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Grandma Beulah’s Rice Pancakes Recipe Using Leftover Rice

Rice pancakes on a plate with bananas and cinnamon

Got leftover rice? Make these delicious rice pancakes with my yummy rice pancakes recipe straight from my Grandma Beulah’s kitchen.

Yep, this is the original recipe that my OG Grandma Beulah used to make for us. Along with homemade egg noodles, decadent chocolate pie, and fresh-off-the-vine concord grape juice, rice pancakes were my Grandma Beulah’s specialty.

What can I make with leftover rice? Rice pancakes!

My parents were in town to help us take care of new baby Elise and treated us to a massive amount of Chinese takeout. Seeing the small mountain of leftover rice after dinner was over, I remembered Grandma’s rice pancakes and asked my dad for the recipe.

These rice pancakes take just a few ingredients and can be made gluten-free if that’s your thing. Add a bit of cinnamon on top if you like. These rice pancakes are seriously hearty so eat just a couple and you’re good to go.

Leftover rice in a Chinese takeout container
Rice pancakes on a plate with bananas and cinnamon

Ingredients to make my Grandma’s leftover rice pancakes recipe:

1 beaten egg
1 cup milk (cow’s milk or non-dairy milk)
1 cup leftover cooked rice (1-2 days old is best)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup all-purpose flour (or 1-to-1 gluten-free flour to make this recipe gluten-free)
Pinch of salt
Real maple syrup
Sliced bananas (optional)
Cinnamon for dusting (optional)

Optional rice pancake recipe variations (fruity pancakes, gluten-free pancakes, vegan pancakes):

Clearly, my grandma wasn’t gluten-free but my daughter is and thankfully, Grandma Beulah’s recipe is easy to swap with gluten-free flour. Here’s how to modify my grandma’s rice pancakes recipe to make fruity rice pancakes, gluten-free rice pancakes, or vegan rice pancakes.

  • Fruity rice pancakes: Add 1/2 to 1 very ripe banana, or 1/2 cup applesauce, or a combination. I add the banana pretty much every time.
  • Gluten-free rice pancakes: Use gluten-free all-purpose flour. I like the Bob’s Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
  • Vegan rice pancakes: Swap the egg with 1 tablespoon arrowroot flour and non-dairy milk. You could also add a very ripe banana to add extra binding power.

Other recommended supplies:

Rice pancakes on a plate with bananas and cinnamon

Rice Pancakes Using Leftover Rice

Kathy's Grandma Beulah
What to do with leftover rice? Make these yummy rice pancakes straight from my Grandma Beulah's kitchen!
Prep Time 15 days
Cook Time 15 days
Course Breakfast
Cuisine American
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 beaten egg
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup leftover cooked rice 1-2 days old is best
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour substitute 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for gluten-free pancakes
  • 1 pinch salt

Instructions
 

  • Mix flour, salt, baking powder, and rice and stir until mixed and the rice is coated. Some clumpy rice is OK but break up any really big pieces.
  • Add milk and beaten egg and stir until just combined. Once mixed, let the pancake batter rest for 5-10 minutes to plump up the leftover rice. Heat your griddle in the meantime. 
  • Lightly oil your griddle and pour 1/4 cup batter onto the hot griddle. Stir each time before you scoop to evenly distribute the rice in each pancake.
  • Flip rice pancakes over when they bubble. This is a flat-style rice pancake; cook until brown on each side.
Keyword leftover rice, pancakes, quick, rice

Ingredients for making rice pancakes from leftover rice

How to make Rice Pancakes from leftover rice

Step 1: Combine ingredients and let the pancake batter rest

Mix the flour, salt, baking powder, and rice and stir until mixed and the rice is coated. It’s OK if some of the rice is clumpy but break up any really big pieces. Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined. Once mixed, let the pancake batter rest for 5-10 minutes to plump up. Fire up your griddle in the meantime so it starts to get hot. 

Mixing rice pancake batter

Step 2: Scoop rice pancakes batter onto the griddle

Lightly oil your griddle and pour batter onto the hot griddle. I use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to scoop it. The rice kind of sinks to the bottom so stir a bit each time before you scoop.

Rice pancakes cooking on a griddle

Step 3: Flip to cook the other side of the rice pancakes

Flip the rice pancakes over when they bubble. My grandma’s rice pancakes recipe makes a flat-style pancake; the pancakes will puff up while cooking and then flatten out once off the griddle.

Rice pancakes cooking on a griddle

How to batch cook and freeze rice pancakes

This leftover rice pancake recipe makes 8-12 pancakes (depending on how big you make them) that can be frozen and thawed later in the toaster. To avoid the frozen pancakes sticking together, I like to individually freeze the pancakes in one layer on a parchment-covered cookie sheet and then transfer the frozen pancakes into a plastic freezer bag. You could easily double or triple the recipe depending on how much leftover takeout rice you have. And next time you order Chinese takeout, you just might purposely add an extra rice side or two…

Rice pancakes cut up on a plate

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Be sure to pin my Grandma Beulah’s rice pancakes recipe using leftover rice:

Rice pancakes on a plate with bananas and cinnamon

And be sure to see more recipes including my easy birthday cakes.

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Recipe Rating




A

Saturday 17th of February 2024

This recipe lives up to the hype: it’s in weekly rotation in my kitchen!

Kathy

Sunday 18th of February 2024

I'm so glad to hear that, thank you! This made my day.

mvhyde

Saturday 17th of March 2012

I suppose this is a cautionary tale, but brown rice pancakes don't taste too great. I will try this again with white rice. I also like some thing other than fried rice and casserole to make with leftover rice.

Kathy Beymer

Saturday 17th of March 2012

Hi Mariam, I wonder if it depends on the type of brown rice? I don't know ...I usually use brown rice left over from our neighborhood Chinese take-out place (of course then doused in maple syrup) but I agree, nothing quite tastes as yummy as white carbohydrates, le sigh. Let me know how you like it with the white rice!

Heather

Wednesday 25th of November 2009

This is brilliant and looks delicious. Can't wait to try it.

PDXBride

Monday 23rd of November 2009

So . . . you make me so happy!! I never know what to do with all of the left over rice and I am so excited to try this. Any idea if it works with brown rice too?? We have started to get the brown rice (it just tastes better!) . . . anyway, so excited.