Vegan Basil Fried Rice
on Jun 26, 2019, Updated Jul 26, 2024
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This healthy vegan basil fried rice features loads of fresh basil fried up with brown rice, peas, corn, bell peppers and onion. Enjoy this gluten-free and oil-free dish as a homemade alternative to takeout fried rice.
This easy fried rice dish takes just 15 minutes to make if you already have cooked rice on hand. It’s a great way to use up leftover brown rice and and is easily customizable to whatever veggies you have available.
This recipe is vegan, gluten-free, oil-free and refined sugar-free.
Recipe Ingredients
To make this simple, healthy fried rice, you’ll need:
- Brown rice. I like brown rice best for this recipe but you can use basmati or jasmine rice if you prefer. I like how brown rice is a bit firmer than white rice. The rice will need to be cooked beforehand, so make sure you give yourself 45 minutes if you’re cooking brown rice from scratch.
- Veggies. You’ll need fresh or frozen green peans and corn, bell peppers and onion for this recipe, however, you can substituted pretty much any veggie you have on hand. Broccoli, celery, green onion, zucchini and carrot also work well.
- Flavourings. To add flavour the the fried rice, I used soy sauce, coconut sugar and garlic. You can use brown sugar or maple syrup in place of the coconut sugar if you prefer.
- Basil. You can leave the basil out and do regular fried rice but I love the basil with the other veggies and chewy fried rice. You can use Thai basil or regular basil in this recipe.
How to Add Protein
- Mix in 1 cup of cooked, shelled edamame.
- Add the scrambled tofu portion of this fried rice dish.
- Mix in 1 package of crumbled or cubed tempeh.
- Mix in baked tofu or serve topped with baked tofu.
- Mix in your choice of diced vegan sausage or homemade seitan.
More Recipes to Try
- Fried Rice with Tofu Scramble
- Healthy Cauliflower Fried Rice
- Mushroom Fried Rice
- Vegan Tofu Cashew Fried Rice
- Rice and Lentils
- Thai Basil Eggplant
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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Vegan Basil Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium white onion, diced (approx. 1 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 cup green peas, fresh or frozen (190 g)
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen (190 g)
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or gluten-free tamari, 30 mL
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar, 15 g
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 cup tightly packed chopped fresh basil, 50 g
- sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium-high heat then add the onion, garlic and bell pepper to a skillet with a splash of water or broth or 1 tsp of sesame oil. Cook for 5-8 minutes until fragrant, softened and starting to brown.
- Add everything except the basil, salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes.
- Stir in the basil. Spread the mixture around the pan so it’s sitting evenly then allow to sit for 1-2 minutes before scraping and stirring. Repeat 2-3 times. This allows the rice to brown and crisp on the bottom.
- Season with salt and pepper if desired and serve hot or store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
This looks great! I want to try this this weekend, but should I use 2 cups of basil or 1? You said you used 2 cups and the ingredient list calls for 1 cup. Just want my first attempt to be perfect! Thanks 🙂
1 cup tightly packed, thanks.
I made this last night and it is delicious! My husband and 5 year old loved it as well! I ate it again today for lunch and I think it was even better after the flavors soaked together overnight. Glad I made extra! Thank you!
So glad you guys enjoyed it, Stacy! Thanks for letting me know.
Super easy, very teaty recipe. What I love about all these recipes is that you can’t go wrong.
So glad you enjoy it, Carolyn! Thank you so much for the review, it’s much appreciated!
Can’t wait to try this! Do you know the nutritional facts on this dish?
Hi, I’ve added then nutrition facts to the recipe. Enjoy!
Made this- with the tofu scramble, and it was delicious! Perfect combination of flavors.
Wonderful! It is so good, isn’t it?
This is great when you need to use up some vegetables. So tasty and easy to make loved it.
This is DELISH!!! Made it tonight. So hearty and fulfilling
Glad you enjoyed it!! I love this one too. Thanks for the comment, Jaacquie!
Fantastic! At first i thought too much pepper but its good and spicy. I love scrambled tofu so was excited to whip it up and add it.
Awesome! So glad you tried it with the added tofu scramble. It’s a bit spicy for sure, but just enough heat for me. Thanks for the feedback!