Crab fried rice recipe delivers buckets of flavour despite its simplicity of method and ingredients. This Thai comfort food meal is so easy to recreate at home.
Don’t forget to also check out out Chicken Fried Rice. Different flavour profile but the same level of deliciousness!

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It’s hard to find a person, who is not a fan of fried rice. At least I’ve never met one. Warm, comforting, quick to throw together and utterly satisfying.
Fried rice is the best use of hard, leftover rice you forgot about when you pushed it to the back of your fridge! Pull it out and let me show you how to transform it into something truly magical.
No, you will not need any specialty ingredients. I promise this recipe is quick and easy. And the best thing about this rice, it could be served as a main course. Nothing else is needed.

Ingredients
While the most popular version we are familiar with comes from the Chinese cuisine, fried rice is a thing all over Asia. Here are recipes for Shrimp Fried Rice, Indonesian Fried Rice Nasi Goreng, or Kimchi Fried Rice. Delicious!
The recipe I am sharing today is a staple in most Thai homes. It is also a popular street food dish. No need to fear. The ingredients list is very simple.
As the name suggests, you will need crab and rice as your main players. Don’t forget eggs and some greens. The most common greens are a mix of sliced green onions and cilantro (coriander in the UK). And of course garlic and shallot or a small onion are great to crete the base flavour.
Sliced cucumbers are usually served on the side for a balance and a pleasing crunch. And don’t forget to add a lime wedge!
Most chefs and home cooks recommend not to skimp on the crab. I am going to say buy what you can afford and/or what is accessible to you. Crab is expensive! So even if you don’t pay top dollar for you crab, the recipe will still turn out delicious.
But if you do enjoy crab with pasta, it’s worth trying in other dishes. Easy Crab Pasta, Crab Mac and Cheese and Seafood Lasagna are both winners!

Seasoning
The seasoning is very simple in this recipe. Soy sauce, sugar and white pepper. That’s it.
This rice is not spicy but it is flavourful. Crab is what gives it so much flavour! The recipe comes together in 15 minutes!
If you want a little extra flavour, add a wedge of lime before serving to be squeezed over the rice.

Recipe Tips and Notes
- The best rice to use is day old Jasmine rice. It needs to be a bit on the dry side, so it doesn’t clump up.
- I used already cooked crab from a deli counter. While premium quality crab will taste amazing in this dish, don’t let the lack of it stop you!
- This recipe is very simple, so it’s important to use real stuff for the best flavour like real garlic instead of jarred stuff and fresh green onions and cilantro.
- I like my fried rice to be eggy, so I used 3 for a 2 person recipe. But you can decrease or increase the number of eggs according to your taste.
- Cook the rice in a large wok or pan. You will need lots of space to toss the rice around without spilling it. And don’t forget to allow the rice to be slightly toasted. Remember it’s called “fried rice”, not “steamed rice”. That’s where the flavour will come from.
Favourite Thai Recipes to Try
- Thai Fish Curry
- Vegetarian Thai Green Curry
- Easy Thai Red Curry with Prawns and Snow Peas
- Thai Green Papaya Salad Som Tam
- Thai Grilled Chicken Salad

Crab Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 shallot or ½ small onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3 eggs beaten
- 350g/2 cups cooked Jasmine rice
- 2 tbsp This is an affiliate link.soy sauce
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 100g/3.5 oz crabmeat cooked
- 2 green onion
- 2-3 sprigs cilantro (coriander)
- 6 slices cucumber
- 2 wedges lime
Instructions
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan or a wok, then add the diced shallot or onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat, add the garlic and cook for a few seconds longer. Pour in the beaten eggs and scramble them.
- Then add the cooked rice, soy sauce, sugar and white pepper, turn the heat up to high and stir to combine. Let the rice cook for half a minute or so, then stir again. Continue for 3-5 minutes until the rice is heated through and evenly coated with the seasoning.
- Add the crab and stir to combine, allow the crab to heat through, then add the sliced green onions and chopped cilantro and take off the heat. Serve with sliced cucumber and lime wedges.
Leslie says
How many eggs do you use. I did not see them listed in the ingredients.
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
3 eggs, so sorry not sure how I missed it! Thanks for letting me know, Leslie.