Rice cheese and veggie balls – Quick and delicious deep-fried kid-friendly snack prepared with rice, cheese, and assorted vegetables!
Update Notes: I had posted this recipe back in 2012, now updated it with more content, a recipe card with nutrition information, and new pictures.
Nine years and counting, this recipe is still a favorite and a staple in our household. This rice, cheese, and veggie balls is a snack and a perfect finger-food lunch box recipe too. I remember packing it for the kiddo during his preschool days, and this is his absolute favorite dish to carry. These balls will be on our menu once a week for sure.
I had mentioned it’s a kid-friendly snack in the intro, but honestly, this is a crowd-pleaser recipe. If you want to try something different for a starter, these rice, cheese, and veggie balls are a perfect option. You can prepare it in a jiffy.
The Indian version of arancini balls
Last year, I made these balls along with Sharmila from happietrio for our Instagram live cookoff. You can watch the entire live session on my IGTV video section on my IG profile.
One of the readers had mentioned that these balls are Indianised version of the Italian arancini balls! Till then, it didn’t occur to me. These rice, cheese, and veggie balls are indeed the eggless and Indian version of the arancini balls.
But the arancini balls weren’t the inspiration behind this recipe. I adapted this recipe from a Tamil TV show that aired back in 2011~2012. I did modify the ingredients, especially the spices, and added little extra veggies.
Dietary specifications and serving suggestions
I have used cheese and all-purpose flour here. It’s a nut-free and egg-free vegetarian dish. You can try chickpea flour to bind and make it gluten-free too. I haven’t tried these balls without cheese or with vegan cheese options. So I can’t talk about them. You can try cheese of your choice.
You can serve these with ketchup or any tangy/spicy tomato sauce.
Serving it hot right after frying is highly recommended, but you can keep it up to 3 to 4 hours and serve warm. As I mentioned before, I pack this for kiddo during preschool days, and there they microwave the food for kids before serving. So that helped.
Again this is a recipe that you can customize according to your preference. Please check the recipe notes for some tips and few variations. Now let’s get straight into the recipe. (You can watch me make these balls here on the IGTV)
How to make rice cheese and veggie balls
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or kadai. While the oil is getting hot, prepare the rice, cheese, and veggie mix. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients – cooked rice, cheese, veggies, salt, mustard seed powder. (Except water and all-purpose flour)
- Mix them all and make sure the ingredients are well combined.
- Now add the flour and slowly add water and mix well. Do not add all the water at once; add as required and mix it.
- The mixture should be thick, and at the same time, you should shape the rice mixture and make small rounds.
- Make small/ medium-sized balls and keep them ready for frying.
- Fry them in batches over medium heat until the rice balls turn golden brown.
- Place the fried balls on tissue paper and drain the excess oil.
That’s it. Rice n cheese n veggie balls are ready. Serve hot with ketchup or tomato sauce.
Recipe Notes
- Instead of green chilies, you can use ground black pepper. You can use ¾ to 1 tsp for this recipe.
- I highly recommend mustard seed powder for this recipe. If you don’t have it at home, you can dry roast 1 tbsp of black or yellow mustard seeds and grind them dry.
- You can add veggies of your choice. But don’t add more than ¼ cup. Adding more colorful veggies will enhance the flavor and taste as well.
- I did not add any onion. But you can add a tbsp of chopped onion.
- Fry the balls over medium heat so that the balls get cooked evenly.
- If your rice is soft and mushy, be cautious while adding water. And no need to mash the rice. Grainy rice works well too, add little extra flour. Make sure the rice is not too cold or hot.
- I prefer a Mexican cheese blend or a mix of mozzarella and cheddar for these rice balls.
Explore more snack recipes
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Rice Cheese and Veggie Balls
Equipment
- Mixing bowl
- Frying pan
Ingredients
Measurement Details: 1 cup=240ml; 1 tbsp=15ml; 1tsp=5ml;
- 1 cup cooked rice, cold or room-temperature rice works
- ¼ cup shredded cheese as per your choice. Refer notes for my preference
- 1 tbsp carrot grated
- 1 tbsp cauliflower grated (you can add upto 2 tbsp)
- 1 green chili deseeded and finely chopped.
- ⅛ tsp salt or to taste
- ½ tsp mustard seed powder
- 1.5 tbsp all-purpose flour or more as needed. You won’t need more than 2 tbsp for this measure
- 2 tbsp water only if required
- 1 cup oil for frying
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a frying pan or kadai. While the oil is getting hot, prepare the rice, cheese, and veggie mix. In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients – cooked rice, cheese, veggies, salt, mustard seed powder. (Except water and all-purpose flour)
- Mix them all and make sure the ingredients are well combined.
- Now add the flour and slowly add water and mix well. Do not add all the water at once; add as required and mix it.
- The mixture should be thick, and at the same time, you should shape the rice mixture and make small rounds.
- Make small/ medium-sized balls and keep them ready for frying.
- Fry them in batches over medium heat until the rice balls turn golden brown.
- Place the fried balls on tissue paper and drain the excess oil. That's it. Rice n cheese n veggie balls are ready. Serve hot with ketchup or tomato sauce.
Notes
- Instead of green chilies, you can use ground black pepper. You can use ¾ to 1 tsp for this recipe.
- I highly recommend mustard seed powder for this recipe. If you don’t have it at home, you can dry roast 1 tbsp of black or yellow mustard seeds and grind them dry.
- You can add veggies of your choice. But don’t add more than ¼ cup. Adding more colorful veggies will enhance the flavor and taste as well.
- I did not add any onion. But you can add a tbsp of chopped onion.
- Fry the balls over medium heat so that the balls get cooked evenly.
- If your rice is soft and mushy, be cautious while adding water. And no need to mash the rice. Grainy rice works well too, add little extra flour. Make sure the rice is not too cold or hot.
- I prefer a Mexican cheese blend or a mix of mozzarella and cheddar for these rice balls.
Nutrition
I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.
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