Simple & Tasty Fried Rice Waffles

These tasty fried rice waffles are a great way to use up your leftover rice with ingredients you already have sitting in your fridge. It is a quick and simple way to satisfy your fried rice cravings any time of the day. Who knew a waffle maker has other uses for it besides making the traditional waffles!

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My kids love waffles, but it was not worth adding another piece of appliance to our kitchen that will be used maybe once in a blue moon. Given I do have a few tools and appliances that just sit around waiting for that one recipe or dish. 

But somehow Joe drew the line on a waffle maker. I mean, they are pretty expensive for just making waffles. And if you don’t put it to use often, the cost-per-use is not justifiable. At least in Joe’s mind. That’s what happens when you have an analytical husband. 

So I found other ways to justify a waffle maker purchase. Plus, there are many options that won’t make buying one so painful.

The best waffle maker for Fried Rice Waffles

You can use any waffle maker to make fried rice waffles. If you already own a waffle maker, then just use what you have. 

I would say the best waffle maker will be one that best fits your needs and kitchen space. If you plan to use it a lot, since you have reasons to use it than just Belgian waffles now, then definitely get one you like. 

Here are a few options to look into:

• Dash Mini Waffle Maker – This is a very compact and affordable waffle maker. It doesn’t take up much space in your kitchen either. Great for campers and dorm rooms. It can only make one serving at a time, so it may not be the best for larger families. I do love using it with my kids since it’s small enough for them to handle. Get the Grill, Griddle + Waffle 2 pack to make a fried egg simultaneously with your fried rice waffle. 
• Oster Belgian Waffle Maker – Another compact and affordable option but making larger size waffles. It has adjustable temperature control so you can customize the finish to different batters. 
• Cuisinart 4-Slice Belgian Waffle Maker – This is an easy-to-use waffle maker with ready-to-bake and ready-to-eat indicators. It has multiple browning settings so you can control how crispy you want your fried rice waffles. 
• Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler with Waffle Plates – If you are looking into upgrading or a multi-purpose tool to justify the kitchen space without just getting a waffle maker, this is a great one to consider. We have this griddle for years and we use it as a toaster, panini maker, and a cooking up simple things without turning on the stove. 

Fixings to add in the Fried Rice Waffle

You can make this with just basic ingredients in your fridge. In the video, I diced up half an onion I had left and some broccoli slaw in my fridge. You can eat rice with pretty much anything, so you can put a variety of things in fried rice. 

The best thing about making fried rice waffles verse traditional fried rice is everyone can customize what they want in it. 

My favorite fixings are green onions, kimchi, and spam. For my kids, it is ham and cheese (yes, they call it cheesy rice). But I finely dice up some onions and broccoli with the ham and cheese to sneak in some veggies. 

This is a great way to use up leftovers from previous meals. Here are some ideas:

• Rotisserie chicken or turkey
• Steak or pork chop
• Onions, celery, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, zucchini, cauliflower, garlic
• Spam, bacon, hot dog, ham, salami
• Imitation crab meat mixed with mayo (California roll style), check out our Sushi Bake recipe for instructions
• Kimchi, pickel, sauerkraut 
• Shredded cheese or nutritional yeast

Sauces and Toppings

Just like a Belgian waffle, the toppings are what makes it so good. Same with the fried rice waffle. I mix in soy sauce to season the base of the rice batter but keeping it lite to allow other flavors to add on top. 

Here are some ideas:

• Teriyaki or BBQ sauce
• Ketchup or Ranch Dressing (my kids’ favorite, of course)
• Sesame or olive oil
• Furikake (a Japanese seaweed base seasoning)
• Fried egg
• Sliced avocados
• Slices of bacon or spam
• Fried onions or garlic chips
• Hot chili sauce

Get creative and have fun with the fixings and toppings.

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