This crispy rice salad recipe is stuffed with crunchy textures and brilliant, daring flavors! It stars recent veggies, herbs, peanuts, and a sesame ginger dressing.

This crispy rice salad recipe is shortly turning into my favourite summer time lunch. It begins with a base of veggies—marinated cucumbers, edamame, scallions, avocado, and recent mint—that I prime with crunchy roasted peanuts, sheet pan crispy rice, and sesame ginger dressing. It’s so good that I’ve already made it 3 occasions this summer time. Examine again with me in a couple of weeks—I’ve a sense I’ll have made it at the very least 3 occasions extra.
Why You’ll Love This Crispy Rice Salad
- It’s brilliant and refreshing. I marinate the cucumbers in rice vinegar with just a little sugar and salt to offer them a tangy pop. Along with the scallions and mint, they make this salad the proper brilliant, recent meal for a scorching summer time day.
- The combo of textures is scrumptious. This salad has a great deal of crunch, because of the crispy rice, cucumbers, and peanuts. I add in chunks of avocado and use my tahini-based sesame ginger dressing for creamy distinction.
- It may be a principal or a aspect dish. This crispy rice salad recipe matches proper in at any meal. The edamame, rice, and avocado make it filling sufficient to cross as a principal. Or take pleasure in it as a aspect dish with sesame tofu, purple curry, or banh mi!

Crispy Rice Salad Substances
I acquired hooked on the idea of crispy rice salads after consuming an incredible one at Hai Hai in Minneapolis a couple of years in the past. Theirs was a model of nam khao, a Lao salad made with purple curry crispy rice, a great deal of recent herbs, peanuts, and a brilliant lime dressing. It usually comprises pork, although the one I had was meat-free.
This recipe takes inspiration from that dish, nevertheless it isn’t conventional by any means, skipping the purple curry and leaning into the nutty taste of toasted sesame oil and tangy rice vinegar as an alternative. Listed below are the important thing elements:
- Crispy rice – My recipe is straightforward to make within the oven. It makes use of day-old rice, plus tamari, sesame oil, and salt to season the rice and assist it crisp up because it bakes.
- Marinated cucumbers – I toss sliced Persian cucumbers with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt to offer them a pickle-y pop. Skinny-skinned English cucumber would work effectively right here too; simply slice it into half-moons as an alternative of rounds. If common cucumbers are all you’ve got, peel and seed them earlier than including them to the salad.
- Extra recent greens and herbs – Together with the cucumbers, avocado, scallions, edamame, and mint pack this salad with a veggie punch. When you’ve got extra herbs readily available, be happy to load them on. Cilantro and basil would each be improbable!
- Sesame ginger dressing – This frivolously creamy, nutty dressing consists of tahini, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, tamari, honey, and ginger.
Spicy chili crisp and crunchy roasted peanuts take this salad excessive.
Discover the whole recipe with measurements under.
The way to Make Crispy Rice Salad
This crispy rice salad recipe has 4 easy steps:
1. Begin by making the crispy rice. It crisps up in a 400°F oven in about 25 minutes. Toss midway by means of in order that it cooks evenly. Discover extra ideas for making it in my crispy rice put up.
2. Marinate the cucumbers. Toss them with the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt and set them apart for quarter-hour.
3. In the meantime, make the dressing. Whisk the elements collectively in a small bowl. You need the dressing to have a creamy, drizzleable consistency. If it’s too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen it.
4. Assemble the salad. If you happen to’re serving this salad as a principal dish, divide the cucumbers into 4 bowls, leaving any extra water behind. Prime with the avocado, scallions, and peanuts and drizzle with some dressing, then pile on the crispy rice and mint. Drizzle with chili crisp, season to style, and serve with extra dressing on the aspect.
- Facet dish choice: Assemble the salad on a big serving platter as an alternative!

Make-Forward and Storage Ideas
This salad is greatest proper after it’s assembled as a result of the avocado browns and the crispy rice and peanuts lose their crunch as they sit. Retailer leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 1 day.
If you happen to’re meal prepping this salad, you possibly can prep the elements prematurely and retailer them individually. The crispy rice retains within the fridge for as much as 2 days and the marinated cucumbers and dressing will final for as much as 4. Assemble proper earlier than serving.
Extra Salad Recipes to Strive
If you happen to love this recipe, strive one among these scrumptious salads subsequent:

Crispy Rice Salad
Serves 4
Crispy Rice
- 3 cups cooked and cooled rice, leftover rice is greatest
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
For the Salad
- 6 to eight Persian cucumbers, 1 pound, sliced
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon cane sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
- 2 avocados, diced
- 3 scallions, chopped
- ½ cup roasted peanuts
- Recent mint leaves, for garnish
- Chili crisp, for drizzling
Stop your display from going darkish
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Make the crispy rice: Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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Place the rice on the baking sheet. Drizzle with the sesame oil and tamari, toss to coat, and unfold evenly on the baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes, then toss. Roast for an additional 12 to 16 minutes, or till the rice is frivolously crisp and golden brown. Toss with the salt and put aside. The rice will proceed to crisp up because it cools.
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Prep the salad: In a big bowl, toss the cucumbers with the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt. Put aside for quarter-hour to marinate.
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In the meantime, make the sesame ginger dressing: In a small bowl, whisk collectively the tahini, sesame oil, rice vinegar, tamari, ginger, and maple syrup. The dressing ought to have a creamy, drizzleable consistency. If it’s too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen it.
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Divide the cucumbers amongst 4 serving bowls, leaving any extra water behind. Divide the edamame, avocado, scallions, and peanuts among the many bowls and drizzle with among the dressing. Prime with the crispy rice and garnish with mint. Drizzle with chili crisp, season to style, and serve with the remaining dressing on the aspect.
