Fried rice is a dish that many love but believe they have to “give up” when eating “healthy” or if following a special diet—whether that be a low sodium, renal (low sodium, low potassium and low phosphorus), heart healthy (low sodium, low fat), diabetic or other modified diet. I am pleased to let you know that our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe is suitable for the special diets listed above (and more!) and has many health-promoting benefits. Plus, it’s delicious and super quick and easy to make!
/
Jump to:
The Main Drawbacks of Typical Fried Rice
There are 2 main characteristics of typical fried rice that can be a hindrance for those wanting a quick and easy, healthy meal. Usual fried rice is:
Tedious to make
Making fried rice typically involves several steps (cooking the rice, chopping vegetables, cooking the vegetables, scrambling and cooking the eggs, adding seasoning) and uses numerous kitchen equipment. This may be more effort than some people with busy lives are willing or able to put forth.
High in sodium
By far, the biggest “negative” characteristic of typical fried rice is its high sodium content. In an on-line review of various fried rice recipes, I found that most contained between 500-800mg sodium per ½-⅔ cup serving (thanks to sodium-heavy soy sauce)!
This sodium load can be difficult to fit into a sodium-controlled diet, which commonly has a daily goal of 1500-2300 mg sodium or less. Keep in mind that many “special” diets include “low sodium” within their guidelines. Two common examples of this are a renal/kidney-friendly diet and a heart healthy diet.
Advantages of Our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe
Now, I’d like to focus on all the great qualities of our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe. Our recipe is:
Our Healthy Fried Rice Recipe is quick & easy to make!
As the name implies, this recipe can actually be made in 5 minutes. No joke! The secret is the use of unique, stream-lined ingredients. (The specific ingredients will be discussed in the next section).
Contains a limited number of ingredients
An important goal of The Everyday Kidney Cook is to keep our recipes as simple as possible without compromising taste. Keeping in line with this goal, our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice recipe contains only 5 ingredients plus a few basic spices. Sesame oil is optional.
Our Healthy Fried Rice Recipe is low in sodium
Our 5-minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe contains only 173 mg of sodium per serving because it uses a soy sauce alternative called coconut aminos that is wayyyy lower in sodium than traditional soy sauce! (Note: we’ll give more information about this in the “Ingredient Breakdown” section below.)
Heart-Healthy
Our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Recipe is considered heart healthy for a few reasons:
- It contains whole grain rice (both brown and black rice), providing fiber that is an important component of heart health. In a 3.5 ounce portion, brown rice contains 1.6 grams of fiber and black rice contains 2.2g. In contrast, the same portion of white rice contains only 0.4 g of fiber.
- Black rice contains a pigment called anthocyanin. Studies show that consuming foods rich in anthocyanin may decrease the risk of heart disease by improving blood lipids and other biomarkers related to heart disease.
Another study suggested that regular consumption of anthocyanin may help ward off high blood pressure. High blood lipids (triglycerides and cholesterol) and high blood pressure are well-known risk factors for heart disease. - The extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil used in this recipe are good sources of heart-healthy mono-unsaturated fat. In fact, animal studies suggest avocado oil not only helps decrease both cholesterol and triglycerides, but it also decreases blood pressure. In the study, blood pressure was decreased to a similar extent as a common blood pressure medication called losartan.
Helps control or stabilize blood sugars
Our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe contains 33g of carbohydrate per serving, or ~ 2 carb exchanges/serving, which can be worked into a carbohydrate-controlled diet. However, as previously mentioned, the carbs are via whole grain rice--both brown and black rice, which is good news for blood sugar control.
Thanks in part to its higher fiber content, brown rice has a lower glycemic index (GI) than white rice. This means that brown rice won’t spike your blood sugar as fast as white rice. In addition, studies show that simply replacing white rice with brown rice results in lower blood sugars and a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
Note: The GI of black rice has not been officially determined, but it could be speculated that it has a lower GI than white rice due to its fiber.
Contains More Vitamins & Minerals
The brown rice and black rice used in our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe results in a finished product that is higher than usual fried rice in the following vitamin and minerals:
- B-vitamins such as thiamine, niacin and vitamin B6
- magnesium
- iron
- zinc
Vegetarian/Plant-forward
The only animal product in this recipe is one egg, making it a good choice for those choosing or needing to follow a vegetarian or plant-forward diet.
Gluten-free
Rice is a gluten-free grain, whether it’s white, brown, or black. However, as mentioned above, most fried rice contains soy sauce, which commonly contains wheat/gluten.
While there is no verified benefit to following a gluten-free diet if you do not have celiac disease or gluten-sensitivity, those who do have these conditions can safely enjoy this recipe thanks to the use of wheat-free/gluten-free coconut aminos as a soy sauce alternative.
Our healthy fried rice recipe is kidney-friendly
The nutritional recommendations for people with kidney disease vary depending on various factors such as the stage of the disease and a person’s blood work. However, people with all stages of chronic kidney disease are usually advised to limit sodium, and many with more advanced or end-stage kidney disease are instructed to watch potassium and phosphorus intake as well.
We’ve already established that our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe is low in sodium. In addition, with 197 mg of potassium and 138 mg of phosphorus per serving, this recipe can be enjoyed by those needing to “watch” these nutrients as well.
5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe - Ingredient Breakdown
As mentioned above, our recipe uses only 5 main ingredients, plus spices and optional sesame oil. Although the ingredients are listed in the recipe, I’d like to give a few tips, pointers, and possible substitutes/adjustments. The ingredients include:
Bird’s Eye Whole Grain Rice w/ carrots, peas & corn
This product is found in the frozen vegetable section of most grocery stores. (Although I've noticed that my local Wal-Mart doesn’t carry it.). Don’t be deterred by the fact that this is a frozen product (which are often high in sodium and contain unwanted additives). The ingredient list is simple: Cooked brown rice, corn, carrots, peas and cooked black rice. That’s it!
Bird’s eye also makes a Long Grain White Rice with mixed vegetables version that can be used, if preferred. Although it will not deliver many of the benefits noted above which are a direct result of the whole grain rice, your fried rice will still be low sodium, kidney-friendly, gluten-free and suitable for a vegetarian or plant-forward diet.
IMPORTANT: Make sure you don’t pick up any of the flavored Bird’s Eye rice products such as the “Bird’s Eye Chicken Flavored Rice w/ broccoli, carrots & onions” or the “Bird’s Eye Southwestern Style rice”. These flavored rice versions have over-the-top levels of sodium content, with those specific examples containing 1070 mg and 880 mg per serving, respectively!
If you are unable to find the recommended Bird’s Eye rice and vegetable products above, I recommend substituting with the following 2 ingredients:
- Ben’s Original Ready Rice Whole Grain Brown Rice—8.8 oz pouch—This product simply contains parboiled whole grain rice and just a tiny bit of canola oil.
- ⅔ c frozen mixed vegetables w/ any combination of peas, corn and/or carrots.
(Simply microwave these ingredients according to package directions when the recipe calls for microwaving the Bird’s Eye product).
Avocado or extra virgin olive oil
As touched on above, these oils contain high amounts of mono-unsaturated fat which delivers many heart healthy benefits. However, if desired, you may substitute with your preferred oil or unsalted butter.
Coconut aminos
I use the Coconut Secret brand pictured below because I like the taste and, at 270 mg of sodium per tablespoon, it’s lower in sodium than other brands. It contains only 2 ingredients: coconut tree sap and sea salt and has a taste similar to soy sauce. However, it is considerably lower in sodium.
In comparison, regular soy sauce contains as much as 700-900 mg sodium/tablespoon!
If you prefer the taste of soy sauce over coconut aminos, this NPG Premium Light Soy Sauce contains 200 mg/tablespoon, which can be purchased directly from the company or on Amazon. I haven’t tried it, but it gets rave reviews!
Please be aware that most “reduced sodium” or “light” soy sauce is still quite high in sodium at ~ 500 mg/tablespoon. The NPG brand is unusually low in comparison.
Balsamic or rice vinegar.
It may sound strange, but don’t skip this ingredient! A small amount of vinegar is used to give the fried rice a little “something” that you can’t quite pinpoint, but that really adds flavor and helps compensate for the lower salt.
Be sure to check out our article, 10 Tips for a Tasty 2 Gram Sodium Diet (From a Dietitian), which explains the use of vinegar and other tricks that will make your low sodium food taste great! These are tips that you won’t find anywhere else, so don’t miss it!
Egg
This recipe calls for one large egg, lightly scrambled.
Spices
A few key spices are used in this recipe:
- Ground Ginger—This is another ingredient where a little bit adds a distinct, authentic flavor. Adjust the amount according to your taste.
- Black Pepper
- Garlic Powder—If you haven’t noticed, this is one of my favorite all-time favorite spices!
Try these other recipes from The Everyday Kidney Cook that use a generous amount of garlic powder:
Optional—Sesame Oil
For a more authentic Asian flavor, add some sesame oil! Bonus: Sesame oil is heart healthy! However, I know not everyone stocks their kitchen with sesame oil, so rest assured that our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe tastes great without it!
5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe Variations
This recipe can easily be adjusted to fit your dietary needs or preferences. A few examples include:
Vegan Healthy Fried Rice
Our 5-Minute Health Fried Rice Recipe is already vegetarian. Simply omit the egg to make it vegan!
Chicken Healthy Fried Rice
Throw in some cooked and diced boneless, skinless chicken breast for a heartier dish! Cooked shrimp can be added instead. However, be mindful that salt or a sodium solution is often added to shrimp. (Read those labels!)
Bump Up the Protein
Of course, adding chicken to the recipe as discussed above will increase the protein. For even more protein, add another egg or two!
Time to make our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe!
So, we’ve talked about all the ways our 5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe is healthier than your average fried rice. And we know that making it couldn’t be any easier. Have an extra 5 minutes? Let’s make it!
5-Minute Healthy Fried Rice Recipe
Equipment
- Frying pan
- Turner Spatula
- Bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring spoons
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado or extra virgin olive oil approximate
- 1 bag Bird’s Eye Whole Grain Rice w/ carrots peas & corn, frozen (Note: see the substitution noted above if you are unable to find this product or simply prefer the substitute)
- 1 large egg lightly scrambled
- 1 ½ tablespoon (1 Tbsp. + 1 ½ tsp.) coconut aminos. (I use Coconut Secret brand).
- ½ teaspoon balsamic or rice vinegar
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon ground ginger according to taste.
- Black pepper according to taste
- Garlic powder generous amount or according to taste
- Optional: Approximately ½ tsp. sesame oil or according to taste
Instructions
- Add enough oil to lightly coat a medium-size skillet and start pre-heating on medium-high heat.
- Put the unopened bag of whole grain rice and veggies in the microwave, set for 3 minutes, and start. (If using the substitute, microwave the brown rice packet and frozen mixed vegetables according to package directions.).
- In the meantime, begin to fry the scrambled egg in the skillet and gather your other ingredients.
- By the time your egg is cooked, your rice and veggies should be done cooking. Add these to the skillet with the egg and stir.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Stir well. Taste and, if needed, adjust the spices and sesame oil, if using.
- Enjoy!
Chad
This recipe couldn't be easier and it tasted almost as good as fried rice from a restaurant! I used the white rice and vegetable version instead of the whole grain because that's all my store carried.
Beverly Garden
So glad you liked it!