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Learn How to Freeze Rice and save time and money. We have been doing this for awhile now and it helps so much during busy weeknights.
Did you know that you can freeze rice?? I buy rice in bulk all the time and freeze it. It is a game changer for my family. Rice makes an easy side dish recipe for any easy main dish recipe.
Instead of paying for the overpriced Minute rice, I buy regular plain brown rice. It is healthier and much cheaper. However, I don’t always have the time to wait 40 minutes for rice to cook.
Table of Contents
Why This Works
Freezing leftovers rice makes it easy to add a quick and easy side dish to many different recipes. You can freeze different types of rice and following these steps will keep the rice texture soft and not mushy.
Add the rice to this shrimp recipe, chicken and rice soups, or making this beans and rice recipe. It is even delicious served with this Teriyaki Chicken stir fry recipe.
How to Freeze Cooked Rice
- Step 1 – Cook the Rice Like Normal
Basically you need to buy a bag of uncooked rice, any rice will do (brown or white). Follow the instructions on the bag. I boiled our rice in homemade chicken stock and water, but you don’t have to. It takes about 20 minutes to cook the white rice and 40 minutes to cook brown rice on the stovetop in a saucepan.
You can also make Instant Pot White Rice Recipe if you prefer the pressure cooker. We also sometimes make Crock Pot Rice. Both of these options would allow you to make a big batch of rice to freeze without much effort.
If you prefer brown rice, we have an easy Brown Rice Pressure Cooker Recipe here. Once the rice is cooked, season it to your liking. I always season our rice with garlic salt (yum).
Step 2 – Allow the rice to cool completely.
Once the rice is done, allow it to cool completely to room temperature. This is VERY important. You never want to freeze warm or hot things.
Step 3 – Place into individual freezer bags and freeze.
Then separate the rice into individual freezer bags (according to what your family would eat). You can also place in freezer-safe containers in individual portion. Label the bags, and place in your freezer. You have now frozen your rice. Make sure to get out as much air to prevent freezer burns.
We love to use these for freezer cooking: JOKARI Hands-Free Baggy Rack Storage Bag Holders. These are not necessary, but make it so much easier to put the meals together.
How Do You Reheat Frozen Rice
- When you are ready to eat your leftover rice at a future dinner, just pull directly from freezer (no need to thaw). Run some water over the freezer bag to loosen the bag from the frozen rice.
- Dump the rice into a microwave safe container. Place a small amount of water in the dish -approximately a ¼ cup. Cover.
- Microwave until hot -about 4 to 5 minutes.
How to Season White Rice
Now that you have the basic idea on how to freeze rice and how it can help speed up dinnertime. Here are some easy ideas on how to season the rice.
- Stir in garlic salt and butter
- Add in just salt and pepper (lots)
- Make a simple fried rice
- See How to Season White Rice for more easy ideas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Typically rice can be frozen for up to one month. Any longer and the rice will began to lose its flavor and start to harden as it loses moisture.
Cover and cook on low heat until the rice is heated all the way through. You may need to break apart the rice with a fork every once in awhile.
If you prefer to not use the microwave, you can heat the rice on the stove. Just put a small amount of water in the bottom of a pan and add the rice. It will not take much water.
Yes, I cook double or even triple of what I need and then I freeze the rest. Freezing rice is a huge time and money saver for my family.
More Freezer Recipes
- No Cook Raspberry Freezer Jam
- Easy Freezer Meal: Pizza Casserole Recipe
- Easy Freezer Breakfast Burritos Recipe
- 10 Easy Crock Pot Freezer Meals Ready in an hour
- Homemade Uncrustables from the freezer
- Can you Freeze Buffalo Chicken dip
How to Freeze Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups Rice
Instructions
- Cook the rice as you normally would prepare the rice.
- Then allow the rice to cool completely.
- Then place the rice in individual freezer bags and freeze.
Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes!
HEY CARRIE. I HAVEN’T USED THIS RECIPE YET, BUT I’M SURE IT WILL COME IN HANDY. THANK YOU. I REALLY LIKE YOUR RECIPES. I DO THE COOKING FOR MY DAD AND MYSELF SINCE MY MOM PASSED. HER SHOES WERE HARD TO FILL WHEN IT CAME TO COOKING. WHEN WE BOTH LIKE IT, I RATE IT WITH 2 CHECKS AND 2 SMILEY FACES. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR RECIPES AND TIPS. DENNIS
I have several bags of rice. I now plan on freezing it to donate to a local organization that feeds the homeless.
So glad I found out that we could freeze rice. I’ve thrown out so much rice over the years because it wasn’t eaten right away. Thank you!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Reheat frozen, or cold, rice in no time: boil about 1 inch of water in a pot, place rice in a wide sieve over the pot and cover with a lid. Let the steam build up, it will heat the rice in a minute, keeping taste and texture intact. Learned this at age 58 from my daughter!
How do I cook white rice in the slow cooker
Can you throw the frozen rice into crock pot with chicken recipes ?
How long is rice good n the freezer?
I’ve heated in a pan before and that worked great too.
I don’t use a microwave anymore. Any ideas on how to heat the rice? Thanks!
Oh I love that idea Mary! I’ll have to do that next time.
I love frozen rice! Saves so much time. Another idea is after it cools put in muffin pan and then you have individual servings of rice. Transfer into a big freezer bag after it sets.