Authentic Thai Fried Rice in 30 Min – VIDEO
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Thai Fried Rice is my favorite fried rice – I love the aromatic flavors of Thai basil with the spice from the Thai Chili Peppers! Like other fried rice dishes, it’s so much easier to make than you would think – make this in 30 minutes and enjoy authentic Thai Fried Rice at home!
Watch the Thai Fried Rice Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
This is how to make authentic Thai Fried Rice!
I learned how to make authentic Thai Fried Rice during my travels in Thailand and knew I had to share this recipe! In the same class, I also learned how to make Pad Thai – another Thai classic!
If you love fried rice, make sure to try Benihana Fried Rice, Chicken Fried Rice, Shrimp Fried Rice, Spam Fried Rice, Kimchi Fried Rice, Egg Fried Rice, Mushroom Fried Rice, Din Tai Fung Shrimp Fried Rice, or Pineapple Fried Rice!
This is an amazing recipe! Finally, I can make a Thai dish at home that tastes as good or BETTER than a restaurant.
Ingredients (+ Substitutions)
Note: A few of the ingredients you need to make authentic Thai Fried Rice will require a visit to your local Asian grocery store. In the event that you cannot find them, I provided substitutions below. Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- protein – I used shrimp but you can use chicken, beef, crab, or even tofu.
- basmati or Jasmine rice – I recommend long grain white rice for this recipe due to the lower moisture content. Use old rice, as fresh rice will be too moist and the fried rice will turn out soggy.
- Thai basil – Thai Basil is different than regular basil – it’s a bit spicy and savory, and adds so much to dishes. However, I know it can be hard to come by at times – if you can’t find it, use regular basil.
- Thai chili peppers – Thai chili peppers are very spicy, so you only need a little bit (if you are sensitive to heat, I’d recommend using less). If you can’t find them, use serrano peppers- they’re not as spicy, so you may want to increase the amount.
- palm sugar – Palm sugar are sold in circular discs and are less processed than white or brown sugar – they’re used in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking and have a nutty, caramel-y flavor. If you can’t find it, use brown sugar.
- MSG – I use MSG in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer.
How to Make Thai Fried Rice
Marinate Shrimp, Mix The Chili Garlic Paste, and Sauce – In a bowl, add the peeled and deveined shrimp along with soy sauce, salt, white pepper, neutral oil, baking soda and cornstarch. Mix until combined and marinate for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine garlic and thai chili peppers into a paste and set aside. Alternatively, chop the garlic and peppers and scrape alongside a cutting board and the flat edge of a knife to form a paste. In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and msg to make the sauce.
Cook the Shrimp and Aromatics – Add the neutral oil over high heat in a wok or large pan until just smoking. Add the shrimp and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside, leaving the residual oil in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium high. In the same pan, fry the garlic/chili paste for 15 seconds until fragrant, then immediately add shallots and onion. Stir fry for 1 minute until the onions are softened.
Add Eggs, Rice, Sauce, Shrimp, and Thai Basil – Push the ingredients to the side, then add eggs and scramble (add 1 tbsp more oil if needed to cook the eggs). Mix together. Turn the heat to high, then add the day old rice and mix together over high heat, stir frying until the rice is toasted and relatively dry. Add the premixed sauce and combine, stir frying for another 2-3 minutes until the rice has absorbed the sauce. Add shrimp and basil and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Garnish with limes, chili flakes and more basil and enjoy!
PRO TIPS
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
Crumble Old Rice – When cooking with dried out, day old rice straight from the refrigerator, you’ll notice that the rice may be clumped and dried together. Crumble the rice as you add it to your wok or pan – this ensures each rice grain gets cooked and coated in all of the delicious aromatics and flavors (versus having clumps of unseasoned rice in the finished dish).
Storage + Reheating – Store any leftover Thai Fried Rice in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. You can also freeze in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for 2-3 weeks.
I like to reheat fried rice in a hot wok or pan; I heat up 2-3 tablespoons of oil and give it a quick stir fry over high heat. You can also reheat it in the microwave with a damp paper towel to help steam the rice and properly reheat it.
If you tried this Thai Fried Rice or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Authentic Thai Fried Rice (VIDEO)
Equipment
Ingredients
Shrimp (or Protein of Choice)
- 1/2 lb shrimp, medium sized (U40-50)
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tbsp neutral oil
- 1/8 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Garlic & Chili Paste
- 5 cloves garlic
- 2 thai chili peppers, adjust to your spice preference
Sauce
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp palm sugar, sub regular sugar
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp msg
Other Ingredients
- 3 tbsp neutral oil, I used avocado oil
- 2 cups Basmati or Jasmine rice, cooked and dried out in the fridge overnight
- 1/2 onion, sliced
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 2 cups thai basil, plus more for garnish; can sub regular basil
- 2 eggs, beaten
Garnish
- 4 Lime wedges
- 1 tbsp chili flakes
Instructions
- In a bowl, add the peeled and deveined shrimp along with soy sauce, salt, white pepper, neutral oil, baking soda and cornstarch. Mix until combined and marinate for 15 minutes.
- In a mortar and pestle, combine garlic and thai chili peppers into a paste and set aside. Alternatively, chop the garlic and peppers and scrape alongside a cutting board and the flat edge of a knife to form a paste.
- In a small bowl, mix together oyster sauce, light soy sauce, fish sauce, palm sugar, white pepper, and msg.
- Add the neutral oil over high heat in a wok or large pan until just smoking. Add the shrimp and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until cooked through. Remove and set aside, leaving the residual oil in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium high.
- In the same pan, fry the garlic/chili paste for 15 seconds until fragrant, then immediately add shallots and onion. Stir fry for 1 minute until the onions are softened.
- Push the ingredients to the side, then add eggs and scramble (add 1 tbsp more oil if needed to cook the eggs). Mix together.
- Turn the heat to high, then add the day old rice and mix together over high heat, stir frying until the rice is toasted and relatively dry. Add the premixed sauce and combine, stir frying for another 2-3 minutes until the rice has absorbed the sauce.
- Add shrimp and basil and stir fry for another 1-2 minutes. Garnish with limes, chili flakes and more basil and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- protein – I used shrimp but you can use chicken, beef, crab, or even tofu.
- basmati or Jasmine rice – I recommend long grain white rice for this recipe due to the lower moisture content. Use old rice, as fresh rice will be too moist and the fried rice will turn out soggy.
- Thai basil – Thai Basil is different than regular basil – it’s a bit spicy and savory, and adds so much to dishes. However, I know it can be hard to come by at times – if you can’t find it, use regular basil.
- Thai chili peppers – Thai chili peppers are very spicy, so you only need a little bit (if you are sensitive to heat, I’d recommend using less). If you can’t find them, use serrano peppers- they’re not as spicy, so you may want to increase the amount.
- palm sugar – Palm sugar are sold in circular discs and are less processed than white or brown sugar – they’re used in a lot of Southeast Asian cooking and have a nutty, caramel-y flavor. If you can’t find it, use brown sugar.
- MSG – I use MSG in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This authentic Thai Fried Rice recipe was originally published in March 2023, and updated in January 2026.
This is an amazing recipe! Finally, I can make a Thai dish at home that tastes as good or BETTER than a restaurant. I’m so glad I found this website! Thanks CJ!
Thank you so much, Alan!
This was awesome – made it with chicken and put some tomato wedges in right at the end with the basil, as that’s how I remember having it but the recipe itself is perfect and the only one I’ve tried that tasted authentic. Delicious!
Thank you so much for the kind words, Stacy! I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Hi Cj, is the portion of the rice (in ingredients list) is for uncooked rice or is it for cooked rice?
Hi Ika – the measurement of the rice is uncooked. It is then cooked and dried out in the fridge overnight. I hope that helps!
Pretty darn good. I don’t have a wok, but I doubt I’d make this indoors anyway. I use an outdoor griddle. The key to this being so good is the sauce is right. It leans a little bit too much toward the fish sauce for my taste, so I backed it off by 25%. I kept everything else the same. I’ve been using parboiled rice to guarantee not sticking and generally try to keep it in the fridge for two days. He’s absolutely right about prepping ahead. I still struggle to keep everything on time even with prepping everything. I tend to make a lot when I cook this. Probably more than I should have on my 36″ griddle, but it’s so good as leftovers or even freezing. It just makes sense for me to multiply this recipe by a factor of 2.5. This sauce and the heat of Thai chili peppers is what it’s all about. Delicious.
I’m glad it worked out for you, Doug! I’ve been known to go a little strong on the fish sauce – it’s my favorite! I absolutely love the thai chili pepper & garlic paste. It really makes it for me!
I might have jumped the gun a bit on the fish sauce. I was tasting the sauce as I made it, which is quite a bit stronger than once mixed into the fried rice. I just tend to be cautious with such strong seasonings. Next I need to find a Thai brown gravy recipe that’s close to the Thai restaurant I go to. I go nuts for that garlicky sweet concoction, but never seem to be able to find a recipe that replicates it.
I can’t say enough great things about this recipe! It was sooo delicious and everyone asked me for this recipe!!