Straightforward Rice Chips Recipe (2-Ingredient Brown Rice Chips)

Light, crispy kitchen-made rice chips start with cooked brown rice and flaxseed meal—just blend, spread, and bake! My straightforward rice chips recipe is vegan and gluten-free, with no oil in the batter and no dough to roll. Enjoy them plain, add your go-to seasonings, or scoop up a satisfying dip.

Introduction

That leftover cooked brown rice in your refrigerator? It has serious snack potential. Blend it with flaxseed meal and water, spread it on baking sheets, and it becomes a heap of light, crispy chips with a lovely toasted flavor. No rolling pin (or magic) required.

Developing this recipe took some persistence. My first attempts ranged from leathery to alarmingly hard. The breakthrough came when I added what I thought was too much water. Paired with a long bake, that wet batter produced the crisp, lacy chips I had been hoping for.

I love that the recipe gives cooked rice another purpose, whether you have some leftover or cook a batch especially for chips. The mild flavor is an ideal canvas for herbs, spices, and savory toppings, and the chips are sturdy enough for dipping. A few minutes at the blender, a little spreading, and the oven handles the rest.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Just two main ingredients:Cooked brown rice and flaxseed meal, plus water and optional salt.
• Light, lacy crunch:Crisp chips that hold up to dipping without being hard or crumbly.
• Vegan and gluten-free:Naturally egg-free and dairy-free, with no wheat in the formula.
• Nut-free and no added sugar:The plain chips contain neither nuts nor added sugar.
• No oil in the batter:The pan preparation uses nonstick spray; see the FAQ for the distinction and a parchment option to try.
• No rolling:Spread a blended batter instead of rolling and cutting dough.
• Frugal and flexible:Put cooked rice to use and choose seasonings to suit your pantry.

Ingredients

The exact amounts of each ingredient are indicated in the recipe card at the end of the post.Toggle betweenUS Customary(volume) andMetric(weights) for preferred measurement option.

• Cooked brown rice:Use cooled rice, measured after cooking. Short-, medium-, and long-grain varieties all work, including brown basmati and brown jasmine.
• Flaxseed meal:Use ground flaxseed. I prefer golden flaxseed meal for its mild flavor, but regular brown flaxseed meal works equally well.
  • Water:Helps the rice blend into a spreadable batter. Keep the full amount; the wet batter is part of what gives the chips their light texture.
  • Salt, optional:Adds savory flavor. Adjust it to your preference, especially if you plan to add a salty topping.

You will also need nonstick cooking spray to prepare the baking sheets, or use parchment paper.

How to Make Brown Rice Chips

Note that the complete instructions are also in the recipe card below.

1. Prepare the pans.Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Coat two large, rimmed 18 × 13-inch baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray, or line with parchment paper.

1. Blend the batter.Blend the cooked, cooled brown rice, water, flaxseed meal, and optional salt in a blender or food processor until smooth. Stop once or twice to scrape down the container. The batter resembles thick muffin batter and may look watery in patches.

1. Spread thinly.Divide the batter evenly between the pans. Use a spatula or the back of a large spoon to spread it in even layers that cover almost all of each baking sheet.

1. Bake until dry.Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until each layer looks like a dry, golden brown, lacy cracker and pulls up and away from the pan.

1. Leave in the oven.Turn off the oven and leave the baking sheets inside for another 30 minutes.

1. Cool and break.Remove the pans and let the chips cool completely on the baking sheets. Break into chip-size pieces.

Taste and Texture

Brown rice gives the chips a mild, toasted whole-grain flavor. They are light and crisp, with a lacy surface and enough substance to scoop up a dip. Enjoy the plain version for its plain flavor, or use it as a starting point for your go-to seasonings.

Storage

• Room Temperature:Cool the chips completely, then store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
• Freezer:I do not recommend freezing the chips.

Serving Suggestions

Serve a bowl of these airy chips withhummus,dip, salsa, orguacamole. Their mild flavor also makes them excellent, crunchy companions tosoupsandsalads. For a snack board, pair them with fresh vegetables and ago-to dip.

Flavor Variations

Stir your go-to dried herbs or spices into the blended batter. I suggest about 2 to 3 teaspoons for the full batch as a starting point. Garlic powder and onion powder are straightforward additions, too.

Add up to 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley, cilantro, or basil. For stronger herbs, such as rosemary, oregano, or thyme, use no more than 3 to 4 teaspoons.

For a savory, cheesy flavor without dairy, I suggest stirring 1/4 to 1/3 cup nutritional yeast into the batter.

After spreading the batter, sprinkle it with sesame, poppy, or sunflower seeds; finely chopped nuts; dried chopped onion; everything bagel seasoning; flaky sea salt; or cracked black pepper. Choose toppings that suit your dietary needs.

Hot sauce, curry paste, tomato paste, and wasabi paste offer more ways to flavor the batter. You can also use tomato juice in place of the water. Check packaged seasonings and sauces for gluten and other ingredients you need to avoid.

Tips for Success

• Use cooked, cooled rice.Measure the rice after cooking; uncooked rice cannot go directly into the blender.
• Keep the water in the recipe.The wet batter and long bake are what make the chips light rather than hard.
• Use enough pan space.Divide the batter between two 18 × 13-inch metal baking sheets. If your pans are smaller, use additional metal pans to keep the layers thin.
• Prepare each pan.Coat the baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray, including between batches if you reuse a pan.
• Spread evenly.An offset spatula makes it straightforward to spread the batter over almost the entire surface of each sheet.
• Look for dryness.At the end of baking, the sheets of chips should be completely dry, golden brown, and pulling away from the pans. Leave them in the turned-off oven for the full 30 minutes.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Brown rice varieties:Short-, medium-, and long-grain brown rice all work, including brown basmati and brown jasmine.
• Golden or brown flaxseed meal:Either works. I prefer golden flaxseed meal for its milder flavor.
• Other rice:I expect white, red, or black rice to work, but I have not tested those varieties myself. One reader reported success with black rice and chickpea flour in place of the flaxseed meal; the thicker batter layer made crunchy, more cracker-like pieces.
• Chia seeds:You can swap an equal amount of finely ground chia seeds in place of the flaxseed meal.
• Other grains:I have not tested a complete replacement for the rice. Readers have reported success with brown rice mixed with quinoa or green lentils, but replacing all the rice would be an experiment.
• Optional oil:If you prefer to add oil to the batter, replace an equal amount of water with it: reduce the water by 1 tablespoon for every tablespoon of oil added. Use the oil you prefer, such as avocado oil, olive oil, melted coconut oil, or safflower oil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cook 1 1/2 cups (270 g) uncooked brown rice, following the directions for your particular variety. Let it cool, then measure 4 cups cooked rice for the recipe. Rice cooking time is separate from the chip preparation and baking times.

Yes. After blending, the batter resembles thick muffin batter but can look watery in patches. That is normal. The water evaporates during the long bake, leaving light, lacy chips.

There is no oil in the chip batter. My method uses nonstick cooking spray on the pans, so that preparation adds a small amount of oil. If you avoid all added oil, parchment is an option to try, but I have not tested it with this particular recipe. I have used it for other pourable cracker batters; it can curl and bubble as it gets wet and then dries.

I have not tested a rice flour version. I suggest using cooked, cooled rice for the texture and water balance of this straightforward snack recipe.

Yes, bake the batter in two batches. Prepare the pan again with nonstick cooking spray before spreading the second batch. I suggest letting the pan cool first; a warm pan may affect sticking.

No rolling or cutting is needed. Spread the batter on the pans, bake, cool completely, and break the large sheets into pieces.

I do not recommend freezing them. Store the completely cooled chips in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 2 weeks.