This Thai-inspired Garlic Fried Rice is bursting with fragrant, crispy garlic and made with leftover rice. Ready in under 20 minutes, it's an easy, flavor-packed side dish that pairs perfectly with just about any meal!
If you are looking for more garlic rice recipes, then try my garlic butter shrimp rice recipe next!
A Quick Look at the Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Garlic Fried Rice Recipe
🕒 Ready In: ~20 minutes
👪 Makes: 3 servings
🧑🍳 Main Ingredients: Leftover cooked rice, garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce and egg.
📌 Difficulty: Easy fried rice recipe
Why you’ll love this garlic fried rice recipe?
I first fell in love with garlic fried rice after ordering it at an authentic Thai restaurant in Vegas. It was so incredibly flavorful that I came home determined to recreate it, so I could enjoy it anytime instead of waiting for another trip to Vegas!
If you're a garlic lover, this recipe is for you. It's loaded with crispy fried garlic, green onions, fluffy rice, and simple seasonings that come together to create an irresistibly flavorful dish. Serve it as an easy side with your favorite protein, or enjoy it on its own as a quick, garlic-packed one-pan meal.
- maria doss
Jump to:
How to infuse rice with lots of garlic? The secret is to build layers of garlic flavor! I start by frying plenty of chopped garlic in oil until it's deep golden brown and wonderfully crispy. Then I remove the garlic, but leave every drop of that garlic-infused oil in the pan. That oil is liquid gold—it becomes the base for cooking the eggs and stir-frying the rice, coating every grain with rich, savory garlic flavor.
Next, I stir most of the crispy garlic back into the rice and save a handful to sprinkle on top just before serving. That final layer adds an irresistible crunch and an extra burst of garlic in every bite.
The trickiest part of garlic fried rice is cooking the garlic just right. If it burns, it becomes bitter and can overpower the entire dish. But when it's cooked slowly until golden brown, garlic transforms from sharp and pungent into something sweet, nutty, crispy, and incredibly flavorful. That's the secret to restaurant-quality garlic fried rice.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- Rice - For the best results, I recommend using long-grain white rice, such as jasmine or basmati, as it helps achieve the ideal texture. To avoid a soggy or mushy outcome, make sure the rice is at least a day old. Freshly steamed rice tends to retain too much moisture, which can compromise the texture when frying.
- Garlic - Garlic truly takes center stage in this dish! I used 6 cloves of garlic for 2 cups of cooked rice, and the flavor is fantastic. If you’re concerned about the garlic being too intense, feel free to reduce the amount to 4 or 5 cloves. However, remember that toasting the garlic not only softens its flavor but also imparts a nutty richness.
- Sauces - I use a combination of soy sauce and oyster sauce, which adds saltiness, color, authentic flavor and umaminess.
- Scallion - Adds subtle onion flavor and color.
- Egg - Egg adds protein and flavor.
- Pepper - I use ground black pepper because it's a common staple in most households. However, for a truly authentic taste, you might consider using white pepper. White pepper adds a subtle depth of flavor and can elevate your rice to restaurant-quality right in your own kitchen.
- Salt - You might wonder why this recipe uses both soy sauce and salt. While soy sauce is salty, adding more of it can quickly overpower the dish. In garlic fried rice, the garlic should be the star—not the soy sauce.
That's why I use just a teaspoon of soy sauce to add a subtle savory, umami flavor, then season the rice with salt to taste. This keeps the garlic front and center while giving the rice just the right amount of seasoning without making it taste like soy sauce.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
Tips for cooking garlic for garlic rice
- Chop the garlic into evenly sized pieces. This helps it cook at the same rate. If some pieces are much smaller than others, they'll burn before the larger pieces have a chance to turn golden.
- Cook over medium heat. High heat browns the outside too quickly while leaving the inside undercooked, which can give the garlic a bitter, harsh flavor. Medium heat allows it to cook evenly and develop a sweet, nutty taste.
- Remove the garlic when it's light golden. Garlic continues to cook from the residual heat after it's removed from the oil, so don't wait until it's deep brown. Pull it a little early to prevent it from burning.
- Drain the garlic on a paper towel-lined plate. This removes excess oil and allows the garlic to crisp up as it cools, giving you the perfect crunchy topping for your garlic fried rice.
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What to serve with garlic fried rice?
Garlic fried rice, also known as Sinangag, is a versatile side dish that pairs wonderfully with any Asian meal—or just about anything! I particularly love serving it with air fryer bang bang chicken or teriyaki tofu.
If you don’t have leftover cooked rice but need a quick fried rice option, try my instant pot egg fried rice. These one-pot dishes cook the rice and other ingredients together, so there's no need for leftover rice.
Tips for Success
- Cooked rice - Always use cooled cooked rice instead of freshly cooked rice for best resulting dish.
- Don't burn the garlic - There is nothing worse than burnt garlic. So make sure to cook your garlic in medium heat and remove promptly when it turns golden in color.
More Asian dishes
Garlic Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 large cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups cooked and cooled white rice
- 1 scallion chopped
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Cook garlic. Add the oil, chopped garlic, and ⅛ teaspoon salt to a medium skillet. Place the skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, for 1–2 minutes, or until the garlic is lightly golden brown. Immediately transfer the garlic to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving every drop of the garlic-infused oil in the pan.👉 Don't let the garlic get too dark. It can go from golden to burnt very quickly, so remove it as soon as it turns golden brown. It will continue to darken slightly from the residual heat.
- Finish rice. Pour the beaten egg into the garlic-infused oil and gently scramble until it's just partially cooked. Add the cooked rice, green onions, soy sauce, oyster sauce, black pepper, and the remaining salt. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry everything together until the rice is hot and evenly coated.Stir in most of the reserved crispy garlic, saving a little to sprinkle on top before serving for extra crunch. Give the rice a taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt, black pepper, or soy sauce, if needed.
- Serve. Garnish with additional chopped scallions and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💚 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love to hear your feedback! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Facebook.
Hi, I’m Maria! I share easy, flavor-packed dinners, high-protein meals, and irresistible baking ideas. If you’ve ever asked, “Don’t know what to cook tonight?” you’re in the right place. And yes—there’s plenty here for breakfast, snacks, and dessert too. More about maria ->
Kelly @ Kelly Lynns Sweets and Treats
Such a fun recipe!! It’s like a mash-up of three things all kids love! I would totally dig this for lunch! Xoxo
heather (delicious not gorgeous)
fried rice is the best!! if you like fried rice + omelettes, highly recommend that you check out omurice (:
Katherine | Love In My Oven
Maria, your recipes always make me smile!! This is so genius. You should have a cookbook dedicated to meals for kids!! The best!
Agness of Run Agness Run
Wow! So many of my favorite ingredients in just one dish, Maria! Is there any alternative to the soy sauce?
Deepika|TheLoveOfCakes
This is such a fun meal for kids and fussy eaters! And with that egg omelette on the outside, its very filling too!
Sherry
Yes made this, really good, I did add shredded cabbage and a bunch of green onions. Was out of oyster sauce, so did Soy sauce vinegar and ginger.
Lisa
Hi! Could I use fish sauce or Hoisin sauce if I don’t have oyster sauce?
Maria Doss
Hi Lisa, You can try using a combination of hoisin and fish sauce - Maria
Doug Baby
Turned out Fantastic!!!makes Anyone feel they can really Cook😀
Maria Doss
That’s so great to hear, so glad you loved it - Maria ♡
Matthew Banno
Could you please advise me of the name of the Thai restaurant you visited in LV? Thanks.
Maria Doss
Hi Mathew, I think it is Le Thai near Fremont street. Enjoy - Maria