We may earn a commission when you click on the affiliate links in this post.
If you are looking for an easy Ham Fried Rice recipe that tastes just like takeout, this is the one I make again and again. It has tender bites of ham, fluffy rice, simple vegetables, scrambled eggs, and just the right amount of soy sauce for that classic fried rice flavor. It is quick, family-friendly, and one of my favorite ways to turn leftover ham into a dinner everyone will happily eat.
Restaurant Style Fried Rice
I love this recipe because I am picky about fried rice in the best possible way. I want it slightly dry, tender, and never clumpy or sticky. I also want it to be simple, not overloaded with too many ingredients. That is exactly why this Ham Fried Rice is one of my favorites. It has that restaurant-style texture I want, it is easy to make at home, and it uses basic ingredients I usually already have on hand. It is also one of my go-to ways to use leftover holiday ham after Christmas or Easter.
When I serve this, I usually pair it with other Asian-inspired favorites for a homemade takeout night. It goes really well with dishes like General Tso’s Chicken, Mongolian Beef, Kung Pao Chicken, or Orange Chicken. You can also serve it on its own for a quick lunch or easy weeknight dinner.
🩷 Erica
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Oil: Vegetable oil works great, and sesame oil can be used for extra flavor.
- Aromatics: Onion or green onion and garlic give this fried rice its classic savory base.
- Ham: Diced ham is ideal here, especially leftover Christmas or Easter ham.
- Vegetables: Carrots and peas are the classic veggie combo, and frozen works perfectly.
- Eggs: Scrambled eggs add protein and that familiar fried rice texture.
- Rice: Long-grain white rice, especially jasmine rice, gives the best texture, and day-old rice works best.
- Seasoning: Soy sauce is the main seasoning, and you can add a little sesame oil, salt, or pepper to taste.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Swap the ham for pork, chicken, shrimp, or leave the meat out altogether for a vegetarian version.
- Add extra mix-ins like shredded carrots, pineapple, baby corn, broccoli, bacon, or more vegetables. Pineapple came up in the comments too, and the site author confirmed they sometimes add it.
- Use low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos if you want to cut back on salt.
- For a gluten-free version, use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
- Pre-cooked rice can be a great shortcut. One reader mentioned using Trader Joe’s frozen rice for an even easier dinner.
How to Make Ham Fried Rice
- Cook the onion and garlic. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened and lightly golden, then stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant.
- Add the ham, vegetables, and eggs. Stir in the diced ham, carrots, and peas, then cook until the ham is heated through and the vegetables are tender. Push everything to the side of the pan, pour in the beaten eggs, and scramble until cooked.
- Stir in the rice and soy sauce. Add the cooked rice and break it up gently as you stir everything together. Pour in the soy sauce a little at a time so the rice gets evenly seasoned without becoming too salty.
- Cook until hot and serve. Continue stirring for a couple more minutes until the rice is heated through and everything is well combined. Serve right away as a side dish or easy main course.
Recipe Tips
- Use day-old rice whenever possible. This is the biggest secret to fried rice that is fluffy instead of sticky.
- Chill freshly cooked rice first if you do not have leftovers. The original notes recommend making it ahead and refrigerating it overnight.
- Add soy sauce slowly so the rice does not get too salty.
- Do not overcrowd the pan if you want better texture. A hot skillet helps the rice fry instead of steam. This is an inference from standard fried rice technique and the recipe’s emphasis on a dry, restaurant-style texture.
- Dice the ham small so you get a little bit in every bite.
- Keep the ingredient list simple if you want that classic restaurant-style fried rice feel, which is exactly what the original post emphasizes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Using leftover rice or day-old rice is the secret to the best fried rice. The rice has time to dry out a little so it can absorb the flavors of the seasonings without getting clumpy or sticky when you stir-fry it over the stove top.
Long-grain white rice works best for this recipe. Jasmine rice is especially good because it has great texture and flavor.
Yes, but for the best texture, let it cool and chill it first. The original post and comments both point readers toward refrigerating the rice ahead of time.
Yes, and that is actually one of the best reasons to make this recipe. The original post specifically calls out leftover Christmas or Easter ham, and multiple readers mentioned loving it for leftovers.
Definitely. This is a great addition if you want a sweet and savory kind of taste.
You can swap the ham for pork, chicken, shrimp, or make it vegetarian.
Use low sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos.
Yes, just use a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
Not necessarily. In this recipe, the eggs are added to the skillet and scrambled there. One commenter shared a variation where they cook the eggs separately, slice them into strips, and stir them in later, which is another great option.
Make Ahead and Storage
This recipe is great for meal prep because so much of it can be made ahead.
- Reheat: Warm leftovers in a skillet for the best texture. The comments also mention reheating rice in a skillet before serving.
- Make ahead: Cook the rice a day in advance, let it cool, then refrigerate it overnight for the best fried rice texture.
- Store in the fridge: Leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for up to a week according to the original recipe notes.
- Freeze: You can freeze leftovers in freezer-safe bags or containers and press out as much air as possible before storing.
More Fried Rice Recipes
This Ham Fried Rice is one of my favorite easy dinners because it is fast, flavorful, and perfect for using up leftover ham. I love that it tastes like takeout, but it is made with simple ingredients I already have at home. Whether you serve it as a side dish or make it the main event, this is one of those dependable recipes that always disappears fast.
If you make this recipe, I would love to hear how you served it and what add-ins you used. Leave a comment and a star rating so others can see how it turned out for you.
Ham Fried Rice
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, (sesame oil can also be used)
- 1 small onion or green onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1-2 cups ham, diced
- 1 cup carrots and peas, diced, frozen works great
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups long-grain white rice, cooked (leftover rice works best)
- soy sauce, to taste
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil (or sesame oil) in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions to the hot oil and stir until clear and light brown. Stir in garlic.
- When garlic is lightly browned, add ham and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add carrots and peas and cook until they are tender.
- Beat eggs together in a small bowl and add eggs to the skillet. Cook until eggs are scrambled and firm.
- Add cooked rice to skillet and mix in thoroughly. Stir in soy sauce, a little at a time. (you can always add more so don't overdo it).
Notes
- Day-old rice is best for fluffy, restaurant-style fried rice.
- Refrigerate cooked rice overnight if making ahead.
- Use leftover ham from holiday meals for easy prep.
- Add soy sauce gradually so the rice does not get overly salty.
- Swap proteins or add vegetables to make it your own.
- Use low sodium soy sauce, liquid aminos, or tamari for dietary needs.
- Fridge and freezer friendly, so make extra for later.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe?
We want to hear from you! Please leave a review.
This turned out really good! I didn’t plan ahead well enough before I started, so I didn’t realize that I had no any sauce until it was time to add it. I did Worcestershire sauce and some lemon juice, then a teeny bit of teriyaki sauce (but the teriyaki sauce was mostly because I know my hubby prefers fried rice with teriyaki sauce). I’ll definitely make it again with the right ingredients!
I’m happy this recipe worked well for you! I’m impressed with your innovative substitutions. Well done! 🙂
This recipe was simple to make with all ingredients readily available,was not time consuming and delicious! I prepared the rice early in the morning so was perfect for preparation. I’m making it tonight again. Great recipe for leftover ham!
Did you add pineapple chunks?
Yes, sometimes we add pineapple chunks!
Such a great reciep! We used some leftover ham from a family dinner and it was perfect!
Simple yet delicious recipe that my entire family enjoyed!
yummy
Tried this for dinner last night and it paired perfectly with Mongolian beef; easily, a new favorite fried rice recipe!
With Trader Joe’s frozen rice, this was such an easy dinner to throw together. Added lots of veggies and it was delish!
We loved the ham in this fried rice! Came out so tasty!
Where does the water come in? It states to make the rice according to package directions…..or do you use the 2 cups water to make the rice. Did I miss something?
Yes, you use the water to cook the rice! Hope this helps!
Not sure if the recipe we updated but normally its 1cup rice to 2 cups water. Hope this helps
I learned a trick on how to cook rice (white) perfectly. I measured for most of my life, but sometimes needed to add more water, and sometimes the finished product was clumpy. The trick(s):
Almost like cooking pasta… start with way more water than rice, and bring to a boil. Add the rice and cook for 9 minutes (stirring occasionally). After 9 minutes, drain the rice and put in a bowl or storage container and fluff up with a fork. The rice grains will be separate. *If you are going to make fried rice, put the cooked rice either in the freezer or refrigerator so it will be cold when you start to fry it up. I don’t know who figured out this, but it sure works!
The recipe states that I should use 1 tsp. sesame oil and 2 Tbsp. veg. oil. But the note states that 3 Tbsp. of just sesame can be used instead. Does that mean that the original amounts of oil should add up to 3 Tbsp? So should the original 1 tsp. sesame oil actually be 1 Tbsp?
You are right, it should be 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp. 3 Tbsp. of sesame oil may be too overpowering. I will go fix it in the recipe. Thanks for the heads up!
You still have 3 Tbsp sesame oil in the ingredient list.
I fixed it! Thanks for catching that!
I made this tonight to take to a NYE potluck. Before I add the egg, I like to mix them up in a bowl with some soy sauce, a little garlic salt and then fry them in a separate hot skillet so they look like flat little pancakes. Then I cut the egg into thin strips before adding it to the fried ham. Regardless, yours is a great recipe and I’ve had plenty of samples along the way. Thank you.
Thank you so much for the 5 stars! Also, thank you for the tip on how you add the eggs to the rice. Great idea! Happy New Year!
2 questions: if you make the rice the night before, do you leave it on the countertop or put it in the frig?
Your ingredients say 3 eggs. Your recipe says egg, not eggs. Do you definitely use 3 eggs?
Thank you! Glad I’m not the only one who prefers fried rice without veggies, especially peas!
Keep the rice in the fridge if you make it the night before. You can easily reheat it in a skillet before serving. You do use three eggs in the recipe. Thank you for letting us know there was typo in the instructions. I’ve made the correction. Enjoy your rice! 🙂
Refrigerator, also Trader Joe’s carries precooked jasmine rice. Quick and easy.
Made today. I love it. Thank you
a as far as fried rice,im from hawaii so theres more to it then this,like adding cut up green onion,and i use spam cut up in little bitty chunks,plus bbq pork which ever meat,but ham is good but want flavor so i like bbq pork you can buy in selected grocers, also add a 1/4 tsp oyster sauce ahhh! at end when cooking rice in it and a little more soyu for more brown color and pepper and salt,is using kikoman soy no salt ok. this is for 4 cps rice,ahh lrft overs are great next day.oh a use only half can of spam or bbq pork use 1/4 cp or little more to ur liking. enjoy.