Air fryer leftover rice patties
Leftover rice, cheddar and broccoli pressed into patties and air fried until crisp outside and soft inside, the easiest way to use up rice.
- 40 min total
- 15 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $1.50 a serving
- 610 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup frozen broccoli, thawed
- ¾ cup long-grain white rice, cooked and chilled, about 2 cups (leftover rice is perfect)
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar
- ⅓ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt, for dipping (optional)
From your pantry
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 610 calories, 24 g protein, 67 g carbs and 27 g fat, and costs about $1.50 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No frozen broccoli? Broccoli works.
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Squeeze the thawed broccoli hard in a clean kitchen towel to get the water out, then it finely.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Dolly’s tip: Wet broccoli makes soggy patties that fall apart, so really wring it out.In a large bowl, mix the rice, broccoli, eggs, cheddar, panko, green onions, garlic powder, salt and pepper until it holds together when you squeeze it.
Dolly’s tip: Too loose to hold a shape? Add another spoonful of panko.Food safety: Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours and eat them within 3 to 4 days. Reheat until steaming hot, 165°F.
With wet hands, shape the mix into 6 patties about ½ inch thick. Chill them 10 minutes so they hold together.
Timer: 10 min
the air fryer to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Brush both sides of the patties with the oil and air fry in one layer, in batches if needed, for 6 minutes.
Timer: 6 min
Dolly’s tip: Leave space between them so the hot air can crisp the edges.Flip them carefully with a thin spatula and air fry 5 to 6 minutes more, until , and hot in the middle.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 5 min 30 sec
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Serve hot with yogurt for dipping.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Air fryer egg recipes ›What to make with eggs and rice ›What to make with eggs and cheddar ›What to make with rice and broccoli ›