Bacon fried rice is an all-time favorite at my house. With crispy bacon and scrambled eggs what’s not to love. This fried rice is quick and easy so it’s perfect for busy weeknights.
Forget take-out, this fried rice is just as good and you probably have most of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry already. It’s also pretty affordable; eggs, white rice, soy sauce, bean sprouts and the spices are all pretty cheap. Bacon, on the other hand, has turned into a luxury item. What I do is buy it on sale (usually BOGO) and I freeze it. Bacon keeps frozen for 4 months. That way I’m never paying full price! And, if you do have leftover bacon use it in this bacon lentil soup.
Ingredients in fried rice
- White rice – We use long grain white rice, you can use leftovers or make fresh. You’ll need about 5 cups cooked rice. For the best fried rice make sure it’s cold before cooking. For step by step instructions and tips check out this article on how to make white rice.
- Salt – We need some salt to cook the rice (unless you’re using leftovers). We’ll also need a little bit of salt to season the eggs.
- Bacon – Lots of crispy bacon. Use 12 ounces and cut or chop it into roughly 1 inch pieces so that they’ll still be a good size after they’re cooked.
- Bacon drippings – Both the eggs and the fried rice are made with bacon drippings so make sure to reserve at least 3 tablespoons.
- Eggs – Use five eggs to make this fried rice. After all what goes better with bacon than eggs, right?
- Bean Sprouts – These will add a little snap to the fried rice. They’re a must at my house but if you prefer, use 8 ounces of vegetables instead.
- Soy Sauce – Use low sodium soy sauce because the rice and eggs both have some seasoning and bacon is salty already.
- Flavor – Garlic, ginger powder and green onions will add the extra zing we need to make the best fried rice.
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Cook the white rice (if not using leftover)
Bring the water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. When the water is boiling vigorously, add the rice and 1 teaspoon of salt, stir.
Lower the heat to medium and boil, uncovered, until most of the water has cooked out and you can see the rice on the surface, approximately 5-7 minutes.
Stir the rice briefly, lower the heat to low and cover. Cook the rice on low for 20 – 25 minutes until done.
Use cold rice
Ideally we want to use cold rice for this dish. The rice will take a while to cool and chill in the refrigerator. One way to speed this up is to place the cooked rice a large bowl, and then give it a good stir periodically to let the steam escape.
When it’s cool enough, place it in the refrigerator until cold. The grains of rice should be separated and firm. If you’re wondering if the extra work is worth it, it definitely is. Cold rice makes the best fried rice!
Prep work
The prep work on this take-out favorite is a snap!
- Cut the bacon into 1 inch pieces. Use kitchen shears to make quick work of this.
- Cut or slice the green onions into small pieces. Use kitchen shears to make this really easy.
- Use a microplane to grate the garlic cloves, it’s quick, plus you can grate it right into a bowl and skip the cutting board. If you don’t have a small grater then finely mince the garlic.
- Place the eggs and ½ teaspoon of salt in a bowl and beat them.
- Measure out and gather the remaining ingredients.
Cook the bacon
We need to cook the bacon first because the scrambled eggs and the fried rice are made with bacon drippings.
Add the bacon to a large, deep, nonstick skillet or wok. Cook the bacon over medium heat until crispy. This should take about 15-18 minutes. The bacon will take a little time to get going, but once it starts browning it will crisp up quick. Make sure you stick around and stir frequently.
Remove the skillet from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer it to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve for later. If your household is anything like mine I have to hide the crispy bacon or large portions of it will disappear and won’t make it to the fried rice. I’ll put the plate in the microwave or the oven, but with the amazing aroma I’m not fooling anyone.
Reserve at least 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
Wash the skillet/wok (or use a different one) and dry thoroughly. We want to wash the pan after cooking the bacon to get rid of the fine crumbs left in the drippings and skillet. A little bit is ok but too much will make the rice look dirty, plus they’re such fine particles that they might burn.
Make the scrambled eggs
Heat 1 teaspoon of the reserved bacon drippings in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the eggs for 3-5 minutes while stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until they’re cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
How to make bacon fried rice
Now that all the components of the fried rice are cooked and prepped we can start cooking.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings in a large wok or deep, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the garlic and ginger powder, stir well to combine. Cook 15-30 seconds, stirring constantly.
Raise the heat to medium and immediately add the cooked white rice, eggs and bean sprouts, give everything a good stir. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture starts sizzling and is hot and a little steamy. Stir frequently, almost constantly to fry everything evenly and prevent the bottom from burning.
Next, add in ¼ cup of soy sauce while stirring constantly to coat the ingredients completely. Cook, while stirring the fried rice for 1½ – 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium-low and continue stirring. Check the color and taste the rice, add a little more soy sauce (a teaspoon at a time) if needed.
Finally, sprinkle in the reserved bacon and green onions and continue stirring until everything has come together.
Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes to warm everything and let the flavors come together.
What to serve with bacon fried rice
Substitutions
- Instead of making the white rice you can use 5 cups cooked leftover rice.
- If you’re not a fan of bean sprouts substitute with 8 ounces of a vegetable of choice. A carrot and pea mix, or mixed vegetables with green beans, carrots and corn would also be delicious. Don’t add them in frozen; cook them enough to defrost before adding them to the fried rice. Add them in at the same time as the white rice and scrambled eggs.
Bacon Fried Rice
Ingredients
Ingredients to make white rice
- 3 cups Water
- 1½ cup Long Grain White Rice about 5 cups cooked rice
- 1 teaspoon Salt we use kosher salt
Ingredients bacon fried rice
- 5 cups Cooked White Rice
- 12 ounces Bacon cut into 1 inch pieces and cooked crispy (3 tablespoons bacon drippings reserved)
- 5 Large Eggs beaten
- ½ teaspoon Salt we use kosher salt
- 2 Large Garlic Cloves grated or finely minced
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 8 ounces Bean Sprouts
- ¼ cup Low-Sodium Soy Sauce plus 1-2 teaspoons if needed
- 3-4 tablespoons Green Onion sliced (plus extra for garnish if desired)
Instructions
Cook the white rice (if not using leftover)
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat in a medium saucepan. When the water is boiling vigorously, add the rice and 1 teaspoon of salt, stir.
- Lower the heat to medium and boil, uncovered, until most of the water has cooked out and you can see the rice on the surface, approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Stir the rice briefly, lower the heat to low and cover. Cook the rice on low for 20 – 25 minutes until done. Uncover the rice, fluff with a fork and let it cool. Once it has cooled some, refrigerate until cold.
Cook the bacon
- Add the bacon to a large, deep, nonstick skillet or wok. Cook the bacon over medium heat for 15 – 18 minutes or until crispy, stir frequently.
- Remove the skillet from the heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate.
- Reserve at least 3 tablespoons of the bacon drippings.
- Wash the wok or skillet (or use a different one) and dry thoroughly.
Make the scrambled eggs
- Add ½ teaspoon of salt to the eggs and beat until combined.
- Heat 1 teaspoon of the reserved bacon drippings in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Cook the eggs for 3-5 minutes while stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula until cooked through. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside.
Make the bacon fried rice
- Heat 2-3 tablespoons of the reserved bacon drippings in a large wok or deep, non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add the garlic and ginger powder, cook 15-30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Raise the heat to medium and immediately add the cooked white rice, eggs and bean sprouts, give everything a good stir. Cook for 5-7 minutes until the mixture starts sizzling and is hot and a little steamy. Stir frequently, almost constantly to fry everything evenly and prevent the bottom from burning.
- Next, add in ¼ cup of soy sauce while stirring constantly to coat the ingredients completely. Cook, while stirring for 1½- 2 minutes.
- Lower the heat to medium-low and continue stirring. Check the color and taste the rice, add a little more soy sauce (a teaspoon at a time) if needed. As a reference we did not add extra to ours.
- Finally, sprinkle in the reserved bacon and green onions and stir until combined.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes to warm everything and let the flavors come together.
Video
Notes
- The cooking time does not include cooking and chilling the white rice. Making white rice takes approximately 35 minutes. Chilling it will take at least 1-2 hours.
- For the best fried rice, refrigerate the rice until completely cold and firm, or use leftover rice.
- With fried rice and stir fry, it’s best to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go because things move very quickly.
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