Quick Crispy Rice Salad (Printable)

Golden crispy rice meets crunchy vegetables with a nutty peanut sesame dressing for a fresh, flavorful dish.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Crispy Rice

01 - 2 cups cooked jasmine rice, 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

# How To Make:

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 large bowl, combine day-old jasmine rice with 1 tablespoon sesame oil, 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari, and 1 tablespoon chili crisp. Toss until evenly coated.
03 - Spread rice mixture into thin, even layer on prepared baking sheet or air fryer basket, leaving some clusters for extra crunch. Bake in air fryer for 16-18 minutes or in oven for 40 minutes until golden and crisp.
04 - Remove rice from heat and let cool completely. Break into bite-sized clumps once cooled.
05 - While rice cooks, whisk together 3 tablespoons sesame oil, 2 tablespoons peanut butter or tahini, 2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari, 2 tablespoons rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon honey or substitute, 2 teaspoons chili crisp, and grated ginger in bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
06 - In large salad bowl, combine shredded cabbage, cucumber, bell pepper, carrot, sugar snap peas, and green onions.
07 - Add crispy rice clusters to vegetable mixture. Drizzle with peanut sesame dressing and toss well to coat evenly.
08 - Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Sprinkle generously with toasted sesame seeds immediately before serving.

# Top Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in under an hour and actually tastes better when you make it ahead, making meal prep feel less like a chore.
  • The contrast between crispy rice and fresh vegetables with that creamy peanut dressing hits all your cravings at once, and everyone asks for seconds.
  • You can swap ingredients based on what's in your fridge, so it never feels repetitive even when you make it twice a week.
02 -
  • Day-old rice is absolutely essential—I learned this the hard way when I tried using freshly cooked rice and ended up with a damp, disappointing mess instead of crispy clusters.
  • Assemble the salad right before serving unless you're specifically meal prepping, because the crispy rice will absorb moisture and become chewy after sitting with the dressing for more than an hour.
  • The dressing can be made a full day ahead, which means you can actually pull this together in under five minutes on a busy weeknight.
03 -
  • Make your own chili crisp if you're feeling adventurous—it's just hot chiles fried in oil and it tastes noticeably fresher than most jarred versions.
  • Grate your ginger just before making the dressing because fresh ginger loses its brightness after sitting around, and that zing is what makes the dressing sing.
Go Back