How Long Can You Keep Cooked Rice
Rice is quite simple to cook, and it’s really good for your health and body. But you have to know how to handle rice and what temperature you can keep cooked rice in the fridge. This article on how long can you keep cooked rice from getting spoiled will help you.
Store cooked rice in the refrigerator for the best flavor and texture within two hours of cooking. After that, your cooked rice can stay for about one week in the refrigerator or three months in the freezer.
Cooked rice can last for at least 48 hours and up to 72 hours at room temperature. If the rice is cooled to approximately 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less right away, then kept refrigerated, it will last for at least about 2 to 3 days but up to a week.
That is why it is common in some cultures to have leftover rice on the table after a meal so that you can eat it throughout the day as an accompaniment to different dishes. However, if you wish to store cooked rice for a longer period, you need to change its state; otherwise, it will dry out and stale.
How Long Will Cooked Rice Keep
You can store cooked rice can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Just make sure it’s in an airtight container—we recommend a Ziploc bag, but any sealed container will work. You can also freeze cooked rice.
Let it cool completely, then put your leftovers in an airtight freezer bag or container with as much air removed. It will keep for up to 6 months.
A few tips:
- Make sure the rice is completely cool before storing it in the fridge or freezer.
- If you’re going to freeze it, store it in an airtight container.
- When you’re ready to use it, thaw it overnight in the fridge and reheat it using your preferred method.
So for cooked rice, the rule of thumb is that it will keep for about 6 months at 0°F (or -18°C).
You can expect it to stay fresh for about 1 year and store this way for dry rice.
How Long Does Cooked Rice Last in the Fridge
Cooked rice lasts for about 1-3 days in the refrigerator, depending on how you store it and what rice you use.
If you store your cooked rice properly, it will last at least 3 days (and possibly up to 4 or 5) before becoming gross. On the other hand, if you don’t store it properly, it can go bad in just a few hours. So long as it’s kept at a temperature lower than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. But, of course, it’s like any other perishable food, so you have to be careful not to let it sit out or get too warm.
Keep it in an airtight container and keep an eye on it.
Here are our pro tips for keeping your cooked rice fresh:
1. Leave the rice inside the pot you cooked it in and put the lid on. The residual heat from the pot will keep the rice warm while it cools to room temperature.
2. Once the rice has cooled to room temperature, transfer it to a container with a tight-fitting lid and put it in the fridge —don’t leave it out!
3. If there’s any doubt that your cooked rice might be unsafe to eat, throw it away
How Long Is Cooked White Rice Good For
Cooked white rice lasts about 3–5 days in the fridge. So if you prepare it on Saturday, you can keep it in your refrigerator for up to the next Tuesday.
To store cooked white rice, put it in a container like Tupperware and seal it so that air does not get in. You can also put cooked white rice in a ziplock bag and squeeze out as much air as possible before sealing it.
If you want to keep cooked white rice for longer than a few days, you can put it in the freezer. Place the cooked white rice directly into a freezer-safe plastic bag or container and make sure you remove as much air as possible and seal the container tightly.
Frozen cooked white rice will keep well at 0˚F for up to 6 months, but try to use it within 3 months.
As with all leftovers, use your best judgment to determine whether the rice is still safe to eat after this point. If it smells and looks okay, it’s probably fine.
How Long Does Cooked Brown Rice Last in the Fridge
Cooked brown rice will last for about four days in the fridge, but it can stay good for up to six months in the freezer.
If you’re looking to store it in the fridge, put it in an airtight container or a resealable plastic bag. Vacuum sealer to get as much air out of the bag as possible. Ensure to store cooked brown rice in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking, so bacteria doesn’t have a chance to grow on your food.
It’s important to remember that cooked brown rice can harbor dangerous bacteria like Bacillus cereus, which is responsible for causing food poisoning. This bacteria releases toxins into the food when left out at room temperature for more than two hours.
That’s why it’s so important to store your rice properly soon after cooking—so you don’t have to worry about getting sick from eating rice that has been sitting out for too long.
So if you want to enjoy your brown rice for a few days after cooking it, the best thing to do is put it in your fridge within two hours of taking it off the stove.
How Long Does Cooked Rice Last at Room Temperature
First of all, the amount of time rice can sit out depends on whether or not it’s been refrigerated. Rice left out at room temperature is close to developing Bacillus cereus bacteria. This bacteria can cause food poisoning in people who eat it afterward. The symptoms are very similar to the stomach flu: vomiting and diarrhea.
If you eat rice left at room temperature for longer than four hours, it could have been contaminated by this bacteria, and you could get sick. If you ate the rice recently (within an hour or two), you could throw up the contents of your stomach to help minimize the effects of food poisoning, but if it’s been more than two hours since you ate the rice, it probably won’t do much good.
In general, Cooked rice should not be left out for more than 2 hours. It is true for both brown and white rice. Rice that’s been cooked and then left at room temperature for more than 2 hours is a breeding ground for bacteria that can make you very sick.
If you’ve refrigerated your cooked rice within four hours of cooking, it is safe to heat and eat for up to five days. Otherwise, throw it away.
How to Know If Cooked Rice Is Spoiled
Cooked rice is an incredibly versatile food and can be used to make a wide variety of dishes. Unfortunately, it’s also prone to spoilage, which means you need to know how to tell if it’s gone bad.
It will have a funky smell. If the cooked rice smells off in any way, don’t eat it. The most common odor is a sour smell (sort of like vinegar), but you could also notice a musty or moldy smell if it’s gone bad.
It will have a slimy texture. Cooked rice that has gone bad will feel sticky and clump together when you eat it, rather than being fluffy and light. Toss any rice that feels slimy or mushy.
It will have a funny color. Cooked rice should be white or cream-colored; if your rice has turned yellow or greenish, get rid of it. It is usually due to bacteria growth and can give you food poisoning if consumed.
However, check that it hasn’t been sitting out for too long, look at the color and texture, and sniff the rice to ensure it doesn’t have a funny smell. Then, if you’d rather play it safe, just make your rice.
How Long Does Leftover Rice Last
Leftover rice can last in the fridge for three to seven days but put it in the freezer if you want it to last longer.
Meanwhile, that depends on the type of rice you’re storing and how you prepare it. So let me walk through the different types of rice, their shelf life, and more.
Uncooked jasmine, basmati, and white rice will keep in a sealed container for 6-9 months. Uncooked brown rice will last even longer with an 8-12 months shelf life.
Raw wild rice will last 1 year in a sealed container, while raw instant rice lasts 2 years.
If you cook your rice and store it in the fridge, you’ll still want to use it up within 7 days for the best results. However, you can also freeze cooked rice for up to 6 months, so freezing is probably the way to go if you don’t think you’ll use that much before then.
A general rule is that the shelf life of cooked rice is 4-6 days if kept in the refrigerator. But the truth is it can last way longer than that if not refrigerated; after all, it’s been stored in warehouses for years before being shipped to the grocery store.
So a better measure might be how long it will last if left at room temperature. In this case, the rule of thumb becomes: if it smells okay and doesn’t look moldy or discolored, go ahead and eat it.
How Long Can You Freeze Cooked Rice?
If you freeze cooked rice for 48 hours at a temperature of 25 degrees Fahrenheit, it should last for four to six months.
When cooked rice has been frozen, then defrosted, it can be reheated and eaten safely. The best you can do this is to put the rice in a covered container and microwave it for 3-4 minutes on high.
Some people say that you should never freeze cooked rice, as it’s not safe to eat after it’s been frozen—however, this is a myth! As long as you store your rice correctly and reheat it thoroughly, you’ll be able to enjoy safely reheated, frozen rice for up to 6 months.
If you want to keep your rice from spoiling, it’s best to freeze your rice as soon as possible after cooking.
Is Cooked Rice Okay After 4 Days
It is generally safe to eat rice four days after it has been cooked—as long as the rice was stored properly in the refrigerator right after cooking, not left out at room temperature. Of course, it’s best to consume rice within a day or two of cooking, but if you’re unable to do that, refrigerating it and consuming it within four days will help keep you from getting food poisoning.
If you’re not sure whether your rice is still good, you can use your senses to see if there are any changes to the rice that would indicate that it’s no longer good:
SMELL THE RICE: Cooked rice should be relatively odorless, so it’s probably gone bad if you can smell something off about the rice.
LOOK AT THE RICE: When cooked properly, real rice will be white and fluffy; if your rice has turned brown or gray or looks lumpy, it’s probably no longer safe to eat.
TASTE THE RICE: If none of the above tests have told you whether or not the rice is still good, try tasting a little bit of it. If anything about the texture or taste seems off (for example, if the texture seems mushy), throw the rice away.
Is It Safe to Eat 2 Day Old Cooked Rice?
It is safe to eat two-day-old cooked rice. It’s encouraged, as the rice at this point has had a chance to cool and thoroughly dry out. The FDA warns against consuming rice left out for more than four hours at room temperature but rest assured that you’re good to go if your rice has been refrigerated for two days or less.
However, The problem with rice is that spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning, can survive after the rice is cooked. And if the rice is left standing at room temperature, those spores will multiply and may cause vomiting or diarrhea about 1-5 hours after eating the contaminated food.
A recent study from 2016 found that out of a group of more than 100 patients suffering from B. cereus food poisoning, 95% had eaten sticky rice (aka glutinous/sweet rice). So we have to ask: why take a chance?
Bottom line: we recommend against eating leftover rice if it’s been more than one day since you cooked it.
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Conclusion
How long can you keep cooked rice? There is no real length of time to throw your rice out after cooking. It should be good for about a week in the fridge, give or take a few days. After that, if it gets moldy, throw it away. If it smells bad, throw it away. If you’re not sure about it, throw it out first and then figure out if you ruined some food ten days from now.
