Quick Crispy Rice Salad (Print)

Golden crispy rice with crunchy veggies and a bold peanut sesame dressing for a vibrant, fresh dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Crispy Rice

01 - 2 cups cooked jasmine rice, preferably day-old
02 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
03 - 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
04 - 1 tablespoon chili crisp

→ Peanut Sesame Dressing

05 - 3 tablespoons sesame oil
06 - 2 tablespoons peanut butter or tahini
07 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari
08 - 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
09 - 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
10 - 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
11 - 2 teaspoons chili crisp
12 - ½ inch piece fresh ginger, grated
13 - Salt and pepper to taste

→ Fresh Vegetables

14 - 3 cups shredded cabbage, mixed green and red
15 - 1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
16 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
17 - 1 medium carrot, grated or julienned
18 - ½ cup sugar snap peas, chopped
19 - 2 green onions, sliced

→ Garnish

20 - Toasted sesame seeds

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F or set air fryer to 400°F. Line baking sheet or air fryer basket with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, combine day-old jasmine rice with 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, and 1 tablespoon chili crisp. Mix until evenly coated.
03 - Spread seasoned rice mixture into thin, even layer on prepared baking sheet or air fryer basket. Leave some clusters intact for enhanced crunch.
04 - Bake in air fryer for 16-18 minutes or in conventional oven for 40 minutes until golden and crispy. Allow to cool completely, then break into bite-sized clusters.
05 - While rice crisps, whisk together in a separate bowl: 3 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons peanut butter or tahini, 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup, 2 teaspoons chili crisp, and grated ginger. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - In a large salad bowl, combine shredded cabbage, sliced cucumber, sliced bell pepper, grated carrot, chopped sugar snap peas, and sliced green onions.
07 - Add crispy rice clusters to vegetable mixture and drizzle with peanut sesame dressing. Toss thoroughly to coat all ingredients evenly.
08 - Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds immediately before serving.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The rice gets genuinely crispy and stays that way through the dressing, giving you actual texture that doesn't disappear by lunchtime tomorrow.
  • One dressing does the heavy lifting for the whole salad, so there's no recipe fatigue or complicated layering.
  • It tastes even better the next day because the flavors settle in and the vegetables soften just enough to absorb the dressing without getting sad.
02 -
  • Do not assemble this salad more than 30 minutes before eating unless you like the idea of crispy rice that's sacrificed its crispiness for sogginess; the dressing will soften it if you let it sit too long.
  • If you make this ahead for meal prep, keep the crispy rice and dressing separate and combine them just before you eat, which sounds like extra work but tastes like it was worth every single second.
03 -
  • If your rice didn't get as crispy as you wanted, it probably had too much moisture; next time spread it thinner and make sure your oven is actually fully preheated before it goes in.
  • Taste the dressing before you add it to the salad and remember that cold vegetables will make it taste less intense, so you might need to season it slightly more aggressively than feels right.
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