Growing up in Hawaii, it was very typical to eat rice with just about every meal. For breakfast we may have fried smoked sausage, scrambled eggs, and rice, or an omelet with rice. There was even spam musubi, which is a block of rice topped with a slice of fried spam, and wrapped with seaweed (like sushi!) Spam is really big in Hawaii. I know that probably sounds a bit gross and very unhealthy to you.. Just do me a favor, next time you find yourself in Hawaii, try it and let me know what you think! It’s a must-try local food!
Anyway, back to the recipe. Some mornings, my dad would cook up a big batch of fried rice with bacon or any leftover meat we had in the fridge. He never followed recipes, he just cooked by taste. Even thought it would be different each time, it always tasted amazing! It’s truly a comfort food for me. It reminds me of my childhood:) Do you have any dishes that bring back childhood memories?
Making fried rice is a lot like making a salad. You just need the basic ingredients and then can customize it by adding whatever else you have on hand.
This is my basic fried rice. I usually don’t measure (I cook a lot by taste) so some of the ingredients have a range where you can adjust it according to your preference. You can add extra veggies or a protein too, whether it be tofu, chicken, or shrimp. One of my favorites is Bacon Fried Rice. I included the recipe below!
I begin by sautéing the onions and garlic in some butter to bring out their flavor. You can use butter/ghee, refined coconut oil, or any oil of your choice. I say refined because it doesn’t have the coconut flavor, plus it can withstand a higher temperature than extra virgin coconut oil. However, if you just love that coconut flavor, feel free to use extra virgin coconut oil.
After the onions and garlic have softened, mix in the rice and break up any large clumps. Add peas and thoroughly combine with the rice and onions.
Push the rice off to one side of the pan and add the beaten eggs to the open skillet. Stir the eggs and cook until fluffy. Mix the egg in with the rice mixture.
Pour in the soy sauce, sesame oil, and season with pepper. Add salt only if needed. Soy sauce tends to have lots of sodium.
Top with a fried egg, chopped green onion, and serve. You can also drizzle a little sriracha sauce on top, if you like it spicy! Enjoy, friends!
Try this fried rice variation with bacon! It’s a complete breakfast in one pan!

Breakfast Fried Rice
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 3-4 servings 1x
Description
Fried rice makes a delicious and hearty, gluten-free breakfast. It’s also a great option when wanting to change up the menu a bit. Bacon Fried Rice variation below.
Ingredients
Fried Rice:
- 3 tablespoons grass-fed butter/ghee or refined coconut oil
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2–3 garlic cloves, minced
- 6 cups day-old cooked brown or white rice
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 5–6 tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce or tamari, to taste
- 1–2 tablespoons sesame oil, to taste
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoons pepper, to taste
- salt, as needed
- chopped green onion
- 8–12 oz. uncured bacon or turkey bacon, optional
Fried Eggs:
- refined coconut oil or butter/ghee
- whole eggs, 1 per person
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
Fried Rice
- In a large pan or wok, sauté chopped onion in butter over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in rice and break up large chunks. Add frozen peas and stir until well incorporated. Push rice to one side of the pan and add beaten eggs. Scramble eggs, stirring often and cook until fluffy. Mix eggs in with the rice. Pour soy sauce and sesame oil evenly over the rice and mix together. Turn heat up to medium-high and fry rice until any remaining liquid has evaporated and rice is hot and steamy. Season with pepper and add salt, if needed. Remove from heat.
Fried Eggs
- Heat a small pan over medium heat. When hot, add oil/butter and move pan around to evenly coat the bottom. Crack a whole egg into the hot pan and reduce heat to medium-low. Season with salt and pepper. You can partially cover the pan with a lid if you like the top of the egg cooked too. Cook for a few minutes, until the yolk is done to your liking. Remove the egg to a plate and repeat the process for the remaining eggs.
- Distribute fried rice into bowls and top with fried egg and chopped green onion. Serves 3-4
Bacon Fried Rice
- In a large pan, cook your bacon according to package directions. Remove bacon and drain grease, reserving 1-2 tablespoons. Cook onion in bacon grease over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add minced garlic and continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until onion is soft and translucent. Stir in rice and break up large chunks. Add frozen peas and stir until well incorporated. Push rice to one side of the pan and add beaten eggs. Scramble eggs, stirring often and cook until fluffy. Mix eggs in with the rice. Pour soy sauce and sesame oil evenly over the rice and mix together. Turn heat up to medium-high and fry rice until any remaining liquid has evaporated and rice is hot and steamy. Chop or crumble bacon and mix into the rice. I add about 2-3 pieces per person/serving. Season with pepper and add salt, if needed. Remove from heat and distribute into bowls. Top with fried egg and chopped green onion. Serves 3-4.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Asian
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This reminds me of back in the day, haha, you learned well! Seeing this post makes me want some fried rice now!
These pictures are beautiful! I love rice, eggs and bacon, so I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Thanks, Stephanie! The combo is so yummy, plus it’s nice to have something a little different for breakfast:) Hope you like it!!
Love fried rice!! Just had some last night, actually, with Trader Joe’s orange chicken:-) It’s one of our favorites here in the house! Adding bacon to it is a brilliant idea…never thought to eat fried rice for breakfast. But, I think we are going to start:-) Thanks, Joscelyn!
★★★★★
Yum, I love their orange chicken too:) Yes, I knew it would get your approval with bacon added, haha! Hope you guys like it!
Sounds lovely! What a great idea to make fried rice for breakfast. Pinned!
Thank you, Tina! I honestly could eat it any time of the day;) Hope you like it!
Girl, we gotta talk about that spam thang 😉
With this recipe I would need to lock my husband up in our house, becuase he’d want to eat at yours all the time. He loves fried rice :).
My heritage is Latin American. This means that I too came home to bowls of rice after school. I also totally get the idea of having it for breakfast.
Just to say, your recipe was featured on this blog here: http://strengthandsunshine/friday-finisher-32015
I was featured too and saw your beautiful picture; so lovely to be featured together :). I only discovered it because the author tagged me on twitter.
Take care
K
Haha, I know it..Can’t believe I used to eat “mystery meat” and LIKED IT too! Why are there such things in this world?!
Yes, my hubby is Hispanic and eats a lot of rice too! That’s why we get along so well;) I can eat it all.day.long. 🙂
Thank you for letting me know about the feature, Kimberly! I wish there was a way for us to be notified whenever our recipes are featured.. I feel so honored that mine was featured right along side of your lovely recipe! Brings a big smile to my face!
Have a wonderful weekend with your family, my friend! Thanks, as always, for stopping by!