This easy breakfast fried rice with bacon, a glorious chili and garlic fried egg, and crunchy nuts is just so ridiculously good, you’ll want to wake up just for this!
I make this at least once a week, as a quick and easy breakfast or even as a quick lunch using leftover rice. So easy and versatile, and the flavors are off the charts.
This breakfast fried rice is EASY. It’s quick to whip up and doesn’t use a lot of ingredients, BUT it’s also very versatile to use up leftover ingredients from your fridge.
With my husband at home these days, our morning routines have changed considerably. Our pup Zuko is getting a lot more attention, and our breakfasts often turn into brunch. So, instead of a quick, early breakfast, I’ve started making more substantial brunches that would hold us over until dinner.
This recipe made with bacon, and topped with a chili garlic fried egg is honestly the best breakfast fried rice I’ve ever tasted! It’s a great way to use up leftover rice from the previous night.
Why this recipe works
- Quick and easy (with leftover rice), and SO much flavor! It’s one of our favorite savory breakfast recipes.
- Bacon! However, if you don’t like regular bacon, this will be just as delicious with chicken bacon, turkey bacon, or beef bacon.
- Mushrooms are perfect as a vegetarian option.
- Very versatile. This is a base recipe that uses minimal ingredients. You can add more veggies and more protein to make it even better.
- Topped with a flavorful fried egg for a complete breakfast/brunch.
- This is a tried and true breakfast recipe for us, but you can also enjoy it as a quick lunch or dinner too.
My best recipe tips
- You can of course use freshly cooked rice if you prefer, but day old cold rice works much better for this recipe. Freshly cooked rice is wetter, and won’t absorb as much flavor as day old rice that’s a little drier.
- I prefer jasmine rice (or a sticky rice), but brown rice and basmati rice are great too.
- Let the bacon crisp a little. That little crispness really makes a difference for this breakfast fried rice. The rest of the ingredients will be stir fried in the bacon fat rendered after this.
- Be generous with the spring onions / green onions. If you don’t have any at home, use chopped onions instead. Add the onions after the bacon is cooked, and let it soften before adding the rice.
- We like it spicy, so we like to add crushed red chili flakes to the bacon fried rice. Add less or more or none at all depending on your preference.
- Don’t add the chili and garlic too early because you don’t want them to burn in the hot oil! If that happens, you’ll end up with a burnt taste in your fried rice. Not good.
- The brown sugar helps balance the spice and heat level. Add half the amount if you’re not going to add any chili flakes.
- Soy sauce + salt are added because they add two different kinds of saltiness. If you want to keep this gluten free, use tamari instead. ALWAYS adjust the seasoning to your taste. If you add more fixins to your breakfast fried rice, you may need more soy sauce and salt to season properly.
- Sesame oil and roasted peanuts are optional. Leave them out if there are any allergies. However, they do add a lovely nuttiness and crunch to the fried rice.
Ingredients you’ll need
For the rice
- Day old jasmine rice (day old refrigerated rice hold its shape better when making fried rice)
- Bacon or pork belly cut into small pieces
- Spring onions (green onions)
- Garlic
- Soy sauce
- Brown sugar
- Chili flakes
- Sesame oil
- Peanuts (for texture and flavor)
For the fried egg
- Eggs
- Garlic
- Chili flakes
- Oil
- Seasoning (salt and pepper)
Other additions you can use
Proteins (can be fresh or leftovers)
- Chicken
- Shrimp
- Steak
- Sausages
- Ground meat
- Tofu
Vegetables (fresh or leftovers)
- Frozen peas and carrots
- Corn
- Bell peppers
- Leafy greens
- Cabbage
- Broccoli / cauliflower
- Bean sprouts
- Mushroom
- Anything else you like!
How to make breakfast fried rice
- Prep the ingredients. Cut up the bacon, spring onions, and other veggies that you’re adding.
- Place a large non-stick pan on your stove and heat to medium heat. Fry up the bacon pieces in the pan. Be patient and fry it over medium heat so that it doesn’t become crisp too fast and burn. You want the bacon to be a little crispy and a little chewy.
- Add the white parts of spring onions, garlic, chili pepper and sugar. Just fry it all for a few seconds to soften the garlic and onion. DON’T let it burn!
- Add the soy sauce, salt (you can add more later) and rice, and stir to mix. Add more soy sauce as needed.
- Once the rice is softened and and it’s almost ready, add the green parts of the spring onions and stir them in. The green parts will wilt because of the residual heat and that’s OK.
- Serve the breakfast fried rice with a fried egg (I fry my egg in chili and garlic oil) and roasted peanuts. Don’t forget to drizzle some sesame oil on top as well!
Making the fried egg
Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the oil along with the garlic and allow the oil to heat up with the garlic.
When the oil is hot, stir in the chili pepper flakes and add the egg. The egg should sizzle in the oil.
Baste the egg whites with the garlic and chili oil until the whites are cooked and the edges are crispy. Season with salt and pepper.
Voilà! Flavor-packed breakfast fried rice!
If you’re stuck at home (as many of us are these days), and need quick recipes that are packed with flavor, this is a great one! The cook time shouldn’t be any longer than 15 minutes.
Storage tips
This fried rice will last in the fridge for about 4 days IF stored properly.
Keep the rice in an airtight container. And to keep the rice from going bad too fast, store the rice in portions, so that you only take out what you need at a time.
To make ahead
I usually prefer to make my rice a day ahead if possible anyway. So, I always have refrigerated rice and even frozen rice.
I let frozen rice thaw out in the fridge, and use this to make fried rice!
Then portion the rice into individual servings and store in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.
More savory breakfast recipes
Check out my curated list of savory breakfast recipes and ideas for tons more options!
Recipe
Breakfast Fried Rice (With Bacon & Chili Garlic Egg)
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
Breakfast fried rice
- 4 spring onions about ½ cup, sliced
- 120 – 150 g regular cut bacon 4 slices
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp crushed chili flakes add more or less depending on preference
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 300 g cooked, day old rice about 1 ½ – 2 cups, preferably jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp soy sauce more to taste
- Water amount will vary
- 2 tsp sesame oil to drizzle
- Roasted peanuts to top
Chili garlic fried egg
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tsp crushed chili flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 eggs
Instructions:
Breakfast fried rice
- Slice the spring onions, and separate the white and light green parts from the green parts. You should get a generous ½ cup of sliced spring onions, but you can use less or more depending on preference.4 spring onions
- Slice the bacon into strips.120 – 150 g regular cut bacon
- Have all the ingredients prepped and ready to go.
- Heat a non stick pan over medium – medium high heat. When the pan is hot, place the bacon in the pan and cook until the edges turn crispy. There should be at least 2 tbsp of bacon fat rendered from the strips. If there is too much fat, remove some so that you're left with only about 2 tbsp. If there isn’t enough, add enough vegetable oil (up to 1 ½ tbsp).120 – 150 g regular cut bacon
- When the bacon turns crispy, add the garlic, white parts of the spring onions, brown sugar, salt and chili flakes.4 spring onions, 2 garlic cloves, 1 tbsp brown sugar, 1 tbsp crushed chili flakes, ¼ tsp sea salt
- Saute for about 1 minute (or less) to let the garlic soften, but not burn.
- Add the rice and 2 tbsp of soy sauce, and stir to combine. Make sure to break up any rice lumps using a spatula.300 g cooked, day old rice, 2 tbsp soy sauce
- Sprinkle about 2 tbsp of water or stock, to allow the seasoning to mix with the rice properly.Water
- Stir fry the rice until the rice softens and mixes well with all the ingredients. Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Add the green parts of the spring onions and toss to combine while the rice is hot.
- Divide the rice into two bowls (2 generous portions) and drizzle 1 tsp of sesame oil over each of the hot rice in the bowls.2 tsp sesame oil to drizzle
- Top with the fried eggs and roasted peanuts. Optional – add some chili paste. Serve.Roasted peanuts to top
Chili garlic fried egg
- Heat a small non stick pan over medium high heat. Add a generous amount of oil (vegetable, canola or peanut oil) and add the garlic. When the oil heats up (before the garlic burns), add the chili flakes and crack the eggs into the pan (keeping them separated from each other).1 garlic clove, 1 tsp crushed chili flakes, 2 eggs
- Spoon the hot garlic chili oil over the whites of the eggs until the whites are set and you get crispy edges on the cooked eggs.
- Sprinkle salt over the eggs. Transfer the eggs to the rice bowls with a spatula. Serve immediately.Salt and pepper to taste
Recipe Notes
Variations
Feel free to add chopped vegetables to this rice as well! Frozen vegetables is a great additions. I also like to add- chopped or grated carrots,
- spinach or kale
- mushrooms
- sliced brussels sprouts
- shredded cabbage
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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