Homemade Puffed Brown Rice + Snack Ideas


Lately I have been on a mission to create some yummy and healthy snacks. I had seen some photos and recipes for puffed brown rice snacks, but they all seemed to use purchased puffed rice. I am all about getting to the bottom of a recipe and seeing if I can make all or most of the components of it from scratch. I love the challenge and it keeps things fun and interesting in the kitchen. 

So, I found the following You Tube video that helped me figure out how to puff the rice and I pass on this information to you as well. The video is the original source for this recipe. I did use brown rice though, and it took way longer than 24 hours (like they said in the video)  to dry out the rice. 

Here is the video so you can see how to puff the rice: 


This was really a fun project! My sister in law was here visiting when I decided to puff the rice, so she helped me research the right kind of oil to use and helped to puff the rice. We also experimented with different toppings/mix-ins for the rice. We sprinkled some curry powder and salt on one little batch of the puffed rice and for another we added in cacao nibs and tiny dairy free chocolate chips. 

I encourage you to have fun with this puffed rice and get creative! Here is the puffed rice recipe and also a snack mix idea for it. Enjoy!! 

Puffed Rice: 

2 cups cooked brown rice, dried completely

2 cups safflower oil

1. After you cook your brown rice, spread it out on a rimmed sheet pan. My rice took about 4 days to completely dry. It must look and feel like uncooked rice. If you have a food dehydrator this would speed up the process quite a bit. 

2. Place a plate with paper towels on top next to the stove. You will want several layers of paper towels in between each batch of rice when it is puffed. 

3. Caution: Please keep children and pets away from the hot oil. In a wok or a large pot, heat the safflower oil. You must heat the oil to around 550-600 degrees Fahrenheit. I like the check the temperature using my infared temperature gauge. 

4. Place the dried rice in small batches in a metal/mesh strainer with a handle. Dip into the hot oil to fry the rice quickly until it is golden brown- it takes only 30 seconds or so. Dump the puffed rice out onto the paper towel lined plate. Place paper towels between each layer. 

5. Keep puffing the rice until you have puffed the whole batch. Leave the puffed rice to cool before using it in the snack mix. 


Fruit & Chocolate Snack Mix: 

1 cup puffed brown rice

1/2 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup cacao nibs

1. Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl. This makes a great snack and is great on top of fruit or salads as well. Enjoy! 

fruit and chocolate puffed rice snack mix

This is the amazingly wonderful and delicious snack mix!