If you're looking for a frugal dinner idea or a way to replicate your favorite Chinese dish at home, then this hot dog fried rice may just be it!
Made with leftover white rice and a few hot dog franks, this dish is tasty, filling, and perfect for a simple meal that the whole family can enjoy.
Every once in a while we order Chinese food for dinner. I'm a big fan of chow mein, broccoli beef, and honey chicken while my husband loves shrimp fried rice. The only issue is that it costs a fortune and we always end up with extra white rice.
After spending so much money on a single meal we really take advantage of the leftovers as best as we can. Besides simply reheating things for lunch, we turn our uneaten plain white rice into a new dinner for the cost of pennies (it helps to even out our large expense). Or that's at least what we like to tell ourselves.
Making this fried rice with egg and hot dog may sound a bit strange, but once you brown the hot dog meat and you have all the fried rice flavors coming together, it's actually a pretty incredible dish!
My family loves this hot dog fried rice recipe and I love how frugal and easy it is to throw together.
Why This Recipe Works
- It is cheap. If you're looking for a super frugal meal then look no further. This recipe can feed 6 or more mouths for about 50 cents per serving (that's less than $5 for dinner!)
- It's simple. Made with cooked white rice ad a few other ingredients, this dish comes together quickly and easily. Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
- It's quick to make. In under 30 minutes from start to finish you can have a large batch of fried rice ready to eat. Plenty of servings to give everyone second helpings or leftovers for lunch the next day.
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🥘 Ingredients
Sesame oil- This will prevent sticking to the pan and will help to leave a great flavor behind.
Onion- for an aromatic and added flavor.
Carrots- This adds color and a little crunch.
Hot Dogs- For the star of the show, we'll use hot dogs as a cheap meat in this fried rice.
Garlic Cloves- Another aromatic and flavor addition.
Cooked White Rice- You want to use already cooked and cooled rice for this because freshly cooked rice will be too soft and mushy.
Large Eggs- This will give us an egg scramble in the rice which adds a nice yellow color.
Frozen Peas- These will cook in the fried rice mixture, so they do not need to be thawed beforehand.
Soy Sauce- For flavor and a little saltiness.
Green Onion- This is a tasty optional garnish, but feel free to stir it into the fried rice as well. I love green onions in my rice!
For specific quantities, see the recipe card below.
🍽 Equipment Needed
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- Large Wok or skillet
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Wooden Spoon
🔪 Instructions
Check out how to make hot dog fried rice with these simple step-by-step instructions:
In a large wok or skillet, melt your butter over medium heat.
Add in the onions, carrots and hot dog and cook until the onions are translucent and the hot dogs look browned. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the garlic and then cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Add in the sesame oil and rice.
Stir the rice to fully incorporate and cook for about 3 minutes.
Push the rice mixture to one side of the pan. Crack the eggs into a bowl and then pour the eggs into the open section of your skillet. Scramble the eggs in the pan using a wooden spoon until the eggs are fully cooked.
Stir the cooked eggs into the rice mixture to evenly distribute.
Add in the frozen peas and the soy sauce. Stir well to combine.
Cook for an additional minute or until the peas are warmed through.
Serve with sliced green onions on top if desired.
🧾 Substitutions
Cooked white rice. You can swap out the white rice for brown rice if desired. I haven't tried this recipe with cauliflower rice but if the "rice" is cooked until it's dry then it should work the same and still taste pretty good and low carb.
Carrots. If you don't have fresh carrots on hand you can use a mixture of the frozen carrots and peas, just add them in at the end when you add in the frozen peas. Adjust as needed to get a good ratio of green and orange in your skillet. I used freshly shredded carrots because we had them on hand from another recipe.
📖 Variations
Adding pineapple. The hotdogs in this recipe honestly taste a bit like spam (but better, in my opinion) so adding in a little diced pineapple can give you a nice tropical flavor profile that tastes incredible while adding in a little more nutrition.
Make hot dog stir fry. Instead of adding in peas you can use a bag of frozen stir fry veggies to get a nice stir fry mixture packed with colorful veggies.
🍴 Recipe Tips
Use leftover rice
This hotdog and egg fried rice is best when you use cold leftover rice instead of freshly made white rice. This is because freshly made rice is still sticky and wet and will give you a gloppy mess instead of the fried rice texture we want.
For best results make rice the night before and store it in the fridge in a closed container until ready to use.
💭 FAQs
The main parts to a fried rice recipe is cooked rice, soy sauce, and mixed veggies. You can add in eggs, seasonings, meats, or other ingredients to suit your own tastebuds.
You can place your fried rice in a microwave-safe bowl and heat for about 1-2 minutes, stirring about halfway through. I like to add a small pad of butter on top of the rice to help rehydrate it as it cooks, but this is optional.
You can keep your leftover fried rice in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days.
More great frugal recipes to check out soon
- Creamy Leftover Turkey Wild Rice Soup
- One Pot Wild Rice Pilaf
- Easy Salsa Rice
- Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
- Cheesy Salsa Chicken and Rice Bake
- Cheesy Bean and Rice Burritos
📖 Recipe
Hot Dog Fried Rice
Equipment
- Large Wok or skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Toasted sesame oil ($0.20)
- 1 cup Onion (about ½ onion) finely chopped ($0.70)
- 3 medium Carrots, peeled and diced (1 cup) ($0.37)
- 3 Hot dogs, sliced into half coins ($0.39)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced ($0.10)
- 2½ cups Cooked white rice ($0.76)
- 2 large Eggs, lightly beaten ($0.16)
- ½ cups Frozen peas ($0.19)
- 2 tablespoon Soy sauce ($0.20)
- 2 tablespoon Green onion, thinly sliced ($0.02)
Instructions
- In a large wok or skillet, melt your butter over medium heat.
- Add in the onions, carrots and hot dog and cook until the onions are translucent and the hot dogs look browned. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and then cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add in the sesame oil and rice.
- Stir the rice to fully incorporate and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Push the rice mixture to one side of the pan. Crack the eggs into a bowl and then pour the eggs into the open section of your skillet. Scramble the eggs in the pan using a wooden spoon until the eggs are fully cooked.
- Stir the cooked eggs into the rice mixture to evenly distribute.
- Add in the frozen peas and the soy sauce. Stir well to combine.
- Cook for an additional minute or until the peas are warmed through.
- Serve with sliced green onions on top if desired.
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