Leftover Beef Fried Rice Stir Fry
This leftover beef fried rice stir fry is a quick and easy dinner made with cooked rice, shredded beef, veggies, and simple pantry sauces. Ready in about 20 minutes and perfect for using up leftovers.
This quick fried rice is one of those easy dinners that comes together with almost no planning, especially when you already have cooked rice and leftover meat in the fridge. It is savory, satisfying, full of vegetables, and such a good way to turn leftovers into something that feels completely new.
If you have ever hit that middle of the week point where you are tired, the fridge looks a little random, and you still need dinner on the table fast, this is the kind of recipe to keep in your back pocket.
In this recipe, I used leftover orange ginger turmeric shredded beef, leftover rice, carrots, peas, eggs, and a few pantry sauces to make a simple takeout inspired fried rice. It turned out so good and only took about 10 minutes to make.
What I love most about meals like this is how flexible they are. You can swap in almost any cooked meat, use whatever vegetables you have, and adjust the sauce to your taste. It is simple, fast, and a great way to make leftovers feel exciting again.
Main Ingredients and Swaps
- Leftover shredded beef: I used a batch of my Ginger, Orange & Turmeric Shredded Beef for this recipe. It is a great way to cook once and eat all week.
- Cooked rice: Day old rice is perfect for fried rice because it holds its texture better. Fresh rice works too if that is what you have.
- Carrots: I shredded four carrots for this version, which added sweetness and a lot of color.
- Green peas: Frozen peas are easy and cook quickly right in the skillet.
- Eggs: These add extra protein and give the rice that classic fried rice feel.
- Soy sauce: This gives the rice its savory base. You can also use coconut aminos for a slightly sweeter flavor.
- Rice vinegar: A little bit brightens everything up and balances the richer flavors.
- Oyster sauce: This adds depth and makes it taste more like takeout. If you do not have it, you can leave it out.
- Toasted sesame oil: Just a small amount adds a lot of flavor at the end. This is something I would not skip on.
- Green onions: These add a beautiful freshness and color to the dish.
Tips Before You Start
- This recipe works best when everything is ready before you begin cooking because it moves quickly once it hits the pan. I would suggest taking the time to have everything shredded and ready to go.
- If your rice is cold from the fridge, break it up a little with your hands or a spoon before adding it to the skillet.
- Use a large skillet so the rice has room to cook instead of steaming. I love this set from Caraway because it is non-toxic and roomy enough to hold this recipe.
How I Make It
- Cook up a batch of my Ginger, Orange & Turmeric Shredded Beef and set it aside so it’s ready to use.
- Cook a batch of rice if you don’t already have leftover rice on hand, then let it cool slightly while you prep the rest.
- Shred the carrots and get your peas, eggs, and other ingredients ready so everything is prepped before you start cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add the shredded beef, letting it crisp up slightly for about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the shredded carrots and peas to the skillet and cook until the vegetables start to soften. Stir in soy sauce, rice vinegar, and oyster sauce, and mix everything together.
- Push everything to one side of the pan and crack in the eggs, scrambling them until just cooked, then fold them into the mixture.
- Add the cooked rice and toss everything together for about 2 to 3 minutes until well combined and heated through. Finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and sliced green onions, then taste and adjust seasoning as needed before serving.
👇🏻 To watch me make the full recipe, check out my YouTube video below!
Leftover Beef Fried Rice Stir Fry
Ingredients
Notes
- Use day old rice if possible for the best texture.
- This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to swap in any cooked meat or vegetables you have on hand.
- Oyster sauce adds depth, but can be skipped if you don’t have it.
- Approximate nutrition for 1 serving: 450–500 calories, 25–30g protein, 4–6g fiber.
Method
- Cook a batch of orange shredded beef if needed and set aside. If you don’t have leftover rice, cook a batch and let it cool slightly.
- Shred the carrots and prep all remaining ingredients so everything is ready before cooking.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the shredded beef and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, letting it crisp slightly.
- Add the shredded carrots and peas and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Stir in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, rice vinegar, and ½ tablespoon oyster sauce.
- Push everything to one side of the pan. Crack in the eggs and scramble for 1 to 2 minutes until just cooked, then fold into the mixture.
- Add the cooked rice and toss everything together for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
- Stir in the remaining oyster sauce, additional soy sauce to taste, and toasted sesame oil. Add green onions, toss, and adjust seasoning as needed and enjoy!
Video
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