Crispy Rice Salad with Creamy Sesame Ginger Dressing
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You’ll love this Crispy Rice Salad with Creamy Sesame Ginger Dressing – crispy rice, edamame, cucumbers, green onions, & a delicious dressing. It is the salad of dreams! I’ve been making this salad on repeat since I first started testing it in January and still can’t get enough.
You may have seen the viral Tik-Tok crispy rice salads that have been taking over the internet – after seeing several I knew I had to try these! The basic premise is taking leftover rice, tossing it with oil, seasonings, chili oil, and more (each recipe is a little different) – and then baking the rice on a sheet pan until crispy. Once the rice is cooked and crispy, it becomes so full of flavor (and texture!). With a crispy edge and a slightly chewy center, you will love this crispy rice! Once the rice is crisped, you create a salad by tossing the rice with veggies and then tossing with a dressing.
I saw a couple different variants of this salad online – some use a tahini dressing, some use curry paste – but I knew I wanted to use a variant of one of my sesame ginger dressings from my Asian salads, because I’m a sucker for anything sesame ginger! This Crispy Rice Salad with Creamy Sesame Ginger Dressing is such a balance of flavors and textures. I think you’ll love it.
I chose to pair this salad with shelled edamame, cucumbers, green onions, and the crispy rice. You can also add avocado but it can get a little mashed in the salad, so I’d suggest adding it on top after serving. You can also easily make this side salad a main dish by adding in some smoked salmon or other protein. We’ve tried it both ways!
Crispy Rice Salad with Creamy Sesame Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
Crispy Rice
- 2 cups cooked and chilled rice (leftover rice works perfectly)
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Creamy Sesame Ginger Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 ½ teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or minced finely (can use a microplane to finely grate)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Salad
- 5-6 Persian cucumbers, diced (or 1 extra large English cucumber)
- 1 cup shelled edamame (called Mukimame) (find in the frozen section)
- 1 bunch green onions, diced (about 3/4 cup)
- optional, 1 avocado, diced
Instructions
Crispy Rice
- Start with the crispy rice. While it's cooking, you can prep the rest of the salad ingredients (and the dressing).
- Preheat the oven to 410°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the rice on the lined baking sheet, and flatten into a single layer using the back of a rubber spatula.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, chili crisp with oil, and sesame oil.
- Pour the oil and soy sauce mixture over the rice and then toss the rice to evenly coat it. Press it again into a single layer and place into the preheated oven.
- Bake the rice in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. When it's done, the rice should be browned, fragrant, and crispy (but not burned!). If your oven runs hot, be sure to watch the rice for the last 5 minutes to make sure no rice is burning. The color should be dark brown, not black. If any pieces start to get darker than dark brown, remove from the oven immediately.
- Once the rice is done, set aside.
Dressing
- Once you get the rice in the oven, it's a great time to make the dressing. Add all the dressing ingredients to a jar and shake well (or whisk together in a bowl).
- Place in the fridge to chill while the rice is baking.
Salad Assembly
- While the rice is in the oven, you can also prep the salad ingredients. Chop the cucumbers, green onions, and optionally the avocado.Add chopped ingredients to a large bowl.
- Prepare the edamame by warming it up in the microwave according to the instructions on the bag (purchasing the Mukimake helps so much because it's already shelled!).Once the edamame is warmed up, add it to the salad bowl.
- Once crispy rice is cooked, add it directly to the salad (I like the combination of warm and cold in this salad, but if you'd prefer you can wait for the rice to cool before adding it).
- Toss salad together, then coat generously with the Creamy Sesame Ginger Dressing. Toss well to combine.
- If adding avocado, add after serving.
- Enjoy! (This salad saves really well for 3-4 days in an airtight container in the fridge.)
I hope you love this recipe! It’s the perfect addition to your favorite salad lineup. And tag me me @plumstreetcollective on Instagram if you get a chance to make it. Happy cooking!
