Thai Fried Rice, known as “Khao Pad,” is a flavorful and aromatic dish made with fragrant jasmine rice, tender shrimp, and a savory, umami-packed sauce. Quick and customizable, it’s a perfect weeknight meal.
Try to be a rainbow in someone’s cloud.
Maya Angelou
Why You’ll Love This
I’ve tested countless Thai recipes, and I can confidently say this Thai Fried Rice is a standout. It strikes the perfect balance of savory, spicy, tangy, and sweet — the hallmark of great Thai cooking — without requiring special tools or hard-to-find ingredients.
I’ve fine-tuned this recipe over the years to ensure juicy shrimp, rice with wok-kissed texture, and bold aromatic flavor. Extra veggies are always welcome! Here we add bok choy and red pepper. Feel free to play around.
Whether you’re new to Thai cuisine or already love dishes like Pad Thai or Massaman Curry, this is an easy, satisfying meal that delivers restaurant-quality results at home.
Thai Fried Rice Ingredients
- Jasmine rice: Cook the rice beforehand. Cold, day-old rice is best.
- Shrimp: Thawed, peeled, and deveined — tails can be on or off.
- Aromatics: Garlic cloves and shallot add savory, aromatic depth of flavor.
- Vegetables: Baby bok choy, red bell pepper, green onions, and Thai chilies (or Fresno chilies for spicier heat) add texture, color, and heat.
- Eggs: Add hearty protein and a savory taste.
- Herbs: Use a mixture of Thai basil and cilantro.
- Coconut oil: My preferred oil for frying the rice, aromatics, and veggies. It imparts a subtly sweet and nutty flavor.
- Sauce: Oyster sauce, fish sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, maple syrup (or brown sugar), and lime juice for umami, tangy, and sweet flavor.
- Optional garnishes: Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers add fresh flavor and juicy, crisp texture.
Variations & Substitutions
- Try Other Veggies– snap peas, asparagus, mushrooms, or any quick-cooking veggie.
- Oyster Sauce: I like to use vegan oyster sauce for clean ingredients and flavor.
- Make it less fishy: Use 1 T fish sauce and 2 T soy sauce for less of a fishy taste. Keep in mind, using 2 T of fish sauce really adds to the umami flavor!
- Protein: Instead of shrimp, sub thinly sliced chicken breast, or make our crispy tofu.
- Chilies: Add larger pieces of chilies for more infused spice and less heat, then remove them before serving. For spicy bites, dice the chilies.
- Oil: Coconut oil adds a complementary flavor, but you can use avocado oil or peanut oil if desired.
How to Make Thai Fried Rice Recipe
1. Prep all ingredients & whisk the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, and lime juice.
2. Prep the shrimp. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel to absorb excess moisture.
3. Fry the shrimp. Preheat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil, shrimp, a sprinkle of salt, and half of the minced garlic. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes until shrimp starts to curl in and become opaque. Remove and set aside.
4. Stir-fry the veggies. Add more oil to the wok or pan if needed. Then add the shallot and stir-fry for one minute. Add the pepper, bok choy, remaining garlic, white parts of the scallions, and chilies. Stir-fry 2-3 minutes. Remove from the wok and set aside.
5. Scramble the eggs. Add more oil to the skillet, then scramble the eggs in the work. Set aside with the veggies.
6. Stir-fry the rice and assemble. With a little more oil, add the Jasmine rice and stir-fry 4-5 minutes. Add the sauce and veggies back and stir-fry a few minutes until thoroughly coated and warmed through. Add shrimp and green tops of scallions, then stir for an additional minute. Remove from the heat and mix in the cilantro and Thai basil.
7. Taste and adjust. Taste and adjust, adding more lime juice, fish sauce, or soy sauce as desired. Serve with fresh cucumber, fresh tomato slices, and lime wedges.
Chef’s Tips
- Use day-old Jasmine rice for the best texture. Fresh rice can turn mushy when stir-fried.
- Prep everything first. And place them by the stove. This dish moves fast once the wok is hot!
- Pat the shrimp dry so they sear instead of steaming.
- Stir-fry in stages. This avoids over-cooking, particularly for shrimp and veggies. And it prevents overcrowding in the pan.
- Use high heat. For that perfect wok flavor and slight char! Turn your hood on.
- Add chilies to taste. Whole chilies for subtle heat that can be removed, or chopped for spicy bites.
Storing Thai Fried Rice
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop. You can also store this dish in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This Thai Fried Rice makes a meal on its own, but to serve fun and colorful side dishes along with it, here are some of our favorites!
- Thai Larb Salad
- Thai Chicken Salad
- Thai Noodle Salad
- Thai Quinoa Lentil Salad
- Tom Kha Soup (Thai Coconut Soup)
- Thai Broccoli Soup
FAQs
Fish sauce is the key ingredient to Thai fried rice and really sets it apart from Chinese fried rice. It adds a pungent, umami depth of flavor.
Avoid using freshly cooked rice (which turns mushy), overcrowding the pan, not using high enough heat, and skipping the prep work for fast cooking.
The most prominent ingredient in Thai fried rice sauce is fish sauce. But oyster sauce, soy sauce, and sweetener are added too.
Hope you enjoy this Thai Fried Rice Recipe! Let us know in the comments below.
More Thai Recipes You Might Like
Thai Fried Rice Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: dinner idea, Thai recipes, easy dinner
- Method: stir-fried
- Cuisine: Thai
Description
Thai Fried Rice, known as “Khao Pad,” is a flavorful and aromatic dish made with fragrant jasmine rice, tender shrimp, and a savory, umami-packed sauce. Quick and customizable, it’s a perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce (see notes)
- 1–2 tablespoons fish sauce (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (low sodium)
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Fried Rice
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil or peanut oil (divided, more if needed)
- 8 ounces shrimp, thawed, deveined, tails on or off
- 4 cloves garlic, minced & divided
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- 2 cups baby bok choy, chopped small
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped small
- 4 green onions, chopped- separating whites and green parts
- 1–2 red thai chilies (very spicy!) or red Fresno chilies (less spicy), see notes.
- 2 eggs, whisked in a small bowl
- 3 cups Jasmine rice, cooked, cold, and day old is best
- 1/3 cup Thai basil leaves and cilantro mixed ( or use regular basil)
Optional Garnishes: ½ cup sliced cherry tomatoes, 1 cup sliced cucumbers, lime wedges
Instructions
- Make the stir-fry sauce. In a small bowl ,whisk together oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup and lime juice.
- Prep your ingredients. Chop garlic, shallots, and veggies and set them by the stove. Whisk the eggs.
- Prep shrimp. Pat your shrimp dry with a paper towel to absorb any excess moisture.
- Stir fry in batches. Preheat the wok or large frying pan on high heat. Add 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil, shrimp, a sprinkle of salt, and 1/2 of the minced garlic. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp just starts to curl in and turns opaque. Set aside.
- Add more oil as needed, lower heat to medium, add the shallot, and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add in red pepper and bok choy, remaining garlic, white part of scallions, and chilies- if using. Stir fry 2-3 minutes. Remove from wok and set aside.
- Add more coconut oil and scramble the eggs in the wok. Set aside with the veggies.
- Add a little more oil and the Jasmine rice. Stir fry 4-5 minutes.
- Combine. Add the stir-fry sauce and veggies back into the wok with the rice. Stir-fry for a few minutes until thoroughly coated and warm through. Add shrimp and green tops of onions, stir 1 minute more. Remove from heat and add cilantro and Thai basil.
- Season. Adjust to taste with more lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce. Serve with fresh cucumber, fresh tomato slices, and lime wedges.
Notes
We used Vegan Oyster Sauce for clean ingredients and flavor.
Fish Sauce– for less “fishy”- add only 1 tablespoon fish sauce and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. But it really adds umami. For vegan use Vegan Fish Sauce.
Chilies- Add whole or large chunks of chilies for more infused spice, but less “heat”, and remove before serving. Or finely dice or slice the chilies for more spicy bites.
Coconut oil really adds a complementary flavor, or you can use avocado oil or peanut oil.
This is a great fried rice recipe! Our all time favorite is FAH’s Pineapple Fried Rice. But sometimes you don’t necessarily want the intensity of curry. This is a great, “original” back-up still with tons of great flavors!
Glad you gave it a try!
Perfect and delicious! I added some julienned broccoli and carrots to mine. The Thai basil is so good! Would def make again, thank you for the recipe! 🩷✨
Thanks for giving it a try Angeli! So appreciate you and your helpful reviews.:)
Made this with broccoli, mushrooms and red pepper and it was delicious. Very easy and will definitely make again.
Sounds yummy Nicola! Glad you gave it a try and really appreciate you reviewing.
I have been meaning to try a fried rice recipe for years, and finally, this recipe caught my eye. The difference was the addition of the fresh ingredients, which gave it some textural differences. The sauce was perfect. I forgot to buy the bok choy so I substituted Napa Cabbage, and also used Shishito peppers. It is customizable. A keeper.
Perfect! So glad you gave it a try. Thanks for taking time to leave us a review!
Fantastic, family loved it.
Great to hear this Gabrielle!
j’ai fait la recette comme indiqué…je n avais pas ajouter le piment thai dans la cuisson pour les gens qui n aime pas le piquant mais j’en ai fait cuire ds une poêle pour l’ajouter a mon assiette .Woww nous avons bien aimé cest a refaire. Un gros merci pour un autre excellente recette🫶
“I made the recipe as indicated…I didn’t add the Thai chili in the cooking for people who don’t like spicy but I cooked some in a pan to add it to my plate. Wow we really liked it, I’ll do it again. A big thank you for another excellent recipe.”
So happy to hear! Thank you for letting us know.
I love this rice, and the shrimp makes it extra special.
Great to hear Mimi!