This Mushroom Fried Rice recipe is budget friendly and super quick to make. It’s a great way to use up leftover cooked rice, is made all in one pan and takes no more than 15 minutes!
Mushroom fried rice FTW! It’s such a basic recipe but just perfect for using up leftover rice. It also happens to be super quick to make which is always a good thing midweek because life is REAL.
We’re talking no more than 15 minutes start to finish. A bit like my Peanut Noodles recipe. Add them both to your after work dinner rotation.
And as well as making it speedy, we’re making it super simple too. Here’s what we’ve got going in that big ol’ pan:
Cashew nuts – Whole and toasted in the pan before we start cooking everything for ultimate flavour and interesting texture.
Sesame oil – Flavour! It’s so delicious and a little goes a long way.
Green onions – Most of them cooked and a handful raw. They look pretty and taste so good in dishes like this. The cooked/raw contrast is really good.
Celery – Texture and flavour. I get it. I know celery can be controversial. So many people don’t like it much, including me if I’m honest. You’ll never see me munching on a raw stick of it. But, when cooked in this it adds so much flavour in a not obviously celery kind way. Go with me on this one.
Bell pepper – Sweetness and colour. Red, green, orange or yellow will do. Red stands out nicely though and makes it look pretty ;O)
Mushrooms – So good in fried rice!
Rice – Cooked and chilled. White, brown, long grain, short grain, basmati, jasmine. Doesn’t matter. They all work great.
Tamari or soy sauce – Either is fine. Tamari has a better, mellower, richer, smoother flavour than soy sauce and is always my choice if I have some, but soy sauce is great too.
How to make Mushroom Fried Rice
FOR THE FULL LIST OF INGREDIENTS & INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
Here’s how it’s done:
Step 1: Toast the cashews
Step 2: Sauté the onions, celery and pepper until softened.
Step 3: Add the mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
Step 4: Pour in the rice and tamari/soy sauce, stir and cook until hot.
Step 5: Add the toasted cashews to the pan and garnish with the remaining raw green onions.
Pile it in a bowl and grab a fork. Job done in about 15 minutes!
Ways you can adapt this recipe
Mushroom Fried Rice is perfect for a quick meal just as it is, but it is also really easy to customize. You could add:
- Fresh cilantro (right before serving)
- Diced fresh pineapple
- Different more exotic mushrooms
- More veggies. Different colour bell peppers, bok choy, corn, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, frozen peas, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts edamame beans would all be good.
- Kimchi – If the pieces are large chop it a bit then add to the pan when you add the rice.
- Diced vegan chick’n pieces, tofu or tempeh (add them to the pan once the onion, celery and pepper has softened)
- It’s also great when made with cooked and cooled quinoa instead of rice.
What to serve with fried rice
I love to serve my Mushroom Fried Rice with a drizzle of chili oil and a scattering of fresh cilantro.
You could also serve it with any of these:
- Vegan egg rolls or spring rolls
- Dumplings
- a drizzle of sesame oil
- sriracha or a dollop of chili paste
- crispy tofu
- Easy Coconut Tofu
- Five Spice Tofu
- tempeh
- curry
- Breaded vegan chick’n
- a drizzle of Healthy Sweet and Sour Sauce
- a drizzle of Easy Teriyaki Sauce
Success Tips
- Make sure the rice is cooked and that it has cooled thoroughly. It’s best if it has been refrigerated. Freshly cooked rice clumps together and gets mushy if you try to fry it. Once cooled and refrigerated it dries out and separates easily when crumbled up into the pan. If you don’t have any cooked and refrigerated rice simply cook some and lay it out in a thin layer on a large baking sheet, cover with some cling wrap and pop in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes or the fridge for 30 minutes.
- When I cook rice I always make extra because leftovers in the fridge are so handy for making quick dinners like this. Be sure to cool it quickly and refrigerate it as soon as possible.
- Use a big wok or wide skillet so you can easily stir everything around without making a mess.
- Prepare everything before you start because things move fast.
- Feel free to add more mushrooms. There is no limit as long as you can fit it all in the pan!
- Don’t skip the sesame oil. it’s really important for flavour.
- Use high heat. This helps fry and brown everything well and will prevent the rice from steaming in the pan and getting sticky.
- Don’t add salt to season the rice. The soy sauce provides enough seasoning.
The best rice to use
Long grain rice is the most commonly used rice for making fried rice but you can use any cooked and cooled rice, including short grain, brown rice, basmati or jasmine. The only one that doesn’t really work so well is wild rice.
Hungry for more?
If you are enjoying this Mushroom Fried Rice you might also like my Vegan Broccoli Rice Casserole, Oven Baked Garlic Mushroom Rice and my One Pot Spicy Vegetable Rice.
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Mushroom Fried Rice
Ingredients
- ½ cup / 80 g raw cashew nuts (omit to make nut-free)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 bunch spring/green onions , sliced into circles
- 2 sticks celery , diced
- 1 large bell pepper , diced
- 4 cups / 320g sliced or quartered mushrooms , brown or white
- 3 cup / 450 g cold cooked rice (white or brown works well)
- ¼ cup / 60 mls soy sauce or tamari
Instructions
- Put a large wok or pan over a medium heat. Add the cashew nuts and cook them for 2 to 3 minutes, moving frequently, until they smell toasty and are starting to turn golden in areas. Tip out of the pan into a small bowl and set aside.
- Put the pan back on the heat and add the sesame oil. Turn the heat up to medium high and add most of the onions (leave a few to scatter over raw at the end), celery and bell pepper and cook for a couple of minutes until beginning to soften.
- Add the mushrooms and continue cooking, stirring frequently for another 2 – 3 minutes.
- Pour in the rice and soy sauce/tamari and stir well. Keep moving everything about in the pan until the rice has heated through.
- Add the toasted cashews, stir again and remove from the heat.
- Serve scattered with the reserved green onions.
Notes
Estimated nutrition per serving:
This recipe was originally published on April 18th 2015, but the post was updated and new photos and a video were added on February 5th 2020. The recipe remains the same.
Long time vegan, creator of A Virtual Vegan & author of the book 
Lucy says
Made this this evening for supper, really lovely, my veggie-sceptic husband was even downright enthusiastic! Mushrooms and cashews are such a good combination. I used brown rice, and had to use leeks since spring onions are not always easy to find here in France, but the leeks work well and are more seasonal and local anyway. I used a little grape seed oil and added a bit of stock as I went along to keep the pan de-glazed and the whole dish moist. I added sesame oil (toasted) later to finish, I worry a bit about cooking with it as I think heating it too much damages it (it’s recommended on the bottle for seasoning not cooking too).
Trish Haskins says
Haven’t made this yet, but I definitely will, and soon! Had to laugh at your comment comparing the old photo and the recent one. The new one really does look delish, but the old one wasn’t bad. I know this will be awesome because you never let us down. Thanks Mel!!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks so much Trish. I hope you enjoy it!