Venezuelan Air Fryer Leftover Rice Fritters With Cheese

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Cooking With Anadi

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Venezuelan Air Fryer Leftover Rice Fritters with Cheese

Got leftover rice? You may be dreading using that leftover rice as part of your dinner tonight, just because plain rice can seem so BORING! I actually quite love some simple white rice, though the caveat is that it really has to be paired with something DELICIOUS! If I’ve got some North Indian Dum Aloo or Dal Makhani, then the rice is exciting! When you don’t have those on the table… Well, it’s less appealing.

If you don’t have the time to make a lavish dinner to go with your rice, then that’s totally understandable! On the other hand, I understand that there’s still the need to finish up what you have in your fridge. As I mention in my free guide to explore your potential in the kitchen and get motivated to get creative, Make Cooking Fun!, using what you have on hand can be an excellent source of inspiration to try something new! In this recipe, we’ll use leftover rice as the centerpiece, but it won’t be boring! Instead, these Venezuelan rice fritters will be crunchy and addictive! These fantastic snacks are vegetarian and gluten-free. Typically, they’re shallow-fried, but we’ll be using the air fryer to avoid the extra grease and make them a little healthier.

We’re also striking a two-in-one here by exploring a new cuisine! I’ve never tried Venezuelan food, and every month I love to challenge myself to get out of my comfort zone and try a dish from a destination unseen. If Venezuela is also a destination unseen for you, then preparing these super easy and fast cheesy rice fritters in the air fryer as part of your Live to Cook one-month challenge is an awesome way to explore this amazing cuisine! You can get started on your cooking journey for free today by signing up to my email newsletter, plus all of my latest recipes will be delivered straight to your email inbox.

Be sure to watch the video to follow along with how to prepare this super simple and really delicious Venezuelan snack with the help of the air fryer! I’d also really appreciate it if you could please subscribe to my YouTube channel if you’re not already, and be sure to hit the bell button to be notified when all my latest video recipes go live! Let's get air frying!

Questions You May Have!

Tools Needed for Venezuelan Air Fryer Rice Fritters with Cheese

• Salt crock
• Air fryer
• Air fryer liners
• Chef’s knife
• Cheese grater
• Gloves
• Cutting board
• Ramekins
• Mixing bowl
• Olive oil dispenser
• Spatula

Ingredients for Air Fryer Torticas De Arroz Con Queso

We’ve got a pretty short ingredient list here, which makes this Venezuelan leftover rice fritters recipe the perfect snack to make on any occasion! Scroll to the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD, or press the “Jump to Recipe” button to save the recipe for later and scale the recipe based on how much leftover rice you have on hand! By default, this recipe will yield 8 fritters.

• Rice: Day old rice is the best because it will be easier to shape and crisp up better. Furthermore, I’m using basmati rice. For best results, I suggest you use a long grain white rice. If you’re looking for tips and tricks on how to make the best basmati rice with every grain fluffy and separated, check out this guide!
• Cheese: Usually white cheddar is used, and that’s what we’ll be using here! Other options include queso fresco
• Egg: One large egg will act as a binding agent for all the ingredients and allow the fritters to hold their shape.
• Onion: Probably not authentic at all, but I wanted a little extra flavor here. I’ve finely diced red onion.
• Cilantro: Adds a bit of freshness and pop of color to the fritters.
• Salt and pepper: Essential seasoning to taste!
• Olive oil: A few sprays will help the fritters cook evenly and give them a wonderful golden brown color on the outside.

How to Make Air Fryer Venezuelan Rice Fritters with Cheese

Preheat the air fryer to 375 F.

In a large bowl, add all the ingredients except for olive oil. Mix well until you’ve achieved a smooth texture. Make sure to mash ingredients well as you mix them to allow everything to stick together just enough to form the patties.

Then form small balls, about 2-3 inches in diameter and then pat them lightly to flatten them into thick patties.

Place the fritters onto the tray in your air fryer basket. Ensure there is enough space between each fritter to allow them to expand. Spray the tops generously with olive oil. Set the air fryer to the “Air Fry” mode, and set the cook time for 16 minutes.

After about 6 minutes, gently flip the fritters over and spray the other side with olive oil. Then, continue cooking. After about another 6 minutes, flip again and finish cooking.

Remove the fritters from the air fryer and place them on a plate for serving.

Enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for Amazing Leftover Rice Fritters

• Preheat the air fryer: Preheating the air fryer is a step you shouldn’t skip! This ensures the air fryer gets to the desired temperature, and cook times will be consistent, just as you preheat an oven.
• Wear gloves: Wearing gloves will make shaping the fritters a much easier process. However, if you don’t have gloves, then be sure to spray your hands with olive oil so the cheese and rice fritter mixture doesn’t stick to your hands.
• Mash well: Don’t just mix—mash. As you combine the ingredients, firmly squeeze the rice with your hands to slightly break up the grains. This releases starch and helps everything bind.
• Shape the fritters small: We’re going to shape the fritters smaller than we would if we were to shallow fry them as you do in the classic recipe. This is because they’ll expand as they cook in the air fryer.
• Space out the fritters: Ensure to space out the fritters when you place them in the air fryer basket because as mentioned in the previous tip, they will expand as they cook in the air fryer.
• Spray with olive oil: A few sprays on each side will give that perfect crisp.

Storage Instructions

You can store your extra Venezuelan rice fritters with cheese in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend you eat them within 3 to 4 days to ensure they’re the best quality and avoid them from getting soggy.

Freezing

You can certainly freeze your torticas de arroz con queso if you can’t finish them within 3 to 4 days, or you just want to make a big batch to always have a crunchy snack on hand! Allow the fritters cool completely, then place them in a single layer on a baking tray and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer-safe plastic bag or container, separating layers with parchment paper. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.

Can You Pan-Fry These Instead of Air-Frying?

The traditional version of torticas de arroz con queso is shallow-fried, and the air fryer here is a deliberate swap to keep the grease down. If you would rather cook them the classic way, nothing about the mixture changes - only the cooking does. Use a shallow pan with a thin layer of a neutral oil over medium heat, work in batches so the pan is never crowded, and shape the fritters a little larger than you would for the air fryer, since they will not puff the way they do under circulating hot air.

Cook each side until it reaches the same deep golden brown you are aiming for in the air fryer, then lift them onto a plate lined with paper towel so the excess oil drains off while you cook the remaining fritters. Go by color rather than by the clock here - pan size, oil depth and how cold the mixture is will all move the timing. The trade-off is an honest one: pan-frying gives you a richer, crisper crust, and the air fryer gets you most of the way there on the 10 ml of olive oil this recipe sprays on.

Easy Swaps for the Rice, Cheese and Herbs

The rice is the one ingredient worth being fussy about. The 300 g of day-old long grain white rice is what the recipe is built on, because chilled rice is drier, holds its shape and crisps better than rice straight out of the pot. Brown rice works if that is what is in the fridge, though expect a nuttier taste and a coarser texture. The cheese is the glue, so the 135 g of white cheddar can just as easily be queso blanco, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or Venezuelan Llanero-style cheese if you can find it - but do not cut the quantity, because if the grains are refusing to come together, more cheese is the fix.

The 9 g of cilantro is there for freshness and color rather than structure, so flat-leaf parsley or chives will stand in without changing anything else. The 35 g of finely diced red onion is not authentic either - it is in there purely for flavor - so leave it out if you would rather, or lean the other way and season the mixture a little harder with a pinch of garlic powder or whatever spices you like before you shape it. Finely grated carrot can go in as well. Wetter vegetables such as zucchini need to be squeezed dry first, or the mixture will loosen and the fritters will not hold their shape.

Prep Time, Cook Time and Making a Big Batch

Budget about ten minutes to mix and shape, then a 16-minute air-fry cycle at 375 F with a flip at roughly six minutes and another at about twelve. The default batch is eight fritters, and that number is set by the 300 g of leftover rice rather than by the air fryer, so scale the whole ingredient list up or down to match however much rice you actually have. That is rather the point of the recipe.

If you are making more than one basket's worth, keep the fritters spaced out rather than squeezing the remaining fritters in around the edges. They expand as they cook, and any two that touch will steam where they meet instead of crisping. Cook in two rounds instead, and put the first batch back in for a minute at the end if you want them all hot on the table at once.

One last note on portioning and oil. This is not a tablespoon-sized drop or a packed cup of the mixture the way some fritter recipes are measured out - roll the cooked rice mixture into 2 to 3 inch balls, pat them flat, and the batch gives you eight. You can substitute vegetable oil for the olive oil spray without changing anything else, since both are only there to help the surface brown. The total time is short and the prep is the slow part of it; once the basket goes in, the air fryer runs unattended. And whatever else you change, keep the cheese quantity where it is, because with leftovers this dry it is the only thing holding the fritters together.

If you do go down the veggie rice fritters route, the squeeze matters more than which vegetable you pick. Grate the carrot or zucchini fine, pile it into a cheese cloth or a thin dish rag and wring out as much liquid as you can before it goes anywhere near the bowl. Water is what loosens the mixture, and a loose mixture will not hold a patty. Mix it through with a rubber spatula, or better, your hands, and keep the target the same: a small round about 2 to 3 inches across, not a palm-sized fritter, which is the size you would shape if you were shallow-frying using the pan-fry instructions above. You will not need any more cooking oil than the recipe already calls for either way.