Kimchi fried rice balls pack a lot of punch in a small bite! It’s compact, savory, crunchy, and spicy. I make these whenever I have leftover rice from the day before. I mix the rice with salty bacon, kimchi, and scallions. Gochujang and soy sauce are drizzled on top and combined with the rice. Small bite size rice balls are formed and fried until they are crispy and golden brown. What’s not to love about this snack? I could eat it everyday. Literally, Every. Single. Day.

Kimchi fried rice is a perfect one dish meal so make yourself a bowl before you fry some rice balls!

Kimchi fried rice balls start with kimchi fried rice. Fried rice is a great way to use left over rice and aging kimchi. Over three months, my kimchi has changed from crunchy and spicy to now more tangy and less firm. I love kimchi at every stage, but when it starts to get more sour and less textured, I saute it and use it to make kimchi fried rice which I then use to these make fried rice balls. I add bacon to the mix because everything (but especially kimchi) tastes better with bacon. Once the fried rice is cooled, I whisk in an egg which coats the rice and acts as a binding agent to form the rice balls. The rice balls are breaded in panko and fried to a light and flaky golden brown.

I dip these kimchi fried rice balls into a refreshing Sriracha crema that was shared by Lisa from Wine and Glue. She drizzled it on top of fish tacos, but I think it works great here too! The crema is a combination of sour cream, sriracha, and lemon juice. It adds the perfect cooling element to the robust spicy flavor of the kimchi fried rice ball.

This is easy to make, fun to eat, and something everyone can enjoy. It is a fun one-bite appetizer that you can quickly make and bring to your next holiday party! If you get a change to make these kimchi fried rice balls let me know what you think. Feel free to leave me a comment or share a photo with me on instagram!

Happy frying!