Crispy, crunchy, bright and tangy, cool, spicy and refreshing – this crispy rice salad has a LOT going on in the best possible way! It strikes a delicious balance of bold flavors and satisfying textures tossed together in one big, healthy salad. Enjoy!
Key Crispy Rice Salad Ingredients & Flavors
This salad is all about balance, both in texture and flavor: cool + spicy, creamy + crunchy, bright + earthy.
- Crispy Rice: cooked rice, red curry paste, gf soy sauce or tamari, oil & sugar.
- Rice: Leftover rice is ideal for a quick and easy option, but you can make this with fresh rice too. Brown rice works too!
- Red Curry Paste: If you’d like a product recommendation, I like to use Mae Ploy curry paste. Keep in mind that curry pastes vary greatly depending on brand and type.
- Soy Sauce or Tamari & Sugar: Tones down the spicy curry paste with sweet and salty flavors.
- Salad: Cucumber, chickpeas, red onion, mint, parsley and peanuts.
- Prep salad ingredients as needed then throw them in a mixing bowl. I like chopping everything into small pieces so that I get a little bit of everything in every bite.
- Cucumber Tip: Cucumber seeds and the surrounding area are quite watery. I recommend you slice the cucumber in half lengthways first, then scoop out watery seeds before slicing. Alternatively you can look for seedless varieties like English or Persian cucumbers.
- Prep salad ingredients as needed then throw them in a mixing bowl. I like chopping everything into small pieces so that I get a little bit of everything in every bite.
- Vinaigrette: Extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Simply whisk together then pour over when ready.
Substitutions & Additions
- Swap Rice: Try quinoa instead! Make sure to decrease the bake time to about 30 or so minutes. Check out my Roasted Cabbage and Kale Salad with Crispy Quinoa salad for more tips on using quinoa.
- Add Cheese: Crumbled feta or goats cheese are great additions – especially if you want to mellow out the spicy flavors even more.
- Swap Peanuts: Instead, try this with toasted almonds or salted pistachios. For a nut free option use roasted pepitas and/or sunflower seeds. If you can’t find a good substitute, just leave them out.
- Add Avocado: The nutty flavor and creamy avocado texture works well with the other punchy flavors and crunchy textures.
- Swap Red Onion: Use 1-2 diced shallots or a handful of sliced green onions/ spring onions in place of red onion.
- Add Extra Protein: For an even more filling salad, bulk this out with chopped or shredded chicken. Got a rotisserie chicken? Shred it up and throw it in!
- Swap Soy Sauce: Use coconut aminos in place of soy sauce or tamari for a soy free alternative. Coconut aminos are much less salty and naturally sweeter than soy/tamari. If you do use coconut aminos, consider adding a 1/2 teaspoon salt to the rice mixture.
- Add Sesame Seeds: For extra crunch, throw a couple tablespoons of sesame seeds in the mix. Bonus points if you toast them first!
Recipe Steps
Prep Rice: Boil and prepare rice if needed or use leftover rice for a quick and easy option.
Season Rice: Combine curry paste, oil, soy sauce and sugar then mix well with cooked rice.
Spread: Smooth the rice mixture out in a single layer across a lined, rimmed baking sheet.
Bake: Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Every 10 minutes or so, stir the rice to ensure an even cook.
Vinaigrette: Whisk together then set aside until needed.
Salad: Dice and chop ingredients as needed then add to mixing bowl.
Combine: Add crispy rice to the salad and top with lemon vinaigrette.
Mix: Toss everything together until evenly combined then enjoy.
More Crunchy Salads
- Mediterranean Dense Bean Salad
- Spicy Apple and Red Cabbage Salad with Chilli Cashews
- Crunchy Winter Kale Salad with Pomegranate
- Shirazi Salad (Salad-e Shirazi)
- Strawberry Feta Salad with Candied Hazelnuts
- Tomato Arugula Salad with Walnuts
Enjoy!
Let me know if you try this Crispy Rice Salad recipe! I’d love to hear what you made with it and how it turned out! Please leave a comment and review with your thoughts and suggestions for me and future readers.
Crispy Rice Salad with Lemony Chickpeas & Cucumber
Season and bake cooked rice in a spicy mixture until crispy then mix into a bright and flavorful salad full of cooling cucumber, creamy chickpeas and fresh herbs.
Ingredients
Rice
- 2 cups cooked white or brown rice (400g)
- 2 tbsp avocado oil or sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Thai Red curry paste, ensure gluten free
- 1 tbsp gluten free soy sauce or tamari
- 2 tsp sugar
Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (60ml)
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (45ml)
- 1 large garlic clove, minced
- 1 tsp honey, maple syrup or sugar
- ½ tsp salt + more to taste
- ½ tsp black pepper
Salad
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed (15 oz | 400g, each)
- 1 large cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded scooped out and sliced
- ½ red onion, diced
- â…“ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped - measure after chopping (15g)
- â…“ cup fresh mint, chopped - measure after chopping (15g)
- ½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped (48g)
Instructions
Rice
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) and a line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, mix together: cooked rice, oil, curry paste, soy sauce and sugar until evenly mixed together.
- Spread rice mixture across the lined baking sheet in an even layer. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes or until crispy and golden brown all over. Every 10 minutes, briefly remove the baking sheet to mix the rice to ensure it evenly crisps all over.
Salad
- Vinaigrette: In a small cup or jar whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sweetener, salt and pepper.
- Salad: Combine chickpeas, cucumber, onion, parsley, mint and peanuts in a large mixing bowl. Add the vinaigrette and crispy rice and toss together until well combined.
- Leftovers: Store leftover salad in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Notes
Rice: Leftover or pre-cooked rice is ideal for ease and speed, but you can boil fresh rice instead.
How to Boil Rice: Add 1 cup of rice (white, long-grain) and 1 1/2 cup water to a small pot over a high heat. Set the heat to high to bring to a boil, then turn the heat down medium or medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Add a fitted lid and let cook about 10 minutes until all the water has evaporated or absorbed into the rice. Turn off the heat, remove the lid and rest about 10 minutes.
Red Curry Paste: Double check the labels to ensure it's gluten free. If you're vegan, vegetarian or don't eat fish - also I recommend Mae Ploy curry paste, but it does contain fish so it's not vegan/vegetarian. Make sure to check the label to find a curry paste that's safe for you.
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