How to Make Puffed Brown Rice

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ByHui Yin

Puffed rice is a delightful, crunchy snack that’s similar to popcorn. While white rice is typically used to make puffed rice, the brown rice version of this tasty snack retains more nutrients and fiber, making it a popular choice among health-conscious individuals. Learn how to cook puffed rice in this article.

Is Puffed Brown Rice Good for You?

It is! Puffed brown rice offers several nutritional benefits compared to traditional white rice. It’s a whole grain that’s rich in fiber, vitamins, and minerals. It aids in digestion, is low in calories, and best of all, gluten-free.

How Do You Make Puffed Rice?

Puffed rice is typically made by exposing rice grains to high heat, causing them to expand rapidly and become light and crispy. While the process may seem straightforward, it requires precision and the right equipment to achieve the desired result. The two most common methods for making homemade puffed rice are with oil (over and stovetop) and without oil (stovetop).

How to Make Puffed Rice in a Microwave?

Unfortunately, you can’t take uncooked rice or boiled rice and cook it in the microwave to puff it up. This is because the microwave isn’t good at removing moisture. Raw rice grains need to be baked or cooked in oil to turn into rice puffs. 

If you already have ready-made puffed rice on hand, you can use that with your microwave to cook various recipes such as rice crispy treats and other crispy rice cereal snacks.

How to Make Homemade Puffed Rice From Brown Rice?

Making puffed rice cereal from brown grains follows a similar process to white rice but offers the added nutritional benefits of whole grains. There are two methods to make puffed rice at home: using oil and without oil. 

Cooking Puffed Rice With Oil

Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 cup of rice 
  • 1 3/4 cups of water
  • 1 to 2 pinches of salt
  • Oil for frying (sunflower, vegetable, or canola oil)

Recipe Directions

  1. Rinse the dry rice in water until the water runs clear. 
  2. Place a pot on your stovetop and pour 1 3/4 cups of water into it.
  3. Bring the water to a boil.
  4. Add the rice and a pinch of salt.
  5. Cook the rice at a simmer over low heat until the grains are soft. Put the lid on the pot and turn the burner down to low so the water bubbles very gently.
  6. If you’re using short-grain or long-grain rice, cook the rice for 18 to 30 minutes then let the rice rest off the heat for 10 minutes before fluffing it with a fork.
  7. Prepare and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  8. Spread the cooked rice on the lined baking sheet. 
  9. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F and put the baking sheet of rice inside once it’s hot. 
  10. Cook the rice in the oven at this low temperature for 2 hours to remove all of the moisture.
  11. Once the rice is dry, remove it from the oven to cool.
  12. In a large pot, pour neutral oil until it reaches 2 inches up the sides. Clip a deep-free thermometer to the pot and heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches 425 degrees F. 
  13. Add a few grains of rice to the oil to test how quickly it puffs up. The rice will puff up instantly if the oil is hot enough and ready for frying.
  14. Pour the rice into a strainer and lower the strainer into the pot to fry it. After 5 to 10 seconds, the rice will begin to puff and float to the top of the oil. If frying in batches, use a slotted spoon to scoop the rice out of the hot oil.
  15. Place several paper towels on a rimmed baking sheet. 
  16. Slowly lift the fine mesh strainer with the puffed rice out of the hot oil. 
  17. Dump and spread the puffed rice onto the paper towels.
  18. Cool the puffed rice and eat it as a snack or add it to recipes. 

Cooking Puffed Rice Without Oil

Recipe Ingredients

Recipe Directions

  1. Mix 1 cup of parboiled rice with 2 teaspoons of water.
  2. Heat the rice over low heat on the stovetop for 2 to 3 minutes or until it’s dry and crispy.
  3. Remove the rice and heat 2 cups of salt over medium heat. 
  4. Add rice to the hot salt. Use a whisk or a spatula to constantly stir it.
  5. Strain the puffed rice through a mesh sieve.
  6. Cool and enjoy.

Recipe Tips

You can enjoy puffed rice on its own but you can also use this in various snacks and dishes. For a sweet breakfast treat, add milk to the puffed rice and turn it into a puffed rice cereal. Another breakfast recipe idea is adding puffed rice to an omelet stuffed with crispy puffed rice. 

If you don’t want it for breakfast, you can also use it in various meals. Layer puffed rice over an easy recipe like a velvety mac and cheese. You can also swap out crunchy peanuts in any stir-fry creation and replace them with puffed rice. Sprinkle it over your tacos or salads too to add an extra layer of crunch. 

For a sweet treat, you can form the puffed rice into rice cakes or make your own rice krispie treats. Turn them into sweet rice clusters using almond butter or bake them into muffins.

  • In the cooking phase, you can season your rice with salt or sugar, depending on whether you want to prepare sweet or savory puffed rice. 
  • Prepare a sieve or strainer that can fit perfectly inside the cooking pot. If your strainer doesn’t fit the pan, simply bake and fry the rice in batches.
  • Make sure to prepare enough oil in the pot or saucepan to fry the rice properly.
  • A neutral oil is required to fry the rice as flavored oil such as extra virgin olive oil may affect the taste of the puffed rice. Additionally, extra virgin olive oil starts to break down at high temperatures and can taste burnt or bitter.
  • If you’re cooking sweet puffed rice clusters, you can use cashew butter or almond or peanut butter. 
  • You don’t have to boil the rice if you’re using the no-oil method.
  • You may use minute rice to make puffed rice but be sure that it’s parboiled.
  • When cooking puffed rice without oil, don’t forget to stir constantly so that it won’t burn on the pan.
  • If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. Store at room temperature and use within 5 to 7 days.

Final Note

Puffed rice is a light, nutritious, and tasty snack that can be easily made at home using simple ingredients such as sugar and salt. You can eat it on its own but it can also be enjoyed with a bowl of milk, turn it into a rice cake or another dessert, or as a topping for mac and cheese, salads, stir-fries, and other dishes. 

Hui Yin moved from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 to the USA 🇺🇸 when she was just 8 years old. Now in her late 20's she enjoys writing and taking long walks in the park to burn off the copious amounts of rice she eats for dinner.