Vegan fried rice with Brussels sprouts is packed with carrots, pine nuts, scallions, garlic, and ginger.
Thanks to the herbaceous goodness of cilantro and basil, plus the vibrancy of tamari and lime juice, there’s no shortage of fresh flavor.
A wonderful vegan & gluten-meal that’s great on its own or alongside tofu.
Fried rice is one of my favorite weeknight meals.
It’s quick, convenient, inexpensive, and a great use of whatever vegetables are in the produce drawer.
With a few splashes of tamari and something acidic like lime juice, the whole meal pulls together.
It’s great on its own, with tofu for added protein, or as a side dish with other components.
There are seemingly endless ways to make fried rice – depending on the vegetables you prefer and spices you use.
One refrigerator staple that often makes its way into mine is Brussels sprouts.
In this post:
Vegan with a Vengeance
I started incorporating sprouts into my stir-fries and fried rice, thanks to the classic cookbook, Vegan with a Vengeance by Isa Chandra Moskowitz.
This vegan fried rice recipe comes from the tenth anniversary edition.
The original VWAV was one of my first vegan cookbooks when I stopped eating animals.
It was essential in helping me navigate a new meatless world (what is nutritional yeast?), as well as learn some timeless cooking skills like how to deglaze a pan or use spices to create the flavors of sausage.
In addition to being a renowned cookbook author, Isa also owns a restaurant – Modern Love in Brooklyn, New York.
Back in 2015, Vegan with a Vengeance got a refresh with a new cover, lots of beautiful color photos, as well as simplified instructions & ingredients.
There were also some new recipes added to the book, like the beautifully creamy and hearty chickpea and rice soup with a little kale.
It’s so warming and homey. I eat it all winter long with crusty bread for dunking.
Why readers love this recipe
“I love fried rice and roasted Brussels sprouts so this recipe did not disappoint. So much flavor! Thanks, Isa and Cadry!” – Sharon
Brussels sprouts fried rice
This Brussels sprouts fried rice recipe is packed with flavor. It includes fresh cilantro, basil, scallions, garlic, and ginger.
Unlike most vegan fried rice recipes, it is dotted with pine nuts, which is a fun change of pace, and of course, lightly charred Brussels sprouts.
Step by step instructions
Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.
Bring a large skillet to a medium high heat. Sauté Brussels sprouts and carrots in oil, until lightly charred.
Add pine nuts & cook a couple minutes more. Transfer everything to a plate and set aside.
Sauté basil, cilantro, scallions, garlic, and ginger with oil. Add rice and red pepper flakes.
Put the Brussels sprouts mixture back into the pan. Drizzle with soy sauce or tamari, lime juice, and agave syrup.
Cook until rice is lightly browned.
Make it your own
You can make this fried rice your own by swapping ingredients to suit your preferences & what’s already in the refrigerator.
- No Jasmine rice on hand? Use white, pink, or brown rice instead.
- Don’t feel like Brussels sprouts? Replace them with broccoli or cauliflower florets.
- Instead of pine nuts, use cashews, peanuts, or pistachios for crunch.
- If you don’t have scallions, you can use diced white or yellow onions instead.
- Need it to be gluten free? Be sure to use tamari instead of soy sauce.
- If you don’t have agave syrup on hand, maple syrup will work instead as a liquid sweetener.
Serving ideas
Vegan fried rice can easily be a full meal on its own with nothing else added.
But for an extra hit of protein, I like to add browned cubes of tofu.
You can find packages of baked tofu at the store that are super convenient for this. Here I just diced some teriyaki tofu from Trader Joe’s. Then I browned the cubes in a cast iron skillet before adding it at the end.
This recipe is also good with bulgogi tofu or easy baked tofu.
(If you’re using baked tofu for this recipe, I recommend replacing the lemon juice with lime juice & leaving out the rosemary since there are already two other kinds of herbs in the fried rice.)
Fill out the meal with any of these appetizers or sides:
FAQ
Warm, freshly cooked rice has a tendency to clump together and/or become gummy.
If you don’t have cold leftover rice, you can cool freshly cooked rice quickly by spreading it out onto a baking sheet, covering it with plastic wrap, and then putting it into the refrigerator or freezer.
It will take about a half an hour to cool in the refrigerator, or 15 minutes in the freezer.
Yes! Trader Joe’s sells boxes of frozen rice with three packages to a container.
They’re super convenient, because you can just dump it right from the package straight into the skillet.
Or you can freeze your own rice in batches of one or two cup portions in freezer-safe containers. Great to have on hand in a pinch!
If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!
📖 Recipe
Brussels sprouts vegan fried rice
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons refined coconut oil or avocado oil
- 12 ounces Brussels sprouts trimmed and quartered
- 1 large carrot peeled and sliced into thin half-moons
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- ¼ cup basil leaves fresh
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped scallion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger
- 4 cups jasmine rice cooked and cooled, see note below
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (Use gluten-free tamari for GF option)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice freshly squeezed
- ½ teaspoon agave syrup
- Sriracha to serve
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan (preferably cast iron) over medium-high heat. Sauté the Brussels sprouts and carrots in 1 tablespoon of the oil for about 5 minutes, until the Brussels sprouts are lightly charred.
- Toss in the pine nuts and cook for 2 minutes, tossing often, until toasted. Transfer everything to a large plate and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add another teaspoon of oil. Sauté the basil, cilantro, scallions, garlic, and ginger for about a minute, until the herbs wilt slightly and everything smells aromatic and wonderful.
- Then, add the rice, red pepper flakes, and the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing often.
- Add the Brussels mixture back to the pan, and drizzle in the soy sauce, lime juice, and agave. Cook for 3 more minutes or so, until the rice is lightly browned.
- Taste for salt and adjust, if necessary. Serve with plenty of sriracha!
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This cookbook was sent to me for review. The thoughts and opinions are totally my own.
Content, recipe, and photos updated August 2020. Originally posted July 2015.
Sharon
I love fried rice and roasted Brussels sprouts so this recipe did not disappoint. So much flavor! Thanks Isa and Cadry!
Cadry Nelson
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Sharon! It’s a favorite around here too.
River
The new cover of VWAV looks so fierce! I love it! Fried rice with Brussels sprouts sounds pretty good, I must say. I’d have to skip the cilantro because I am one of those unfortunate people who think cilantro tastes like soap 🙂
Cadry
Doesn’t it? Not many people could look like a badass holding a well-worn skillet, but Isa gets it done!
There are a lot of flavors going on in the fried rice. I’m sure it would be terrific without the cilantro too.
Melanie
Vegan with a Vengeance was my first vegan cookbook almost seven years ago (also the source of my first tofu scramble) and it made me fall in love with animal-free cooking. So happy to see it with updated photos!
Cadry
Aw, yay! I’m glad it was your first tofu scramble too. It’s hard to believe that there was a time when a tofu scramble was new and a little complicated. Now it’s the kind of thing that needs no recipe at all.
The photos are beautiful. Kate Lewis is one of my favorite photographers, and she’s done an excellent job with VWAV.
Nichole Kraft, Food Writing Copyeditor
I love the new cover! I bet the inside is equally cool!
I can relate to your cooking journey–I didn’t truly learn how to cook until I went vegan. I felt like the whole culinary world had just opened up to me. And people say veganism is restrictive. 😉
Cadry
Absolutely! My diet has expanded in every way since I went vegan. I stopped eating 5 animals, but I started eating so many more fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans than ever before!
Nicole {VeganShowOff.com}
This is such a beautiful cookbook! I never owned the first one since I’ve only been vegan for 2 years but this new one I have so many pages bookmarked of recipes I want to make! This fried rice is definitely going on the list, especially with the added tofu! I’m really trying to start liking kale and I’m growing 2 different kinds right now but not really eating it besides juicing it. Just made your Creamy Cashew dressing yesterday so maybe I’ll try to massage that into it and see how it goes : )
Cadry
It took a little while for kale to win me over too. Massaging it really helps or letting it wilt in a pan with sautéed garlic. Even cooking it a little longer in the beginning can take out some of its bitterness and help it to mellow. Of course, maybe it just won’t be your thing! I can’t get on board with arugula or Swiss chard. Luckily, there are a lot of other leafy greens out there. 🙂