Make the most of your leftovers with this Pulled Pork Fried Rice Recipe! Crispy rice, tender vegetables, and juicy shredded pork are stir-fried to perfection, creating a savory and comforting meal the whole family will love.
Why You’ll Love This Pulled Pork Fried Rice Recipe:
- Simple: Preparation is straightforward, making this a pulled pork with rice recipe you can make even on the busiest of weeknights.
- Prevents Waste: If you’re wondering what to do with leftover pulled pork, fried rice is a great option! Recipes for leftover pulled pork, such as this one, help you make use of those left behind items in the fridge, saving you from having to throw out uneaten food at the end of the week.
- Budget-Friendly: Leftovers and pantry and refrigerator staples such as soy sauce, frozen vegetables, eggs, and butter, make this pork fried rice easy on the wallet.
Let’s Get Started! Here’s What You’ll Need:
Ingredients
Cooked White Rice - You need cooked white rice that has been chilled in the refrigerator until cold and somewhat dried out for 4 hours up to overnight. This pulled pork and rice recipe is a fantastic way to use up leftover takeout rice.
Leftover Pulled Pork - The featured ingredient in this pulled pork leftover recipe offers savory flavor and a crisp texture when stir-fried. Any leftover pulled pork will do, from home or restaurant-made to barbecued or smoked. I usually make crock pot pulled pork and make this recipe with its leftovers. You will only need one cup. If you have lots of leftover pork to use, you might want to make these pulled pork tacos another day, or freeze your pork for later.
Frozen Peas and Carrots - This classic veggie blend adds color, texture, and a pop of naturally sweet flavor. You will need 1 ½ cups of the blend, and you do not need to defrost it beforehand. If you can’t find frozen peas and carrots, use a frozen mixed vegetable blend.
Eggs - These are whisked before frying with butter, adding savoriness to each bite of this BBQ pork fried rice. I recommend using large eggs, but jumbo or medium eggs also work. If using medium, you may want to grab three.
Garlic Paste - Find this ingredient in the produce section of the supermarket. You can also use finely minced or grated fresh garlic.
Butter - For cooking the eggs and stir-frying the veggies. Salted or unsalted butter will both work fine.
Soy sauce - Adds classic savory flavor to the BBQ pork fried rice recipe. Use traditional soy sauce, or choose low-sodium to adapt this recipe for low-sodium diets.
Sesame oil - This ingredient is also traditional to fried rice. It adds savory notes and nuttiness. For enhanced nutty flavor, use toasted sesame oil.
Onion - You will need one small or half of a large white or yellow onion diced.
Equipment:
Measuring Spoons and Cups - For measuring the ingredients.
Whisk or Fork - These are used to whisk the eggs.
Heat-Safe Spatula - A wooden spoon, silicone scraper, or heat-safe plastic spatula all work well for stir-frying the pulled pork and rice.
Large Skillet - Choose a deep skillet that can handle high temperatures. I like to use my cast iron skillet, but a well-made, non-stick skillet also works great. You may want a second small skillet for the eggs, but can make them in the same one and set them on a plate instead.
How to Make Pulled Pork Fried Rice
Whisk Eggs and Cook
Crack the eggs into a small bowl and add a teaspoon of water, a pinch of salt, and the black pepper . Whisk well until they are an even light yellow-orange color. Cook the egg mixture in butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring as they cook, until mostly firm. Set aside.
Stir-Fry Veggies
Return the skillet to the heat and increase the temperature to medium-high heat. Add 1 ½ tablespoons of butter, diced onion, and ¼ teaspoon of salt to the skillet. Stir-fry for 5 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the peas and carrots and stir-fry for an additional 5 minutes.
Stir-Fry Pulled Pork.
Add the pulled pork and garlic paste and stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until warm.
Stir-Fry Rice and Add Seasonings
Next, add the rice and stir-fry until the shredded pork and rice are crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer the eggs to the skillet and add the soy sauce and sesame oil. Chop the eggs with a spatula as you stir, continuing to mix the seasonings and eggs with the rice until well combined and hot. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot!
Recipe Success Tips
- Use cold rice. Cold, slightly dried-out rice is essential for crispy fried rice. The starches in the rice change when cooled, preventing the rice from getting soggy or clumping when fried. This is why the best rice for fried rice is leftover rice. To express-chill the rice, spread the cooked rice out on a dinner plate or small baking tray and place it in the coolest part of your refrigerator for two hours, until cold to the touch.
- Prep the ingredients in advance. This recipe using pulled pork moves quickly and requires hands-on cooking. For the smoothest process, chop, measure, and prepare all the ingredients before turning on the stovetop.
- Use strong heat. Stir-frying relies on high heat to quickly cook and crisp up the ingredients. Give the skillet adequate time to heat before adding the ingredients and adjust the heat if the moisture from the vegetables doesn’t evaporate quickly, an indicator of too low of heat.
- Stir frequently. Another important element of stir-frying is constantly moving the ingredients around the skillet as they cook. You will want to stir the vegetables and pork at least every 30 seconds to 1 minute, so don’t step away from the stovetop for extended periods when making this recipe.
Serving Suggestions
This is one of my favorite pulled pork leftover recipes because it’s a one-pan meal, but you can serve it with any of the following side dishes for hungry evenings or larger gatherings:
- Leftover Salmon Spring Rolls
- Frozen Spring Rolls
- Air Fryer Frozen Tempura Shrimp
Storage Directions
- Refrigeration: Leftover fried rice with pork keeps covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Freezing: Leftovers can also easily be frozen. Cool them to room temperature and then transfer to a freezer-safe container. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator or reheat on low heat in 2-minute bursts, stirring the rice between intervals until thawed.
- Reheating: For crispy leftovers, reheat the rice in a skillet over medium heat with 1-2 tablespoons of canola or vegetable oil or butter for 3-5 minutes, until heated through. You can also heat individual servings of the fried rice in the microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between intervals, until hot.
FAQs
Certainly! Pork tenderloin, such as leftovers from Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Garlic & Soy Sauce, is a great substitute in this leftover pulled pork recipe. Because of its lower fat content, it may not get as crispy as pulled pork, but it will still be delicious. Cut the pork into small cubes before stir-frying, and heat until hot, following the remaining recipe instructions as listed.
For a heartier texture and nuttier flavor, you can use brown rice. Ensure it is cooled completely, until slightly dried out and chilled, before adding it to the recipe.
Yes, you can use many other vegetables in this recipe. Some good ones that compliment this recipe are chopped bell pepper or green beans, frozen mixed vegetables, edamame, or corn. If you prefer green onions, you can add the white parts into the stir fry and save the green ends to garnish with.
Yes! If you need the dish to be dairy free that's an easy swap to make. This cooks at a relatively high heat, so avocado oil or canola oil would be a better choice than olive oil.
More Asian-Inspired Recipes
Enjoy!
I hope you love this easy pork fried rice! I love hearing how it turned out for you- be sure to come back and leave a review or tag me on social media.
📖 Recipe
Leftover Pulled Pork Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked white rice
- 1 cup leftover pulled pork
- 2.5 tablespoon soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- 6 oz frozen peas and carrots half a 12 oz package, about 1.5 cups
- 1 ea small onion diced
- 2 ea eggs
- 1 teaspoon garlic paste
- ⅜ teaspoon salt divided, plus more to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper plus more to taste
- 2 tablespoon butter divided
Instructions
- Crack eggs into a bowl and add a teaspoon of water, along with a dash (⅛ tsp) of salt and pepper. Cook with a half tablespoon of the butter in a skillet, stirring as they cook until mostly firm, then set aside.
- Dice your onion if it isn't and add it to the pan along with the remaining butter (1.5 tbsp) and salt (¼ tsp), over medium-high heat. Stir-fry 5 minutes, then add peas and carrots, and cook an additional 5 minutes.
- Add pulled pork and garlic paste, and pan fry 2 minutes until warm. Next add rice and stir until rice and pork are crisp, about 3 minutes.
- Transfer the eggs to the skillet and add soy sauce and seasame oil. Chop eggs with a spatula as you stir. Continue mixing over heat until well combined.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. It is recommended to use your preferred calculator with the actual ingredients you use for optimal accuracy.
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