Forget takeout and make this bacon and egg fried rice right at home! Punctuated with soy sauce, sesame oil, and toasted sesame seeds, this wonderfully flavorful dish cooks in one pan and is ready in about 40 minutes.
For more fried rice recipes, try my popular bok choy fried rice or this miso fried rice with mushrooms.
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Quick Look: Bacon and Egg Fried Rice
⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🍳 Cook Time: 20 minutes
🕒 Total Time: 40 minutes
👥 Servings: 4
📊 Calories: ~920 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
🔥 Cook Method: Stove-top, one-pan meal
👩🍳 Main Ingredients: Rice, bacon, and eggs
⭐ Difficulty: Easy, making it great for busy weeknight dinners
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Why You'll Love Bacon and Egg Fried Rice
Minimal cleanup: Everything cooks in just one pan for easy cleanup.
Full flavor: Rendering the bacon in the pan infuses every grain of rice with flavor. The rice is also tossed with soy sauce and sesame oil.
Uses day-old rice: This results in an ideal texture, not a mushy mess.
I feel like scrambled eggs and scallions were once a common feature in fried rice, but they've become less common over the years (in my experience).
My answer to this first-world dilemma was to make my own, and this bacon and egg fried rice is probably my favorite version of this popular takeout dish. The ingredients are rendered in bacon fat, and everything cooks in one pan.
Translation: a delicious and easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredient-Stretching Tip: Use up any remaining scallions in this eggplant in garlic sauce recipe, peanut butter noodles, or shrimp noodles stir-fry.
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Key Ingredients
See the recipe card for full ingredient and quantity information.
- Bacon: This is where the real flavor is, and it's the obvious star here
- Scallions: We'll cook the white parts and garnish with the green parts.
- Eggs: A must for fried rice!
- Day-Old Cooked White Rice: Important that it's at least a day old, so it doesn't turn mushy.
Variations & Substitutions
➢For a leaner option, swap the pork bacon with turkey bacon.
➢Omit the bacon for a vegetarian version of this rice.
➢For more color, texture, and nutrition, add more veggies like peas and carrots.
➢Use any white rice you like, including long-grain white. You can also use brown rice.
➢Add chili crisp or white pepper for heat.
How to Make Bacon and Egg Fried Rice
Step 1: Toast the sesame seeds until golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Step 2: Fry the bacon until it's nice and crisp. Transfer to a paper towel, then remove all but ~1 tablespoon of bacon grease.
Step 3: Cook the onion and white scallions until softened. Add the eggs, and cook until almost fully cooked through.
Step 4: Heat the vegetable oil, then add the rice. Stir until warmed through, then pour in the soy sauce and stir quickly.
Step 5: Add the egg/onion mixture back to the pan, along with the sesame oil and half of the green scallions, and finish cooking the eggs.
Step 6: Add the bacon back in, then garnish with some of the sesame seeds and remaining green scallions.
Pro Tips
➢Prepare the rice beforehand: Cook it the day before, drain it when it's still a bit firm (al dente), and let it cool for a bit before storing it in the fridge overnight. This will help dry it out and prevent it from becoming mushy when you make the fried rice the next day.
➢Cook the rice like you would pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the rice, and stir occasionally as it cooks. Once the rice is almost done but still firm, drain it in a colander. It's easier to cook this way and helps the rice stay firmer.
➢Fluff up the leftover rice before reheating: If the rice sticks together when it's cold, fluff it with a fork before adding it to the pan so it's easier to incorporate with the other ingredients.
Bacon and Egg Fried Rice FAQs
The secret is day-old rice, which holds up better than freshly cooked rice. Fresh rice can become mushy, especially when the oil and soy sauce are added. I recommend 1- to 2-day-old rice for the best results.
No, this version of fried rice is not Chinese. If anything, it's an American spin on a popular Chinese takeout rice dish, sort of like these shiitake garlic noodles.
Yes, the rice in fried rice does fry when you let the underside brown in the oil. However, you can quickly toss the rice in the oil and heat it through without waiting for it to technically brown. Soy sauce helps the rice develop its traditional brown color.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: I don't recommend freezing this rice.
Reheat: Warm through in the oven or microwave.
Related Recipes
If you love this recipe, please take a moment to review it below. You could also tag me on Instagram (@forcarbssake) with a picture of your finished dish!
Bacon and Egg Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 5 strips bacon raw, standard thickness, cut into 1-inch pieces
- ½ yellow onion diced
- 4 scallions sliced (separate the white and green parts)
- 4 eggs large, whisked, with a pinch of salt
- 2 teaspoons neutral oil (Note 1)
- 4 cups day-old cooked white rice (Note 2)
- ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce (Note 3)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds toasted (Note 4)
Instructions
- Heat a wok o skillet over medium heat, and toast the sesame seeds until golden. Remove them and set aside.
- Add the bacon to the same pan and cook it until crisp. Transfer the bacon from the pan to a paper towel to absorb the excess grease. Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon grease from the skillet with a spoon and discard.
- Add the onion and scallions (white parts only) to the skillet and cook them in the remaining bacon grease until soft and translucent.
- Add the eggs, turning down the heat so they cook gently. When they're just about done, transfer them with the onions and scallions to a plate. (It's fine to cook the eggs, onions, and scallions together.)
- Crank up the heat again and add the canola oil to the pan. When it's heated through, add the pre-cooked rice and spread it out as thinly as possible to heat through and brown the underside slightly, if you'd like.
- Lower the heat, then add the soy sauce and toss it quickly with the rice to evenly coat it.
- Return the egg, onion, and scallion mixture to the skillet. Add the sesame oil and half the green scallions; stir everything together and finish cooking the eggs, about 1 minute.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon. Garnish with the toasted sesame seeds and remaining green scallions.
Notes
- If the cold rice sticks together, fluff it with a fork before adding it to the pan when you make the fried rice.
Nutrition
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This was delicious. Will definitely make it again.