Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles

Beat the summer heat with Hello Kitty rice popsicles– easy to make, fun to eat, and the perfect addition to any summertime bento box!

 

Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles - Easily shape your rice into popsicles by using a standard popsicle mold! Find out how at loveatfirstbento.com | bento box, character bento, cute food.

Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles - Easily shape your rice into popsicles by using a standard popsicle mold! Find out how at loveatfirstbento.com | bento box, character bento, cute food.

Popsicle season is upon us. You’ve probably heard the ice cream truck tinkling it’s irresistible melody from down the street countless times by now. Perhaps you were able to resist the esoteric lure of the ice cream truck– if so, I applaud you. I, personally, do not house the mental strength to resist the hypnotic pull, and so you will see me right in there amongst all the kids, debating over about 10 different items I’d like to inhale within 5 seconds.

But what if you’re cooped up inside for lunch, unable to enjoy the saccharine deliciousness and inevitable brain freeze of frozen treats? Solution: rice popsicles.

Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles - Easily shape your rice into popsicles by using a standard popsicle mold! Find out how at loveatfirstbento.com | bento box, character bento, cute food.

Okay, so they’re not real popsicles. But you can at least pack these ones in your bento and not have a sticky, melted mess by the time lunch rolls around. Rice popsicles: 1, real popsicles: 0.

Also, they’re easy to eat. How many times have you eaten a real popsicle, only to have it fall off the stick and plop ever so elegantly into your lap once you near the bottom? I promise you, this won’t happen with the rice popsicle. Still not convinced? Allow me to lay out the list of fantastic qualities the rice popsicle possesses:

  • Doesn’t melt
  • Doesn’t have to be kept frozen
  • Customizable taste experience (how about making last night’s leftover coconut rice into a delicious rice pop?)
  • Cute and eye-catching– passerbys will most definitely be jelly on toast when they see them
  • Can be eaten in cold weather without having to bundle up in a giant blanket that inhibits all movement
  • Healthier than real popsicles

 

Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles - Easily shape your rice into popsicles by using a standard popsicle mold! Find out how at loveatfirstbento.com | bento box, character bento, cute food.

To make these babies, the only special equipment you need is a popsicle mold (yes, the kind you use for real popsicles) and some wooden popsicle sticks– that’s it! I collected my popsicle sticks by engulfing an entire pack of ice cream bars, but I am sure there are more “summer body-friendly” ways of procuring them than this method. The popsicles truly enter the Hello Kitty realm, though, once we decorate them. I decided to make three different “flavors” of rice popsicles:

  1. Classic Hello Kitty, made from plain white Japanese short grain rice.
  2. Chocolate-Dipped Hello Kitty, the chocolate dip being nori seaweed wrapped around white rice.
  3. Strawberry Crunch Hello Kitty, coated in a mix of toasted Panko bread crumbs and Korean red pepper powder to give it the same appearance as a real strawberry crunch bar.

 

Delish, right? And super easy too! You can, of course, go crazy with how you decorate these rice popsicles, and even vary the flavor of rice used. The only rule of thumb here is to make sure you use Japanese sushi rice, otherwise, your popsicles won’t hold up.

WATCH HOW TO MAKE HELLO KITTY RICE POPSICLES (60 sec)

You can also keep things nice and simple and just make a bunch of the classic Hello Kitty rice popsicles, pack them up cutely in your bento box, and still have an epic-win lunch. Seriously, don’t feel like you have to make them all different! But, of course, making them all their own “unique flavors” is much more fun, and will be more exciting for your tastebuds too.

To pack these in a bento box, make sure you pick one that is large enough to hold your rice popsicles (I recommend measuring this out before you start packing it). If you don’t have a bento box that’s big enough to fit them, then sticking them in a tupperware container is also okay (don’t worry, it’ll be our little secret). I packed mine with a bento box containing stir-fried bay scallops and broccoli, tamagoyaki, garlic yellow beans, and cherry tomatoes.

So, rather than going on a crazed manhunt for spare change the next time you hear the ice cream truck, try making these Hello Kitty rice popsicles instead– I guarantee you they’ll be way cuter than any frozen treat the ice cream man has to offer.

 

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Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles - Easily shape your rice into popsicles by using a standard popsicle mold! Find out how at loveatfirstbento.com | bento box, character bento, cute food.

Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles


  • Author: Shannon

Description

Learn how to make Hello Kitty Rice Popsicles using a standard popsicle mold – no hands necessary! They make the perfect summer treat, and come in 3 delicious “flavors”.


Ingredients

Food Items:

“Strawberry Crunch” Coating:

Recommended Tools:

  • Popsicle Mold
  • Wooden popsicle sticks
  • Cat nori punch
  • Cat food cutter
  • Circle cookie or food cutter (mine was around 2 inches)
  • Red bow food picks
  • Plastic wrap
  • Non-stick spray (optional)

Instructions

Assembly:

  1. Coat your popsicle mold in non-stick spray, or else a bit of water, to prevent the rice from sticking to the sides.
  2. Fill your popsicle mold with warm rice, making sure to press down firmly with the back of a rice paddle or spoon to ensure all the crevices are filled and packed with rice. The firmer the rice is packed, the better your popsicles will stay together.
  3. Flip over the popsicle mold and gently tap the base until the rice popsicles slide out. I recommend doing this over top a flat surface covered in plastic wrap.
  4. Carefully wrap each individual popsicle in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge until ready to decorate.

Decorating:

Classic Hello Kitty Popsicle:

  1. Cut out 2 nori eyes and 6 nori whiskers with a cat nori punch.
  2. Cut the rounded tip off of a corn kernal for the nose.
  3. Using tweezers, apply the nori facial features to one of your rice popsicles.
  4. Using tweezers, dip the cut end of the corn kernal into a little bit of honey or mayo, and place onto the rice popsicle. Alternatively, you could break off a tiny piece of uncooked spaghetti, insert it into the cut end of the corn, then push it into the rice popsicle like a thumbtack. The spaghetti will eventually become soft enough to eat from the moisture of the rice. 
  5. Stick the red bow food pick into the rice popsicle, just slightly above one of the nori eyes.
  6. Stick a wooden popsicle stick into the base of your popsicle, wiggling it gently so as not to break the shape.

“Chocolate-Dipped” Hello Kitty Popsicle:

  1. Cut out 2 white cheese eyes with a small-holed drinking straw or food cutter, and 6 white cheese whiskers with a cat food cutter.
  2. Cut the rounded tip off of a corn kernal for the nose.
  3. Cut out a square piece of nori that is slightly bigger than the size of your rice popsicle. With scissors, cut small slits all around the edges of the nori.
  4. Place your nori on a flat surface, then, carefully, place one of your rice popsicles on top of the nori square, right in the middle.
  5. Using your hands, carefully wrap your rice popsicle in the nori (like you’re wrapping a present!). Try your best to make the nori wrap as smooth as possible, but don’t worry if you have a few bumps or rough edges.
  6. When finished wrapping, cover entire popsicle firmly in plastic wrap– this will help the nori adhere to the rice better, making it appear smoother. Allow to rest in the fridge for a minimum of 10 minutes.
  7. (After resting) Apply the cheese facial features to rice popsicle using tweezers. Dipping them in honey or mayo beforehand will help them to stick to the nori better.
  8. Using tweezers, dip the cut end of the corn kernal into a little bit of honey or mayo, and place onto the rice popsicle. Alternatively, you could break off a tiny piece of uncooked spaghetti, insert it into the cut end of the corn, then push it into the rice popsicle like a thumbtack. The spaghetti will eventually become soft enough to eat from the moisture of the rice. 
  9. Stick the red bow food pick into the rice popsicle, just slightly above one of the cheese eyes.
  10. Stick a wooden popsicle stick into the base of your popsicle, wiggling it gently so as not to break the shape.

“Strawberry Crunch” Hello Kitty Popsicle:

  1. To make the “strawberry crunch” coating, mix together toasted Panko breadcumbs and Korean red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Set aside.
  2. To make the “white chocolate medallion”, cut out a circle (approximately 2-inches) with circle cookie cutter from white cheese.
  3. Apply your choice of nori design on top of the cheese circle (see Notes for ideas). Use a little bit of honey or mayo to help it stick to the cheese.
  4. Take out one of your rice popsicles, and place on a flat surface, or in a flat-bottomed dish. Coat the popsicle in honey using a pastry brush or spoon, to make the surface sticky.
  5. Sprinkle your “strawberry crunch” mix all over the rice popsicle, adding more mix to any areas that are showing too much rice. Keep applying the mix until there is no more white rice showing.
  6. Stick a wooden popsicle stick into the base of your popsicle, wiggling it gently so as not to break the shape.

Notes

  1. I decorated my “white chocolate medallion” cheese circle with a pre-cut Hello Kitty nori face– it came in a pack I purchased in Japan. Since these are not readily available to those outside of Japan, I recommend decorating your cheese circle with either nori Hello Kitty facial features (just like with the Classic Hello Kitty Popsicle), or even with a cute bow, cut from red pepper, imitation crab stick (red portion), or ham. Even just a vegetable or nori heart would be adorable!
  2. I found that making a small incision into the base of each rice popsicle with a sharp, wet knife was helpful in getting the popsicle sticks to slide in smoothly.
  3. You can also make the nori eyes by using a circle nori punch, and the nori whiskers by using a punch with a straight line.
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Comments (4)

  • These popsicles are super cute and yummy! I love everything Hello Kitty too!:)

    Reply
    • Thanks so much for the lovely comment, Rina! So great to meet a fellow Hello Kitty fan, too. 😀

      Reply
  • Love love love these! great job

    Reply
    • Thanks so much! So glad you like them 🙂

      Reply

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