Crispy Rice Salad with Gochujang Vinaigrette
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Over the last few years, crispy rice salads have been trending and gained a lot of momentum in the food space. And now I totally understand why! Crispy rice with flavor-packed and fresh, crunchy chopped veggies is everything I want in a salad.
My version uses a California-grown wild rice blend for extra chew, crispy edges, and not to mention the spicy-sweet gochujang vinaigrette packs a punch and really sets this salad apart.
It’s a bold, crave-worthy salad filled with the chewy wild rice and chopped crunchy veggies. You can’t go wrong! It’s fresh, vibrant, and endlessly customizable.
Table Talk with Tawnie
Wild rice is technically not a rice, but a semi-aquatic grass native to North American that is 100% whole grain! I love it’s chewy texture in this salad and the crispy bits from getting it toasty in the oven. It really elevates the salad! Customize it by making it sweeter, spicy, adding chicken for a protein packed option, or add more chopped veggies. Either way, this salad is fresh, satisfying, full of umami flavors, and will keep you coming back forkful after forkful!
- California-grown wild rice: I am using a wild rice blend for this recipe. It’s a 100% whole grain, a good source of complex carbohydrates and protein, and I love the nutty flavor and chewy-crisp texture it brings to this salad!
- Cucumbers: they are crisp, refreshing, and great for crunch! You can use the mini cucumbers or English cucumbers, which work too.
- Edamame: Shelled edamame adds protein and a pop of color!
- Cashews: Creamy and crunchy; use toasted if you want even more flavor! Or you can use peanuts.
- Red cabbage: I like to add it in for color and crunch.
- Gochujang: this is a Korean fermented chili paste that’s spicy, savory, and a little sweet. Use more or less based on heat preference—gochujang is typically milder than sriracha.
Step-by-Step Directions
(For the full recipe, scroll down to the recipe card below)
Make the crispy rice
Cook rice, cool, and then bake in the oven until nice and crispy! I like to add soy sauce, chili crunch, and sesame oil to my rice and it gets crispy.
Chop all the veg
While the rice bakes, get the veggies ready & whisk together the dressing. Look how pretty it already is!!! Yummmm
Toss & serve!
Add the crispy rice, dressing, toss, and ENJOY! It’s so fresh, vibrant, and flavorful!
Variations
- Add shredded carrots for more color and crunch.
- Make it more of a salad by adding baby kale or spinach.
- Add almonds, fried shallots, or your favorite protein. Chicken, tofu, or shrimp all work well!
Storage / Freezing
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
- The rice will soften as it sits. It’s kind of yummy that way, too! But you can always re-crisp the rice in a dry skillet, too!
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Crispy Rice Salad
Ingredients
For the rice
- 2 cups cooked and cooled California-grown wild rice blend*
- 1 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. chili crunch/chili crisp
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
For the dressing
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
- 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 1-2 Tbsp. gochujang (more or less depending on spice preference, it’s a medium-spice level, not has hot as sriracha)
- 1 Tbsp. honey or sugar
- 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
- 1/2 tsp. each minced ginger and garlic
For the salad
- 4-6 mini or English cucumbers, quartered
- 1 cup shelled edameme
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 1 cup cashews, roughly chopped
- 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
- 2 avocados, diced
- salt to taste, if needed
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Cook the rice: Cook the wild rice blend and lay it on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet to cool. From here, you can refrigerate until chilled (1-2 hours) or overnight.2 cups cooked and cooled California-grown wild rice blend*
- Bake the rice: Preheat the oven to 400°F. To the cooled or leftover rice, add the sesame oil, chili crunch, and soy sauce to the chilled rice. Toss it thoroughly to coat the grains. Spread it out on a parchment-lined baking sheet (if it’s not already on the baking sheet from before). Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until crispy, toss halfway through. (I like my rice to have a slight chew still, not overly crunchy so just keep an eye on it!) Set aside to cool. Start Timer.1 Tbsp. sesame oil, 1 Tbsp. chili crunch/chili crisp, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- Make the dressing: Whisk together the ingredients for the salad dressing in a bowl, measuring cup, or shake it all together in a jar until emulsified. Taste and adjust, adding a little more olive oil, rice vinegar, or sugar depending on preference. Store in the fridge until ready to dress the salad.2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp. rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 1-2 Tbsp. gochujang, 1 Tbsp. honey or sugar, 1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, 1/2 tsp. each minced ginger and garlic
- Chop the veg: chop all veggies for the salad and add to a large bowl. Feel free to add more of the ingredients listed, it’s all rough measurements!4-6 mini or English cucumbers, quartered, 1 cup shelled edameme, 1 bunch green onions, chopped, 1 cup cashews, roughly chopped, 1 cup red cabbage, chopped, 2 avocados, diced, salt to taste, if needed
- Bring it all together: add the crispy rice to the veggies, top with the desired amount of dressing, and toss.
- Serve: serve with more green onions on top, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- *Rice: Feel free to use long-grain white rice, jasmine rice is a good option! Most recipes say day-old rice is preferred since it is dried and less sticky, so it will crisp up more. But honestly, after some chill time in the fridge and baked in the oven, it crisps up just fine in my opinion!
- Store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
📸 Photography by Creating Kaitlin
