Wondering how to reheat fried rice?
Well, you’ve come to the right place!
If you’re anything like me, you probably harbor an inexplicable love for fried rice in your heart!
It’s hands down one of the most mouthwatering dishes to have ever been invented.
It’s just so versatile; there are so many ways in which you can prepare fried rice.
Some variations include Chinese fried rice, vegetable fried rice, egg fried rice, chicken fried rice, and BBQ fried rice.
My love for fried rice is so insatiable that I can’t help but make it in large batches every single time, regardless of the type I’m craving.
Similarly, when I am ordering Chinese food, I tend to go a smidge overboard and order large servings of fried rice.
So, what do I do with all that rice, you ask? Well, I gobble down as much as I possibly can and simply reheat the leftover fried rice the next day!
This way, I get to enjoy one of my favorite dishes for two days straight!
If you’re confused about reheating fried rice, this post is for you!
How to Reheat Fried Rice
Just like you can prepare fried rice in different ways, there are numerous methods to reheat leftover fried rice.
You can reheat it on the stovetop or in the microwave, oven, and air fryer.
Let’s explore each reheating method in detail:
Reheating Fried Rice on the Stovetop
This is my favorite method to reheat fried rice, as it yields the best texture and taste.
However, this method does take some time. Here’s how you can reheat fried rice on the stovetop:
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- Put a large skillet on your stovetop and add some oil, water, or broth in it. Adding oil will yield more or less the same texture and taste, while water or broth might make the rice a bit sticky.
- Once the liquid is warm, add the leftover rice to the pan and use a wooden spatula or spoon to stir it continuously. This will help distribute the heat evenly.
- Cook the rice for at least 10 minutes on a medium-high flame so that it is heated evenly.
Reheating Fried Rice in the Microwave
If you’re short on time and want a quick meal, reheating fried rice in the microwave is your safest bet.
However, if you’re not careful, the rice might become too dry.
Adding some moisture, preferably about 2 tablespoons of water to the rice before microwaving it will ensure that it doesn’t dry up.
You can also add chicken or vegetable broth instead of water to add some more flavor to your rice.
Here’s how you can reheat fried rice in the microwave:
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- Put the fried rice in a microwave-safe bowl and add in 2 tablespoons of your preferred liquid.
- Make sure to cover the bowl with a loose lid so that the moisture remains inside the bowl. Just ensure that some air can escape from the bowl.
- Turn the microwave to the highest setting and cook the rice for 2 minutes.
- Stir the rice to distribute the heat, put the bowl back in the microwave, and cook the fried rice for about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Let the rice cool a little before eating it.
Reheating Fried Rice in the Oven
Even though it’s quite easy to reheat fried rice in the oven, it does take the most time out of all the methods that I’ve mentioned here.
If you’ve got some time on your hands and want to enjoy an easy meal, learn how to reheat fried rice in the oven:
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- Preheat your oven to 425 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Put the fried rice in an oven-safe casserole dish.
- Put a few tablespoons of broth or water into the dish. It should be enough to add some moisture to your dish, but not so much that the rice becomes too gooey or soupy.
- Use a lid to cover the dish to prevent moisture from escaping the rice.
- Put the dish in your preheated oven and bake the rice for about 15 minutes.
- After the designated time, remove the lid and allow the rice to bake for another 3 to 5 minutes. This will allow some of the steam to escape the rice and prevent it from becoming too gooey.
Reheating Fried Rice in the Air Fryer
Reheating fried rice in an air fryer yields rice that tastes just as good as when it was freshly prepared.
It’s also pretty easy to reheat in the air fryer as you don’t need to add any liquid to moisturize the rice. Here’s how you can reheat fried rice in an air fryer:
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- Put the fried rice in your air fryer.
- Cook the rice on high setting for about 8 to 10 minutes or until it’s steaming hot. The exact amount of time it takes will depend entirely on how much leftover rice you have.
- Let the rice cool a bit before eating it.
Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks that you need to follow to reheat fried rice perfectly each time:
- Don’t let the cooked rice sit outside at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Otherwise, bacteria might start to grow on it.
- Store the fried rice in an airtight container in your refrigerator and make sure to open the container only when you want to reheat the rice.
- When reheating fried rice in the oven, remove the lid of your dish to let some steam out toward the end of the process. This will prevent the rice from sticking together.
- When microwaving the fried rice, don’t forget to stir it after reheating and then put it back in the microwave for a minute or two. This will ensure that the fried rice heats evenly.
- To ensure that the reheat fried rice isn’t dry, add some oil or water to it before reheating.
- Don’t reheat the rice more than once as it’ll only ruin its taste.
- Reheat the rice until it’s piping hot to kill any bacteria.
How to reheat fried rice
If you are looking for a quick method for reheating fried rice then consider heating fried rice in the microwave.
Ingredients
- Fried rice
- water
- microwave-safe bowl
- microwave-safe lid
Instructions
- Put the fried rice in a microwave-safe bowl and add in 2 tablespoons of your preferred liquid.
- Make sure to cover the bowl with a loose lid so that the moisture remains inside the bowl. Just ensure that some air can escape from the bowl.
- Turn the microwave to the highest setting and cook the rice for 2 minutes.
- Stir the rice to distribute the heat, put the bowl back in the microwave, and cook the fried rice for about 3 to 4 minutes more.
- Let the rice cool a little before eating it.
The Bottom Line
I hope you enjoyed this guide on how to reheat fried rice.
There are 4 ways in which you can reheat fried rice – reheating in the microwave, oven, air fryer, and on the stovetop.
Each method has its own pros and cons and you can decide which one works best for you.
That being said, my favorite method of reheating refrigerated fried rice has to be the stovetop one.
This method yields rice that’s reheated to taste just as good as new.
So, what are you waiting for? Go and try all the aforementioned methods to reheat rice to figure out which one you love the most!
LeAnn Harbert
Thursday 6th of May 2021
This sounds delicious. Thanks for the information
Farah
Saturday 1st of May 2021
Fried rice is the best!
Jennylyn Gross
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
this sounds yummy
Dale Steele Nicolov
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
Thanks for the great tips on reheating fried rice.
Suzanne Greene
Wednesday 28th of April 2021
Thanks for the info on the different ways to reheat rice.