To make baked fried rice, just place uncooked rice, stock, soy sauce and a few other flavourings in a baking pan, give it a mix then shove it in the oven. Out comes fluffy, seasoned fried rice that’s so good, you may never wok-toss fried rice ever again!
(Well, maybe not. Nothing beats the real deal, after all. But this emergency version is excellent for the minimal effort required!)
Emergency baked fried rice
OK, you’re right, this isn’t fried rice per se! It’s a baked rice. But I call it a baked fried rice because it’s everything we love about fried rice, without the frying! It will save you on all those nights when you’re scrambling for a quick side dish that will go with almost everything and please everyone.
Unlike the normal way fried rice is cooked, there’s no need to plan ahead and cook rice the day before so that it has time to dry out overnight in the fridge. You don’t even need to chop anything (hello, frozen veg!).
Just dump everything in the pan – uncooked rice, stock, frozen pre-chopped vegetables, raw bacon – then whack it in the oven. There’s no need to stir while cooking – in fact, I forbid it, because it makes the rice mushy!
And for all that effort, you will be rewarded with THIS ↓↓↓ (“this” being a big pan of fluffy seasoned fried rice that’s littered with vegetables and oh wow, even the bacon is nice and golden!!🙌🏻)
Ingredients for baked fried rice
This is an excellent recipe to customise and make your own, with lots of options for changing up add-ins! Here’s what I use in this baked fried rice recipe:
Rice – Best made with long grain white rice because it’s the least sticky. This means you get that nice, crumbly and fluffy fried rice texture with this “dump ‘n bake” cooking method.
Other rice types that work:
→ Basmati rice: Has the same fluffy texture but you get the basmati aroma (it’s not traditional with fried rice seasoning, but it’s rather nice!)
→ Medium and short grain white rice: Works perfectly but these rices are a bit stickier so don’t expect quite the same rice texture you see in the video (it will clump a little more).
→ Jasmine rice: Reduce water by 1/4 cup (water to rice ratio is lower, see here for cooking plain jasmine rice).This recipe won’t work as-written for the following: Brown rice, paella or risotto rice, wild rice, quinoa or other speciality rices. I’d need to figure out special liquid/rice ratios and bake times, which I have not done!
Stock/broth – Chicken stock will give a better flavour (it’s not chicken-y as such, it has just a more deeply seasoned flavour), but vegetable stock works just fine too. Whichever you use, make sure it’s low sodium otherwise the rice ends up a tad saltier than is ideal.
Don’t have liquid stock? Use water plus stock powder. Make up 2 cups according to the stock powder directions and use per the recipe.
Vegetables – Because this is conceived as a recipe for “dinner emergencies”, I’ve used frozen diced vegetables here. Fresh vegetables can be used, but you’ll need to increase the water by 1/4 cup because the liquid to rice ratio factors in the water that comes off the frozen vegetables (a surprising amount!).
Garlic – I can’t ever imagine making any type of fried rice without garlic. And that includes an emergency baked version!
Bacon (uncooked) or ham – Just like we do in wok tossed fried rice! Here, it’s scattered across the surface and it adds flavour into the stock as it cooks.
There’s no need to cook the bacon beforehand, it will brown at the end when we finish the rice off uncovered in the oven.
Soy sauce – I’ve used light soy sauce here which adds seasoning without discolouring the rice too much. All purpose soy sauce will work just fine too.
Dark soy sauce – It’s much more intense in flavour so use half the quantity and be prepared for your rice to be much browner in colour.
Chinese cooking wine (Shaoxing wine) – adds umami / depth of flavour which is important for this method of cooking that skips the usual “sauté garlic and onion” etc.
Best substitute – Dry sherry, followed by cooking sake, followed by mirin (though rice will be a touch sweeter).
Non alcoholic option – Skip the wine and add an extra 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce PLUS add 30g / 2 tbsp of unsalted butter with the sesame (butter compensates for loss of flavour from skipping the cooking wine). It’s not the same, but equally delicious!
Pepper – For a touch of warmth. White pepper is typically used for fried rice because you can’t see it. Substitute with black pepper.
Sesame oil & green onion – For finishing. We add sesame oil at the end to preserve the flavour, and the green onion is tossed through at the end for a hit of freshness and colour.
How to make baked fried rice
Are you ready to see how easy it is??
Put the uncooked rice into the baking pan;
Add everything else except the bacon;
Give it a mix, then scatter the bacon across the surface (because we want it to get some colour when we bake it uncovered);
Cover with foil and bake 40 minutes at 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan);
Remove foil and bake for a further 15 minutes. This gives the bacon some nice colour;
Remove from the oven, cover with foil then let it rest for 10 minutes. To finish the dish, add sesame oil and green onion, fluff with a fork then serve!
Why we rest rice – When you take it out of the oven, there should be no liquid left in the pan and the rice will be cooked through though a tiny bit firmer than ideal. You’ll also notice that the surface of the rice grains will be wet.
When we rest the rice for 10 minutes, the grains finish cooking through using the residual heat, and the wetness on the rice grains gets absorbed. This is an essential step with any rice you cook, no matter what method you use – stove, absorption, boil and drain, oven, microwave or rice cooker!
Here’s a nice close up for you so you can see how the grains are fluffy and separated, and how the bacon bits are lovely and golden.
No mushy, overcooked rice in sight!
What to serve with baked fried rice
Serve to accompany dishes you would with fried rice, which these days is far and beyond just Asian foods! Try it with the Mushroom Stuffed Chicken I shared a couple of weeks ago, or as a side for a fillet of seasoned pan fried fish.
Pair it with something sticky like this Chilli Chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken or a tropical Hawaiian Huli-Huli chicken. For vegetarian options, skip the bacon and instead, pile over juicy and buttery garlic mushrooms or a medley of marinated grilled vegetables.
The rules are: there are no rules! This is a rice side that will go with virtually anything, Asian or not! – Nagi x
PS. I just had a fleeting thought. If you’d like to turn this into a meal, trying stirring through a big handful of baby spinach or chopped English spinach when fluffing it up at the end. By upping the veg in this, it would be great as a meal!
Watch how to make it
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Emergency “Dump ‘n Bake” Fried Rice
Ingredients
Baked Fried Rice:
- 1 1/2 cups long grain white rice , UNCOOKED (Note 1)
- 2 cups chicken or veg stock , low sodium
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine (dry sherry, mirin or sake, Note 3)
- 2 garlic cloves , minced with crusher (straight into pan)
- 2 cups frozen diced veg (carrots, peas, corn mix, Note 4 fresh veg)
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 1/4 cups / 180g bacon (uncooked) or ham , chopped (I use store bought chopped bacon, Note 5)
Finishing:
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1/2 cup green onion , finely sliced (2 – 3 stems)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200°C / 390°F (180°C fan).
- Mix ingredients in baking dish: Place all Baked Fried Rice ingredients except bacon in a baking dish (~22 x 32cm / 9 x 13"). Stir, then spread rice evenly across pan.
- Top with bacon: Scatter bacon across surface.
- Bake covered 40 min: Cover with foil. Bake 40 minutes.
- Bake uncovered 15 min: Remove foil. Bake uncovered 15 minutes – this will colour the bacon. Liquid should be absorbed, rice should be cooked (but will seem wet, will absorb and soften while resting).
- Rest 10 min: Cover loosely with foil, stand for 10 minutes.
- Fluff: Add green onion and sesame oil. Fluff rice with fork, marvel at how perfectly cooked the rice grains are. Serve!
Recipe Notes:
1. Rice types – Best made with long grain rice because it’s the least sticky so you get that nice crumbly, fluffy fried rice texture with this “dump ‘n bake” cooking method. Other rice types that work:
- Basmati rice – same fluffy texture but you get the basmati aroma (it’s not traditional with fried rice seasoning, but it’s rather nice!)
- Medium and short grain white rice – works perfectly but the rice is a bit stickier (that’s the way it is) so don’t expect the same rice texture you see in the video (it will clump a little more).
- Jasmine rice – NOT RECOMMENDED. This rice is softer and difficult to get exactly right for this recipe.
- Carrots, peas, corn, onion – use in recipe as written.
- Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, capsicum/bell peppers (chopped) – add them 30 min into bake time.
- Egg – Cook separately and stir in when fluffing rice. Either scramble, or make ribbons (cook a thin omelette using 2 whisked eggs, roll it up like a cigar then finely slice)
- Cooked chicken (or other cooked protein), char siu – dice or shred, toss on top of rice when resting (residual heat will warm up), then mix through well fluffing rice.
- Raw prawns/shrimp – small ones. When you remove the foil, scatter them across the surface, pop into oven for the last 15 min uncovered bake time.
- Baby spinach or chopped spinach – Stir it through at end with fluffing rice, residual heat will make it wilt.
- Spicy! Add a squirt of sriracha or dollop of your favourite chilli paste during cooking, or stir through a big handful of chopped kimchi just before serving.
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Weekend car problems. Dozer was keen to help. (Well that’s a big fat lie! We all know he was just snuffling around for treats from the road side assistance man.)
substitute for bacon/ham for vegans or kosher eaters? Need something that replaces the salt and fat, plus some flavor. Not for vegans, but maybe smoked salmon (fat and smoky)? slices of smoked turkey? For vegans: fried smoked tofu and extra oil? I don’t want to give up this genius idea.
Roz – just updated recipe notes with some ideas! I suggested sliced fried tofu puffs, or adding a handful of crispy fried shallots or onions before serving. Otherwise, just leave it out – it’s still very good! N x
Question: if we add vegetables with shorter cooking time like zucchini, asparagus etc halfway during the cooking, do we just scatter them on the surface or mix with the rice and other stuff?
Hi Didina, asparagus would be ok to add in the last 15 minutes of cook time but steer clear of watery veg like zucchini or it will add excess moisture and you’l end up with gluey rice! N x
You did mention zucchini in the notes “Cauliflower, broccoli, green beans, asparagus, zucchini, capsicum/bell peppers (chopped) – add them 30 min into bake time.”. So are zucchinis out? And should I mix these veggies with the rice or just scatter them on top 🤔? Sorry to ask but I have a picky eater with a very limited veggie “ok list” and green peas and corn are out…
Facon? Is there such thing as “fake bacon”? 😂
Very nice! Making ‘fried rice’ in the oven is a great idea. Question: can I skip the garlic and the green onion (I’m no onion no garlic atm)? Or sub them with something else? Also, if I wanted to make curry fried rice, how much curry powder would you add?
Hi Didina, curry fried rice is a different recipe – something to add to my list though!! If you’re off the onion, I would add 1 tsp of asafoetida for flavour – a great sub to use when you can’t have onion or garlic ❤️ N x
Thanks Nagi, 1 tsp asafoetida seems a lot to me, I would try with 1/2 tsp…asafoetida works best as a background spice with something else in the foreground, just adding an allium-like note to the rest; on its own it’s very powerful and dominates in an excessively sulphury way. I might add some soffritto with dried red pepper, asafoetida and a bit of 5 spices powder. That’s what I would try if I make it.
If one wants to make this recipe without meat,what would you change?
Hi Don, simply leave it out 🙂 N x
Thank you!!
We don’t eat ham or bacon, but it seems like it will not only add flavor and protein but also perhaps other moisture and fat. So, how might I adjust the recipe to replace or omit bacon, ham, etc.?
Hi Norm, I’ve just updated the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Thanks! I’ll make it soon; maybe this Friday!
oops. should have read all comments. i just asked the same question. 🙂
Cooked this first time tonight, worried rice would either burn or dry out but it was great! Combined frozen and ‘fresh’ from the depths of the fridge, a winner! Than you.
PERFECT Ron!!!!! N x
This sounds great..and so easy. Could I use Brown Chinese Jasmine rice for this recipe? Can’t wait to rate it!
Hi Mary, this one won’t work as written with brown rice sorry – N x
Hi Nagi – I wanted to make this tonight (7/26 USA time) and was just too impatient to wait for your response 😁. I followed the recipe as written and crossed my fingers. It was amazing!! The brown jasmine rice isn’t as sticky as plain brown rice and it worked beautifully. THANK YOU!! This recipe’s a “keeper”!!
I’ve gotten the best tips and recipes from you! Your personality makes me laugh and eggs me on to try crazy ideas! I LOVE handsome Dozer! I’m gathering ingreds now for rice to make today. Xx
That’s awesome Linda, thanks so much!! N x
I love your comments on Dozer, it always makes me smile
He always steals the show Hatsumi!! N x
Who the h*ll names food ‘dump and bake’ and tries to lure ppl into this recipe. How about name it nothing rather than that.
Hi Nevong, seems it worked well as you’re on the page looking at the recipe!! 😉 But in all honesty, I’m reiterating how EASY a great fried rice can be. N x
There is always one 🙄. The name is exactly why I’m using tonight. Used your wok version on Tuesday Nagi, and have pork and prawns to use up. Just dump it all in the oven, add meat and prawn at end. Love it.
Why the nasty comments
Just don’t make it, easy
Have a nice day and always be kind to one and another =)
No need to be nasty,
Keep your thoughts to yourself
Don’t make it , easy
Have a nice day, and always be kind to others
Me and oven baked rice are really estranged. We do not get along. I’ve tried sooo many recipes..but the rice either gets mushy or i’m chewing on tiny hard bits of rice.
It came out of the oven looking reaaally burned on the bottom and well…I thought my Rice-Oven curse had struck again. BUT OMG I WAS WRONG: It’s just crispy and oh it’s perfect rice! You have the crispy bits and the soft bits..and the salty bacon and sweet peas,..this is to die for!
WAHOO!!!! You’re converted now!! N x
Absolutely amazing cooked for tea and had leftovers for lunch at work. So easy and so So adaptable i added red chillies only because I adore some spice.
And we love spice here too! Great idea Carol! N x
Can this be made the night before and bake the next day?
Hi Marie, not really, leaving the rice soaking will affect the overall texture and cook time. It’s super simple to have your ingredients ready then just pour into the pan and bake 🙂 N x
I absolutely love you site and have tried several recipes. Now I have Australia and New Zealand on my place to visit. Thank you for an amazing recipe site. Love Dozer
Thanks so much Coralle, that’s really lovely to hear!!! ❤️ N x
Can Lap Xuong sausage be used instead of the bacon and would it change any quantities or cooking times?
Yes! No change to cooking time because it, like bacon, is already cooked. So just needs browning. Slice, scatter, cook per recipe. N x
I’m thinking that this may need egg. I like egg with fried rice. Egg is good.
If you think it’d go with this would it be right to say it (all cut up) should go in at the end during the fluffing process?
If not then where?
Thanks. 🙂
Hi Andrew! Yep, I have a note in the recipe about this 🙂 Stir in at end after fluffing. Either use scrambled eggs, or make a thin omelette, roll it up and slice into strips. N x
Gah! Thanks for the patient reply. I read the notes and, somehow, missed the answer to the question that was bouncing through my head. :/
No idea how that happened. 🙁
I haven’t tried this yet but this is definitely on my list. I guess I have to switch out the bacon because of the sodium. Can I use brown rice? If so, do I need to add more liquid and modify the cooking time? Thank you.
Hi Mary, see the recipe noted for brown rice and alternative proteins you could use 🙂 N x
Just delightful! Thanks Dozer (oh yes, and Nagi!). Well done Nagi on all you media coverage – totally deserved. Off course, it is all down to Dozer! Best wishes to you and the team – Clare
It’s all Dozer isn’t it 😂 Thanks so much Clare 🙂 N x
Hi Nagi, does the bacon need to be cooked before adding to the top? Can’t wait to try this – a genius idea!
Hi Shal, no the bacon goes in as is and will cook in the oven with the rice 🙂 N x
Hi, I read in her comments you do not have to pre-cook the bacon. I cant wait to make this rice it looks so delicious. I love all of Nagi’s recipes.
According to Nagi’s recipe use uncooked bacon. I’m making this today but I will be using ham.
I like to use brown rice when I make fried rice. How should this recipe be adapted to accommodate brown rice?
Thanks so much!
Hi Mary Lou, I mention this in the recipe notes 🙂 N x
Thank you!
Hello Nagi,
we cannot use Sesame Oil because my husband is allergic to it. Which substitute would you suggest? Thanks 🤗
Hi Ulrike, canola, vegetable or peanut oil will be fine in its place. N x