Sugar & Snap Peas

  • Home
  • All Recipes
    • Easy Breakfast Recipes
    • Easy Lunch Recipes
    • Easy Dinner Recipes
    • Dessert
    • Easy Side Dish Recipes
    • Salad Dressing
  • About me
  • Contact me
  • Gluten Free
  • Vegetarian
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Easy Summer Recipes
  • Recipe Index
  • About me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Easy Summer Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • About me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipe Index » Easy Dinner Recipes

    Ground Pork Fried Rice Recipe

    Published: Apr 23, 2021 · Modified: Mar 29, 2024 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a comment.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·5 from 10 reviews

    An irresistible skillet dinner whipped up in about 30 minutes! Make this Ground Pork Fried Rice recipe when you're craving a quick and satisfying meal that's packed with savory flavor and wholesome ingredients.

    Ground pork fried rice in a large round serving platter with a brown wooden spoon.

    This easy pork fried rice is perfect for busy weeknights or when you're in the mood for comforting Chinese-inspired flavors without the hassle of takeout.

    Ground pork, snow peas, carrots, ginger, garlic, fresh green onions, and soy sauce combine to make an utterly satisfying family dinner!

    And if you're looking for more better-than-takeout recipes, you need to make my Teriyaki Beef Bowls, Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl, Teriyaki Shrimp Sushi Bowl, and Honey Butter Garlic Chicken next!

    Jump to:
    • Why you'll love this recipe
    • Ingredients needed
    • Equipment needed
    • What is stir-frying?
    • How to make Ground Pork Fried Rice
    • Substitutions
    • Variations
    • Expert tips
    • Recipes you'll also like
    • Ground Pork Fried Rice Recipe
    • Follow me!
    • 💬 Comments

    Why you'll love this recipe

    • Make it in advance - Many of the ingredients can be prepped ahead of time!
    • Easy to customize - The swaps and substitutions are endless in this recipe.
    • Packed with flavor - Aromatics like garlic and ginger make this pork fried rice recipe anything but bland.
    • Texture - Crisp, fresh veggies and crunchy cashews make for a satisfying bite.

    Ingredients needed

    Ingredients needed to make ground pork fried rice.
    • Ground pork - Often times pork fried rice is made with pork belly, pork loin, pork tenderloin, or leftover pork chops. I like to use ground pork because it's quick-cooking and guaranteed to stay tender.
    • Cooked white rice - Cook your white rice in advance and let it fully cool down and chill in the fridge. Even better if you can do this night before! Leftover rice is the key to fried rice recipes.
    • Onion - Use white or yellow onion, whatever you have on hand!
    • Frozen peas - No need to thaw these in advance.
    • Carrots - You can slice your carrots into thin slices like I did, match sticks, or dice them into small squares.
    • Snow peas - Snow peas don't need any additional prep!
    • Green onion - Use both the green and white parts.
    • Fresh ginger and garlic - Added for flavor and aroma. Peel your ginger root and then mince or finely grate it.
    • Soy sauce - Low-sodium is best, but full-sodium is okay too.

    Equipment needed

    You'll need a wok, which is a large, round-bottomed cooking pot made of out carbon steel, stainless steel, or cast iron.

    If you don't have a wok, a large frying pan that can withstand high cooking temperatures will work.

    What is stir-frying?

    • Stir-frying is an Asian cooking method that allows for endless variations and combinations of ingredients
    • Stir-fried food is usually bite-sized food cooked in high heat, using a small amount of oil, and constantly turned over (stirred- hence the name) in the pan.

    How to make Ground Pork Fried Rice

    Before you start, make sure you have all of your ingredients chopped, measured, and ready to go! Once food is added to the hot pan, everything cooks quickly and requires constant attention.

    Step 1 - Add the ground pork to your wok and cook the pork over medium heat in a small amount of cooking oil. Remove the pork from the wok (or frying pan) and set it aside.

    Step 2 - Add the frozen peas, carrots, onions, and snow peas to the hot wok. Cook the vegetables over medium heat to high heat for about 4 minutes. Consistently toss the vegetables around the pan to avoid burning. Add the minced fresh garlic, minced ginger, and green onion to the frying pan. Cook for an additional minute.

    Stir fried snow peas, carrots, peas and onion in a blue wok. Sauces and seasonings are in the background.

    Step 3 - Push the vegetables to one side of the pan and add the cooked cold rice to the frying pan. Stir-fry the rice for about 3-4 minutes over medium to high heat. Let the rice brown and crisp up to your liking.

    Rice is added to the stir fried vegetable in the wok.

    Step 4 - Add the cooked ground pork back to the large skillet and stir the pork into the rice and vegetables. Continue stir-frying your ground pork, rice, and vegetables until they are fully combined.

    Step 5 - After combining the main ingredients together, you can add your sauces and seasonings. Add the garlic powder, sesame oil, soy sauce, and hot sauce. Give the ground pork stir fry a good mixing together again and then remove it from the heat.

    Stir fried ground pork, rice and vegetable in a wok with a wooden spoon.

    Step 6 - I like to top my fried rice with crunchy cashews. Toasting the cashews is optional. If you want to keep this a one-pan recipe, then don't bother toasting the cashews.

    If you don't mind dirtying another dish, then toasting the cashews is totally worth it! In a small frying pan, lightly toast your chopped cashews in sesame oil using low heat. Sprinkle with salt. The cashews will toast quickly so keep an eye on the pan!

    Remove the cashews from the pan and sprinkle them on top of your stir-fried rice, veggies, and ground pork. Serve the fried rice with extra soy sauce on the side, and enjoy!

    Chopped cashews in a small frying pan.

    Substitutions

    • Meat - If you don't want to use ground pork, use ground turkey instead! You could also use pork belly or leftover roast pork chopped into small pieces. Chicken and shrimp are also commonly used in stir fry.
    • Vegetables - Try adding green beans, red pepper, bean sprouts, mushrooms, or sugar snap peas.
    • Rice - Stir fries are regularly made with different types of white rice, like jasmine rice, sushi rice, or basmati rice, and also with different types of long-grain brown rice.

    Variations

    Stir fries also commonly include oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, and fish sauce. Many Chinese stir-fries also add in small pieces of scrambled eggs.

    Expert tips

    • Cook your rice ahead of time and allow it to completely chill in the refrigerator. It is best to do this the day/night before you plan on using it. This recipe is an excellent way to use up leftover rice!
    • If you forget to cook your rice a day in advance, then you can give it a quick chill in the freezer. After it is cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You want to use chilled cooked rice because it will crisp up when it hits the hot frying pan. Warm, freshly cooked rice will not crisp up. Instead, it will get soggy and clump together.
    • One of the easiest, no-fail ways to cook rice is using a rice cooker!
    • Be careful when adding in your aromatics, aka your fresh garlic and fresh ginger. You don't want them to burn in the high heat. Since you will immediately be tossing them into your vegetables, they should be fine. Just be careful when they make direct contact with the hot wok.
    • Use high-heat cooking oil like peanut, canola, grape seed, or avocado oil when oiling your wok.
    • Do not cook your stir-fry in sesame oil! Sesame oil is a low-heat cooking oil and should only be used as a finishing oil at the end of cooking.
    • Don't start cooking until all of your ingredients are chopped and measured out! Stir-fries are cooked quickly using high heat, so you do not have time to stop cooking (stirring) and measure or chop your ingredients after you start.

    Recipes you'll also like

    • Teriyaki turkey and rice in a bowl.
      Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl
    • Assembled teriyaki beef bowl in a white bowl with a fork, spoon, and napkin in the background.
      Teriyaki Ground Beef Bowls (20 Minute Recipe!)
    • Honey butter garlic chicken in a blue bowl, served over white rice.
      Honey Butter Garlic Chicken
    • Teriyaki Shrimp Sushi Bowl in a white bowl on a yellow napkin, with chopsticks and soy sauce in the background.
      Teriyaki Shrimp Sushi Bowl
    Print

    Ground Pork Fried Rice Recipe

    Ground pork fried rice in a large round serving platter with a brown wooden spoon.
    Print Recipe
    Pin Recipe

    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 10 reviews

    Pork fried rice is made with ground pork, white rice and lots of vegetables! This flavorful one-pot dish is the perfect comfort food meal that you can make for dinner tonight! 

    • Author: Katie
    • Prep Time: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 6 servings 1x
    • Category: lunch, dinner
    • Method: stir-frying
    • Cuisine: Chinese

    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 3 cups cooked white rice, fully cooled and chilled
    • 1 pound ground pork
    • 2 cups carrots - thinly sliced or chopped
    • ½ cup onion - chopped
    • 2 cups snow peas
    • 1 cup frozen green peas
    • ¼ cup green onion - chopped
    • 1 tablespoon fresh garlic - minced 
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger - minced or grated
    • ¼ cup soy sauce 
    • 2 teaspoons hot sauce 
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 2 tablespoons sesame oil 
    • 1 cup unsalted cashews - roughly chopped
    • High heat cooking oil

    Instructions

    1. Cook the ground pork in cooking oil, over medium heat, until fully-cooked.  Break the pork into tiny pieces with a spatula while it's cooking.  Remove the pork from the wok, drain any excessive amounts of oil and set the pork aside.
    2. Add the carrots, onions, snow peas and frozen peas to the hot wok, and cook over medium to high heat for about 4 minutes.  Continuously stir and toss the vegetables around while they're cooking.  This will ensure even cooking and prevent burning. 
    3. Toss the fresh ginger, fresh garlic and green onion into the vegetables.  Cook the mixture for an additional minute.  
    4. Push the vegetable mixture to one side of the wok.  Add the cooked, chilled white rice to the other side of the wok.  Stir fry the rice over medium to high heat for about 4 minutes, until the rice is brown and crispy. 
    5. Once the rice is crisped up, mix it into the vegetables.  Add the cooked ground pork back into the pan and combine the pork with the rice and the vegetables.  
    6. Turn the heat to low and add in the soy sauce, hot sauce, garlic powder and sesame oil. Mix the sauces and seasonings into the stir fry.  
    7. Remove the stir fry from heat and set aside. 
    8. Optional step - You can either just top the stir fry with the chopped cashews or you can toast them first.  If you would like to toast the cashews, then you will need to toast them over low heat in sesame oil using a small frying pan.  Toast them for about 2-3 minutes, season the cashews with a pinch of salt and then add them to the top of the pork stir fry.
    9. Serve immediately and enjoy!

    Notes

    • Cook your rice ahead of time and allow it to completely chill in the refrigerator. It is best to do this the day/night before you plan on using it. This recipe is an excellent way to use up leftover rice!
    • If you forget to cook your rice a day in advance then you can give it a quick chill in the freezer. After it is cooked, spread it out on a sheet pan and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You want to use chilled cooked rice because it will crisp up when it hits the hot frying pan. Warm, freshly cooked rice will not not crisp up. Instead, it will get soggy and clump together.

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo and tag @sugar_and_snap_peas on Instagram. I can't wait to see what you've made!

    Follow me!

    Follow me on Facebook, on Instagram and on Pinterest!

    Did you make this recipe? Tell me all about it in the comments below! I love hearing from my followers and answering any of your questions!

    More recipes

    • Grilled boneless chicken thighs on a plate.
      Grilled Chicken Thighs (Foolproof Every Time!)
    • Chicken thighs served over carrots and potatoes.
      Baked Chicken, Potatoes, and Carrots (One Pan Recipe!)
    • Peppers, onions, shaved ribeye steak, and white rice in a bowl, garnished with green onions.
      Philly Cheesesteak Bowls with Rice (No Cheez Whiz!)
    • Turkey meatballs with zucchini on a plate.
      Turkey Zucchini Meatballs (SO Tender and Moist!)

    Comments

    1. Sabrina says

      May 20, 2021 at 2:03 am

      Fresh, crisp and delicious!

      Reply
    2. Mama Maggie's Kitchen says

      May 20, 2021 at 1:56 am

      Yum! I need this in my life. I have to rethink dinner tonight.

      Reply
    3. Jamie says

      May 19, 2021 at 3:57 am

      This will be the perfect dinner for my family!

      Reply
    4. Julia Zhu says

      May 17, 2021 at 4:05 pm

      Yum this was so easy to make and great for lunch!

      Reply
    5. Jere Cassidy says

      May 17, 2021 at 3:02 pm

      Glad to have a recipe not using chicken for fried rice. Trying this for supper tonight.

      Reply
      • Applegirl612 says

        September 19, 2023 at 7:10 pm

        Yummy!
        This was better than take out.
        Best tip have everything chopped and ready to go in

        Reply
        • Katie says

          September 23, 2023 at 8:57 am

          I'm so glad you loved it! I agree, it's so much better than takeout!

          Reply
    6. Fabi says

      May 17, 2021 at 2:58 pm

      I like all these clean-out fridge recipes—a balanced and quick meal for a family weeknight. Thanks.

      Reply
    7. Sarah says

      May 17, 2021 at 3:47 pm

      This recipe is 10/10!

      Reply
    8. Anna says

      May 17, 2021 at 9:28 am

      What a great recipe! Quick, easy, and utterly delicious!

      Reply
    9. Andréa Janssen says

      May 17, 2021 at 7:42 am

      A great recipe for those busy weeknights. Thank you for sharing.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Katie in front of a tree

    I'm Katie, the food blogger, recipe developer, and photographer behind Sugar & Snap Peas. I mostly share high-protein dinner recipes for busy families. These easy dinner ideas take the guesswork out of mealtime so that you can get back to family time, knowing dinner is taken care of!

    More about me →

    Summer Recipes

    • Turkey Smash Burger on a bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, and cheese, surrounded by potato chips.
      Turkey Smash Burgers (15-Minute Recipe)

    • Dutch Oven Pulled Pork recipe topped with coleslaw and BBQ sauce, on a bun.
      Dutch Oven BBQ Pulled Pork

    • Creamy American coleslaw in a white bowl, on top of a blue checkered napkin.
      Creamy American Coleslaw

    • Mediterranean cucumber tomato salad in a white serving bowl, on top of a yellow napkin with a lemon and fresh herbs in the background.
      Mediterranean Tomato and Cucumber Salad

    Reader Favorites

    • Pork meatballs served over pasta on a white plate.
      Ground Pork Meatballs (Slow Cooker)

    • Dutch Oven Pulled Pork recipe topped with coleslaw and BBQ sauce, on a bun.
      Dutch Oven BBQ Pulled Pork

    • Balsamic chicken thighs cooked, in a round, red baking dish.
      Balsamic Chicken Thighs (Boneless)

    • Sliced chicken thighs on a plate with a fork and knife.
      Blackened Chicken Thighs (Boneless)

    • Assembled teriyaki beef bowl in a white bowl with a fork, spoon, and napkin in the background.
      Teriyaki Ground Beef Bowls (20 Minute Recipe!)

    • Chicken, broccoli, potato casserole in a round dish, baked, with cheese and toasted breadcrumbs.
      Chicken Broccoli Potato Casserole (Made from Scratch!)

    • Dijon chicken thigh in a cast iron skillet, garnished with fresh parsley.
      Easy Dijon Chicken Thighs

    • Ground pork spaghetti sauce tossed with cooked pasta, served in a brown colored serving bowl with grated parmesan cheese, fresh parsley and a cloth napkin the background.
      Ground Pork Spaghetti Sauce

    Trending Posts

    • Pan-fried pork cutlets on a plate.
      Pan-Fried Pork Cutlets

    • Boil chicken thighs on a plate garnished with fresh thyme.
      How to Boil Chicken Thighs (Fresh or Frozen)

    • Salmon pasta without cream in a large blue bowl.
      Salmon Pasta without Cream

    • Two baked potatoes, cut open with butter and chives, on parchment paper with a fork and knife.
      Perfect Baked Potato (without foil)

    • Sliced chicken thighs on a plate with a fork and knife.
      Blackened Chicken Thighs (Boneless)

    • Fajita-seasoned sheet pan chicken with peppers and onions on a round plate. The chicken is sliced.
      Chicken with Peppers and Onions (Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas)

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of use
    • DMCA
    • CCPA

    Newsletter

    • Newsletter signup coming soon!

    Contact

    • Contact
    • About me

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2025 Sugar & Snap Peas