Leftover rice never tasted so good with this recipe on how to turn it into fried rice waffles.
I encourage everyone to find new and exciting ways to use leftovers with your waffle maker. Here is my latest and maybe greatest – Fried Rice Waffles!
My family solidly believes the best reason for making rice is to have leftovers to use to make fried rice. The crunchy exterior with the soft center is a great sensory experience.
Normally people like to make fried rice in a wok. But of course why use a wok when you can turn to a waffle maker to do the job. Let me share all the tips to make the best fried rice waffles. Spoiler, it doesn’t take a lot of them to make something super delicious.
Leftover Rice
It all starts with leftover rice. Why leftover? Because rice releases starches as it cooks. Once the rice cools those starches gel allowing your rice to stick together. Shorter grain rice will stick more than longer grain rice, so I would choose them over the extra long rice that is everywhere.
leftover rice needs to be put in the fridge within a couple hours of cooking it. As soon as it has cooled enough to go in the fridge and you are done eating, get it in the fridge. From there you should use it all up within 3-4 days.
Waffle Making Tips
While the waffles can be made without adding anything to them, adding some scrambled egg will help them stay together better. I added 1 egg for 2 cups of leftover rice I had. That probably would have been enough egg for 3 cups.
Here is a picture of the waffle without the egg and with the egg.
The waffle on the left in the photo is part of the broken waffle I made that didn’t include egg. Sure it’s edible but not very visually appealing and it didn’t brown as much. The egg is for sure worth using.
Add Veggies
Want to add more things to your fried rice waffles? No problem. You can add anything that is really cooked, to the waffles. Veggies are always my first thought. There is this great mix of frozen vegetables that I got at a Grocery Outlet store. We are staying in a small town in Idaho as I write this (the wifi at our campground is actually down right now, so I am typing this in WordPad to add to our blog later). We have been traveling to Twin Falls to shop, and I was pumped they have a Grocery Outlet, which I love to describe as like Big Lots, except more food than anything. It’s a great spot to find some higher end brands at a less than premium price.
Seal the Seasons are better frozen veggies. They are regionally sourced and you can see pictures of the farmers that grew their fruits and veggies. The corn, pea, and carrot blend I got was better than any other frozen blend like that I’ve found. Mainly the quality of the peas was superior. They were sweeter and had a better texture. This combo is perfect for putting into fried rice. Any frozen peas, carrots, and corn mix will work for this.
Add Sauce
These fried waffles could still use a sauce to go on top. While soy sauce will work, I have a better suggestion in mind. Bachan’s Japanese BBQ Sauce. I have been finding this sauce at stores like Walmart, Target, and Costco. I once again found a great deal on my favorite flavor Yuzu at a Grocery Outlet store (did I tell you that I love this store!).
This sauce is like a soy based BBQ sauce loaded with flavor. It’s a thin sauce that goes perfectly with rice. The Yuzu flavor is our family favorite. Yuzu is a type of citrus that is used just for it’s flavorful zest. That citrus flavor is a new addition to the salty soy notes of this sauce. I can’t recommend it enough, it’s one of the few condiments we keep all the time in our camper fridge.
What to Serve These Waffles With
You know I just like to eat this as part of my lunch but that doesn’t mean you can’t do more. Got some leftover chicken you can serve that right on top of chop it up and mix it into the rice. Pulled pork would be nice on top or some slowly cooked shredded beef. Think about anything you serve with rice or fried rice and it would be perfect here.
Fried Rice Waffles
Ingredients
- 3 cups leftover rice
- 1 cup frozen veggies (corn, carrots, peas for example) that have been cooked
- 1 large egg
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Start by heating up your waffle maker.
- Crack your egg in a bowl that is big enough to fit the rice. Beat the egg with a fork to combine the white and yolk. Then add in your rice and veggies. Stir to combine.
- Brush butter onto your waffle maker, both top and bottom. Add a scoop of rice to your waffle maker and shut the lid.
- Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the rice has browned.
- Carefully remove the waffles by gently prying up one side and then using a silicone spatula to remove the waffle completely. Make sure whatever you use won't scratch your waffle maker.
- Continue until you use up all of your rice. The amount of fried rice waffles it will make depends on the size of your waffle maker.
- Eat immediately with Bachan's Japanese BBQ sauce or just soy sauce.
More Savory Waffles to Try
If you are down for making more savory waffles for lunch or dinner, here are some other recipes to try out.
How to Make Macaroni & Cheese Waffles
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