Leftover rice usually gets a sad reheat or ends up in the bin. But that bowl in your fridge can turn into a breakfast that's crispy, cheesy, and honestly better than the original dinner. Cold rice is drier and stickier, which is exactly what you want for these recipes. Turn it into cheesy rice balls, masala appe, and rice tikki toast for a quick, yummy breakfast. They take less than 15 minutes, need very few ingredients, and kids love them too. Perfect for busy mornings when you want something hot and tasty without much effort daily.

3 Leftover Rice Breakfast Recipes To Try

Here are three leftover rice recipes that are super easy and very, very tasty and at the same time healthy too.

1. Cheesy Rice Balls

Preparation Time: 25 mins  | Serves:   2-3  | Calories: 58kcal/ rice ball (may vary)

Ingredients 

1 cup cooked rice

1 boiled potato

1 tbsp cornflour

1 green chilli, finely chopped

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp chilli flakes

Salt to taste

¼ cup boiled corn (optional)

12 small cubes of mozzarella or processed cheese

½ cup bread crumbs

Oil for frying

Step-by-step guide

  • Mash a cup of cold rice with a boiled potato, a spoon of cornflour, chopped green chilli, oregano, chilli flakes, and salt until it comes together like a dough. 

  • Take a small portion, press a cube of mozzarella or processed cheese into the center, and roll it into a ball, making sure the cheese is fully covered. 

  • Roll each ball in bread crumbs.

  • Deep fry or air fry until golden. 

  • Serve hot with ketchup or mayo dip and watch them disappear.

    • 2. Masala Rice Appe

    Preparation Time: 25 mins  | Serves:   2-3  | Calories: 45 kcal/appe (may vary)

    Ingredients 

    1 cup cooked rice

     ½ cup curd

    ¼ cup suji

    1 small onion, finely chopped

    1 small carrot, grated

    8-10 curry leaves, chopped

    1 green chilli, chopped

    Salt to taste

    ½ tsp Eno or a pinch of baking soda

    Oil for greasing

    Step-by-step guide

    • Blend one cup of leftover rice with half a cup of curd and a splash of water into a thick batter. 

  • Pour it into a bowl and mix in suji, onion, carrot, curry leaves, green chilli, and salt. 

  • Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes so the suji can soften.

  • Add Eno or baking soda just before cooking and give it a gentle stir.

  • Grease an appe pan, fill each mould with batter, and cook on low heat until the bottom turns golden. Flip once and cook the other side.

  • Serve with coconut chutney or a simple tomato chutney.

    • 3. Rice Tikki

    Preparation Time: 25 mins  | Serves: 2-3  | Calories: 75 kcal/ tikki (fried), 52kcal/tikki (air-fried)

    Ingredients 

    1 cup cold cooked rice

    1 boiled potato

    2 tbsp finely chopped capsicum or carrot

    ½ tsp chaat masala

    1 green chilli, chopped

    Salt to taste

    1 tbsp cornflour or bread crumbs

    Oil for shallow frying

    Step-by-step guide

    • Mash one cup of leftover rice with a boiled potato together until smooth.

  • Add chopped capsicum or carrot, chaat masala, green chilli, salt, and cornflour or bread crumbs. Mix well.

  • Shape the mixture into small flat rounds.

  • Shallow fry them until brown on both sides. If you don't want anything buttery or oily you can always air fry them. 

  • Pair them with mint chutney or curd for a snack that feels like a treat and not a leftover.

    • Conclusion

    Store leftover rice in the fridge within an hour or two of cooking and finish it within a day. Rice left out for long can cause stomach trouble, so always cook or heat it well before eating.

    So the next time there is rice left over, skip the boring reheat and pick one of these. Breakfast will be yummy, and nothing goes to waste.

     

    (Image Credits: Instagram)
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