Cheesy Rice Vegan Kebabs

These incredible fried meatballs are loaded with cheese & make perfect vegan party food! Easy vegan appetizers like Cheesy Rice Vegan Kebabs are delicious to taste! It has flavors of India, the Middle East & the Mediterranean which makes it a great example of fusion cuisine. 

Do you throw a lot of parties?  Do you have an occasional get-together? Do you host large family brunches? Do you wonder what can vegans eat at a party? Are you looking for a variety of finger foods to cater to all dietary needs of your friends and family? If the answer is yes to most of these questions, then I have just the recipe for you!

I have seen people fret when they have a vegan attendee and they don't know what to serve them. Catering a party for vegans is not difficult. Even if you have a family member who has decided to change their dietary preference, you need not worry about what to make for them. There are tons of vegan party food recipes here that you can make.  

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Easy Vegan appetizers

Vegan finger foods need not be overly complicated or bland and boring to taste! They can as good and appetizing as these indulgent kebabs here! I love making easy vegan appetizers like these mainly because they are:

Hearty
Savory
Extremely flavorful
Tender on the inside
Slightly crisp on the outside
and of course, simply delicious

What's so special about this vegan appetizer recipe?

These Cheesy Rice Vegan Kebabs With Tater Tot Stuffing just scream party. Crispy and perfect on the outside, soft and delicious inside. It's loaded with interesting flavors and is a blend of many cuisines put together to create a winning appetizer which is sure to become a crowd favorite. Now, this is one super easy vegan party food for you to make not just during the holiday season. These vegan bites are so convenient to make that you can bring to birthday parties, movie nights, potlucks, or every other get-together you can think of!

While they are hot and spicy, they also have a hint of flavor from fenugreek/methi and saffron making this dish lip-smacking and aromatic. These vegetarian kebabs have the potential to become an instant hit at our next house-party and I can assure you that they will all be gone within minutes when served. Since Kebab is mainly a popular non-vegetarian finger-food, I wanted to provide a vegan option for all my vegan readers. 

Steps to make Vegan Kebabs

This fusion recipe of fried cheese balls is truly delicious and is extremely easy to prepare. Middle east style Kebabs are cooked with aromatic Indian spices along with Mediterranean flavored cheese making it an apt choice for fusion cuisine! And, as always, this recipe too is simple, requiring just basic pantry ingredients, simple methods, and takes less than an hour to prepare.

1. In a mixing bowl grated Cheese, dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), turmeric powder, paprika, and chaat masala.
2. Then add chopped onions, minced garlic, minced jalapenos, and grated ginger,
3. Next add chickpea flour (besan), rice flour, salt, cilantro, lemon juice, and crushed saffron.
4. Add cooked rice. Mash and mix them all together.

1. (5) Let it rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, thaw the frozen tater tots and cut them in half. 
2. (6) Shape the rice mixture to any desired kebab shape. Place one half tater tot in the center of each kebab and shape it firmly using your hands. 
3. (7) Grate Parmesan cheese. I have tried it with both dairy and non-dairy Parmesan. 
4. (8) Prepare a mixture of bread crumbs, grated Parmesan and paprika.  

Heat oil for frying.

1. (9) Prepare a mixture of flour + water and dip the kebab in the mixture. It should be of coating consistency. 
2. (10) Then roll it over the breadcrumbs mixture. Coat it well.
3. (11) Prepare as many vegan kebabs as you need.
4. (12) Deep fry in oil on medium flame until it turns golden brown. Strain the excess oil using paper towels. 

Vegan Cheesy Rice fried meatballs are ready. Serve them immediately with green chutney, mayo, queso or ketchup on the side. 

Best tips to make this Cheesy Rice Fried Meatballs

You can use dairy and non-dairy cheese to make these fried meatballs. This is also a great recipe to use leftover cooked rice. Dried fenugreek leaves give this vegan finger food a very unique flavor. Although it can be found in any Indian grocery store or Amazon, you can skip adding it. Add dried herbs instead. Tater Tot stuffing makes it even more appetizing. You can use any frozen variety available to you or make it without it as well. You don't need to cook them as it will get cooked when fried in oil. 

Mash the rice mixture well so that you can shape them into balls easily. Work with your hands for this. If it's too wet, gradually add more flour to help bind. Placing the mixture in the fridge helps to dry it up and makes it easy to work with. Give them any shape you like. You can prepare the pre-fried kebabs ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. Then you can fry and serve them as and when needed. You can shallow fry, bake or fry them in the air-fryer.

Some easy vegan appetizers for you

While there are many recipes on the blog, I recommend you check these out first. 

• Crispy Moong Dal Pakora
• Polenta & Cilantro Savory Bites
• Baked Bread Chutney Rolls
• Peas & Spinach Pastry puffs

If you do try this Cheesy Rice Vegan Kebabs or any other recipe from the blog, please let me know. I welcome your comments, star ratings, tweaks, and suggestions.

Cheesy Rice Vegan Kebabs With Tater Tot Stuffing

These incredible fried meatballs are loaded with cheese & make perfect vegan party food! Easy vegan appetizers like Cheesy Rice Vegan Kebabs are delicious to taste! It has flavors of India, the Middle East & the Mediterranean which makes it a great example of fusion cuisine. 

5 from 4 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American, Indian, Mediterranean

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 200.3kcal

Author: Priya Lakshminarayan

Equipment

Frying pan

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

To prepare the rice mixture

• ▢ 1/2 cup cheddar cheese grated
• ▢ 3 tbsp fresh/dried fenugreek leaves
• ▢ 1 tsp turmeric powder
• ▢ 1 tsp paprika
• ▢ 2 tsp chaat masala
• ▢ 1 onion finely chopped
• ▢ 5 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 2 jalapenos minced
• ▢ 1 tbsp ginger minced
• ▢ 2 tbsp chickpea flour besan
• ▢ 2 tbsp rice flour
• ▢ Salt as required
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• ▢ 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tsp crushed saffron
• ▢ 1 cup cooked rice
• ▢ 12 nos tater tots frozen

To make flour water

• ▢ 1/2 cup maida
• ▢ Water as required

To make seasoned breadcrumbs

• ▢ 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• ▢ 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese finely grated
• ▢ 2 tsp paprika

To fry the vegan kebabs

• ▢ 2 cups Oil for frying

Instructions

To prepare the rice mixture

• In a mixing bowl grated Cheese, dried fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi), turmeric powder, paprika, and chaat masala.
• Then add chopped onions, minced garlic, minced jalapenos, and grated ginger,
• Next add chickpea flour (besan), rice flour, salt, cilantro, lemon juice, and crushed saffron.
• Add cooked rice. Mash and mix them all together.
• Let it rest in the fridge for 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, thaw the frozen tater tots and cut them in half.
• Shape the rice mixture to any desired kebab shape. Place one half tater tot in the center of each kebab and shape it firmly using your hands.

To make flour water

• Prepare a mixture of flour + water and dip the kebab in the mixture. It should be of coating consistency.

To make seasoned breadcrumbs

• Grate Parmesan cheese. I have tried it with both dairy and non-dairy Parmesan.
• Prepare a mixture of bread crumbs, grated Parmesan and paprika.
• Then roll it over the breadcrumbs mixture. Coat it well.
• Prepare as many vegan kebabs as you need.

To fry the vegan kebabs

• Heat oil for frying.
• Deep fry in oil on medium flame until it turns golden brown. Strain the excess oil using paper towels.
• Vegan Cheesy Rice fried meatballs are ready. Serve them immediately with green chutney, mayo, queso or ketchup on the side.

Notes

You can use dairy and non-dairy cheese to make these fried meatballs. This is also a great recipe to use leftover cooked rice. Dried fenugreek leaves give this vegan finger food a very unique flavor. Although it can be found in any Indian grocery store or Amazon, you can skip adding it. Add dried herbs instead. Tater Tot stuffing makes it even more appetizing. You can use any frozen variety available to you or make it without it as well. You don't need to cook them as it will get cooked when fried in oil. 

Mash the rice mixture well so that you can shape them into balls easily. Work with your hands for this. If it's too wet, gradually add more flour to help bind. Placing the mixture in the fridge helps to dry it up and makes it easy to work with. Give them any shape you like. You can prepare the pre-fried kebabs ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. Then you can fry and serve them as and when needed. You can shallow fry, bake or fry them in the air-fryer.

Nutrition

Calories: 200.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 23.73g | Protein: 5.35g | Fat: 9.42g | Saturated Fat: 6.61g | Cholesterol: 9.54mg | Sodium: 735.09mg | Potassium: 96.42mg | Fiber: 1.21g | Sugar: 1.55g | Vitamin A: 323.52IU | Vitamin C: 6.86mg | Calcium: 108.81mg | Iron: 0.82mg

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