Can rice noodles be frozen? - The best way

A rice noodle dish is incredibly easy to make when you need a quick fix, or just want to enjoy the goodness that rice noodles have to offer. It’s a good idea to have a stock of rice noodles for quick preparation, but you can’t keep rice noodles fresh indefinitely without risk of spoilage.

To keep rice noodles fresh for longer, can you freeze them?

Yes, you can successfully freeze rice noodles. In fact, most rice products freeze well, and uncooked rice noodles perform better than those that have already been cooked. If prepared and frozen well, rice noodles will hardly change in texture or flavor once frozen and thawed.

Read on for the best way to freeze rice noodles.

How to freeze cooked rice noodles

If you’re cooking a bowl of rice noodles and you think there’s going to be leftovers, don’t mix all the noodles into the sauce.

The sauce can shorten the shelf life of the noodles as it spoils faster than the noodles themselves when kept in the fridge, but in the freezer, the sauce could make the noodles even more soggy when thawed.

If possible, you should also try to cook leftover noodles al dente, so that when you reheat them they get the perfect consistency and texture.

Place the leftover noodles in a freezer-safe container.  The best option would be to store them in a freezer-safe plastic bag, laying them flat so that ice doesn’t form in the center, which could destroy the texture.

Freezing individual servings in plastic freezer bags laid flat also means you can stack them on top of each other to save space in the freezer.

Place the sauce in a separate freezer container, either a plastic freezer tupperware or freezer bag, to stack next to the noodles.

You can also choose to place the noodles in an airtight container, stirring them slightly with a little oil so they don’t clump together. Try not to overfill the container. Whether you use a container or a plastic freezer bag, label the container with the name of the noodles and the storage date so you know when to use them.

If the noodles are already mixed with the ingredients, you can freeze them, but you won’t get the best results.

Once again, place the leftover rice noodle dish in a plastic container or freezer bag and place in the freezer, labeled with the name of the dish and the freeze date on the container.

Freeze uncooked rice noodles

It is best to freeze rice noodles uncooked, if possible. Uncooked noodles will stay fresher longer than their cooked counterparts, especially when frozen.

You can place the uncooked noodles in an airtight freezer-safe container, or in a plastic freezer bag. Even better, if you have a vacuum sealer, vacuum seal the bag to maintain the highest level of freshness.

Label the bag with the freeze date so you know when to use the rice noodles. If you are freezing the rice noodles for smaller servings, it is much better to place them in smaller freezer bags, which can be stacked on top of each other in the freezer.

This way, you’ll have access to just one serving, without having to defrost the entire batch, which would only lead to waste.

Defrost and reheat frozen rice noodles

You must be especially careful when thawing frozen rice noodles, so as not to expose them to temperatures that can encourage the growth of bacteria, which could lead to foodborne illness.

To defrost the rice noodles, transfer the containers from the freezer directly to the fridge. Let the rice noodles thaw in the fridge overnight, or a few hours during the day.

The rice noodles will be ready to use when they have completely thawed in the fridge . Take out only the portion that you are going to reheat, since once the rice noodles are reheated, you will not be able to put them back in the fridge, but they will have to be consumed immediately.

There are three ways to reheat rice noodles, depending on the dish you are preparing.

1. In the microwave

Microwaving is a pretty good option for reheating noodles, as it’s quick and efficient.

Place the rice noodles on a microwave-safe plate and microwave . Also, microwave a cup of water to add some moisture and prevent the rice noodles from drying out.

Microwave the noodles for 30 seconds at a time until heated through. Let the noodles rest for a minute so that the heat is evenly distributed before eating.

2. Frying pan

You can reheat the noodles in the pan, and this works best for noodles that were cooked before freezing.

You can put the pan on medium heat and add any other ingredients you want to cook with the rice noodles. Add a little oil to the noodles so they don’t dry out, and then let them reheat on the stove, stirring continuously to prevent sticking.

3. Baked

The oven method only works if your rice noodles are drenched in sauce . Place the noodles al dente on a baking tray, spreading the noodles with their sauce.

Put the noodles in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and leave them there for about 20 minutes until heated through.

The shelf life of rice noodles

Stored in the refrigerator, the noodles alone last longer than those mixed with a sauce or other ingredients. In the fridge, cooked noodles stay fresh for up to 5 days , stored in an airtight container or plastic bag.

Preserved in the right conditions in the freezer, rice noodles, cooked or uncooked, can be kept for up to 2 months . They will be edible after this time, but the quality of the rice noodles will deteriorate rapidly afterwards, as ice crystals or freezer burn will ruin both the texture and flavor of the rice noodles.

In the freezer, the noodles must be kept at a constant temperature. Noodles stored in the fridge, both before and after freezing, should be kept below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, as bacteria begin to grow above this temperature. Once thawed and reheated, the rice noodles should be thrown away if not eaten.

If you want to thaw a batch of rice noodles, you should store them in the fridge and reheat only what you will eat immediately, and discard any leftovers in the fridge within 2 days.

Refreezing rice noodles is not recommended . With some foods, it is possible to let them thaw in the fridge, and put them back in the freezer in a day, and still be safe to eat, even better if the thawed rice noodles have ice crystals on them.

Although you can do this with rice noodles, being so delicate, the texture and flavor of the rice noodles will be ruined and they will turn into a soggy mush when thawed once more and reheated. Refreezing rice noodles is not advised.

Related questions

Can rice noodles be poisoned?

It is quite possible to get food poisoning from rice noodles, especially cooked or fresh ones. Dried rice noodles aren’t too bad, as bacteria don’t grow well on dry food.

However, with fresh or cooked rice noodles, if the temperature is right, between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, bacteria can grow rapidly.

That’s why it’s so important to properly store rice noodles, and freeze them to extend their shelf life. Once reheated, the rice noodles should be discarded, and if left at room temperature for more than 2 hours, they should be thrown away.

How can you tell if the rice noodles have gone bad?

There are a few easy ways to tell if your rice noodles have gone bad.

First of all, look at the noodles . If they have discolored, or if there are signs of mold, they should be thrown away immediately. You can also smell the noodles, if they have a sour, stale, or unpleasant odor, throw them away.

The last resort is to taste the noodles, which is really not recommended, but the first taste should be a good indication of whether or not the noodles have gone bad, as they will be sour and unpleasant.

freeze rice noodles

Don’t let leftover or excess rice noodles go to waste, they’re too delicious to just throw away. Instead, use the guide above to learn how to properly prepare and store rice noodles, whether raw, cooked, or mixed with other ingredients.

Proper storage is the key to ensuring that noodles remain safe to eat , and still retain their flavor and texture when it’s time to enjoy them.

Use the method that works best for you to reheat the rice noodles, and add any extra ingredients you fancy!