Sweet potato fried rice is the perfect quick and easy vegetarian dinner recipe you didn’t know you always wanted.
In the beginning of quarantine, I was on a fried rice kick and had also been eating a lot of sweet potatoes. So, naturally, one day I decided to combine the two and this recipe was born. By it making it here to the blog, I am proud to say it is definitely a winner.
What Kind of Rice to Use to Fried Rice?
The most important thing to note is that you want to use leftover rice—not anything that has been made fresh. In terms of the type of rice itself, a plain, long-grain white rice is standard, but feel free to play around with brown or wild rice. Or for that matter, you can experiment with other grains, like farro or barley, too.
Sweet Potato Fried Rice Ingredients
Two of the ingredients (rice and sweet potatoes) are included in the recipe title. I use an orange fleshed sweet potato here, but I imagine other varieties would work just as well. When it comes to flavoring the dish, I add in minced garlic and ginger, which complement the sweetness of the potato nicely. There’s also some soy sauce for more of that “traditional” fried rice essence, but you can swap it for tamari (or just leave it out completely) to make this dish gluten-free.
I always tend to include an egg or two in my fried rice, but the bonus part in this recipe is that it adds more protein, making the meal more nutritionally balanced. And last but not least, a nice drizzle of sriracha provides some heat and a few sliced scallions add a bit of freshness. Enjoy!
Sweet Potato Fried Rice
Sweet potato fried rice is the perfect quick and easy vegetarian dinner recipe you didn't know you always wanted.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- 1 medium (8 ounce) sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch dice
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 2 cups leftover white rice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 1 (to 2) large egg(s), beaten
- 1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce or tamari
- Sriracha or other hot sauce, for serving
- Sliced scallions, for serving
Instructions
- Place the oil in a medium or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. (It will look like there's too much oil, but this oil will be needed once we add the rice.) Add the sweet potato, season with some salt and pepper, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes start to soften and brown, about 5 minutes. (Covering the sweet skillet helps the sweet potatoes to cook more quickly.)
- Remove the lid, add the rice, garlic, and ginger, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is warmed through and starts to crisp up a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add the egg and soy sauce, and cook, stirring frequently, until the egg is set, about 1 minute. Transfer immediately to a bowl (or bowls), top with hot sauce and sliced scallions, and serve.
This is something I definitely will be trying soon! These are two of my favorite ingredients, good call combining them. Also enjoyed your newsletter featuring this recipe. Hope you are well and taking care of yourself!
Mades this and SUPER YUMMY!! The butternut squash paired with rice put the “comfort” in this and the ginger and Sriracha gave a lovely zing. Thank and I will be making again!
Just made this recipe with the addition of a little picked chicken! Absolute deliciousness and totally quick and easy! Have added to my “Make Again” recipe collection!
I added a cup of peas to beef it up a bit and it’s just fabulous! Will become a regular rotation at my house!
So good thank you ?