This easy Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice is the perfect quick, one pot dinner. Pressure cooker fried rice that’s done in under 30 minutes.
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Fried rice is one of my all time favorite foods and it is SO easy to make in the instant pot!
We’re always looking for ways to lighten up our favorite restaurant foods.
Some of our favorite healthier takeout recipes are our Healthy Chicken Pad Thai, Ginger Chicken, Shrimp Stir Fry, and Healthy Orange Chicken!
This healthy instant pot chicken fried rice is one of our new favorites and is the perfect quick and lightened up version of your takeout favorite!
why we love this pressure cooker fried rice
Here are some of the reasons we absolutely love this pressure cooker fried rice:
- Quick to make – This recipe only takes about 40 minutes to make!
- One Pot – This means fewer dishes at the end of dinner, which everyone loves!
- Easy To Customize – There are so many ways to customize this recipe. Check the green box below for our recommendations!
- Loaded With Veggies – This recipe has almost 4 cups of veggies in it and you can definitely add more if you would like to.
Ingredients for Instant Pot Fried Rice
To make this Instant Pot Fried Rice you’ll need the following:
- white rice
- water
- olive oil
- onion, carrots, zucchini
- chicken breasts
- eggs
- soy sauce, toasted sesame oil
- green onions
- sesame seeds (optional)
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
Important Note: This is not an authentic fried rice recipe. My goal is always to share recipes that are a bit healthier and made with affordable, accessible ingredients so everyone can enjoy them regardless of their food allergies or dietary restrictions. If you are looking for an authentic fried rice recipe – check out this recipe!
How to Make Chicken Fried Rice in Instant Pot
- Spray your instant pot with olive oil. Add rice and water, stir to combine. Secure the lid. Set the vent to sealing. Cook the rice on high, pressure-cook for 3 minutes. When it’s finished cooking, release remaining pressure immediately, open your instant pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the rice from the pot and place in a bowl.
- Set your instant pot to Sauté for 20 minutes. Add olive oil and chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add in the carrots and the chicken. Sauté for about 10 minutes until the chicken is seared and the carrots have softened. Then, add in the zucchini and cook for three minutes until slightly softened.
- Whisk together sesame oil and eggs. Add directly to the pot and mix for 2-3 minutes until cooked and scrambled.
- Then, add in the cooked rice, soy sauce, and green onions. Mix until combined. Do not over mix. Turn off the instant pot. Garnish and enjoy!
SUBSTITUTIONS FOR INSTANT POT FRIED RICE
Rice: You can use any type of rice in this recipe. Brown or white (like jasmine rice) will work. You can also use cauliflower rice. If you use different rice, you will need to adjust the cook time/water ratios. Search instant pot + rice (ex: instant pot jasmine rice) for how to cook different types of rice in the instant pot. You can also use pre cooked rice in instant pot fried rice!
Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil for avocado oil or melted coconut oil. Butter will also work. We don’t recommend vegetable oil.
Chicken: Boneless skinless thighs or chicken tenders will also work.
Protein: You can sub in shrimp for the chicken if you’d like. Shrimp take much less time to cook, depending on their size I would cook for about 2 minutes on each side until shrimp begin to turn pink. Check out this Healthy Shrimp Stir Fry Recipe. You can also use shaved steak/beef!
Vegetables: Bulk up the dish by adding more carrots or peppers! I’ve also added mushrooms, frozen peas, and frozen corn.
Egg free: You can simply omit the scrambled eggs.
Vegetarian: Feel free to skip the chicken and bulk up on veggies to make this vegetarian or check out our cauliflower fried rice recipe!
Soy Sauce: You can substitute low sodium with regular, coconut aminos, or Bragg’s liquid aminos. If you use Bragg’s, use 1/2 the amount as it is much saltier.
Sesame Oil: You can sub toasted sesame oil with olive oil, avocado oil, or canola oil. It will not be as flavorful and we really recommend using toasted sesame oil.
To Make it Lower Carb: You can use less rice and lower carb vegetables.
To Make it Lower Calorie: Use half the amount of olive oil. You can spray the instant pot with oil in place of pouring it into the pot.
To Make it Plant Based: I have not tried this recipe with cooked tofu but I think it would work.
Can you use pre-cooked rice in instant pot fried rice?
Yes, you can use cooked rice in this instant pot fried rice recipe! Instead of cooking rice per the recipe, use 3 cups cooked rice.
What to Serve with Fried Rice
You can serve this Instant Pot fried rice in so many ways:
- fried egg
- egg roll or spring roll
- with broccoli, green beans, or a salad
- sweet and sour chicken
- shrimp
How to Store Instant Pot Fried Rice
Storing: This pressure cooker fried rice will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We have not tried freezing this fried rice but I think it would work! The vegetables might get soggy.
Reheating: You can reheat this fried rice in a pan or in the microwave.
Best Rice for Instant Pot Fried Rice
Long grain white rice is the best rice for fried rice. It cooks up to be very fluffy but also doesn’t stick together. Jasmine rice is often used for fried rice because it has a light flavor and texture.
Any rice will work in fried rice though. Use up whatever you have!
Is basmati rice good for fried rice? Yes! We recommend using basmati or Jasmine rice for fried rice. Both are long grain white rice and will work very well in fried rice!
Other healthy takeout recipes:
Looking for other easy meals? Check out these 40+ Low Calorie Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Instant Pot Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups white rice
- 1.5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped onion
- 1 1/2 cups carrots peeled & diced finely
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 cups zucchini diced
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons green onions chopped
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds optional
Instructions
- Spray your instant pot with olive oil. Add rice and water, stir to combine. Close the lid. Set the vent to sealing. Cook on high, pressure-cook for 3 minutes. It will take about 5 minutes for the instant pot to come to pressure. When it’s finished cooking, release the vent immediately.
- Once all the steam has been released, open your instant pot and fluff the rice with a fork. Remove the rice from the pot and place in a separate bowl.
- Set your instant pot to Sauté for 20 minutes. Add olive oil. Add in the chopped onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until slightly softened.
- Add in the carrots and the chicken. Sauté for about 10 minutes until the chicken is seared and the carrots have softened.
- When the chicken has cooked, add in the zucchini and cook for three minutes until slightly softened.
- While the zucchini cooks, whisk together sesame oil and eggs. Add directly to the pot and mix for 2-3 minutes until cooked and scrambled.
- Once eggs have cooked, add in the cooked rice, soy sauce and green onions. Mix until combined. Do not over mix. Turn off the instant pot. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!
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