This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my privacy policy.
This easy crab fried rice recipe combines sweet crab meat, fluffy eggs, and fragrant jasmine rice seasoned with fish sauce and light soy sauce. Served with lime, tomatoes, and Prik Nam Pla, it tastes just like your favorite Thai restaurant!
Recipe Summary
- 🔪 Prep Time: 25 minutes
- 👨🍳 Cook Time: 5 minutes
- ⏱️ Total Time: 30 minutes
- 🍽️ Servings: 2 people
- 🏷️ Calories: ~973 calories
- 🍳 Cook Method: Stir-fry
- ✨ Flavor Profile: Savory, garlicky, and lightly salty, with sweet crab meat, fluffy eggs, and fragrant jasmine rice, finished with a squeeze of lime and spicy Prik Nam Pla
- 🧩 Difficulty: Easy (perfect for a quick Thai weeknight meal)
SUMMARIZE AND SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
Thai Crab Fried Rice
I’m so excited to share this Thai crab fried rice (Khao Pad Pu) recipe with you! My version is loaded with plenty of sweet, briny crab meat, just the way I like it. The crab brings so much natural flavor to the rice that all I need is a bit of light soy sauce and fish sauce to season it. It’s super easy to make and super tasty!
If you’re into both crab and fried rice, you’ve got to give this one a try. Aroy mak, which means “so delicious” in Thai! I think you’re going to love how simple this recipe is, especially with the sweet crab meat and fluffy eggs throughout the rice.
Thai fried rice has its own style, from the fragrant jasmine rice and savory seasoning to the fresh accompaniments served alongside it. I especially love serving it with Prik Nam Pla, a simple Thai condiment made with fish sauce and chopped bird’s eye chilies. It adds a spicy, salty kick that goes so well with the crab fried rice.
If you’ve had Chinese Fried Rice, you’ll notice that Thai fried rice has a different combination of flavors and accompaniments. Let’s take a closer look at what sets the two apart.
Differences Between Chinese Fried Rice And Thai Fried Rice
Chinese fried rice and Thai fried rice differ in their ingredients, flavors, and how they are served. Here are some of the key differences:
- Rice: Thai fried rice is typically made with fragrant jasmine rice, which has a slightly sticky texture and aromatic flavor.
- Flavor: Thai fried rice is seasoned with fish sauce and soy sauce, giving it a savory, salty flavor. Lime and Thai chilies are often served alongside it for acidity and heat. Chinese fried rice is generally more savory, with soy sauce and other seasonings used depending on the style.
- Aromatics: Garlic, scallions, and cilantro are commonly used in Thai fried rice, adding freshness and aroma to the dish.
- Protein: Both Thai and Chinese fried rice can be made with different proteins. Thai fried rice is commonly made with shrimp, crab meat, chicken, or pork, while Chinese fried rice may include shrimp, chicken, pork, lap cheong, or Char Siu.
- Garnishing and accompaniments: This is one of the things I love about Thai fried rice. Fresh lime wedges, tomato wedges, and cucumber slices are often served alongside the rice, while Prik Nam Pla, or fish sauce with chopped Thai chilies, adds a spicy, salty kick.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Overnight rice
- Bird’s eye chilies
- Fish sauce
- Light soy sauce
- Eggs
- Crab meat
- White pepper
- Scallions
Please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full details on each ingredient.
Pro Tip #1: Use Overnight Jasmine Rice
I always use leftover jasmine rice for fried rice. Chilled rice is firmer and drier, so it fries nicely without turning mushy. If you don’t have leftover rice, cook it ahead, spread it out to cool, then refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
Pro Tip #2: Choose Your Crab Meat
I prefer freshly picked crab meat for its sweet, delicate flavor, but frozen crab meat works well too. If using frozen crab, thaw it completely and drain well before adding it to the wok. Canned crab meat is another convenient option. Drain it well before adding it to the rice. For a cheaper option, you can use imitation crab (surimi). It won’t have quite the same sweet, delicate flavor as real crab, but it works well when you’re cooking on a budget.
Pro Tip #3: Choose Thai Light Soy Sauce
I use Healthy Boy Thai light soy sauce, but Kimlan light soy sauce is another option. Avoid dark soy sauce, which will make the rice much darker and change the flavor.
Pro Tip #4: Use A Good Fish Sauce
Fish sauce gives the rice its savory, salty flavor. I usually use Red Boat or Three Crabs for Thai recipes. I don’t recommend replacing fish sauce if you want the characteristic Thai flavor of this fried rice.
Pro Tip #5: Bird’s Eye Chilies
I use fresh bird’s eye chilies for the Prik Nam Pla. They add a fresh, spicy kick to the fried rice when served on the side. Fresh Thai red chilies can be used if bird’s eye chilies aren’t available
How To Make Crab Fried Rice
Start by breaking up the overnight rice with your hands or a spoon. Make sure there are no large clumps before you start cooking.
Add the fish sauce to a small saucer, then add the chopped bird’s eye chilies. Set it aside while you cook the fried rice.
Heat your wok over high heat until it’s hot, then add the oil and garlic. Stir-fry until the garlic is lightly browned and fragrant.
Add the rice and toss it well with your spatula. Add the light soy sauce and fish sauce, then keep stirring until the rice is evenly seasoned and heated through.
Pro Tip: I season the rice while it’s frying rather than adding all the sauces at the end. The hot rice absorbs the seasoning more evenly, and you can keep tossing it until every grain is lightly coated.
Push the rice to one side of the wok and add the remaining oil to the empty side. Pour in the beaten eggs and let them cook until they start to set.
Once the eggs have started to set, fold the rice over them and let them cook together for about a minute.
Pro Tip: I cook the eggs separately instead of stirring them directly into the rice. Letting them set first gives you soft, fluffy pieces of egg throughout the fried rice rather than a thin coating of egg on the rice.
Stir everything together, using your spatula to break the eggs into smaller pieces as you toss the rice.
Add the crab meat, white pepper, and scallions. Toss everything together just until the crab is heated through and the scallions are evenly mixed in.
Pro Tip: I add the crab near the end because it’s already cooked. Cooking it for too long can dry out the meat and make those delicate pieces of crab less tender.
Transfer the fried rice to a serving plate and garnish with fresh cilantro. Serve immediately with lime wedges, tomato wedges, and the Prik Nam Pla on the side.
Pro Tip: I like serving the lime and Prik Nam Pla on the side rather than mixing them into the wok. That way, you can add as much acidity and heat as you like without changing the flavor of the whole batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
I recommend using jasmine rice for its fragrant aroma and fluffy texture. If you have another type of long-grain rice, that will work too. Just avoid short-grain rice like sushi rice, Korean rice, or Calrose rice, as well as sticky rice. They have a softer, stickier texture that doesn’t work well for fried rice.
You can use brown rice if you really want to, but I wouldn’t recommend it for this recipe. Brown rice has a denser texture and takes longer to cook, so it won’t give you that light, fluffy fried rice you’re after.
Yes. Lump crab meat works very well and gives you larger pieces of crab throughout the rice. You can also use a mixture of lump and smaller pieces for a more even distribution.
Yes. Shrimp, chicken, or pork can be added if you want to turn it into a mixed fried rice. Cook the protein completely before adding the rice, then continue with the recipe.
You can, but I prefer keeping this version simple so the sweet crab meat remains the star. If you want to add vegetables, use small amounts of finely chopped carrots, peas, or onions and cook them before adding the rice.
Add the crab near the end of cooking and toss gently just until it is heated through. This helps keep the pieces intact instead of breaking them up too much.
Let the rice cool, then transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it promptly. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat thoroughly in a skillet or wok before serving.
This recipe is 973 calories per serving.
What To Serve With This Recipe
For a wholesome Thai meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
I hope you enjoy this post as much as I do. If you try my recipe, please leave a comment and consider giving it a 5-star rating. For more easy and delicious recipes, explore my Recipe Index, and stay updated by subscribing to my newsletter and following me on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for new updates.
Other Fried Rice Recipes You Might Like
Crab Fried Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups tightly packed overnight rice
- 2½ tablespoons oil
- 2 garlic, finely minced
- 1½ tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1½ tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 4-6 oz freshly picked crab meat, preferred or frozen crab meat
- 3 dashes white pepper
- 3 scallions, cut into small rounds
- cilantro leaves, for garnishing
- Lime wedges
- Tomato wedges
Prik Nam Pla:
- 3 bird’s eye chilies, Thai chilies, cut into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
Instructions
- Break up the overnight rice with your hands or a spoon, making sure there are no large clumps.
- Prepare the Prik Nam Pla by combining the chopped chilies and fish sauce in a small saucer. Set aside.
- Heat a wok over high heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry until light brown and aromatic.
- Add the rice and toss with a spatula. Add the light soy sauce and fish sauce, and continue stirring until well combined.
- Push the rice to one side of the wok. Add the remaining ½ tablespoon of oil, then pour in the beaten eggs. Let the eggs cook and set for about 1 minute.
- Use the spatula to fold the rice over the eggs. Let it cook for about 1 minute.
- Continue stirring, breaking the eggs into smaller pieces and mixing them evenly throughout the rice.
- Add the crab meat, white pepper, and scallions. Stir well until everything is evenly combined and the crab is heated through.
- Dish out the fried rice and garnish with cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges, tomato wedges, and sliced chilies in fish sauce.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great recipe, simple and tasty. I used surimi for the very first time and I love it. Thank you.
Hi Patrick, yes, surimi will work just fine for this recipe.
What kind of rice is best for this?
I like jasmine/white rice for this.
How is the fish sauce with chili slivers used. Is it poured on the rice when its served?
Optional, as a condiment.
Years ago, my friend brought a bottle of light soya sauce which to me, the best and most delicious. I can’t remember the brand. He bought it from the state of Johore. Will you be able to help please ?
Malaysia produces the best soy sauce. Any brand is great.
Can I use jumbo lump crab meat?
Yes you can!