Easy vegan Thai fried rice recipe in 10 mins! Fish-free sauce and rice is stir fried with tofu (instead of egg), vegetables, Thai chilis and seasoning!
This vegan fried rice recipe is flavourful, slightly tangy, savoury yet slightly sweet and truly reminds me of all the amazing Thai flavours. There is a bit of heat, since it is a Thai dish, but this can be omitted if desired!
Recipe for Vegan Thai Fried Rice
This vegan fried rice is a one-pan recipe that is super easy to whip up and will take you around 10 minutes. The result of this minimal effort recipe will be a slightly spicy and deliciously savoury dish with multiple textures and flavours.
Every Asian country seems to have their own special version of fried rice! Thai fried rice typically does not contain soy sauce, which is what makes the dish different from Chinese fried rice. What is usually found in Thai fried rice, is a blend of oyster and fish sauce – but of course, we are making this a vegan dish today so we will switch some things up.
To make the dish vegan friendly, we are using tofu instead of eggs, a mixture of two different soy sauces instead of fish sauce or oyster sauce and adding in some lime juice as well. This can be a super budget-friendly recipe once you have the key ingredients in your home! This recipe was inspired by a non-vegan recipe from Marions Kitchen.
This is a very simple dish to make and it’s great for meal prep – make a big batch of this fried rice and enjoy it throughout the week by simply heating it up in the microwave.
This is also a high-protein recipe – with the combination of tofu for protein and rice for carbs, this will fill you up and keep you satisfied for hours!
Ingredients for Thai Fried Rice (Vegan)
- Rice
- Thai chillis (omit if you don’t like spicy)
- Onion
- Garlic
- Tomato
- Cabbage
- Extra-firm tofu
- Soy sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Sugar
- Lime Juice
- Oil
- Thai basil (optional)
How To Make Vegan Thai Fried Rice
1. Start by cooking your rice and preparing the vegetables: Thinly slice the onions, shred the cabbage, and cut the tomato into wedges or chunks. If using the Thai chilis, cut them into small slices.
2. Next, heat up a pan or wok with around 1 tbsp of oil, and add the sliced onions to saute for around one minute to soften. Then add in the minced garlic, sliced Thai chilis, tomatoes and cabbage and mix together.
3. Move the vegetables to one side of the pan, and add the rest of the oil to the empty side. Crumble half a block of tofu with your fingers and add it to the pan with a pinch of salt.
4. Cook the tofu to allow it to become golden or just until the liquid has evaporated then add in the rice and mix everything together. Mix in the two kinds of soy sauce and sugar. Turn down the heat and mix in the lime juice. You can also add Thai basil to your vegan thai fried rice but I couldn’t find any at my store.
5. Plate and top with green onions and/or cilantro for garnish. Serve with lime wedges and cucumber slices and enjoy right away! Otherwise, keep in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days or freeze for up to a month (if freezing, preferably leave out the green onions/cilantro).
Vegan Thai Fried Rice
Equipment
- 1 Knife
- 1 Large Wok or Pan
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 3 cups Rice cooked, I used jasmine rice
- 2-3 Thai chilis sliced (optional for spice)
- 1/4 Onion diced
- 2 tbsp Garlic minced
- 1 Tomato cut into wedges
- 1 cup Cabbage shredded
- 2 tbsp Oil for frying pan; divide in half to start
- 1/2 block Tofu extra-firm
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce
- 2 tbsp Dark Soy sauce
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- Thai Basil optional
Instructions
- Start by cooking your rice and preparing the vegetables: Thinly slice the onions, shred the cabbage, and cut the tomato into wedges or chunks. If using the Thai chilis, cut them into small slices.
- Next, heat up a pan or wok with around 1 tbsp of oil, and add the sliced onions to saute for around one minute to soften. Then add in the minced garlic, sliced Thai chilis, tomatoes and cabbage and mix together.
- Move the vegetables to one side of the pan, and add the rest of the oil to the empty side. Crumble half a block of tofu with your fingers and add it to the pan with a pinch of salt.
- Cook the tofu to allow it to become golden or just until the liquid has evaporated then add in the rice and mix everything together. Mix in the two kinds of soy sauce and sugar. Turn down the heat and mix in the lime juice. You can also add Thai basil but I couldn't find any at my store.
- Plate and top with green onions and/or cilantro for garnish. Serve with lime wedges and cucumber slices and enjoy right away! Otherwise, keep in a tightly sealed container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days or freeze for up to a month (if freezing, preferably leave out the green onions/cilantro).
Notes
Nutrition
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This was so good!!! The lime and cilantro really make this very different from any other fried rice I’ve had. Best way to eat leftover rice