If you're seeking a frugal dinner idea or a home-cooked version of your beloved Chinese dish, this hot dog fried rice could be the answer. made with leftover white rice and hot dog franks, it's delicious, filling, and perfect for a simple family meal.
Recipe: $4.59 | Per Serving: $0.77 | Servings: 6
Occasionally, we order Chinese food for dinner, but it can get pricey, and we often have extra white rice left. We make the most of our leftovers by turning plain white rice into a budget-friendly new dinner option.
We can even use leftover Instant Pot Hot Dogs if we made too many the night before.
This fried rice with egg and hot dog may sound unusual, but once you brown the hot dog meat and blend in the fried rice flavors, it becomes an incredible dish!
My family adores this hot dog fried rice, and I appreciate its affordability and how easy it is to throw together. If we still have leftover rice, we make this Quick Horchata Recipe or Bacon Fried Rice.
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🍯 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 less than $1 per serving (that's about $5 for dinner!)
- It's simple. Made with cooked white rice and 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.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Sesame oil- This will prevent sticking to the pan and will help to leave a great flavor behind. Note that olive oil can be used, but if you buy sesame oil, we also use it in our Sesame Garlic Ramen Noodles, Honey Soy Chicken Bites, and Spicy Peanut Butter Ramen, so there's more opportunities to use it!
Hot Dogs- For the star of the show, we'll use hot dogs as a cheap meat in this fried rice.
Cooked White Rice- You want to use already cooked and cooled rice for this because freshly cooked rice will be too soft and mushy.
Frozen Peas- These will cook in the fried rice mixture, so they do not need to be thawed beforehand.
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 ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🧾 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 mixture packed with colorful veggies.
🔪 Instructions for Hot Dog Fried Rice
Step 1: In a large wok or skillet, heat your sesame oil over medium heat.
Step 2: 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.
Step 3: Add in the garlic and then cook for an additional 30 seconds.
Step 4: Add in the cooked white rice.
Step 5: Stir the rice to fully incorporate and cook for about 3 minutes.
Step 6: 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.
Step 7: Stir the cooked eggs into the rice mixture to evenly distribute.
Step 8: Add in the frozen peas and the soy sauce. Stir well to combine.
Step 9: Cook for an additional minute or until the peas are warmed through.
Serve with sliced green onions on top if desired.
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Optimal Rice Choice: For the best texture in your hotdog and egg fried rice, opt for cold leftover rice instead of freshly made rice. Freshly made rice tends to be sticky and wet, resulting in a less desirable texture.
- Prep Ahead: Prepare your rice the night before and store it in the refrigerator in a sealed container until you're ready to use it. This ensures the rice has enough time to cool and dry out, ideal for achieving the perfect fried rice texture.
💭 Recipe 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 Delicious Frugal Recipes
If you tried this Hot Dog Fried Rice, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Hot Dog Fried Rice
Equipment
- Large Wok or skillet
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil ($0.64)
- 1 cup onion, diced ($0.46)
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and diced (1 cup) ($0.54)
- 3 hot dogs, sliced into half coins ($0.57)
- 2 cloves minced garlic ($0.16)
- 2 ½ cups cooked white rice ($1.54)
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten ($0.30)
- ½ cups frozen peas ($0.24)
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce *low-sodium preferred ($0.10)
- 2 Tablespoons green onion, thinly sliced ($0.04)
Instructions
- Heat the sesame oil in a large wok or skillet 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 cooked 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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