Can rice be refrigerated? - The Ultimate Guide

Despite being a staple food for most cultures and nations around the world, rice is often misunderstood and mishandled. You’ve had rice at least once in the past week, right? And the week before?

Considering how easy it is to cook rice, mistakes often occur right after the cooking process, when the rice needs to be handled in a specific way to avoid food poisoning. Yes, food poisoning from rice is possible, and it has likely happened to you without realizing it.

With that being said, what is the proper way to handle and store rice? And more importantly, can you refrigerate the rice?

In fact, it is mandatory that you refrigerate or freeze cooked rice as soon as possible after cooking it. Cooked rice should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours, and should be discarded after this period of time. Refrigerated rice usually keeps for 4 to 6 days.

Here are our top tips for refrigerating rice.

Refrigerating rice: what you should know

When it comes to food storage, rice is considered to be one of the foods that last for a long time without any specific requirements. Although this is true of uncooked rice (other than brown rice) and its shelf life is what you would call indefinite, cooked rice is a different story entirely.

When it comes to cooked rice, people often believe that it lasts much longer than it actually does. This is because rice is one of those foods that hardly shows any signs of spoilage, but the risk of food poisoning is very real. 

The truth is that you have to refrigerate rice as soon as possible after cooking if you want it to remain safe . In the next section we explain why.

Refrigerated rice can typically keep for 4-6 days , depending on how quickly you moved it indoors.

According to experts, rice should not be stored for more than one day, but according to the FDA, it should be safe in 4-6 days, as we have mentioned.

We believe that everyone has kept rice in their fridge more than once in their life, so we have all safely eaten rice after more than a couple of days.

However, we recommend using it as soon as possible, as it really loses its qualities over time. 

Why refrigerate rice?

Contrary to the widely popular belief that rice can be kept at room temperature for a long time, the reality is quite the opposite.

Since rice is cooked in water, it is an extremely moist food. If you leave it out at room temperature for more than a couple of hours, it usually becomes a breeding ground for all sorts of dangerous bacteria that could lead to serious food poisoning.

Especially if your geographic location includes warm temperatures or you cook the rice in the height of summer, eat it while it’s hot and put any leftovers in the fridge as soon as possible.

How to keep rice in the fridge

In this section, we’ll walk you through the steps to properly refrigerate rice and also dive into some rules for perfectly refrigerating rice every time.

Step-by-step instructions for refrigerating rice

1. Wait for the rice to come to room temperature, but be sure to refrigerate it within two hours. It helps to spread out the rice as much as possible so it cools faster.
2. Transfer the rice to an airtight container.
3. Store the rice in the fridge for 4-6 days.

And that’s it! Refrigerating rice is as easy as 3 easy steps.

Now we are going to detail some of these steps so that you know why we recommend refrigerating the rice in this way.

1. Refrigerate the rice within two hours

Ideally, you should refrigerate leftover rice in the first two hours. However, you should not just throw it out, as it is hot.

Always let it sit and cool for a while before closing it and putting it in the fridge.

2. Store the rice in an airtight container

We strongly recommend that you use an airtight container for cooked rice , as it is the method that most increases shelf life and protects the food. If possible, use a wider container.

We personally love the Rubbermaid Brilliance Collection when it comes to food storage. For rice, we like these medium-sized containers that can each hold about 3 cups of rice.

If you don’t have any available, you can use resealable plastic bags, but it’s much more complicated and cumbersome for later use.

3. Spread the rice as thin as possible

Why do we recommend wider containers? Before you put the rice in the fridge, you have to chill it.

Ideally, you should put it in the boxes provided as soon as you cook it.

With a wider bowl, you can spread it out in a thinner layer, which will help it cool faster . After all, you want to get it in the fridge as soon as possible.

How to tell if rice has gone bad

While most foods show clear signs of spoilage, rice isn’t as obvious, so many people don’t realize the problem and continue to eat it.

And while food poisoning from rice is usually not serious, it’s not a good idea to eat rice that has gone bad.

1. The rice is hard and dry - The most obvious sign that the rice is bad is that it is no longer soft and moist. With each day spent in the fridge, the rice will lose more and more moisture until it is dry and crisp. Once it reaches this state, you definitely have to throw it away. Plus, you don’t want to eat it like that anyway.
2. Rice smells bad - Even though rice shows little sign of spoilage, it may still develop an unpleasant sour odor, which is always a sure sign that the food has gone bad. If you think it smells bad, get rid of it immediately, do not taste it, as even the smallest bite could have an unpleasant result.
3. Rice has been reheated more than once - In general, you should know that food should be reheated as few times as possible. Temperature changes encourage bacteria growth and shorten the shelf life of all foods, and rice is no exception. In fact, we recommend reheating the rice no more than once in total before discarding it for good. If you have to use a large amount that cannot be eaten at one time, reheat only the amount you need for the intended meal.
4. Rice was left at room temperature for more than two hours - As has been mentioned more than once already, rice should be refrigerated as soon as possible. If you leave it out in the open for more than two hours, we recommend throwing out the leftovers instead of refrigerating them.

Related questions

How do you reheat cooked rice?

Whichever method you choose to reheat cooked rice, you need to make sure it is piping hot before serving. According to experts, you want it to be at least 165 F.

As for reheating, we recommend reheating the rice in a rice cooker.

Can you eat cold rice?

There is a higher risk of food poisoning from eating cold rice than hot, but it all depends on how well you have handled and stored it after cooking.

In the end, it all depends on how long the rice spends at room temperature.

For more information on how to eat cold rice and if it is safe, you can take a look at this article: Can you eat cold rice? It is safe?

Can cooked rice be frozen?

If you find that you can’t eat all of your cooked rice, you can safely freeze it to extend its shelf life.

First of all, let it cool down, but not for more than two hours, as has already been said on several occasions. Use an airtight container or resealable freezer bag.

Although we recommend containers for refrigeration, we suggest using freezer bags to freeze the rice because they take up less space.

It may be a good idea to add an additional source of moisture if you plan to freeze it for longer. You can add a little olive oil or even butter.

Since your rice will continually lose most of its water during the freezing process, the extra moisture will protect it from freezer burn.

Be sure to get as much air out of the freezer bag as possible before sealing it. Last but not least, try to place it flat instead of upright in the freezer. This way, it will defrost more quickly when you need it later.

Cooked yeast usually lasts several months in the freezer. For best quality, thaw and consume rice within 6 months. However, consume it as soon as possible to avoid any risk of food poisoning or freezer burn.

What are the symptoms of rice food poisoning?

Eating spoiled rice can have immediate consequences and you may experience the first symptoms in less than 30 minutes. In most cases, you can expect nausea and abdominal pain, followed by vomiting and diarrhea.

Fortunately, food poisoning from rice is usually not serious, as stated above, and the symptoms mentioned should be short-lived. Contact a doctor if the problems continue for more than a day.