This bacon fried rice is smoky, savory, and incredibly easy to make at home. Crispy bacon adds rich flavor to fluffy rice, scrambled eggs, garlic, and vegetables, creating a dish that’s even better than takeout. Perfect for using up leftover rice, this quick fried rice recipe comes together in just 15-minutes! Skip the takeout and make your own (tastier) version at home.
My obsession with getting rid of things is how this fried rice came to be.
Confession: Stuff stresses me out!
I tend not to have many belongs besides the enormous amount of kitchen items and my constantly unmanageable clothing collection. But our garage is quickly growing out of control. So much so, that I’ve scheduled time out this week to manage it… You know, take all those Amazon boxes to the recycling center, list some things for sale, etc., etc., etc.
I poked around the refrigerator for some odds and ends that just had to go, and found the following:
- Leftover rice (from this Mongolian Beef the night before).
- Bacon that’s been stashed away in the freezer (leftover from making these).
- A bag of frozen peas – Always on hand in case of the spontaneous need for an ice pack.
- Shallots (that I always have on hand for making my favorite salad).
- Eggs (I never eat them on their own, they’re only used for baking treats like these).
- And, who doesn’t have those almost used up bottles of soy sauce and oyster sauce sitting around in their fridge?
Sweet relief! I got rid of “stuff” and made the most delicious meal that night! Today, I’m here to share the recipe with you. And the best part? This Bacon Fried Rice takes only 15 minutes to make!
Table of Contents
Ingredient notes
- Cooked Rice – You can use any medium to long grain rice. I enjoy white rice, basmati rice and jasmine rice, you can even use brown rice. It should be cooled before using in this recipe.
- Bacon
- Butter
- Eggs
- Shallot + Garlic
- Frozen Peas
- Green Onions
- Soy Sauce – Use low sodium soy sauce so that your rice isn’t too salty. You can also swap in some tamari.
- Oyster Sauce
- Salt + Black Pepper
How to make it
It’s super simple to make fried rice. It’s best if you have leftover rice on hand, but you can start from scratch and cook a fresh batch of rice. Just be sure to let it cool before making this fried rice. That will ensure that your rice doesn’t get too mushy and soggy.
PS – I love making rice in the Instant Pot. It’s super quick and easy. Or, try this rice cooker rice.
- Fry the bacon: We’ll start by frying up some diced bacon. Then, remove the bacon from the skillet using a slotted spoon. Leave about a tablespoon of the bacon grease in there.
- Add the eggs: Next we’ll stir-fry the eggs in that same skillet, flavoring them with the bacon fat.
- Add the remaining ingredients: Then goes in some shallot, frozen peas, rice, green onions and some soy sauce and oyster sauce. Enjoy! The flavor in this Bacon Fried Rice is unbelievable!
Note: For a flavor alternative, try swapping out the regular soy sauce for some kecap manis (sweet soy sauce). Or, try adding in some kimchi.
The secret to the BEST fried rice
- Use day old rice – If you use warm, freshly made rice, your fried rice will be soggy instead of crispy and delicious. Using day old (cooled) rice is best here!
- Use what you have on hand – Don’t have shallots? Use onions and garlic. No bacon? Leave it out, just add in a bit more butter for sauteeing the veggies. Have some carrots in the fridge? Throw those in there too!
- Use a BIG skillet – This makes a lot of fried rice. You want to make sure things aren’t overflowing, and you want as much rice in contact with the bottom of the pan as possible. For this reason, I prefer to use a skillet instead of a wok. You can also make this hibachi fried rice (which I like to make on a grill pan or flat top grill outdoors).
- Get things hot! Make sure that you have your heat turned up, and be sure to let that rice get nice and crispy at the end. We actually want to fry the rice.
Can you freeze fried rice?
- You can definitely freeze fried rice. It will keep in the freezer for up to three months. I like to package it into individual Ziploc sandwich bags and freeze it laying flat.
- To cook frozen fried rice, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a medium skillet. Add fried rice and cook until warmed through, about 5-7 minutes.
What to serve with it
- More → 35+ Sides for Fried Rice
Erin’s wine pairings
Try a Prosecco or Gewurztraminer with this dish. Eggs can often be tricky to pair with wine, but these light, fruity varieties actually help to bring out all the salty, smoky flavors in this dish.
More Asian inspired recipes
More rice recipes
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Full Recipe
Easy Bacon Fried Rice
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter (divided)
- 6 strips bacon (cut into ½ pieces)
- 2 eggs (whisked)
- ¼ cup shallot (minced )
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- 4 cups rice (cooked and cooled )
- 2/3 cup frozen peas
- 3 green onions (sliced)
- 4 Tablespoons soy sauce (low sodium, or tamari)
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the 6 strips bacon, until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on paper towels.
- Remove all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high. Add 2 eggs and scramble. Once fully cooked, remove from pan and set aside.
- Add 1 tablespoon butter to the now-empty skillet and heat until melted. Add the ¼ cup shallot and season with salt and pepper. Sautee for 2-3 minutes, until the shallot has softened. Add the 3 cloves garlic and cook 30 seconds longer, until fragrant.
- Increase the heat to high and add in remaining tablespoon butter. Once melted, add the 4 cups rice, 2/3 cup frozen peas, 3 green onions, 4 Tablespoons soy sauce and 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, stir to combine.
- Fry over high heat for approximately 3 minutes, until it’s getting nice and brown, and crispy.
- Add the bacon and eggs and stir to combine. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Leftover fried rice will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Or, store it in the freezer for up to three months. I like to package it into individual Ziploc sandwich bags and freeze it laying flat.
- To cook frozen fried rice, thaw it overnight in the fridge. Then, heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a medium skillet. Add fried rice and cook until warmed through, about 5-7 minutes.
Nutrition
This fried rice with bacon recipe was originally published in 2016. It was updated in 2025 to update the content. The fried rice with bacon recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
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