Skip to Content

Simple Tuna Fried Rice

Sharing is caring!

Spicy tuna fried rice with canned tuna, eggs, and vegetables. A simple and delicious meal that’s ready in about 20 minutes.

bowl with fried rice and chopsticks on the side.

Today’s recipe makes a great quick lunch or dinner, delicious tuna fried rice made with some of our favorite pantry staples: canned tuna, corn, rice, and eggs. A great way of using leftover rice or any vegetables you might have forgotten in your crisper drawer.

Check out more fried rice recipes: Fried Rice with Spam and Eggs and Ketchup Fried Rice.

Recipe ingredients

listed ingredients for cooking fried rice with tuna, vegetables and eggs.

Long grain white rice like Basmati or Jasmine.

  • Cook the grains one day ahead or use leftover rice.
  • For a change, you can use brown rice or a mix of Basmati and wild rice; the dish will be chewier and nuttier.

Canned tuna

  • Either tuna in brine or oil. Drain well before adding it to the pan.
  • You might need one can of tuna or two, depending on their size. You should be OK with something between 5.5 – 7 oz (150 – 200 g); a little more or less is ok.

Vegetables:

  • I used some typical fried rice vegetables: carrots, onions, corn, and scallions. However, the sky is the limit; you can use other veggies you like. See below for more ideas.

Sauce ingredients: Soy and fish sauce, sesame oil, and ground black pepper.

Garnish with green or spring onions and sesame seeds (preferably toasted).

Step-by-step instructions

  • Get everything ready: Chop the vegetables and drain the corn and the fish (separately). Whisk the eggs with a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Cook eggs: Heat one tablespoon of the oil in a wok or a large frying pan. Pour in the whisked eggs (1) and cook them for a few minutes until cooked yet still slightly wet (2). You should not overcook them. Transfer to a plate.
collage of two pictures of cooking scrambled eggs in a pan.
  • Cook the vegetables in another tablespoon of oil for about 2 minutes (3).
  • Add rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and drained tuna. Stir fry on medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes or until the contents of the pan are hot (4).
collage of two pictures of cooking carrots, peas and corn and adding rice.
  • You can adjust the taste with a bit of salt and pepper, but it probably won’t be necessary; the soy sauce and fish sauce are salty enough.
  • Add the chopped scrambled eggs and fold in gently (5).
  • Garnish with the chopped green onions and sesame seeds and serve immediately.
frying rice and vegetables in a large skillet.

Additions

  • There are lots of other vegetables you can add to tuna fried rice.
    • How about bell pepper, garlic, zucchini, mushrooms, peas, sugar snap peas, broccoli, or cauliflower? I also love using diced eggplant, but in this case, ensure that you cook it long enough before adding the rest of the ingredients; eggplants should always be soft.
  • Replace the scrambled eggs with one fried egg per serving.
  • Another sauce: Replace the soy sauce mixture with your favorite stir-fry sauce. The egg-fried rice will have another flavor, but it will still taste great.
  • Make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, sriracha, sambal oelek, or another hot chili sauce.

Expert Tips

  • Use day-old rice. Cool it quickly and refrigerate it in an airtight container until ready to fry. Only chilled rice that’s been cooked a day ahead will have the nice chewy texture that fried rice should have. Just-cooked grains will turn soggy during frying.
  • Prepare all the vegetables and drain the tuna before you start cooking. Once the cooking begins, everything will go super-fast, and you will not have the time to chop things in between.
  • Don’t overcook the veggies, especially the carrots should not be super-soft; they are better when they are slightly crunchy.
overhead view of a small bowl with fried rice, parsley and chopsticks on the side.

Recipe FAQ

What is the best rice for making fried rice?

Long-grain rice, like Basmati or Jasmine. For best results, cook it one day ahead.

Can I leave out the eggs?

Yes.

How to store?

Refrigerate the tuna fried rice in an airtight container; it will be fine for about 3 days.
Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge and reheat before serving.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

How to serve?

Serve with some extra sauce if you like it. A bit of sriracha, sweet or hot chili sauce, or even ketchup is excellent.

Side dish ideas: Salad with vinaigrette or yogurt dressing or steamed vegetables like pak choi, spinach, kale, broccoli, peas, etc. 

close up fried rice with tuna, soy sauce and eggs.

More tuna recipes

Hungry for More Fast Recipes? Sign up for the Newsletter to get new quick and delicious recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing daily meal-time inspiration on Pinterest and Facebook
close up fried rice with tuna, soy sauce and eggs.

Simple Tuna Fried Rice

Spicy tuna fried rice with canned tuna, eggs, and vegetables. A simple and delicious meal that’s ready in about 20 minutes.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Share Grow.me Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
10 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 357kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

  • Wok or large frying pan

Ingredients  

  • 3 cups cooked rice day old, about 350 g/ 12 oz, Notes 12, 3
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil divided
  • ½ cup carrots diced, about 50 g/ 1.8 oz
  • ½ cup corn canned, about 50 g/ 1.8 oz
  • 1 onion small, finely chopped
  • 1 can tuna Notes 4, 5
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 2 green onions finely chopped
  • 1 small bunch of parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds roasted

Instructions

  • Prepare vegetables: Chop the onions finely, peel and dice the carrots, and drain the canned corn. Set aside.
  • Cook eggs: Whisk the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper in a small bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a wok or large pan. Cook the eggs until set yet slightly undercooked; they should not be completely dry. Remove them from the pan.
  • Cook vegetables: Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan. Cook the vegetables on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes.
  • Fry rice: Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil, pepper, and drained tuna. Stir fry for 3-4 minutes or until the rice and tuna are hot.
  • Adjust the taste if necessary. Gently fold in the chopped scrambled eggs.
  • Stir in the chopped green onions and parsley. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Long-grain white rice, Basmati, or Jasmine rice are all great.
  2. The rice should be cooked one day in advance and chilled.
  3. To get 3 cups of cooked rice, you will need to cook about 1 1/3 cups of rice.
  4. Cans of tuna often differ in size. You will need about 150-200 g of drained tuna; a little more or less is ok.
  5. You can use tuna in brine or tuna in oil.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 357kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 138mg | Sodium: 1023mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3027IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @thefastrecipe or tag #thefastrecipe!

Sharing is caring!

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.