Rice Cakes are pan fried, with a crisp exterior and tender center. A perfect and versatile base for all your favorite sushi style toppings.

This recipe for Homemade Rice Cakes is an easy side to serve some of your favorite Asian dishes with. Enjoy with California Roll filling or serve along with Vegetarian Stir Fry or Asian Chicken Salad.

Sabrina’s Rice Cake Recipe

If you’re a fan of sushi and want the flavor without all the work of preparing sushi rice and rolling it up with seaweed and filling, then these homemade Rice Cakes are ideal for you. Instead of making traditional sushi rolls, top these cakes with your favorite sushi fillings. Don’t forget to add dipping sauce like Spicy Mayo, fish sauce, chili paste, vinegar dumpling sauce, and soy sauce. You can also add these patties to soups, stir-fried veggies, or other easy dishes. I’ve included an air fryer version below if you’re looking for a lower fat option.

Recipe Card

Save

Ingredients

▢ 6 cups white rice , cooked
▢ 3 large eggs , beaten
▢ 1/2 cup flour
▢ 1 tablespoon kosher salt
▢ 1 teaspoon coarse black pepper
▢ vegetable oil for frying , (about an inch deep in your frying pan)

Instructions

Add the rice, eggs, flour, salt and black pepper to a large bowl and mix well.
Add 2 inches of vegetable oil to a large heavy skillet on medium high heat.
Using ¼ cup measure (or an ice cream scoop) form them into patties about ¾ inch thick.
Fry on medium-high heat for 4-6 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crispy on the outside but still fluffy in the middle.
To keep warm in the meantime while frying set your oven to 250 degrees or "keep warm" setting and keep these on a cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet.
Serve topped with California roll crab mixture or spicy tuna roll fillings. Perfect as a base for sushi fillings.

Nutrition

Chef’s Note

Rather than making homemade tuna rolls, you can serve creamy crab or tuna mixture over homemade rice cakes. Add extra sushi fillings like cucumber, pickled seaweed, red onion, and avocado to the top. I really enjoy the simplicity and versatility of this recipe.

Can this be made ahead of time?

If you want to prep this recipe in advance, you can cook according to the original recipe instructions. Then let the cakes cool to room temperature. Once cooled, transfer the patties to a large ziplock bag or another airtight container. You can keep the recipe fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then warm them in a 300-degree oven, and serve with sushi topping.

How to Store

Serve: Don’t leave your rice cake recipe sitting at room temperature for more than two hours.
Store: To keep the recipe fresh, you can wait for the rice patties to cool, then put them in a ziplock bag or another airtight container with parchment paper or wax paper between the layers of rice cakes. Refrigerated they can stay good for up to 3 days.

Freeze: You could also seal the pieces of rice cake in a freezer bag or another airtight container. Frozen rice cakes can stay good for 1 month. Then let them thaw in the fridge before serving.

Air Fryer

Prepare the rice batter as usual.
Then scoop the mixture into the air fryer in small circles into a single layer (you’ll need to fry in several batches not to overcrowd). Spray them with vegetable oil spray to coat them.
Turn the air fryer to 400 degrees, and fry the recipe for 6 minutes or until the rice cakes are golden brown with a crisp outside and chewy inside.
Remove the first batch and continue with the remaining rice patties.