This Healthy Fried Rice is just 170 calories and can be made several different ways. Try this low calorie fried rice as a side dish, or double the serving and choose a protein below to make it a meal.
Everything You’ll Need
Ingredients You’ll Need:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil – Any oil will work, but olive oil has the most health benefits.
- 2 eggs – Or 1/3 crumbled tofu.
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots – Or fresh diced carrots and shelled peas.
- 1 onion – Yellow is best, but white or red onions will work too.
- 3 garlic cloves – Or 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- 2 cups pre-cooked cold rice – I like to make it the day before. Or get frozen packets of cooked rice.
- 2 green onions – You can skip if you don’t like, but they are super yummy in this!
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce – Or Tamari for gluten-free, and low sodium as needed.
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil – Adds a lot of flavor, you can add sesame seeds its place.
- Salt and Pepper – As needed.
- Metric Measurements Below in Recipe Card
Healthy Fried Rice
Low Calorie Fried Rice Recipe Variations
Low Sodium Fried Rice
You can make this fried rice lowering sodium with a few tricks. First off, get low sodium soy sauce or tamari, and next cut the amount down to just 1 teaspoon, and add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Make sure to also skip the salt in the recipe, and feel free to add more lemon juice as needed.
High Protein Fried Rice
To boost the protein in fried rice, add in a protein. You can choose tofu, chicken, pork and a few more below in the recipe card. You can also double the eggs in the recipe.
Low Carb Fried Rice
To make a low carb fried rice, ideally you’ll want to head over to my Low Calorie Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe instead. Or remove 1/2 of the rice and replace it with cauliflower rice. You can also boost the protein to balance out the carbs more.
Vegan Fried Rice
To make this fried rice vegan, swap out the eggs for 1/3 cup crumbled tofu. Feel free to add more tofu if you want to boost the protein.
Gluten-Free Fried Rice
To make this fried rice gluten-free, swap out the soy sauce for gluten-free tamari sauce.
Low Calorie Fried Rice Meal Prep and Storage
Meal Prep
- Prep – Cook the rice and cool completely. Add to a small freezer bag, place that bag into a gallon side freezer bag. Next add the bag of frozen pees and carrots to the gallon bag, and finally dice any protein and add to a small bag. Place hot in the gallon bag and now you have a meal prepped dinner.
- Cover – Place in the freezer or the fridge (if eating in the next couple days).
- Refrigerate or Freeze – Will hold for 4 days in the fridge. And in the freezer for 1 month.
- Cook – Defrost overnight in the fridge if frozen. Cook according to the directions (I print out the recipe card and place it in the big bag) below.
Leftover Storage
- Cook – Cook as directed below, cool completely.
- Individual or Family Servings – Add one serving to individual serving containers. Or as many servings as you need for the full family for family servings. Cover and store for later.
- Refrigerate or Freeze – Will hold for 4 days in the fridge. And in the freezer for 1 month.
- Reheat – Defrost in the fridge if frozen. Add to a large, dry pan and heat covered on low heat until warm. About 10 minutes.
Healthy Fried Rice Recipe
More Low Calorie Sides:
Low Calorie Fried Rice
This easy fried rice recipe can be made 10 ways, they are all healthy and all natural!10 Recipes for Fried Rice include: Fried Rice with Chicken, Cauliflower Fried Rice, Fried Rice with Shrimp, Pork Fried Rice Recipe, Vegetarian Fried Rice, Thai Fried Rice, Vegan Fried Rice, and even Fried Rice in Pineapple.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 eggs or 1/2 cup crumbled tofu (for vegan fried rice recipes)
- 1 cup frozen peas and carrots
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups pre-cooked cold rice
- 2 green onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Tamari (for Gluten-Free fried rice recipes)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- Salt and Pepper
Optional ingredients:
- 1 pound sliced chicken optional (for fried rice with chicken recipe)
- 1 pound cleaned shrimp optional (for fried rice shrimp recipes)
- 1 pound ground pork optional (for pork fried rice recipes)
- 4 additional eggs optional (for fried rice egg recipes)
- 2 cups pineapple optional (for Thai fried rice recipes)
SERVE WITH:
- Low Calorie Chinese Sesame Chicken (JUST 273 CALORIES)
- Low Calorie Sweet and Sour Chicken (JUST 206 CALORIES)
- Low Calorie Szechuan Chicken (JUST 232 CALORIES)
Instructions
How to Make Traditional Fried Rice:
- In a hot wok or large skillet add the eggs. Scramble in the pan and then transfer to a clean bowl.
- Add in onion, and any protein (pork, chicken, shrimp) and cook until protein is cooked through.
- Add the peas and carrots, and garlic cook for a moment, then add in the rice.
- Top with soy sauce, sesame oil, salt and pepper and the scrambled eggs. Toss well and cook until rice is hot. Then top with green onions and serve.
How to Make Fried Rice Chicken Recipes:
- Follow Traditional Fried Rice directions…
- Add 1 cup of thin sliced chicken breast or thigh, and 1 sliced red bell pepper to the wok or skillet when you add in the onions.
- Continue with the fried rice according to directions in the how to section or recipe card below.
How to Make Fried Rice with Egg:
- Follow Traditional Fried Rice directions…
- Add in extra veggies and or protein as you desire.
- Top with a fried, runny egg.
How to Make Fried Rice Cauliflower:
- Follow Traditional Fried Rice directions…
- Add in extra veggies and or protein as you desire. (See recipe card below)
- Instead of adding in cold, precooked rice, add in cauliflower rice and cook for 5-7 minutes.
How to Make Shrimp Fried Rice:
- Follow Traditional Fried Rice directions…
- Add 1 pound of cleaned shrimp, and 1 sliced red bell pepper to the wok or skillet when you add in the onions.
- Continue with the fried rice according to directions in the how to section or recipe card below.
How to Make Pork Fried Rice:
- Follow Traditional Fried Rice directions…
- Add 1 cup of ground pork, or chopped pork, and 1 sliced red bell pepper to the wok or skillet when you add in the onions.
- Continue with the fried rice according to directions in the how to section or recipe card below.
How to Make Vegetarian Fried Rice:
- Follow Traditional Fried Rice directions…
- Add 1 sliced bell pepper in with the onions.
- Top with a fried, runny egg. (optional)
How to Make Thai Fried Rice:
- Make the traditional fried rice, adding in chicken and shrimp (both are optional).
- Add 1 sliced red bell pepper, 1 cup pineapple chunks (I like to use frozen) with the peas and carrots, or in the place.
- Omit the sesame oil, and replace with sriracha and the juice of 1/2 lime.
- Top with unsalted cashews and chopped cilantro.
How to Make Vegan Fried Rice:
- Make the fried rice recipe, omitting the eggs and replacing with crumbled tofu or vegan eggs. (See recipe card below)
- Add 1 sliced bell pepper in with the onions, and double the peas and carrots.
How to Make Fried Rice in Pineapple:
- Cut a pineapple in half, down the middle (see photo in section above).
- Use a small pairing knife to cut around the edges, and then cut lengthwise and across as you would with an avocado. Then use a sharp spoon to scoop out, and finally cut into bitesized chunks.
- Make the traditional fried rice, adding in chicken and shrimp (both are optional).
- Add 1 sliced red bell pepper, 1 cup pineapple chunks (I like to use frozen) with the peas and carrots, or in the place.
- Omit the sesame oil, and replace with sriracha and the juice of 1/2 lime.
- Add the rice dish to the hollowed out pineapple.
- Top with unsalted cashews and chopped cilantro.
Notes
Special Tips to Make this Recipe Easier and Faster:
- Buy the frozen bags of mixed peas and carrots, they will save you time chopping and also save you money! Often you can get an organic bag of peas and carrots for as low as $1, so stock up when they are on sale.
- Don’t bother with defrosting the peas and carrots… just dump them in. Easy, right?!
- Make the rice the night before, or even easier, but the packets of frozen precooked rice in the grocery freezer section. It will save you time, and makes a great pantry/freezer staple which will make this easy recipe, even easier and more accessible.
- Use leftover chicken, pork, shrimp, and even scrambled eggs! My mother used to get so mad when I did not finish my meals, she would put them in the fridge and force me to eat them for breakfast (I wonder where all my unhealthy eating habits came from). The next time your kids don’t eat all their scrambled eggs at breakfast, cover and move them to the fridge and reuse them to make this recipe.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cupCalories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 21.7gProtein: 5.9gFat: 7.1gSaturated Fat: 1.4gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 286mgPotassium: 185mgFiber: 2.3gSugar: 3.3gCalcium: 38mgIron: 5mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
About the Author
Hi, my name is Audrey Johns and I am a 4 time best selling cookbook author! All 4 of my low calorie cookbooks are published by HarperCollins (the oldest publishing house in the US!) and have been featured on prominent TV shows like The Today Show, Rachael Ray and The Doctors. I am a low calorie and healthy recipe authority and my delicious recipes are tried and loved by thousands of readers.
After a one year 150 pound weight loss (and I’ve kept it off for 13 years!) I started sharing all of my low calorie recipes with the world. They are always all-natural and geared around weight loss and weight management. I have even made some of these recipes with my Biggest Loser pal Bob Harper! Check out my weight loss story, my best selling cookbooks, and my numerous TV appearances by clicking here.
Nutrition and Calories in Fried Rice
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Article History:
- Originally written and published July 15, 2020 by Audrey Johns
- Most recent update on November 12, 2023 by Audrey Johns
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