought it was really good. Thanks for your cooking tips.
Mary Younkin says
I’m thrilled that you like the fried rice, Stan!
Sheryl says
This was delicious! Very reminiscent of ham fried rice that a dear friend introduced to us.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the rice, Sheryl!
Peter Puno says
Great recipe! I added garlic powder for some extra zing!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you like the rice, Peter!
Scheris Lloyd says
Can I use a Wok pan for this??
Mary Younkin says
That should work fine!
Marie says
Mmmm I absolutely adore this recipe. The great thing about it is you can easily substitute any of the vegetables for ones you like better. I am not a fan of mushrooms so I added some sliced red bell peppers instead which was super tasty. I’ve also made this with chicken and pork instead of ham. Thank you for this!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so happy to hear that you love the rice, Marie.
Nicholas Porter says
Good, but sodium low, even with added.
Mary Younkin says
That’s the beauty of salt, Nicholas. It’s infinitely adjustable. I’m glad you liked the rice!
Ally says
Very delicious!!!
Mary Younkin says
I’m glad you like it, Ally!
Maret says
Easy and delicious! This fried rice is great as it is or add/replace ingredients to clean out the fridge or add more veggies. I used an 8 oz ham steak for the ham and skipped the mushrooms. I tend to cook on the low salt side, so this tasted a tad salty to me even with the low sodium soy sauce…not in a bad way and probably not for most people. Just wanted to mention in case another low sodium cook reads this. I think I’ll try 3 Tbsp soy sauce next time and see. Looking forward to making again and trying some meat/veg variations. Thank you for a keeper recipe!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you enjoyed the recipe, Maret.
Kim J says
Great recipe! My husband had a second helping. Very tasty and easy. I will make this again and would recommend to anyone! Thank you.
Mary Younkin says
I am so happy to hear that you’re enjoying the recipe, Kim!
Mark says
Great recipie. Follow it exactly. Won’t fail. Been trying recipies for years. This 1 rates up there! I love Chinese, but expensive on a budget and live 30 miles in the country from a good restaurant. Thanks.
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you like the fried rice, Mark.
Yvonne Ruwe says
I made this last night and my husband kept raving about it! I made it with brown rice, but no other changes. I will definitely make this one again!
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad that you are enjoying the rice, Yvonne!
Vicki Dorius says
Have you ever made this rice in a wok? Are there any changes?
Vicki
Mary Younkin says
I’ve never tried that, Vicki. It should work fine though.
Terri says
This recipe was wonderful. I followed everything except I used duck fat and for vegetables I used mushrooms, onions, green peppers, celery and carrots (all diced). Great way to use up left over ham…. Thank you for the recipe
Mary Younkin says
I’m so glad you liked it, Terri!