Leftover Rice Recipe Ideas For Easy Meals On Busy Days

By Akshara

July 19, 2025

When there’s leftover rice from last night and no time to cook from scratch, you can always spin it into something new with very little effort.

Lemon Rice

Heat mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilli, and turmeric in oil. Add rice and squeeze fresh lemon juice. Mix gently and serve warm.

Fried Rice with Desi Twist

Toss rice with chopped onions, carrots, and capsicum. Add soy sauce, green chilli, and pepper. Stir-fry till everything blends together.

Rice Paratha

Mix leftover rice with wheat flour, ajwain, salt, and knead it into a dough. Roll into parathas and roast on a tawa with ghee.

Masala Rice Pancakes

Blend rice with curd, ginger, green chillies, and besan. Make dosa-style pancakes on a non-stick pan. Serve with coconut chutney.

Rice Cutlets

Mash rice with boiled potato, chopped coriander, breadcrumbs, and spices. Shape into tikkis and shallow fry till crispy.

Curd Rice

Mix rice with thick curd, temper with mustard seeds, curry leaves, and hing. Add pomegranate or grated cucumber if you like.