Vegan Peanut Butter Fried Rice (GF)

This Vegan Peanut Butter Fried Rice is intensely savoury, so satisfying, veggie-packed, and super easy to make.

I've made quite a lot of savoury peanut butter recipes for the blog, such as:

• Pad Thai
• Tofu Satay Curry
• Chickpea Sweet Potato Peanut Curry
• Peanut Tofu Stir Fry
• Tofu Satay Skewers

And, as much as I love peanut butter in sweet recipes (like this chocolate cake!), I think I love it even more in savoury dishes!

As I absolutely love flavoursome rice recipes, I was keen to try out a peanut butter fried rice.

I was a little worried it may turn out too overwhelmingly peanut-y or cloying...However, mixed with a little garlicky sweet chilli sauce, zingy lime juice and umami-rich soy sauce, the peanut butter turns into an amazingly salty-sweet-sour, highly addictive, peanut sauce!

And, adding this peanut sauce to the fried rice adds a lovely rich taste that perfectly flavours the sticky rice and vegetables.

In terms of vegetables, this fried rice is the perfect excuse to clear out the fridge. I used leeks, baby corn, carrots, green peas and shiitake mushrooms, but you can really use anything you want.

I think some chopped pineapple would also work well to adding a little tangy, fruity sweetness! Or you could try serving it with a fruity salad, such as this:

• Thai Mango Salad
• Papaya Mint Lime Salad
• Mango Daikon Radish Mint Salad

So, I actually used to be pretty scared of making fried rice. It would always turn out to either be really mushy, more like risotto than fried rice, or, it would turn out overly greasy and leave me feeling nauseous. But, after a lot of experimenting, I've realised there are some vital steps to ensuring the perfect fried rice:

1. Using Thai Jasmine rice is best - it has a better texture than other types of rice like sushi rice, Basmatic rice or brown rice.
2. The fried rice will be so much more flavoursome if you use a stock cube, which you can mix in when making the peanut sauce.
3. The key to making a veggie-packed fried rice that isn't mushy with water pouring out from the vegetables is to fry each of the vegetables separately first, which will get rid of the water. And if you're worried that this sounds a little oily, laying out the cooked vegetables on a paper towel-lined plate works well to get rid of any excess oil.

Finally, I finished off this Vegan Peanut Butter Fried Rice with a sprinkle of sliced spring onions, chopped roasted peanuts, a handful of peppery cress and some piquant chilli. To make this a proper dinner, you could adding some chunks of firm tofu or even some chickpeas.

If you try out this recipe or anything else from my blog, I’d really love to hear any feedback! Please give it a rating, leave a comment, or tag a photo #rhiansrecipes on Instagram! Thank you.

Vegan Peanut Butter Fried Rice (GF)

This Vegan Peanut Butter Fried Rice is intensely savoury, so satisfying, veggie-packed, and super easy to make. 

4.58 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: peanut butter fried rice, vegan chinese takeout, vegan fried rice

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 2

Calories: 84kcal

Author: Rhian Williams

Ingredients

For the peanut butter sauce:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon smooth peanut butter
• ▢ 1 teaspoon agave syrup (or sub any other sweetener)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce if not gluten-free)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon lime juice
• ▢ 1 vegetable stock cube (ensure gluten-free if necessary)

For the fried rice:

• ▢ 2 portions cooked Thai Jasmine rice
• ▢ Handful of frozen green peas
• ▢ Vegetable or rapeseed oil, for frying
• ▢ 1 carrot, peeled and diced
• ▢ 10 baby corns, halved
• ▢ Handful of shiitake mushrooms, finely sliced
• ▢ 1 leek, finely sliced
• ▢ 1 clove of garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 cm (½ inch) fresh ginger, minced
• ▢ Salt + pepper, to taste

To serve:

• ▢ Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
• ▢ Cress
• ▢ Spring onions, finely sliced
• ▢ Chilli, to taste

Instructions

For the peanut butter sauce:

• Add all ingredients for the sauce to a small bowl and mix well 

For the fried rice:

• Add green peas to rice and cook the rice according to instructions on packet
• Add a couple of tablespoons of oil into a frying pan and once hot, add the carrot and baby corn
• Cook for around 7 minutes until soft, then transfer onto a plate lined with a paper towel
• If necessary, add a couple more tablespoons of oil to the same frying pan, and cook the shiitake mushrooms for around 5 minutes until soft. Transfer onto the same plate
• If necessary, add a couple more tablespoons of oil to the same frying pan, then add the leek, garlic and ginger
  
• Fry for 7-10 minutes until the leek is slightly caramelised
• Add the cooked rice and peas and the vegetables that have been set aside
• Add the sauce and salt + pepper to taste and mix well 
• Fry for a couple of minutes until heated through 

To serve:

• Serve onto plates, and scatter over peanuts, cress, spring onions and chilli 

Nutrition Facts

Vegan Peanut Butter Fried Rice (GF)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 84

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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