Tofu Fried Rice Mini Snack Cups (Toddler Friendly)

Name: Tofu Fried Rice Mini Snack Cups (Toddler Friendly)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 350 g block extra firm tofu (175 g); 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil; 1/4 cup minced onion or shallot (about 1/2 small); 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1/2 red bell pepper (minced); 3/4 cup frozen pea (corn and carrot mixture); 1 cup minced spinach or kale leaves; 1 1/2 cup cooked leftover brown rice; 1 tbsp reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce; 6 tsp hoisin sauce; 1/2 tsp sesame oil; Salt and pepper (to taste); 48 wonton wrappers; Oil in atomizer; Pinch each salt and pepper; 3 eggs (beaten); Green onions (to serve)

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Medically reviewed by Abbey Sharp, Registered Dietitian (RD), BASc.

These mini tofu fried rice cups are adorable kid and toddler friendly snacks for lunch boxes and make a delicious vegetarian lunch, dinner, or appetizer.

close up of fried rice cups on a white plate.

We are gearing up for back to school time and if you’re looking for an easy packable lunch or snack for your kid or toddler, you’re going to love these mini fried rice cups. This recipe was really born out of the reality of making too much rice in the rice cooker. That rice then became too much fried rice, and I wondered what I could do with it to make it more fun for my toddler to eat. Do you know what is always more fun than eating food with a fork? Eating it out of an edible cup in your hand! And so these adorable mini tofu fried rice cups were born.

Why This Recipe Works
Key Ingredients
How to Make This Recipe
Expert Tips
Recipe FAQs
More Recipes You Might Like

Why This Recipe Works

Need some convincing to bust out the muffin tin? Here’s why you have to make these tofu fried rice cups!

Kid-friendly
Freezer-friendly
Uses leftover ingredients
Vegetarian-friendly

Key Ingredients

Ingredients needed to make tofu fried rice wonton cups.

Extra firm tofu – I do recommend extra firm so it keeps its texture in the fried rice – especially since it’s going to have to go through a second bake in a wonton skin and you don’t want them to get soggy.,

Veggies – I like onion, garlic, bell pepper, peas, corn, carrots, and some kind of green, but you can use whatever you have on hand. I also use a mixture of fresh or frozen veg here, so whatever is easiest and more cost-effective for you will work.

Cooked leftover brown rice – You can absolutely use white rice, quinoa, or any other hearty grain. Couscous would be a bit too small to stick together in these cups, but feel free to use whatever your family has on hand. I always make a big batch of some kind of grain at the start of the week, and this is a great way to use up any leftover bits.

Reduced sodium tamari or soy sauce – You can also use coconut aminos, but I do prefer to stick to a lower sodium option just to keep the sodium lower for kids and toddlers.

Hoisin sauce – This adds some umami and sweetness to the mix.

Sesame oil – This just brings out the flavours, but if don’t have sesame oil, you can omit this ingredient and just add a pinch of sesame seeds (or skip that too).

Wonton wrappers – Now wonton wrappers are different than egg roll wrappers in their texture and size. Wonton wrappers are typically square and are made with flour and often egg and water. They are used to make little pan-fried or deep-fried dumplings. You can typically find them in the refrigerated section of your produce department.

Eggs – This is like the “glue” that will hold your rice and veggies together in the little wonton cup.

How to Make This Recipe

Set of three photos showing tofu cut into cubes, aromatics sauteed, and the rest of the ingredients added to the pan.

Step 1: Cut the tofu into very small pieces (the size of a pea). Place on a baking sheet lined with a kitchen towel or paper towels and top with more towels. Press down with another baking sheet and heavy items. Allow them to sit for 20 minutes to press out the excess liquid.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 425 F. Meanwhile, to a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until fragrant, about 4 minutes.

Step 3: Add the bell pepper, frozen corn, carrot and pea mixture, spinach, leftover rice, pressed tofu, soy, hoisin, sesame, and a pinch of pepper if desired. Saute and stir until everything is coated in the sauce. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Set of three photos showing wonton wrappers in a muffin tin, egg added to rice mixture, then transferred to the wonton cups.

Step 4: Meanwhile, spray two mini muffin tins with olive oil (48 mini muffin holders total). Press a wonton wrapper into each hole. Spray with more olive oil and add a pinch of salt and pepper to the wonton wrappers.

Step 5: Add the beaten eggs to the rice mixture and toss until everything is combined.

Step 6: Fill the wonton cups with the fried rice mixture. Bake for 10 minutes until the wontons are golden brown and the egg and rice filling is set.

Expert Tips

This tofu fried rice recipe is really adaptable and forgivable so you can basically add in whatever you have in the fridge leftover.

Instead of tofu, you could add:

Chicken or Turkey (ground or pieces chopped up)
Shrimp
Pork (ground or leftover bacon)
Beef (ground or steak chopped up)
Edamame or beans

For veggies, you could add:

Cauliflower
Broccoli
Bok Choy
Zucchini
Parsnips
Water chestnuts
Mango
Pineapple

Instead of brown rice, you could add:

White rice
Quinoa
Kasha
Wheatberries

Recipe FAQs

Is this tofu fried rice vegan?

This is not vegan, but it is vegetarian because of the addition of eggs that bind the rice together. I have seen a lot of vegan fried rice recipes online but they mainly rely on tofu for the “egg” flavour and texture. But in this recipe, the egg holds everything together in the cup. If you want to attempt this without the egg, just know that it may not hold together as well.

Is this gluten free?

Store-bought wonton wrappers are typically not gluten free. But you may be able to find gluten free ones in specialty stores, or you can make them yourself.

Can I make these with large muffin tins instead of mini for older kids?

You can, however, most wonton wrappers will not be large enough. If you want to do that, you could overlap a few wonton wrappers to fill the bottom of the muffin tin.

How long will these last in the fridge?

Assuming your rice isn’t old, these should last about 4 days in the fridge or up to 4 months in the freezer.

Can I freeze these?

Yes, I do! I would remove them from the muffin tin and allow them to cool for 20 minutes on a baking tray lined with parchment or a silpat. Then I would freeze them on the baking tray for an hour before transferring to a freezer bag or container. This way they won’t stick together and the filling won’t all spill out.

How do I reheat these before serving?

If you have frozen these, you can thaw them in the fridge then pop them in the microwave for 20 seconds or so (covered with a bowl).

close up of wonton snacks on a white plate

More Recipes You Might Like

If you’re looking for healthy snacks and mini meals for your kids now that they’re about to head back to school. Here are some of our faves just like these tofu fried rice cups!

What are you going to be packing for your kids lunches this back to school season? Leave me a comment below with your ideas!

Abbey Sharp

Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.