Air Fry Leftover Rice For A Snack-Worthy Crunch

Whether you serve it topped with your choice of meat and vegetables or just served on its own as a side dish, rice is a delicious, easy-to-make dish known for being soft and fluffy. While you may enjoy eating rice as part of a soup, served alongside beans, or even alongside sesame-baked chicken, it may be your first time eating rice that's been tossed into the air fryer first.

Now, this isn't to say that the idea of rice being fried is something unheard of. You've probably had, or at least heard of, fried rice before — so why exactly would air-fried rice surprise you? You might imagine the rice turning into crunchy, hard pebbles that feel more like hard grains of sand than anything edible. There's nothing worse than biting into a forkful of undercooked, hard rice, after all.

Fortunately, you needn't worry about your air fryer drying your rice into inedible, hard pebbles. There is, surprisingly, a way to use your air fryer to make any rice you have, leftover or fresh, into something that's a delicious, crunchy snack. Once you get the hang of it, you can make delicious rice snacks that can be used in meals or just as a quick bite.

First things first, you need to know how to make crispy rice in your air fryer without it burning or drying up. Fortunately, there's a very simple recipe that requires only leftover rice, some common sauces, and your favorite seasonings to prepare.

According to a recipe detailed by TikTok user Foodiechina888, the first step to preparing crispy rice in your air fryer involves combining 1 ½ cups leftover rice (or fresh rice, if you have any), 3 teaspoons light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cooking oil, 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds, and 1 teaspoon oyster sauce together in a bowl. You can give the rice a "Thai massage" with your hands to mix or you could use a fork, just so long as everything is well-combined. Line your air fryer basket with parchment paper and then empty your rice mixture into it, pressing down with either your hands or a spatula until the rice has formed a flat disc that covers the bottom of the basket. Next, fry the rice at 180 degrees Celsius (or 356 degrees Fahrenheit) for 20 minutes, flipping the rice over halfway through.

Once the rice is cooked, remove the rice disc from the air fryer and break it apart before sprinkling the rice with your favorite seasonings. The result should be a cross between crunchy chips and rice cakes.

When you think of crispy rice squares, you probably think of a certain dessert made with rice cereal, butter, and marshmallows. These alternative crispy rice squares, however, are actually made up of leftover sushi rice that's been chilled into individual blocks.

To make rice squares, take your leftover sushi rice (or any leftover rice you may have) and press it into a plastic wrap-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet into the freezer for 45 minutes or until the rice is set, before cutting the rice into individual squares. These can be fried up in any way you like, but the air fryer can easily reheat them in under a few minutes. As MyHealthyDish details, brush your rice squares with cornstarch or flour followed by a light coating of avocado, vegetable, or neutral-flavored oil. Fry the rice squares at 425 degrees for 15 minutes or until the exterior of the rice has a light golden-brown crust.

From there, what you do with your rice squares is up to you. You can top them with a variety of meats, vegetables, or seafood, or you could serve them by themselves with your choice of sauce for dipping. While the aforementioned rice chips are good for a grease-free alternative to potato chips, these rice squares can be served as appetizers as a light meal of their own.