Brazilian Fried Rice with Ham and Egg

Oi Gente!

This Brazilian fried rice with ham and egg recipe is delicious and fun. It’s an extremely easy recipe to make and totally customizable, so you can create your own version. PLUS it’s a great way to use leftover rice and holiday ham. Serve it as a side dish, or just by its yummy self!

Arroz Maluco - Fried Rice with Ham and Egg

About this Brazilian Fried Rice with Ham and Egg recipe

Brazilian fried rice, or how we call it in Portuguese, arroz maluco, is a very popular rice dish in Brazil. Arroz maluco, which literally means crazy rice, is typically made with ham and egg, plus a few veggies and topped with potato sticks that we call batata palha.

The cool thing about this Brazilian fried rice with ham and egg recipe is that it’s also super customizable. You can swap out and mix in other ingredients and come up with your own crazy rice recipe! Just remember, no matter what you add in, don’t forget the potato sticks or at least some cracked potato chips on top. That crunchy top is THE best part!

Aside from it being super delicious, we love this simple dish because it’s super easy to make. Also, it works both as a fun side dish, good enough to bring to a backyard party or as quick mid-week meal.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do.

Beijinhos xx

Bom Apetite!

Brazilian Fried Rice Ingredients

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The beauty of arroz maluco is that you can easily change things up and create your own version based on what you have available at home, or what you like more. This recipe features my favorite combination of ingredients to make my Brazilian fried rice, but here are some tips and ideas to help you create your own recipe:

  • butter
  • onion
  • eggs
  • ham – You can use ham steaks, or a ball of ham. But, this is also a great recipe to use up any leftover holiday ham. You can switch things up by using smoked sausage instead of ham!
  • cooked rice – and speaking of leftovers, this is also a great recipe to use up any leftover rice as well. If you need to make a fresh batch, check out this recipe.
  • frozen peas – you can also use canned peas. Not a fan of peas? Use corn instead!
  • potato sticks – or batata palha, as we call them in Portuguese, are super popular in Brazil. They’re are awesome, add fun crunch to dishes, and we like to sprinkle them on pretty much anything from hotdogs to Brazilian strogonoff. Sadly, they’re not easy to find in regular grocery stores outside Brazil, but, you can find them at your local Brazilian market, or order them from Amazon. If this is too much hassle, just get regular potato chips and crunch them on top of your fried rice.
  • fresh parsley – totally optional here, but, I love the extra flavor of the fresh parsley sprinkled on top as a garnish. You can totally omit this, or use other fresh herbs you have on hand like fresh chives, cilantro, or green onions!

How to make Brazilian Fried rice

Brown the bacon – First, you’ll want to melt the butter and brown the bacon. I like my bacon to be just brown enough without being too crispy so it doesn’t get dry or burns the butter. Then, add the onions and saute them until they’re transparent.

Scramble the egg – Then, you’ll want to add the egg to the pan with the ham and onion, and stir to scramble it.

Add in the cooked rice – Then, mix in the rice and stir to combine.

Add in the peas – Lastly, mix in the peas. We want to add the frozen veggies last in the process to avoid them turning to mush if cooked for too long. Cook just long enough to heat them up, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally to promote even cooking and you’re all set!

Sprinkle the toppings – The best part!! Top your Brazilian fried rice with the potato sticks and sprinkle in your favorite fresh herbs.

Bom Apetite!

Arroz Maluco - Fried Rice with Ham and Egg

More Brazilian rice recipes to try:

How to Make Brazilian Rice

Pineapple Rice

Brazilian Holiday Rice

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5 from 22 votes

Arroz Maluco – Brazilian Fried Rice with Ham and Egg

This Brazilian fried rice with ham and egg recipe is delicious and fun. It's an extremely easy recipe to make and totally customizable, so you can create your own version. PLUS it's a great way to use leftover rice and holiday ham. Serve it as a side dish, or just by its yummy self!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 6 Servings
Author: Aline Shaw

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp of butter
  • 3 cups of ham, cubed
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 eggs
  • 3 cups cooked rice
  • 1 cup frozen peas no need to thaw!
  • potato sticks to taste
  • 1 tbsp fresh parseley, minced optional

Instructions

  • Add the butter and the ham to a medium pan with over medium heat, and brown the ham a few minutes.
  • Add in the onions and saute until they are transparent.
  • The, add in the eggs, and stir to scramble them.
  • Add in the cooked rice stir, and cook until rice is warmed up – about 2-3 minutes.
  • Lastly, mix in the peas and cook just long enough to heat them up, about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Serve and top with potato sticks and fresh parsley.

Bom Apetite!

    Did you make this recipe? Show me how it turned out! Snap a photo and share with me on Instagram tagging @aline_shaw!

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    29 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      I don’t make fried rice enough! I have loads of leftover ham from a recipe I developed last week, so I’m going to make this for dinner. Thanks!

    2. 5 stars
      I make fried rice all the time and I never miss having leftover cooked rice in my fridge. This is a good and fun recipe to try with cheese. I will substitute chicken or fish with ham

    3. 5 stars
      Fried rice is really good, I have cooked it so many times I lost count! Now I have to try your recipe, it looks amazing! Nice to know there’s another brazilian blogger here 😉

    4. 5 stars
      I love to serve rice dishes with lots of different ingredients and my family loves this! Thanks so for a great recipe!

    5. For reals this sounds amazing! I love the idea of serving this at brunch this weekend. I dont have any potato sticks on hand but I am ordering some. love that I can use chips instead.

    6. 5 stars
      I’m going to have to give this a try. I love fried rice, but I’ve only ever had the Asian kind. I can’t wait to try this.

    7. 5 stars
      Oh I love any fried rice, and this one is so wonderfully flavorful! So delicious, so hearty, and perfect for lunch or dinner. Thank you for sharing!

    8. 5 stars
      This is perfect – I have a ton of ham leftover, the kids keep asking for takeaway, this would be a great substitute for egg fried rice from the takeaway, and I want something filling and tasty – this recipe fulfills all of those things!

    9. 5 stars
      What a great idea. I think I have all the ingredients except ham right now. Can I make it without ham or is a very important ingredient. I am hoping to make it for lunch right now.

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