Coconut Crispy Rice Bowl

This flavorful Coconut Crispy Rice Bowl features crispy rice, pecans, coconut, dried cranberries and green onions for a simple mediterranean diet dish.

What is Crispy Rice

I first heard about crispy rice from watching Beat Bobby Flay on Food Network. After seeing him take rice and cook it in a cast iron pan until the edges were crispy and golden brown, I knew I had to try it.

Basically crispy rice is cooked rice that gets re-cooked in a pan until the result is golden brown, crunchy rice on the outside and soft, tender rice on the inside. It’s delightful.

Coconut Crispy Rice Bowl Recipe

After making a batch of crispy rice, I used it to make this beauty of a bowl. Honestly the recipe came about from things I had found in my pantry after cleaning it out. I simply added some coconut shreds, chopped pecans, dried cranberries and a little bit of green onion.

Tips for Cooking Crispy Rice

After experimenting with multiple cooking techniques and crispy rice recipes, here are my tips for whipping up the perfect batch –

• use a cast iron pan if you can, it creates such a nice sear on the bottom of the rice
• leftover rice makes the best crispy rice
• I prefer coconut oil for a bit of extra flavor but olive oil works too
• wrap your pan’s lid in a kitchen towel to prevent moisture from dropping back into the rice

I’ve also seen crispy rice used to make fried rice – how awesome would that be! That’s next on my list.

Grab the Rice Bowl Recipe Here

Let me know if you end up making this recipe or if you have any crispy rice recipes to share.

If you are looking for more rice bowl recipes, I love this Ahi Tuna Rice Bowl with Mango recipe.

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Coconut Crispy Rice Bowl

This flavorful and simple rice bowl features golden brown crispy rice, pecans, coconut and green onions for a delightful, mediterranean diet inspired dish.

Course dinner, lunch, rice bowl, Side Dish

Cuisine Mediterranean

Keyword crispy rice, rice, rice bowl

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 2 servings

Author Brynn McDowell, RD at The Domestic Dietitian

Equipment

• Cast Iron or large frying pan
• Lid for pan with a kitchen towel wrapped tightly around it and secured at the top

Ingredients

• 2 cups leftover rice does not need to be warm
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut (or coconut flakes) unsweetened prefered
• 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 scallions, chopped

Instructions

• Before you start cooking, wrap a kitchen towel around the lid for the pan you will be using. Tie it tightly at the top, to ensure the towel doesn't come anywhere near the burner/flame. This will ensure the moisture that is produced during cooking, doesnt' drop back into the rice.
• Heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron or frying pan.
• Once warm, carefully add the leftover rice, pressing down on the rice with a spatula to form a thin, single layer
• Sprinkle 1/2 of the coconut flakes over the top of the rice and cover with the towel lined lid
• After 4-5 minutes, check rice by lifting up a small corner – if it's toasted and golden brown, carefully flip the rice over and press down again with the spatula to cook the ther side. Note – I flip the rice in 4 different segments to ensure all the rice is turned over
• Place the towel lined lid back on the pan and cook for an additional 4-5 mintues. Remove from heat.
• Transfer the crispy rice to a large serving bowl and top with remaining coconut flakes, chopped pecans, dried cranberries and chopped scallions.

Notes

This recipe calls for leftover rice that has already been cooked. 

If you don’t have leftover rice, prepare your rice according to package instructions and allow to fully cool before using in this recipe. 

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