Baked Rice Balls with Chipotle Sour Cream

Baked rice balls dipped into chipotle sour cream.

5 from 4 votes

Baked Rice Balls with Chipotle Sour Cream

These oven Baked Rice Balls are a great gluten free appetizer! They're crispy, cheesy, and served with chipotle sour cream for dipping.

Prep Time15

Cook Time35

Cooling Time:30

Total Time1 20

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegetarian

Keyword: cheesy rice balls, gluten free rice balls, chipotle sour cream

Servings:

Calories: 131kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

For The Rice Balls:

2 cups Jasmine rice or rice of choice
3 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
6 eggs split
1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese or cheese of choice
¼ cup chives or fresh herbs of choice
1 tsp. kosher salt split
1 tsp. pepper split
1 ½ cups gluten free breadcrumbs can use regular breadcrumbs if not gluten free
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. chili powder
cooking spray

For The Chipotle Sour Cream:

1 cup sour cream
2 Tbsp. chipotle in adobo adjust to taste
2 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sugar
pinch kosher salt
pinch pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Rice Balls:

Heat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pour 3 cups of vegetable broth (or chicken broth) into a sauce pan and place it on the stove top. Bring the broth to a boil. Add 2 cups of Jasmine rice and reduce the heat to a simmer.
2 cups of dried Jasmine rice yields 6 cups cooked rice.
Alternately, you can use any variety of rice you like. Simply prepare the rice according to the package instructions.
Cover and cook for 15 minutes, or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Cook the rice just until al dente, or it may become mushy.
Once the rice is cooked, pour it onto a sheet pan or into a large bowl and allow to cool completely. Stir the rice every 5 minutes, so that it cools evenly. This may take 30 minutes or so.
While the rice is cooling, shred 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese (or cheese of choice). Mince ¼ cup fresh chives (or fresh herbs of choice).
Once the rice has cooled, place it in a large mixing bowl. To the rice add 3 eggs, 1 ½ cups shredded cheese, ¼ cup minced chives, and ½ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Stir until all the ingredients are completely combined.
Whisk 3 eggs in a small bowl.
In a second bowl, add 1 ½ cups gluten free breadcrumbs (or regular breadcrumbs if not gluten free), 2 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. each onion powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder, and ½ tsp. each kosher salt and pepper. Stir all of these ingredients until completely combined.
Using a large spoon or ice cream scoop, scoop a handful of the rice mixture from the bowl and form it into a ball with your hands. Press it together firmly until it forms a ball.
Dip the rice ball into the whisked eggs.
Once the rice ball is coated in the egg mixture, place it in the breadcrumb mixture and roll around until completely coated. Place the coated rice ball on a sheet pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
Repeat with the remainder of the rice. Generously spray the rice balls with cooking spray.
For best results, dip your fingers into a small bowl of water before forming each rice ball. This will help to prevent the rice from sticking to your hands and allow it to more easily form a ball.
Place the baking sheets into the oven and bake for 20-22 minutes or until the outside of the rice balls are nice and golden.
Remove the baking sheets from oven when finished cooking.

For The Chipotle Sour Cream:

To make the chipotle sour cream, simply add 1 cup sour cream, 2 ½ Tbsp. lemon juice, 2 Tbsp. chipotle in adobo (make sure brand is gluten free), 1 tsp. sugar, and a pinch of kosher salt and pepper.
Stir until completely combined.
For a spicier chipotle sour cream, use both the adobo sauce and some of the chipotle peppers.
For less spice, use only the adobo sauce and none of the chipotle peppers.
To Serve: Garnish the rice balls with more chopped chives or herbs of choice, sprinkle on some extra salt, and serve alongside chipotle sour cream.

Notes

You can use gluten free regular or Panko breadcrumbs. If not gluten free, feel free to use regular or Panko breadcrumbs.

Make sure to choose a brand of gluten free chipotle in adobo if gluten is an issue for you.

Feel free to use leftover cooked rice if that's what you have on hand.

You can sub 2 Tbsp. dried herbs in place of fresh herbs if preferred.

Nutrition