If you are looking for a super quick dinner idea, this vegan chicken fried rice is it. This easy dairy free dinner recipe comes together in one skillet in just 20 minutes!
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There are a few things that meals a go to around here. They can be made in one skillet or pot. The dish is super easy to make. And it’s always a bonus if I can somehow meal prep for the dish earlier in the week. This vegan fried rice recipe is all of those things.
It comes together all in one pot. It’s better if you meal prep it the day before. And together it takes about 20 minutes. Can you really ask for a better dairy free dinner idea than that? This vegan chicken fried rice is a great Chinese take out inspired dish that the family will love!
The way this recipe it written it is:
- vegan
- dairy free
- egg free
It does contain soy and wheat but we will describe below an alternative for those of your with those allergies.
It combines some of our favorite products to give you the perfect Chinese fried rice without worrying about allergies!
Watch how to make vegan chicken fried rice:
What ingredients do you need to make vegan chicken fried rice?
We wanted this vegan chicken fried rice to really taste like a delicious Chinese take-out meal. Because of that, we are using some speciality ingredients like seasoned rice vinegar and hoisin sauce. While you could definitely make some swaps to this dish, we really think the combination and flavor profile of these things mixed together is perfect. While you may not have all these ingredients in your pantry now, they are easily accessible at your local main grocer.
The ingredients that you need for this vegan fried rice recipe are:
- sesame oil
- cooked rice
- Vegan chicken pieces
- garlic
- sweet onion
- peas (we use frozen)
- Just egg
- Soy sauce
- Seasoned rice vinegar
- Hoisin sauce (use gluten free if needed)
- Chili garlic paste
- Salt and pepper
- Optional toppings: green onions and sesame seeds
How do you make vegan chicken fried rice?
This vegan fried rice recipe is actually really easy to make. We love that everything is done in one skillet or wok and can be ready in under 30 minutes. This recipe goes really fast, so we HIGHLY recommend that you have all your ingredients out and prepped so you are ready to go and don’t burn the dish.
To start, you heat sesame oil over medium high heat. Then, add the vegan chicken. We used Morningstar Farms Vegan Chick’n Strips for this recipe, but feel free to use your favorite vegan chicken strips. Cook according to the package. We cooked on the longer side because we really wanted a nice browned crisp sides to our chicken strips. Remove from heat and transfer the strips to a plate. Cut those into bite size pieces.
You are then going to take the same skillet and add more sesame oil. Sesame oil really makes Asian dishes pop so we highly recommend you not swap this oil out. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes. Add in the garlic and saute for 1 more minute. Next, you are going to add in your frozen peas. Stir to combine the ingredients and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
At this point you are going to move the mixture to one side of your wok or skillet and add the Just Egg product to the open side. Scramble the egg product until it is cooked through. Then, combined the two sides together. Don’t worry if some onions or peas get into the eggs while scrambling.
Next, add in the cooked chick’n strips, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and chili paste. Cook for 2 minutes. Add in your cooked rice and combine. Heat for another 2-3 minutes or until everything is heated throughout.
Remove from heat and top with any optional toppings. We love adding green onions and sesame seeds and if you are someone the likes spice or you are serving a crowd, we like to serve more chili garlic sauce on the side. Serve immediately or let cool and store in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Feel free to double or triple this recipe for a crowd.
Can I meal prep this vegan chicken fried rice?
If you are a meal prepper, then you are going to love this vegan fried rice recipe. It is a great dish to prep for the week ahead. As written, you need to use cooked rice. So at the most basic of meal prepping, you can make your rice a few days ahead of time before you make this dish. It’s actually best when using day old (or a few) rice in this recipe because the rice really have a chance to set up.
You can, however, completely cook up this meal ahead of time. Once cooked and cooled according to the directions, it stays well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Can I make this vegan chicken fried rice Top 8 Allergy Friendly?
We do our best to make recipes as allergy friendly as possible and this recipe is no exception. Because it is a Chinese inspired dish, there does happen to be soy in it, but hopefully we can give you a few options.
All our recipes are always dairy and egg free. This recipe as written is already fish and shellfish free, as well as peanut and nut free. The only two ingredients that are Top 8 allergens are wheat (gluten) and soybeans (soy).
There are two ingredients that contain wheat- the vegan chicken strips and the hoisin sauce. You can easily replace the hoisin sauce with a gluten free one. I am not currently aware of a vegan chicken strip that doesn’t contain gluten, so my recommendation would be to omit the chicken entirely and add in more rice and vegetables. You could do a carrot and pea combination or even some stir fry vegetables like snap peas and baby corn.
There are a few ingredients that contain soy like soy sauce, Just Egg, and hoisin sauce. For the soy sauce, you can swap with coconut aminos if not allergic or a Top 8 Free homemade soy sauce recipe like this one (use vegan beef bullion cubes). Lastly you can make a homemade soy free hoisin sauce or honestly, just omit this ingredient. We do think it adds depth but it will still be great without.
I’m not vegan, only dairy free, can I make this chicken fried rice recipe with chicken?
We understand that not everyone reading our site is vegan and that many are here just for dairy allergies. While we would encourage you to try out our meatless chicken fried rice recipe as written, you can swap the vegan chick’n strips for 10oz of seasoned and cooked chicken cut into bit size pieces. You can also replace the Just Egg with 2-4 beaten eggs if you do not have a dairy allergy.
I can’t find Just Egg near me. Can I replace with something else?
We know that Just Egg isn’t available everywhere yet easily. Nor is it at a price point that is accessible for everyone. We have made this recipe plenty of times omitting the egg entirely, so feel free to do the same if that is more convenient for you in this vegan chicken fried rice.
What sides go with vegan chicken fried rice?
I have heard so many times (and admittedly asked myself), what do you serve with vegan chicken fried rice. Honestly, a lot of times we eat just the vegan fried rice and that’s it. Especially during summer months where it’s too hot to large portion sizes. But if you need more food to stretch dinner or you are planning an Asian themed dinner for a crowd, we have some delicious dairy free side dishes that will be a hit with this vegan chicken fried rice. All these side dishes are also vegan.
- Vegan Sweet Chili Edamame
- Cucumber Scallion Salad
- Asian Ramen Noodle Salad with Shaved Brussel Sprouts
- Asian Glazed Brussel Spouts
What are other vegan dinner ideas?
If you love this easy dairy free Asian inspired dinner recipe, you may be wondering what other dairy free dinner ideas we have. Here are some ideas we have (all are vegan):
- Chickpea, Cashew & Broccoli in Garlic Sauce Skillet (another great Asian inspired dish)
- Dairy Free Taco Casserole
- Dairy Free Pizza
- Vegan Italian Meatballs
- Dairy Free Alfredo
- Dairy Free Nachos
- Easy Dairy Free Spinach & Walnut Pesto
🥳 Get the Full Recipe
Vegan Chicken Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
- 3 cups cooked rice
- 10 oz vegan chicken strips
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium sweet onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen peas
- ½ cup Just Egg
- 2 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce (can sub coconut aminos)
- 1 tablespoon seasoned rice vinegar
- 1 teaspoon hoisin sauce (use gluten free if needed)
- ½-1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (start with ½ teaspoon and increase depending on spice tolerance)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
Optional Toppings:
- Green Onions
- Sesame Seeds
- More Chili Garlic Sauce Served on the side
Instructions
- In a wok or large skillet, heat 2 tablespoon sesame oil over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken and cook according to directions, roughly 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and place on a dish. Chop into bite size pieces.
- In the same skillet, add remaining oil. Heat over medium.
- Add in onions and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté for one more minute.
- Add in frozen peas and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes.
- Move mixture to one side of the wok and to the opposite side add the Just egg product and scramble until cooked.
- Combine the two sides together.
- Add in cooked chicken, rice vinegar, hoisin sauce, soy sauce and chili paste combine well. Let cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the rice and combine.
- Heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until everything is heated throughout. Remove from heat.
- Top with green onions and sesame seeds if desired. Serve with more chili garlic sauce on the sides for those who like more spicy.
- Serve immediately.
- Store any leftovers in the fridge.
Notes
Video
Nutrition
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I made this tonight. It was a quick, easy and delicious meal.
So happy to hear you liked it
YUMMMM! I’ll take a big ‘ol bowl of this fried rice please!