2 Easy Ways to Make DIY Puffed Rice with or without Oil

If you're craving the light, crispy texture of puffed rice, you might think a long trip to the supermarket is in store. Fortunately, it's super easy to make your own, homemade puffed rice with simple ingredients that you likely already have! In this article, we’ll provide you with 2 recipes to make puffed rice: one that involves frying and one that doesn’t. Follow along with us as we show you how cook, dry, and fry rice, or puff uncooked rice without oil, and turn it into delicious, puffed grains perfect for snacks, desserts, and topping on meals.

Things You Should Know

Rinse 1 cup (200 g) of rice in water and simmer it in 1 ¾ c (410 ml) of water until it’s tender. Then, set the rice on a lined baking sheet.
Dry the rice in the oven at 250 °F (121 °C) for 2 hours. Then, pour 2 in (5 cm) of oil into a pot and heat it to 425 °F (218 °C).
Place the rice in a metal fine mesh strainer and lower it into the oil. Let the rice puff and fry for 5 to 10 seconds, then pour the rice on paper towels to drain.

Ingredients

Puffed Rice with Oil

1 cup (200 g) of rice
1 ³⁄₄ cups (410 ml) of water
1 to 2 pinches of sea salt
Sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil for frying

Makes about 3 cups (75 g) of puffed rice

Puffed Rice without Oil

1 cup (200 g) of rice
2 teaspoons (10 ml) of water
2 cups (500 g) of table salt

Makes about 3 cups (75 g) of puffed rice

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Frying Puffed Rice with Oil

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1
Rinse the rice in water until the water runs clear. Place 1 cup (200 g) of rice into a bowl and fill it with cold water. Use your hand to swirl the rice around and then pour the bowl through a fine mesh strainer to drain the water. Return the rice to the bowl, add fresh water, and keep rinsing it until the water drains clear instead of milky-colored. Rinsing the rice removes excess starch that keeps it from clumping or sticking together as it cooks.^{[1]
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- Use any type of rice, such as basmati rice, sushi rice, brown rice, or long-grain rice.
- If you prefer smaller, denser puffed rice, skip cooking the rice. Instead, dry the rinsed grains and fry them using the instructions below.
Pour 1 ³⁄₄ cups (410 ml) of water into a pot and cover it with a lid. Heat the water over medium-high heat until it boils. Then, add the rinsed rice and 1 to 2 pinches of sea salt.^{[2]
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Variation: To make the rice in a rice cooker, add the rinsed rice, salt, and water into the bowl of the rice cooker. Then, close the cooker and turn it on. If your machine has a setting for the type of rice you’re cooking, select it and then start the cooker.

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3
Cook the rice at a simmer over low heat until it's soft. Put the lid on the pot and turn the burner down to low so the water bubbles very gently. Then, simmer the rice until it's tender and the grains are soft. The amount of time it takes depends on the type of rice you're making:^{[3]
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- For long and short-grain white rice: Cook the rice for 18 minutes. Then, let the rice rest off of the heat for 10 minutes before you fluff it with a fork.
- For wild rice: Cook the wild rice between 30 to 40 minutes. Then, drain the excess water.
- For brown rice: Cook the brown rice for 30 to 40 minutes. Then, let it sit for 5 minutes before fluffing.
4
Spread the cooked rice on a lined baking sheet. Get out a rimmed baking sheet and line it with parchment paper. Then, pour the cooked rice on top. Use a spoon or spatula to spread out the rice so it's in a single, even layer.^{[4]
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- Rice typically dries faster and more evenly on a baking sheet than in a bowl.
5
Dry the rice in the oven at 250 °F (121 °C) for 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 250 °F (121 °C) and put the baking sheet of rice inside once it's hot. Then, cook the rice at this low temperature for 2 hours to remove all of its moisture. Once the rice is dry, remove it from the oven to cool and turn off the heat.^{[5]
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- The rice will feel hard and completely dry when it's ready to fry. If it’s not dry after 2 hours, give it another 30 minutes in the oven.
- Alternatively, spread the rice on a dehydrator tray if you prefer a more hands-off method. Dry the rice in the dehydrator for at least 8 hours or overnight.
- Or, simply dry the rice on top of paper towels overnight.
- Feel free to use your rice after drying it if you like its texture. Or, follow the steps below to fry and puff it up.
6
Pour 2 in (5 cm) of oil into a pot and heat it to 425 °F (218 °C). Pour a neutral oil like sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil into a pot until it reaches 2 inches (5 cm) up the sides. Then, clip a deep-fry thermometer to the pot and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 425 °F (218 °C).^{[6]
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- It's important to use a neutral-flavored oil that heats up well at high temperatures. Flavorful extra-virgin olive oil starts to break down at higher temperatures and can start to taste burnt or bitter.
Tip: Use a pot that's large enough for a small fine mesh strainer to sit inside. This makes it easier to remove the puffed rice from the oil.
7
Add a few grains of rice to the oil to test how quickly it puffs up. Once the oil reaches 425 °F (218 °C), put a few of the dried rice grains into the pot. If the oil is hot enough and ready for frying, the rice grains will puff up almost instantly.^{[7]
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- If your rice is stuck in clumps after drying, spend a few minutes separating the rice grains.
- If the rice takes more than 10 to 15 seconds to puff up, heat the oil longer and check the accuracy of your deep-fry thermometer.
8
Pour the rice into a strainer and set it in the oil for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the dried rice into a small, fine mesh strainer and lower the strainer into the pot. After about 5 to 10 seconds of being in the oil, the rice will begin to puff up and float to the top of the oil.^{[8]
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- If you don’t have a strainer that fits inside the pot, fry the rice in batches. Just add ½ cup (88 g) of rice to the oil at a time.
- If you're using dried rice that you didn't cook first, it may take closer to 20 seconds for the rice to puff up.
9
Lift the strainer out of the oil and drain the rice on a lined baking sheet. Place several paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet. Then, turn off the stove and slowly lift the fine mesh strainer with the puffed rice out of the hot oil. Simply dump the puffed rice onto the paper towels to remove the excess oil clinging to the rice.^{[9]
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- If you’re frying the rice in batches, use a fine mesh strainer or a slotted spoon to fish the puffed rice out of the oil and place it on the paper towels.
- Or, carefully pour the hot oil and puffed rice through a fine mesh sieve and into a new pot to separate the puffed rice from the oil.^{[10]
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- Let the oil cool completely before you pour it into a sealed container and throw the oil away. Or, store and reuse the oil by filtering it through cheesecloth.
10
Cool the puffed rice and eat it as a snack or add it to recipes. Let the puffed rice cool for at least 5 minutes before you snack on it or bake and cook with it. For a delicious, crunchy snack, sprinkle salt, powdered sugar, or cinnamon sugar over the puffed rice according to your taste. Or, mix the puffed rice into desserts and meals.
- For example, form the puffed rice into rice cakes or make your own Rice Krispie treats.
- Or, garnish stir-fries, salads, and other dishes with the puffed rice for a tasty crunch.
- As another idea, use the puffed rice as breadcrumbs over macaroni and cheese and other casseroles.
- Alternatively, add the puffed rice to granola or trail mix. Eat it as a snack or top yogurt with it.
- Or, simply enjoy the puffed rice in milk as a tasty cereal.
- To store leftover puffed rice, put it in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature. Use the puffed rice within 5 to 7 days.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Cooking Puffed Rice without Oil

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1
Mix 1 cup (200 g) of parboiled rice with 2 tsp (10 ml) of water. Pour 1 cup (200 g) of dried, parboiled rice into a bowl. Then, add in 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of water and mix the ingredients together.^{[11]
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- Parboiled rice is rice that’s been boiled about halfway through its total cooking time. Most grocery stores carry packaged and dried parboiled rice.
- Or, make your own parboiled rice.
- This recipe follows the traditional way of making puffed rice in India, which is also called murmura.
Place a frying pan, wok, or kadai on your stove and heat it up over low heat. When the pan is hot, add in the rice. Then, stir it every few seconds until it is completely dry, which typically takes 2 to 3 minutes.^{[12]
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Remove the rice and heat 2 cups (500 g) of salt over medium heat. Pour the dried rice into a bowl and set it aside for now. Then, pour 2 cups (500 g) of white table salt into the frying pan, wok, or kadai you used to dry the rice and turn the heat up to medium.^{[13]
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- Alternatively, use sand in place of salt. Just clean the sand first by soaking it in boiling water and dish soap. Then, sanitize it by sprinkling it with baking soda and white vinegar.^{[15]
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Add the dried, parboiled rice to the hot salt and use a whisk or spatula to constantly stir it. This keeps the rice moving which heats it up evenly and prevents it from burning. After a few seconds of stirring, the rice will start to audibly pop and puff up.^{[16]
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When all of the rice is popped and puffed, remove the pan from heat. Then, pour the salt through a fine mesh strainer and into a bowl to separate the puffed rice. Just sift the rice back and forth in the strainer to remove all the salt. Now your puffed rice is ready to eat!^{[17]
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Community Q&A

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Question

Can puffed rice be made in a microwave?

Community Answer

Since you really need high heat and oil to make the puffed rice, you'll need to make it on the stove top.

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Question

Is there a way I can bake this without frying it?

Community Answer

In order to puff, it needs to be heated very quickly to flash-steam the moisture inside. That's what makes it puff. In the oven it would be too slow. I've heard of people who make very thin sheets and put it right under the broiler to make it puff a bit, but I think you would end up with a denser chip that way. It also needs very close monitoring to make sure it doesn't burn this way.

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Question

What is the best rice for chocolate crispy cakes?

Community Answer

I recommend whole grain brown rice, but if you're more curious, you can use white rice or even oats.

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