Better Than Takeout Vegan Fried Rice with Portobello mushrooms

Do you like restaurant-style, golden, crispy, and mouthwatering fried rice? If you answered yes, then keep reading. This better than takeout vegan fried rice with portobello mushrooms is a savory, delicious, and utterly satisfying dinner you can make in just 25-minutes. Save this recipe because you’re going to make it on repeat.

This is a quick, simple, and satisfying better than takeout vegan fried rice with portobello mushrooms, fresh garlic, and kale. It’s a healthy bowl of comfort food that doesn’t taste healthy at all. Featuring juicy meaty textures thanks to the portobello mushrooms, garlicky flavors, fresh spring onions, sweet-spicy chili sauce, and lots of rich delicious flavors. It’s everything a bowl of comfort food should be.

A versatile vegan fried rice recipe

I call this fried rice because I am a HUGE rice eater. I just adore the tender, slightly sticky texture and nutty flavors of rice. But actually, this easy fried rice recipe can be made with any kind of rice.

For a low-calorie, low-carb vegan fried rice dinner you can replace the rice with cauliflower rice. It works amazingly and gives you a bowl of juicy, tender rice that’s full of nutrients and soaks up all the flavors and spices.

Top 9 reasons why this 25-minutes fried rice recipe is the best homemade fried rice dinner:

Quick to make – ready in just 25 minutes
Uses only basic easy to get ingredients
Satisfying and comforting
Restaurant worthy flavors on a budget
Vegan – loaded with tender meaty and juicy portobello mushrooms
Meal prep friendly – can be frozen and reheated later
Gluten-free – just use tamari sauce instead of soy sauce

Types of rice to use in fried rice recipes:

Any kind of rice will work well. Make it fresh or use leftover rice. Using leftover rice from the day before to make fried rice is my favorite way to give rice new life and use up all leftovers.

Any type of rice will work well in fried rice recipes, but for the very best results, you want to use long-grained rice such as Yasmin rice or basmati rice.

Here are some of the best types of rice to make refried rice:

Basmati rice
Yasmin rice
Brown rice
Wild rice
Cauliflower rice

Let’s dive straight into the facts.

What ingredients do you need to make the best vegan golden crispy fried rice with portabella mushrooms and kale

This recipe is simple but loaded with hardworking flavors. It’s a really simple recipe that calls for ingredients that are easy to get, and probably ingredients you already have in your home.

Let’s take a look at what ingredients you need to make fried rice:

Cooked Rice – can be made fresh or leftover rice
Portobello mushrooms
Kale
Garlic
Spring onions
Soy sauce or tamari sauce
Sweet chili sauce
Seasonings
And that’s it. Easy, simple, and budget-friendly.

Secret ingredient fried rice

My top-secret ingredient to make the best homemade fried rice is…drumroll please…smoked paprika. I know I know, it’s a super surprising ingredient, but hear me out. Think smoky deep flavors with a hint of sweetness and heat mixed. You won’t believe how tasty, mouthwatering, and mind-blowing delicious adding smoked paprika to fried rice is. You can skip it if you want, but once you have tried it you will be a smoked paprika fan for life.

Recipe to use leftover rice

I’ve already said it but I’ll say it again. Because I like repeating myself and this fact bears repeating. Fried rice is my favorite way to use cold leftover rice that’s just hanging out in the refrigerator. Because cold rice needs new life to become fluffy, tasty, and delicious. And that’s what happens when you toss the leftover rice in a pan with lots of spices, vegetables, and a little sweet chili sauce. The rice comes back to life and turns into fluffy, spicy mouthfuls of deliciousness.

How to make the best simple fried rice – the plant based and gluten-free way

Step 1. Heat sesame oil in a large deep pan or wok. Add the portobello mushrooms, thyme, and smoked paprika and let them cook for 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
Step 2. Add the garlic, spring onions, and cooked rice (or raw cauliflower rice) and stir to combine. Let the rice cook at high heat without stirring too often to let the rice crisp up.
Step 3. Season with soy sauce and sweet chili sauce and gently combine. Let the rice cook for 5 more minutes while the rice gets more crispy.
Step 4. Finally, add the kale and cook for just long enough for the kale to soften without being too soft.
Serve with a drizzle of sweet chili sauce and enjoy.

FAQ’s

What is the secret to good fried rice?

Sesame oil and a very hot pan. To make the best-fried rice you need a hot oil to hit that melty fatty flavor, together with a hot pan that will crisp up your rice and a good amount of seasoning. Never skimp on seasoning when you’re making fried rice.

How to make fried rice taste like restaurant fried rice

Let the rice sit without stirring too much. To replicate the restaurant fried rice, you need to give your rice time to crisp a little. That means less stirring so the rice, the oil, and the hot pan have time to work their magic and make your rice crisp up just like restaurant-style fried rice.

What is the secret ingredient in Chinese fried rice?

Soy sauce, sesame oil, and garlic make the secret ingredient base of the best Chinese fried rice. Some people swear by using butter instead of vegetable oil, but I find the real restaurant-style fried rice taste is more achievable when using sesame oil or vegetable oil.

Is fried rice healthy?

Yes, or at least this fried rice recipe is fairly healthy because it uses spices and seasonings to add the flavors. If you want even more healthy and low-carbohydrates fried rice, you can use cauliflower rice instead of regular rice. It will cut down on the carbohydrates and calories of the fried rice…and it still tastes amazing.

What is the best oil to use for fried rice?

You need a vegetable oil that can handle high temperatures for making fried rice. The best oils to use in fried rice are:
Sesame oil
Vegetable oil
Peanut oil
Avocado oil
Canola oil