A rissole (from Latin russeolus, meaning reddish, via French rissoler, meaning "to redden") is "a ball or flattened cake of chopped meat, fish or vegetables mixed with herbs or spices, then coated in breadcrumbs and fried."

In France, rissoles can be served as a dessert cooked in the Savoy region. They are made of pears in batter and are baked, not fried.

In the north of France, rissoles de Coucy [fr] are made with meat or fish and can be baked or fried.

Different versions exist in Auvergne or in the east of France, with different kind of meat or potatoes and cheeses.

The dough used is generally puff pastry or a kind of shortcrust pastry made with less butter. They can be baked or fried. Some versions made with shortcrust pastry are breaded before frying.

In the 19th century, Mrs Beeton said French rissoles were "Pastry, made of light puff-paste, and cut into various forms, and fried. They may be filled with fish, meat, or sweets." However her recipes for everyday British meals described rissoles which contained breadcrumbs but were not coated with anything, just fried (see illustration). She gave recipes for beef, veal and potato rissoles.

In Great Britain during and after World War II, rissoles were typically an economy measure, made from cooked meat remaining from the Sunday roast dinner. They are not pastry-covered. Rissoles are sold in chip shops in south Wales, north-east England and Yorkshire, served with chips. These rissoles are meat (typically beef), or fish in Yorkshire, mashed up with potato, herbs and sometimes onion. They are coated in breadcrumbs or less frequently battered and deep-fried.

Fried rissoles are common in Ireland, especially in the county of Wexford, where boiled potatoes are mashed, mixed with herbs and spices, battered or breadcrumbed, and served with chips, chicken or battered sausages.