A tasty recipe for vegetarian Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) loaded up with fresh, healthy veggies! Keep it vegetarian with Turmeric Tofu (or add chicken or shrimp!)—a fast and flavor-packed dinner recipe the whole family will love. 

Nasi Goreng, in a nutshell, is Indonesian Fried Rice. It’s simple Indonesian cuisine, typically made with leftover rice, veggies, egg, and meat or shrimp, and it varies quite a bit depending on where you are in Indonesia. While we were there, in the hot south, it was almost always served with something crunchy, cool, and fresh on the side.

What is Nasi Goreng?

Authentic Nasi Goreng is seasoned with a little Terasi shrimp powder and Kecap Manis – a dark, sweet & syrupy soy sauce infused with a hint of star anise. Here, I’ve kept it simple, vegan-adaptable, and made with more accessible ingredients. Please read the recipe notes if you want to go the more traditional route.

This version of Nasi Goreng is vegetarian, made with turmeric tofu, and loaded up with healthy veggies. You can add a protein of your choice, typically chicken or shrimp, or fried eggs, or keep it vegan with crispy tofu.

How to make Nasi Goreng | 45-sec video

plate with nasi goreng (indonesian fried rice) with turmeric tofu and sprouts, herbs, cucumbers, radish, lime.

Why You’ll Love This

  1. Nutritious! Nasi Goreng is loaded with colorful veggies, rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
  2. So versatile. Serve with tofu, eggs, shrimp, or chicken.
  3. Use up what you have. This is a kitchen sink recipe that uses up leftover vegetables from your fridge!
ingredients for nasi goreng (indonesian fried rice)- carrots, garlic, shallot, peas, mushrooms, red bell pepper, rice.

Ingredients

  • Cooked rice: Leftover, dried out rice is best. See notes.
  • Tofu: Use fried tofu, or pan-seared chicken or shrimp- all optional!
  • Shallots: Or 1/2 an onion.
  • Garlic cloves: Roughly chopped.
  • Carrot: Diced small.
  • Red bell pepper: Chopped.
  • Mushrooms: Sliced.
  • Fresh shucked peas: Or use snow peas, snap peas, or green beans.
  • Eggs: Whisked with a generous pinch salt (optional).
  • Soy sauce: Or GF Liquid Aminos (or sweet soy sauce). See notes. 
  • Maple syrup: Or honey or palm sugar.
  • Sesame oil: Just a drizzle!
  • Green onions: Chopped.
  • Optional seasonings: Terasi shrimp power and Ketjap Manis (see notes).
  • Optional garnishes: Sliced cucumber, radishes, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, sprouts, cilantro, crushed peanuts, Peanut Chili Crunch, lime wedges, and chili paste (sambal olek).

This recipe calls for 5 cups of chopped veggies and 3 cups of leftover rice. Here I’ve used carrots, bell pepper, fresh shucked peas (from Trader Joes) and mushrooms. Feel free to change this up.

chopped mushrooms, peppers, carrots on wood cutting board next to bowl of peas.

How to Make Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)

In an extra-large skillet or wok, pan-sear your choice of protein in oil with a little salt, pepper and chili flakes until golden and cooked through, set aside. Here we are making vegetarian Nasi Goreng using tofu. Here is a post on how to make crispy tofu.

crispy turmeric tofu frying in cast iron skillet.

In the same skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons oil and saute shallots, garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrots over medium heat until the carrots are tender about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt. Toss in the fresh peas at the end.

chopped veggies sautéing in skillet.

At the same time, while veggies are cooking, whisk, salt and scramble the eggs in a separate oiled pan, breaking the cooked apart into little pieces, set aside. (Or feel free to top with sunny side eggs after serving.)

scrambled eggs chopped with metal spatula in cast iron skillet.

Once the veggies are tender, scoot them over to one side of the pan. Add a little more oil to the bare pan and add the day old rice. Turn up to high heat and fry for 3-4 minutes, getting it a little crispy. Combine rice with the veggies.

sautéed veggies on one side of pan with brown rice on other side, preparing to make fried rice.

Drizzle with the soy sauce and maple syrup and mix well for delicious umami flavor. Mix in the scrambled eggs and meat/shrimp/tofu if using. Taste and season with a drizzle of sesame oil, red chili flakes, salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the scallions right before serving.

vegetarian Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) cooking in pan with colorful veggies and scrambled eggs.

Divide among bowls and serve with some of the optional garnishes, lime & red chilli paste. We love it with sambal oelek!

Vegetarian Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) loaded up with fresh veggies, served with crispy turmeric tofu and fresh herbs, sprouts, radish, cucumber.

Expert Tips

  1. Chop the veggies small: For the tougher veggies, it helps to chop them extra small for faster cooking.
  2. Choose your protein: This recipe is versatile. Choose crispy tofu, fried egg, pan-seared chicken, or shrimp for your protein. Or skip it!
  3. Add eggs how you like them: Here I added scrambled eggs. You can leave them out for a vegan version, or serve them sunny side up.
  4. Use extra dry rice: I used leftover brown basmati rice. Wet or moist rice grains will not work well here. I leave the rice uncovered in the fridge overnight to dry it out for optimal consistency.
  5. Serve with fresh, crunchy veggies: Plate with fresh crunchy veggies like cucumber, radish, tomatoes when in season, fresh herbs, sprouts, fresh chili peppers, and a lime wedge. Shredded cabbage would also be nice!

FAQs

How long does Nasi Goreng keep for?

Leftovers taste delicious! Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This recipe makes 2-3 portions, so we recommend making a large batch to enjoy for quick meals throughout the week.

Can I freeze Nasi Goreng?

Yes. Let cool completely then store in a freezer bag for up to one month. Perfect for busy weeknights!

What type of rice should I use?

Use brown or white basmati rice or jasmine rice.

plate of Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) with peas, peppers, carrots, mushrooms, with fresh herbs.

On the homefront: I’ll always have a fondness for Bali. It was there, in that time of sunshine and slow-living that my husband Brian, hatched a plan to free us out of our “build a catering empire” conundrum. You see, up until then, I was of the mindset that you had to be the best, and work more, build more, and that success was everything.

He literally had to draw me a diagram in order for my head to get around his idea of “simplifying”. It was a foreign concept. But while being in that beautiful simple countryside, where people were joyful, content with very little, the idea sunk in, and a little seedling sprouted in my soul. At first, it was simply imagining the life I wanted.  I wanted life to be easier, with less stress, more freedom… and to be near the ocean.

Those of you who have been here a while may remember how we sold our house a couple of months after that trip, got rid of 2/3rds of our stuff, paid off our debt, moved into a little house and then was able to cater fewer events because we had a much smaller wheel to turn. And as we were catering less, I got more time to spend time doing the stuff that truly brought me joy. Like this blog. 😉

Eventually, we were able to stop catering altogether, which was a godsend. Ten years of catering, and ten years of having a restaurant before that, though rewarding on many levels, was a type of stress my adrenal glands couldn’t take anymore. So Bali led me down a path of being open and trusting my husband’s ideas (which were very different than mine at the time) and then trusting the path itself… even though we really had no certainty about where it would lead. To me, it felt like jumping into a rushing river -freeing, unsettling, exhilarating, crazy. AND Wonderful.

So, what does this have to do with Nasi Goreng? Nothing much, except, Bali is where it all began….

More Favorite Rice Recipes!

If you like these fried rice dishes, go here for more fast and easy Stir-Fry Recipes!

xoxo

Sylvia

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vegetarian nasi goreng

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice)

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 31 reviews
  • Author: Sylvia Fountaine | Feasting at Home
  • Prep Time: 15mins
  • Cook Time: 15mins
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 3 1x
  • Category: vegan, vegetarian, gluten free
  • Method: stir-fried
  • Cuisine: Indonesian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) loaded up with fresh veggies! Add chicken, shrimp or eggs, or keep it vegan with Tofu! Easy tasty recipe! Vegan-adaptable and gluten-free.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 812 ounces crispy tofu, pan-seared chicken or shrimp- all optional
  • 3 tablespoons oil, divided
  • 2 shallots (or 1/2 an onion), chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
  • 1 cup diced carrot (small dice!)
  • 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cups sliced mushrooms
  • 1 cup fresh shucked peas, snow peas, snap peas or green beans
  • 2 eggs, whisked with a generous pinch salt (optional)
  • 3 cups cooked rice, (leftover, dried out, is best -see notes)
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce, more to taste (see notes) Or GF Liquid Aminos ( or sweet soy sauce- see notes)
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, honey or palm sugar
  • drizzle of sesame oil
  • 1/41/2 cup chopped scallions
  • optional seasonings: Terasi shrimp power and Kecap Manis (see notes).

Optional Garnishes: sliced cucumber, radishes, shredded cabbage, tomatoes, sprouts, cilantro, crushed peanuts, Peanut Chili Crunch, lime wedges, and chili paste (sambal olek).


Instructions

  1. In an extra-large skillet or wok, pan-sear your choice of protein in oil with a little salt, pepper and chili flakes until golden and cooked through, set aside.
  2. In the same skillet, add 1-2 tablespoons oil and saute shallots, garlic, mushrooms, bell pepper and carrots over medium heat until the carrots are tender about 7-8 minutes. Season with salt. Toss in the fresh peas at the end.
  3. At the same time, while veggies are cooking, whisk,  salt and scramble the eggs in a separate oiled pan, breaking the cooked apart into little pieces, set aside. (Or feel free to top with sunny side eggs after serving.)
  4. Once the veggies are tender, scoot them over to one side of the pan. Add a little more oil to the bare pan and add the rice. Turn the heat up and fry for 3-4 minutes, getting it a little crispy. Combine rice with the veggies.
  5. Drizzle with the soy sauce and maple syrup and mix well. Mix in the scrambled eggs and meat/shrimp/tofu if using.  Taste and season with a drizzle of sesame oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper if needed. Stir in the scallions right before serving.
  6. Divide among bowls and serve with some of the optional garnishes,  lime & chile paste.

Notes

Rice: Feel free to use white or brown long-grain basmati rice. Left over rice, left uncovered in the fridge to dry out a bit works best here- allowing it to get more crispy in the pan. If making rice from scratch for this- you could cook it, then spread it out on a sheet pan and let it dry out first.

Feel free to sub other veggies- you’ll need about 5 cups raw.  Quick-cooking veggies work best here- chopped green beans, snow peas, asparagus, shredded cabbage, summer squash, fresh corn… etc.

TERASI SHRIMP PASTE: If you would like to use Terasi Shrimp Paste– you could mix it in with the soy sauce first before adding to the dish. 1/2 -1 teaspoon should be plenty. The Indonesian variety is usually in powder form.  I also sometimes use Hondashi Granules (not traditional, but tasty!)

Sweet soy sauce:  (KECAP MANIS) If you’d like to use this instead of the soy sauce, start with 2 tablespoons and leave out the maple syrup. Taste, adjust salt- you may still want to add a splash of soy sauce.

STAR ANISE: A great way to infuse a little star anise into the dish is to add it whole to the cooking rice.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 500
  • Sugar: 14.1 g
  • Sodium: 526.1 mg
  • Fat: 22.6 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3.9 g
  • Carbohydrates: 60 g
  • Fiber: 5.3 g
  • Protein: 18.2 g
  • Cholesterol: 124 mg

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Comments

  1. Very good. I tried one of her other vegetarian recipes (the broccoli quinoa cakes) which I was not a fan of, but after giving this website another chance it has given me the reassurance to try more of the vegetarian recipes I was hoping to in the first place. Everyone in my family liked it and I would definitely recommend this to anyone! Thank you for sharing this recipe Sylvia!






  2. “I’m letting this gush of words come out in case it might mean something to someone, somewhere.”
    It resonates with me. Thank you for trusting that it had a purpose. A few years back I learned from my sister the importance of recognizing the importance we have as messengers of a higher being to reach others. She prayer that she always be “available” to fulfill that purpose of her life and I thought that was amazing. Most times we don’t even know when we are being messengers.

    Love your recipes! I was totally bored with the shore of cooking daily for my family and decided I needed to actually do some research on vegetable based recipes to have a good repertoire and enjoy sitting down to eat and feel good about it. The first blog I checked out was yours. It has been exactly what I was looking for. I don’t even feel the need to look anywhere else until I try all yours that appeal to our tastes. Thank you for your time sharing this recipes.

  3. Yummie! I marinated the tofu in turmeric and Garam masala. Such a tasty recipe and so filling. I’d never have thought to serve with salad but radish, cucumber, fresh coriander, spring onion and celery leaves were delicious with it

  4. This was so good! I would have loved to follow the recipe exactly but it was 6:00 and I needed to cook something so I scoured the fridge to see what I had. I used left overs from your Biyrani recipe (which, for the record, holy cow! is another great dish). I used tofu with the tumeric and for veggies I used carrots, onions and green pepper because that is what I had. No scallions because I didn’t have any and it was still absolutely delicious. I used the maple syrup, tamari and sesame oil. This will become a regular in our household. Thank you for this!






  5. This recipe looks delicious, but I wasn’t sure about the soy sauce and honey combo … but it was absolutely delicious! I made mine with shrimp, my daughter’s without – both were super tasty. It came together quickly, was satisfying as a meal – and I believe this dish would be good with just about any protein you wanted to add to it (or just keep it without) — great recipe!






  6. I made this as a way to use up our last remaining Thanksgiving leftovers (turkey and green beans, specifically). I loved the slight sweetness, and how the fresh garnishes really brighten it up!






  7. [Not for publication]

    You labeled the video “45-minute video”. It’s closer to 45 seconds. Wonderful blog! I look forward to many happy memories from the recipes!

  8. I made this with shrimp. (My wife doesn’t like tofu. When my daughter, who loves tofu, is next able to visit we’ll have it that way.) It’s yummy. The only modifications I made were adding a little bit if minced fresh chili pepper and since we didn’t have any peanuts on hand, I topped it with some chopped cashews. The cashews were fine, but I think peanuts would be even better.

  9. THE BEST fried rice I have ever had. I made sure my rice was dry. Perfection!

    Meat was my primary diet for years, but I was curious to try a more veggie diet. Feastingathome was the thing that made me transition. I love cooking these recipes, and they show veggies can be very flavorful and exciting.






  10. This was fantastic. I added shrimp to mine and it was delicious, flavorful, filling and low calorie. Loved it and told my mom to check out your website and make it too!






  11. We loved this so much!
    We’ve tried “fried rice”recipes before but this is the first time we’ve seen the direction to use left over rice. We made extra last night just so that we could try this tonight and we weren’t disappointed.
    The only thing we will do differently next time is chop up a chilli toss that through.
    Thanks for this one!






  12. Your flow of words did, indeed, reach me, for I have been feeling the same way. One of my daughters went to Bali 3 years ago to change course in her life. She got out of marketing and is now a yoga instructor. It wasn’t the yoga course in Bali that she loved, so much as the people and the countryside, and the native healers she worked with. I so appreciate that you not only share your healthy, flavorful, and incredibly beautiful recipes, but also share things that touch you. Thank you!

  13. My husband’s comment: this is the best fried rice I’ve ever had. 🙂 Enough said!!! I used chicken for the protein, thawed green peas, a nice dose of sambal olek, garnished with crushed peanuts. Delicious!






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