Simple Hibachi Fried Rice

Name: Simple Hibachi Fried Rice
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 3 cups cooked and cooled rice (see notes); 1 tablespoon EACH: grapeseed oil (or avocado) AND butter; 2 large eggs, lightly beaten; ½ cup chopped onions (yellow or white); 2 teaspoons grated ginger; 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or GF tamari); 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil; 1 scallion thinly sliced, for garnish

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Quick and easy hibachi fried rice recipe. It’s easy to throw together to serve with sautéed chicken, steak, salmon, or shrimp! If you want additional vegetables, like frozen peas or carrots, feel free to toss them in!

hibachi fried rice in cast iron double handle fry pan

Hibachi style fried rice.

You know, the stuff that they serve you at the steakhouse the chef makes it right in front of your eyes on a large griddle served with yum yum sauce? There’s usually a few eggs that are tossed in the air and cracked over a spatula. Okay, so my hibachi fried rice doesn’t come with built in entertainment but it tastes just like the stuff you get at your favorite hibachi restaurant, and it’s so quick and easy to make at home!

Earlier this year, I shared my recipe for 15 minute fried rice, and now I’m bringing you the hibachi fried rice that I love making (I might even make this more than the fried rice recipe!) The best part is that it requires less than 10 ingredients, takes 15 minutes to make, and is probably the best way to use up day-old rice!

deep bowl with ginger miso salmon, sautéed veggies, and fried rice

What is the difference between hibachi fried rice and Chinese fried rice?

Hibachi fried rice and Chinese fried rice are made with different types of rice. Hibachi rice is typically made with Calrose rice whereas Chinese fried rice is made with long grain rice. But the main difference between fried rice and hibachi rice is that hibachi fried rice is made on a griddle or a hot plate. If you own a griddle, you could use that to make this recipe or a dutch oven works pretty well too!

Here’s what you need to make hibachi fried rice:

Rice: You’ll need cooked rice for this recipe. Leftover rice works best. Preparing the rice a day ahead of time and cooling it in the refrigerator overnight allows it to dry out. It also helps to hold its shape a lot better when we fry it in the pan. This recipe is perfect for making with day-old rice if you served some for dinner and are looking to turn it into something else the next night. I usually make a batch of brown rice in my pressure cooker the night before and pop it into the refrigerator. Then, you’ve got the perfect rice to turn into fried rice! If you’re specifically making rice for this recipe, you’ll need 1 ¼ cups of uncooked rice. Jasmine rice would also make a decent option if you didn’t want to use brown rice or calrose rice.
High heat oil + butter: We’ll use a combination of oil and butter for this recipe. You can use just one of the other if you like, but hibachi rice usually contains butter, and it gives the rice a delicious flavor!
Eggs: You’ll want to lightly beat the eggs in a bowl before scrambling them in a hot pan.
Chopped onions: The chopped onions give the hibachi fried rice a delicious smoky flavor (along with the butter and toasted sesame oil.)
Grated ginger: The ginger adds a wonderful new flavor to the rice. It also mellows out as it cooks in the butter and doesn’t have a harsh bite in this recipe.
Soy sauce: I like to use low sodium soy sauce for this recipe so that the rice isn’t too salty!
Toasted sesame oil: The toasted sesame oil brings tons of smoky delicious flavor to this hibachi fried rice. Regular sesame oil will also work, but just 1 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil gives the fried rice a much better flavor!

What if you don’t have day old rice?

If you don’t have leftover rice, cook the rice the same day and just spread it out on a large baking sheet in a flat layer and allow the rice to cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour, uncovered. If you start the process earlier in the day, you could also let it sit out at room temperature for several hours. My mom did this when I was growing up, so it is tried and true!

sautéed onions and rice in large cast iron fry pan

How to make the best hibachi fried rice at home:

Scramble the eggs. Heat the wok, griddle, or dutch oven over high heat. When it’s hot, add the grapeseed or corn oil and scramble the eggs in the pan quickly. Remove the eggs to a bowl or plate and set aside until later.
Sauté the onions. Add a couple tablespoon butter to the skillet and allow it to melt. Then, add the onions and saute them for a few minutes until they soften. You don’t want the onions to brown, just soften. Add the grated ginger and give it a few minutes to cook out the raw ginger flavor. Then add the rice to the pan along with the scrambled eggs. Flatten the rice out into a thin layer. This is where the ‘frying’ part happens. Stir the rice, then flatten it back into a single layer, and let sit again for 30 seconds. You want to do this a few times so that the rice sizzle and pops but doesn’t burn!
Make fried rice. Drizzle the soy sauce and the sesame oil over the rice and allow it to sizzle and soak it all in. Stir so that all the rice gets a little bit of sauce. When the rice has absorbed the sauce, and when the rice starts popping again, you can turn off the heat, it’s ready to serve. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and serve warm as a side dish with your favorite protein.

Can I add protein to this recipe, or what do you suggest serving on the side?

You can add cooked beef, chicken, shrimp, or steak to the rice if you’d like. This works incredibly well with grilled meats! I love serving this hibachi fried rice with my miso ginger salmon along with mushrooms and zucchini. You could also serve this with garlic butter steak and shrimp or steak bites on the side with steamed broccoli.

Tips for making the best hibachi fried rice:

Use a large and wide pan, a griddle works even better. The wide pan has more surface area, allowing everything to actually ‘fry’ rather than steam when you add the sauce. You could use a wide cast iron skillet or if you have a cast iron griddle, that would work really well!
Keep the heat setting high. Cooking the fried rice on the high heat setting allows the ingredients to fry, rather than steam, in the pan.
Use high heat oil. We’re using a combination of butter and oil to allow for the flavor of butter and the oil for its high smoke point.
Make sure you remove the eggs. You want to be sure to remove the eggs so that they don’t turn into rubber bands while the onions are sautéing. Don’t forget to add them back in when you add the rice!
Don’t skimp on the soy sauce: One thing I’ve always found is that store-bought fried rice is always missing that perfect amount of seasoning if you eat it on its own. But keep in mind that if you’re serving fried rice with a stir fry, you may not want to season the rice so aggressively. For this reason, I suggest using 2 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce.

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

wooden spoon in cast iron skillet with fried rice

Yield: serves 4-5