This easy tuna fried rice is packed with flavor and beautiful colors - perfect as a side dish or main course.
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If you're anything like me, there's a good chance that you have rice and tuna in your pantry at any given point in time. They are such great staples, and such life savers for those days you simply forgot to plan or buy dinner.
Tuna fried rice is to me the perfect dish to make for quick and easy lunches. It's so easy to throw together a batch of it, it's healthy and filling, and I always have the ingredients readily available.
If you love this recipe, you should make sure to check out my collection of rice recipes, including dill rice and kimchi fried rice.
Ingredients
For this recipe you will need canned tuna, carrots, peas, scallions (spring onions), garlic, cooked rice, soy sauce, sesame oil and rice vinegar.
I like to use frozen peas and frozen sliced carrots. These can be defrosted in minutes by soaking them in boiled water from your kettle, or by popping them in a microwave. You can also just finely chop raw carrots.
💡 TIP! You can omit, substitute or add any vegetables you like. Feel free to use your favorite veggies, or whatever you have at the back of your fridge.
Instructions
Heat up the sesame oil in a wok or skillet on high heat. Add the cooked rice and grated or finely chopped garlic, and stir fry for a few minutes.
Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, drained canned tuna, peas and finely chopped carrots. Stir fry for another few minutes until all the ingredients have cooked through.
Serve the tuna fried rice with chopped fresh scallions, and any other toppings that you like such as sliced chili or roasted sesame seeds.
Top tips
- Leave the vegetables to sautee enough for them to cook through.
- You must use rice that has already been boiled. You can use freshly cooked rice, or use leftovers from last night's dinner.
- Make sure you drain the tuna thoroughly before use.
Serving suggestions
- Chinese Garlic Green Beans - these green beans are a fantastic side to pair with the fried rice.
- Sriracha or sweet chili sauce - this dish is even better with sauce on top.
- Add a fried egg on top.
Variations
You can vary this dish endlessly by adding other vegetables, using other sauces, or different types of rice. Here are some of my favorite alternatives:
Spicy: Add fresh sliced chili and a tablespoon of sriracha.
Extra veg: Add some peppers, broccoli, sugar snap peas, onions or mushrooms.
Other fish: You can use canned mackerel, salmon or sardines instead of tuna.
Stir fry sauces: Add your favorite stir fry sauce, such as sweet chili, teriyaki or black bean sauce.
Leftovers
Store leftover tuna fried rice in a refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in a microwave before serving.
I love to make this easy dish as a meal prep for a week's worth of lunches. I make a big batch, and store it in portion sizes. Every morning I can simply grab a container of fried rice, put it in my bag, and be off to work.
Frequently asked questions
Fried rice is made with cooked long grain rice, such as Basmati rice or Jasmine rice.
Yes. You will have to boil rice before frying it for fried rice. Ideally, you want to use slightly less water than usual, to make the grains of rice slightly dry.
Recipe
Tuna Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice (945 ml / 750 g)
- 7 oz drained canned tuna (2 145g or 5 oz cans, drained)
- 1 cup frozen peas (150 g)
- 1 cup frozen carrot slices (or use 250 g fresh carrots)
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 scallions (spring onions)
Instructions
- Heat up the sesame oil in a wok or skillet on high heat. Add the cooked rice and grated or finely chopped garlic, and stir fry for a few minutes.
- Add soy sauce, rice vinegar, drained canned tuna, peas and finely chopped carrots. Stir fry for another few minutes until all the ingredients have cooked through.
- Serve the tuna fried rice with chopped fresh scallions, and any other toppings that you like such as sliced chili or roasted sesame seeds.
Video
Notes
- Leave the vegetables to sautee enough for them to cook through.
- You must use rice that has already been boiled. You can use freshly cooked rice, or use leftovers from last night’s dinner.
- Make sure you drain the tuna thoroughly before use.
- Store leftover tuna fried rice in a refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat it in a microwave before serving.
Carole
I am really looking forward to trying this. Thinking of both oriental foods and the things normally cooked with tuna, I plan to add mushrooms, celery, broccoli, pimentos, and Worcestershire sauce to replace 1 tsp of the soy sauce. I must use very low salt and am pleased with how low salt it already is. I also love oriental vegetables. I use brown rice. If you have any suggestions about all of this I would appreciate your guidance.
Tonje
Those additions all sound fantastic! Let me know how it turns out 🙂