Today, let’s make golden egg fried rice in just 5 minutes. It’s one of the easiest and fastest Korean recipes — all you need is rice and eggs, no special ingredients required. A budget-friendly and delicious simple egg fried rice in minutes!
Table of Contents
What is Golden Egg Fried Rice?
In Korea, egg fried rice is one of the most common and easiest home-cooked meals. The version I’m going to share with you today is a little different – it’s a trendy new version called “golden egg fried rice”. It gets its name from the rich yellow color, which is even more vibrant than regular fried egg rice.
Why is it called Golden?
A common question is: do you add the egg or the rice first? In typical egg fried rice, the egg is cooked first, then the rice is added and stir-fried.
But for golden egg fried rice, the raw egg is added directly to the rice before cooking. This technique gives the dish its distinctive golden color, along with a richer, nuttier flavor. Each grain of rice is coated with egg, resulting in a more even color and a delicious, glossy texture.
Ingredients for Egg Fried Rice
What is golden egg fried rice made of? Just 3 main ingredients. It’s incredibly simple.
- Eggs
- Rice
- Green onion: It’s used to make scallion oil, but it’s optional
- Optional Seasoning: To boost the flavor, I added oyster sauce, but you can also season it with just salt or soy sauce. If you don’t have oyster sauce, chicken stock or a bit of MSG works great too.
Customize
Golden egg fried rice is a perfect base to customize with your favorite ingredients. Try adding any of the following to make it even better!
- Ham or sausage: Adds a savory, salty flavor that makes the dish even more satisfying.
- Ground meat: Seasoned with soy sauce and stir-fried, it makes a protein-rich, nutritious meal.
- Ketchup: Many Koreans love adding ketchup on top of egg fried rice — it gives it that classic Korean home-cooked flavor.
- Buldak sauce or Sriracha: This is my personal favorite! If you like spicy food, try adding a drizzle of these hot sauces for an extra kick.
- Buldak Hot Sauce: https://amzn.to/42duK6Z (US), https://amzn.to/429KIxR (DE), https://amzn.to/4j8vnoe (NL, BE)
- Jjajang sauce: In Korea, fried rice from Korean Chinese restaurants often comes with a side of black bean sauce (jjajang). A spoonful of rice with a bit of jjajang sauce is an incredibly delicious combo.
Cooking Tips
How to cook egg fried rice perfectly?
- Egg Ratio: Use more eggs than rice. This ensures the rice is fully coated and stays moist.
- Scallion Oil: Sauté green onions in oil first to create a fragrant base. It adds a smoky, savory depth to the dish.
- High Heat: Stir-fry over high heat until the rice loses excess moisture and turns fluffy and slightly crispy.
- Oyster Sauce: A key ingredient for adding deep umami flavor.
Pairing Suggestions
Miyeok-guk (Seaweed Soup) or Doenjang-guk (Soybean Paste Soup)
Golden egg fried rice is often eaten as a quick breakfast or lunch in Korea. When I ate it for breakfast, my mother always served it with warm soup. The soup helps the rice go down easier and warms the body. Any mild soup will do, but I especially recommend seaweed soup or soybean paste soup in the morning – they’re mild and not too spicy.
Cucumber Salad (Oi-muchim)
This sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy cucumber side dish cuts through the richness of the fried rice. Its crunchy texture and refreshing flavor balance the meal perfectly. This version is based on my mom’s recipe — clean-tasting and light, since it doesn’t use gochujang (Korean red pepper paste).
Kimchi: Kimchi pairs well with nearly every Korean dish, but especially with non-spicy meals like this one. It adds just the right amount of heat and balances out the richness of the eggs and oil.
Seasoned Seaweed (Gim): Wrapping a bite of fried rice in a sheet of seasoned seaweed has always been my favorite way to eat it for breakfast. The salty, spicy seaweed is an incredible complement to the nutty flavor of the egg rice.
- Korean Seaweed: https://amzn.to/3RUdo9j (US), https://amzn.to/3RQYIrD (UK), https://amzn.to/42MqnjF (BE, NL), https://amzn.to/4mcL7ca (DE)
- Tangsuyuk: Tangsuyuk is Korean-style sweet and sour pork. It’s a classic dish often paired with fried rice at Korean-Chinese restaurants — they’re basically best friends on the menu. This recipe gives you ultra-crispy tangsuyuk, and when you enjoy it with fried rice, it truly feels like you’re in Korea.
Why Koreans Love Egg Fried Rice?
Quick & Easy
One of the biggest reasons Koreans love egg fried rice is how quick and easy it is to make. In Korea, people of all ages lead incredibly busy lives. Whether you’re a student or an office worker, it’s not uncommon to leave home around 7:30 a.m. and get back after 8 p.m. By the time you get home and start cooking, it’s almost 9 p.m. Who has the energy to go grocery shopping and prepare a full meal from scratch?
We just want something quick so we can relax and get ready for the next day. That’s part of why meal kits and food delivery are so popular in Korea – people need quick, no-fuss meals to fit into their hectic routines. Recipes that take 5 minutes or less are always in demand, and this Golden Egg Fried Rice is one of the best. Because the egg is mixed directly into the rice before it’s fried, there’s no need to cook it separately – making it much more convenient. Even beginners can make it with ease.
Affordable
It’s also incredibly cheap. All you really need are eggs and rice, which makes it a favorite for Korean college students living on their own.
Food prices in Korea are surprisingly high. When I moved to Belgium, I was shocked at how much cheaper groceries were compared to back home. Many of my European friends say that Korean grocery prices are closer to those in Scandinavian countries.
I remember being jealous when I visited Germany – shopping there felt incredibly affordable. Meat is especially expensive in Korea. A package of pork that costs €3 in Belgium can easily cost over €10 in Korea. For steak, 300g of beef can cost €20-€30, and Korean beef (Hanwoo) can go up to €40-€50.
Korean Egg Recipes
Eggs are a staple ingredient in many Korean dishes. Today’s Golden Egg Fried Rice is just one example, but Korea also has famous recipes like Korean Street Toast(gilgeori toast) and Mayak Eggs (soy marinated eggs). Historically, Korea was an agricultural society where meat was scarce, so eggs were often used as a protein-rich side dish to complement rice.
Korean Egg Rice (Gyeran Bap)
This is a viral 2-minute Korean egg rice recipe that has hit over a million views. You don’t even need a stove — it’s made entirely in the microwave! As long as you have eggs and rice, you’re good to go. It’s the ultimate lazy-day meal and perfect for beginners.
Korean Steamed Eggs (Gyeran Jjim)
This is the easiest steamed egg recipe — ready in just 5 minutes using only a microwave. It’s a perfect side dish for Korean BBQ and a great way to use up leftover eggs in the fridge. Light, fluffy, and comforting.
Buldak Omelet
Inspired by a popular street food trend in Malaysia, this omelet wraps spicy buldak chicken in soft, creamy eggs. It’s filled with melty cheese and sausage — a crazy good combo that’s bold, rich, and spicy. Perfect with a cold beer. This is currently one of the most popular recipes on my blog!
Ingredient Substitutes
Oyster Sauce
If you don’t have oyster sauce, you can easily swap it out. For a similar umami depth, MSG or chicken stock powder are great alternatives — actually, I recommend these more than soy sauce if you’re aiming for that savory kick.
But if you prefer, soy sauce works too. And if none of these are available, even just salt will do the job. Simple still works!
Get Ingredients
- Stainless Steel Wok: https://amzn.to/3DQgIPu (US), https://amzn.to/4hmr6w3 (DE), https://amzn.to/42f3uVG (NL), https://amzn.to/3RcZnmR (UK)
- Rice Cooker: https://amzn.to/4clQ11Q (US), https://amzn.to/43E0K5w (BE, NL), https://amzn.to/4cAnLJ7 (DE), https://amzn.to/4jrS4Uk (UK)
- Kitchen Scissors: https://amzn.to/4crbPcw (US), https://amzn.to/43IM4Cd (DE), https://amzn.to/3FS0Ix0 (BE, NL), https://amzn.to/3EZlhHB (UK)
- Rice: https://amzn.to/4bdcfCH (US), https://amzn.to/41xxThP (NL, BE), https://amzn.to/4kgVgmQ (DE), https://amzn.to/4ibBneK (UK)
- Oyster Sauce: https://amzn.to/3Q8vjYX (US), https://amzn.to/3CI3Om4 (DE), https://amzn.to/40Oiubl (UK)
- Soy Sauce: https://amzn.to/4gYk1BJ (US), https://amzn.to/4gW8zGv (DE), https://amzn.to/3Ef2bgl (UK), https://amzn.to/43OACVz (NL, BE)
Disclosure: Blonde Kimchi is part of the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program that allows websites to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and promoting products.
5 Min Korean Golden Egg Fried Rice – Quick & Easy
Equipment
- 1 frying pan or wok
- 1 Spatula
- 1 scissors
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 bowl rice
- 1 stalk green onion
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce (substitutions on the post above)
- 1~2 pinches salt (adjust to taste)
Instructions
- Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat well.
- Pour the eggs over the rice and mix until the grains are evenly coated.
- Finely chop the green onion.
- Heat a frying pan and add the cooking oil.
- Add the chopped green onion and sauté until fragrant (to make green onion oil).
- Add the egg-coated rice to the pan and stir-fry over medium heat.
- Add 1 tbsp of oyster sauce and season with 1–2 pinches of salt to taste.
- Stir-fry until everything is well combined and the rice is golden and no longer wet.
Golden Egg Fried Rice 황금 계란 볶음밥
- Jal meokgetseumnida! 잘 먹겠습니다!
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @blondekimchi_ on Instagram and hashtag it #blondekimchi.