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    Home » Main Dishes » Pork Recipes

    Ham Fried Rice

    LAST UPDATED: June 22, 2020 PUBLISHED: February 24, 2019 By Pam Greer 23 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Don't get takeout when you can make better than takeout ham fried rice!  It's the perfect weeknight dinner, so quick and easy and is our favorite leftover ham recipe!

    Green plate filled with ham fried rice.

    Better than takeout fried rice

    After we adopted our girls from Vietnam, as you can imagine, we ate a lot of rice.  And noodles.  And rice.  And noodles.  You get the picture.  One of this dishes that was in our regular rotation was ham fried rice.  For whatever reason, it was ham, not shrimp or pork or even chicken, ham always.

    We would occasionally order fried rice from the stall at the mall, and while we liked it, we didn't like it as well as our homemade fried rice.  It was heavy on the rice and light on all the other good stuff.  So, we dubbed our homemade fried rice - "Better Than Takeout Fried Rice."  It really is.

    Ingredients

    • Rice - we use brown rice or white rice.  Jasmine rice is especially nice.
    • Onions
    • Eggs - I usually use 1 egg per serving.
    • Ham - leftover ham, diced.
    • Peas and carrots - the frozen variety work perfectly.
    • Black Pepper
    • Sugar
    • Fish Sauce - we like Three Crabs Brand
    • Soy Sauce
    • Oil - use an oil with a higher smoke point like vegetable oil or peanut oil

    Instructions

    Step 1 - start with cold rice!  This is the perfect time to use leftover rice.  After making rice, spread it on a cookie sheet to dry and cool and then store in a container in the refrigerator or freezer.  Using cold rice helps keep the rice from getting soggy.

    Step 2 - Gather your ingredients.   Dice your ham (or do what I do and store your leftover ham, already diced in 2-3 cup proportions in the freezer - store ham in the freezer for 1 to 2 months for best flavor.)  Lightly beat your eggs.  Prepare fried rice sauce.

    Step 3 - Remove peas and carrots from the freezer to thaw.

    Photo collage showing steps 1, 2, and 3 for making fried rice.

    Step 4 - Dice the onion.

    Step 5 - Add a little oil to your wok (I use a carbon steel wok with a helper handle) or skillet over high heat and add the eggs.  Scramble them until they are just softly cooked.  Remove and place in a bowl.

    Step 6 - add the onions to the pan and stir fry until softened and browning on edges.

    Steps 4, 5, and 6 for making fried rice.

    Step 7 - add the peas and carrots to the onions and stir fry until softened.   Remove and add to bowl with eggs.

    Step 8 - add a little more oil to wok if necessary and adjust the heat if it's getting too hot.  Add the ham and cook until getting brown on the edges and heated through.

    Steps 7 and 8 for making the fried rice.

    Step 9 - add the rice to the pan with the ham.  Pour in the sauce mixture and stir fry until the rice is even coated.

    Step 10 - add the eggs and vegetables from the bowl.  Stir fry until heated through.

    Steps 9 and 10 for making ham fried rice

    Tips for making fried rice

    Use cold, leftover rice.  After cooking rice, spread on a cookie sheet to cool and dry.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

    Leftover ham, chicken, beef or pork.  When you have leftover meats, dice them and store them in 2-3 cup portions in the freezer.  You will always be ready for a quick fried rice!

    Peas and carrots - keep bags of frozen peas and carrots in the freezer.

    Other vegetables - use whatever leftover vegetables you have - broccoli, cauliflower, whatever sounds good to you!

    Pineapple is also good in fried rice!

    Use an oil with high smoke point - like peanut or vegetable oil.

    Fried rice sauce - we use a recipe that has a Vietnamese slant to it with all of the black pepper - feel free to use your favorite sauce.

    Ham Fried Rice on a Green Plate

    Quick and easy weeknight dinner

    We love ham fried rice at our house and have it every time we have leftover ham.  Right now I have two more portions of ham in the freezer, so there will be even more of this delicious fried rice in our future.  We usually have a Christmas Ham and an Easter Ham, saving the leftovers proportioned out for fried rice, means I am always ready.

    Other ham recipes

    • Instant Pot Ham and Bean Soup
    • Cranberry Bourbon Glazed Ham

    More 30 minute weeknight recipes

    • Herb Crusted Tilapia
    • Salmon with Spicy Mango Salsa
    • Greek Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta
    • 15 Minute Honey Sriracha Salmon

    Recipe

    **As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Plate of ham fried rice
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    4.93 from 13 votes

    Ham Fried Rice

    This Ham Fried Rice uses leftover rice and ham to make a quick, easy and delicious dinner!  The perfect use for leftover ham! 
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Asian
    Prep Time 15 minutes
    Cook Time 15 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 466kcal

    Ingredients

    • 3 cups cooked rice cold
    • 2 cups ham diced
    • 4 eggs lightly beaten
    • 1 onion chopped
    • 10 oz frozen peas and carrots thawed
    • 2 teaspoons peanut oil
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 teaspoon sugar
    • 4 teaspoons fish sauce
    • 2 teaspoons soy sauce

    Instructions

    • Gather your ingredients - diced ham,  cooked rice, diced onion,  lightly beaten eggs, thawed peas and carrots, and peanut oil.  
    • Make stir fry sauce by combining black pepper, sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce in a small bowl.  Stir until sugar dissolves. 
    • Heat oil in wok or skillet over high heat and add eggs.  Stir the eggs until they are softly scrambled and remove to a bowl. 
    • Add the onion to the wok and stir fry until softened and getting brown on the edges.  Add peas and carrots and cook, stirring until heated through.  Remove and add to bowl with eggs. 
    • Add ham to wok and stir fry until heated through and getting golden around the edges. 
    • Add the rice, stir fry to mix with the ham and then add the fish sauce mixture.  Stir fry until the rice is evenly coated. 
    • Add the eggs and vegetables back to wok and stir fry until evenly combined and heated through. 

    Notes

    Use cold, leftover rice.  After cooking rice, spread on a cookie sheet to cool and dry.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer.
    Leftover ham, chicken, beef or pork.  When you have leftover meats, dice them and store them in 2-3 cup portions in the freezer.  You will always be ready for a quick fried rice! 
    Peas and carrots - keep bags of frozen peas and carrots in the freezer. 
    Other vegetables - use whatever leftover vegetables you have - broccoli, cauliflower, whatever sounds good to you! 
    Pineapple is also good in fried rice! 
    Use an oil with high smoke point - like peanut or vegetable oil. 
    Fried rice sauce - we use a recipe that has a Vietnamese slant to it with all of the black pepper - feel free to use your favorite sauce. 

    Equipment

    Wok

    Nutrition

    Calories: 466kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 207mg | Sodium: 1590mg | Potassium: 497mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 6970IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 69mg | Iron: 2.6mg

    More Delicious Pork Recipes

    • Easy 6 Ingredient Pork Rub
    • Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa
    • Instant Pot Asian Pork Noodle Soup
    • Thai Ground Pork and Green Beans

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kari Heron | Chef and Steward says

      March 04, 2019 at 10:06 am

      Thrilled to see that your recipe has fish sauce. No good fried rice goes without it. It looks really yummy.

      Reply
    2. Lorie says

      March 03, 2019 at 11:06 pm

      5 stars
      I consider myself a fried rice addict and yet I’ve never even thought to add ham! What a genius idea. This one is on my list!

      Reply
    3. Daniela says

      March 03, 2019 at 9:56 pm

      Thanks so much for sharing!!! This post reminds me how much I like fried rice and that I should def start making it at home more :).

      Reply
    4. Kiki Johnson says

      March 03, 2019 at 9:39 pm

      5 stars
      Woah this is so what I need right now! Love me some fried rice and ham adds so much umami! This is gonna go right onto the to-make list!

      Reply
    5. Loreto Nardelli says

      March 03, 2019 at 2:50 pm

      4 stars
      Fried rice is a dish that zi try to do a couple times a month. It is great to use up things in the veg crisper and also an added bonus when you have leftovers to put in. Now I am craving it looks like the Monday meal plan is set!
      Well done, great flavor combos!
      Ciao

      Reply
    6. Tammy says

      March 03, 2019 at 12:31 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so good! I love homemade fried rice...yum!!

      Reply
    7. Natalie says

      March 03, 2019 at 11:45 am

      5 stars
      Oh wow! What an interesting dinner option. It's super easy to make and healthy. ANd looks so delicious! I must give this a try. I'm saving it on my list. Thanks!

      Reply
    8. Analida Braeger says

      March 02, 2019 at 8:46 pm

      5 stars
      This looks like a wonderful breakfast that I am going to try!

      Reply
    9. Analida Braeger says

      March 02, 2019 at 8:44 pm

      5 stars
      This is going to be my new breakfats favorite ! Thank You !

      Reply
    10. Alisha Rodrigues says

      March 02, 2019 at 4:45 pm

      5 stars
      I like the way you've termed it ''Better than take out Fried Rice" And yes !! It totally looks better than take-out fried rice. Healthier and delicious. A must try recipe !!

      Reply
    11. Jenni LeBaron says

      March 02, 2019 at 2:21 pm

      I love that this is a great way to use up leftover rice. I always end up making too much because I forget how much it expands. This is a really great shortcut to reuse it or dinner a following night.

      Reply
    12. Carrie | Clean Eating Kitchen says

      February 27, 2019 at 11:16 am

      5 stars
      I do love fried rice, the addition of ham is something I never thought about, but will be trying for sure!

      Reply
    13. Elaine Benoit says

      February 26, 2019 at 8:33 am

      5 stars
      I agree, homemade is always better! And your ham fried rice looks so delicious. It also looks super easy and a perfect dinner for the weeknight!

      Reply
    14. Ann says

      February 26, 2019 at 3:44 am

      5 stars
      It's a winner!

      Reply
    15. Gloria says

      February 25, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      5 stars
      You are right. Who needs takeout when you can make this at home. We do love ham, especially for holiday dinners. What a great way to use up the leftovers to create another delicious meal (or two).

      Reply
    16. Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says

      February 25, 2019 at 6:43 am

      5 stars
      Delicious - fried rice is one of my Mum's all time favourites. I am going to make your recipe for her tomorrow night 🙂

      Reply
    17. Les says

      April 23, 2013 at 1:49 am

      I love fried rice, but have never been successful with the sauce. I'm definitely going to pin this and try it with some of the leftover Easter ham I have in the freezer. Thanks!

      Reply
    18. Chris says

      April 19, 2013 at 9:55 pm

      I like your guide for how many eggs to add. Most recipes I see are "under-egged" in my opinion with 2 eggs for 4 servings.

      Reply
    19. grace says

      April 17, 2013 at 6:59 pm

      whenever we have ham for a big family meal, it seems like there's always a ton left and it gets sent home with me. this is an excellent use for it!

      Reply
    20. a good yarn says

      April 16, 2013 at 3:00 am

      This is a staple at our place. One of the first *Chinese* dishes my mother ever cooked. She used ham because prawns were too expensive for the family budget.

      Reply
    21. Marjie says

      April 15, 2013 at 7:22 pm

      I've seen recipes for fried rice before, but you make it easy. I like easy. And, like Larry, I'll be skipping the tofu option. Your ham sounds good to me.

      Reply
    22. Joanne says

      April 15, 2013 at 10:35 am

      I love fried rice! I'm going to try this with tofu for sure.

      Reply
    23. Big Dude says

      April 15, 2013 at 12:09 pm

      Looks really good Pam, but unlike Joanne, I will definitely not be trying it with tofu :-).

      Reply

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    Pam Greer from Sidewalk Shoes

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