Leftover Prime Rib Fried Rice: the Ultimate Beef Fried Rice

Name: Leftover Prime Rib Fried Rice
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons vegetable oil; 3 cups cooked cold rice; 2 eggs; 1 teaspoon sesame oil; 2 tablespoons soy; 1 tablespoon oyster sauce; 2-3 stalks green onion (chopped); 2 cups Prime rib (diced (10oz/280 grams)); Black pepper (to taste)

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Leftover Prime Rib Fried Rice is the treat we look forward to all year. But why wait!? This recipe will work with any leftover protein and you’ll find yourself using your extra rice to create this dish year-round.

But please make this dish. It’s the perfect way to use up leftover rice and your leftover prime rib. Make beef fried rice for brunch, lunch or even dinner – just add some steamed veggies or roasted cauliflower on the side.

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A bowl of fried rice with wooden chopsticks resting on a leafy holder.

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We only eat prime rib once a year – on Christmas Day. And it’s an event. My husband makes a sauce reduction that includes two bottles of cabernet, four cups of port and four cups of beef stock boiled down to just two cups. It’s so savory and rich, we just had to find a way to use up every drop of leftover prime rib and sauce. So day-after Christmas leftover prime rib fried rice was born!

Why you’ll love this recipe

You don’t need to make the cabernet reduction to make this rice. You can top this steak fried rice with whatever you have on hand – a bit more soy or a spicy condiment like Sriracha, seaweed-based furikake or just a few chopped green onions.

Ingredients you’ll need

Collage of ingredients on counter for leftover prime rib fried rice.

Most of the required ingredients for leftover prime rib fried rice are staples you’ll have on hand or leftovers you’ve created. If you don’t already have sesame oil and oyster sauce in the house, it’s worth buying a bottle of each. You’ll find many other uses for their distinct and savory flavors.

Cold rice: We generally use medium grain Japanese rice. Kokuho or Nishiki are our favorite everyday brands. A longer grain Chinese style rice could work as well. The key is for it to be cold. If you want to make this and don’t have cold rice, make some rice far enough in advance to chill it. You’ll also want to dig your hands into it and separate out the chunks of rice into more individual grains.
Sesame oil: This is an oil with a distinctive taste that you should use sparingly. But the flavor is nutty and adds an element of savory you can’t really achieve with any other ingredient.
Soy sauce: We use a reduced sodium soy as a standard in our home. If you don’t have reduced sodium soy and are sensitive to sodium levels, add the soy half at a time and taste as you go.
Oyster sauce: This is a thicker, sweeter sauce than soy. Don’t have any? Add some extra soy and a pinch of sugar, use hoisin sauce, or try a teaspoon of fish sauce and a pinch of sugar. Fish sauce has a distinct flavor so use less than the oyster amount and taste before you add the same amount as the oyster measurement.
Leftover prime rib: You can also use any leftover steak or other beef cuts, chicken, tofu or add in more vegetables like finely chopped pre-cooked carrots.

How to make this recipe

The key to this steak fried rice recipe (or any fried rice) is prepping all the ingredients before you start cooking (mise en place). It comes together very quickly so be prepared!

1. Heat your wok or large high-sided sauté pan to medium high or high heat (only you know how hot your stove top gets) – we were on medium high or a bit higher because our stove top is very hot.

A cast iron wok heating up on stove top for leftover prime rib fried rice.

2. As it’s heating, add your vegetable oil. It should be nearly smoking before you add the rice. Throw a grain or two in and see if they bounce.

Pouring oil into hot wok for fried rice.

3. Add the cold crumbled rice and vigorously stir it around so it is coated with oil and thoroughly heated through. It will almost bounce and most of the moisture should disappear.

Mixing cooked rice with oil in hot wok for the fried rice recipe.

4. Make a spot for your pre-whipped eggs. Pour them in and then mix thoroughly with the rice. They will both coat the rice and create some small pieces of visible cooked egg.

5. Then add your sesame oil, soy, oyster sauce and mix well. Taste for flavor.

Adding soy, sesame oil and oyster sauce to egg and rice in wok.

6. Add green onions and pepper to taste. Mix well. Taste for flavor again.

Add green onions and black pepper to rice mixture in wok.

7. Add your prime rib (or other steak or leftover protein) in at the very end – it does not need to cook. Just heat through.

Finally add prime rib to fried rice mixture in wok.

Expert Tips and FAQs

Always use cold rice.
Rice should not be sticky to begin with – you should be able to see individual grains.
Taste for flavor after you add the liquid flavorings.
Use a hot large pan or wok. Heat is what makes the magic.

Does leftover leftover prime rib fried rice taste good the next day?

Why yes it does but there won’t be any leftovers, I promise.

What kind of rice should I use for fried rice?

As mentioned above, we recommend medium grain rice (Japanese style like Nishiki or Kokuho) but longer grain Chinese style rice will also work. Just make sure it is cold when you start!

Can I add other cooked vegetables?

Yes you can – we recommend pre-cooking them and adding with prime rib.

Can I use other oils to cook the rice?

You can use any flavorless high heat oil – canola, vegetable, grapeseed.

Ready to eat leftover prime rib fried rice in grey bowl with striped napkin and chopsticks.

Other dishes to enjoy if you love beef fried rice

Grilled Korean Short Ribs with Kalbi Marinade

A platter of kalbi ribs with red chopticks.

Spicy Korean Meatballs

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