How to Reheat Rice
on Feb 21, 2022, Updated Jul 25, 2024
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Reheating leftover rice in the microwave or on the stove is easy, and with a few tricks the rice will be fluffy again!
There are few things more disheartening to find in the fridge than a container of cold, hard leftover rice fused together like a crumbly brick. Whether it’s take-out rice or the most perfect homemade rice from a pot you made earlier in the week, it never looks promising when you pull it out from the refrigerator.
But luckily, there are a couple of ways to reheat rice. Whether in a pan on the stove or in the microwave, if you use one of these rice reheating tricks, you can ensure that those precious grains stay fluffy and don’t get gummy, lumpy, or dry. So go ahead — don’t just make enough rice for one dinner. Once you know how to reheat rice, you can multi-purpose it all week long.
Table of Contents
Best Ways to Reheat Leftover Rice
There are a few great methods available to us rice lovers if we want to reheat it. In this post, I go over the best way to reheat rice on the stove and in the microwave. Pro tip: if you don’t want to go these routes, there’s a secret third way to reheat your plain rice…Make it into some stir-fry!
How to Reheat Rice on the Stove
- Add water: To reheat rice in a pot on the stove, add a bit of water to the rice in the pot (about 2 tablespoons per cup of rice).
- Cover, then stir: Cover the pot and heat it over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until it is hot throughout. Don’t use a very deep pot — you want to be able to stir easily so that the rice reheats more quickly and doesn’t get all scorched and broken while you are stirring it.
How to Reheat Rice in the Microwave
- Add rice and water to bowl: To reheat rice in the microwave put it in a microwave-safe dish or shallow bowl. Use a bowl deep enough to allow you to stir without flinging the grains everywhere, but not so deep that it’s hard to stir the rice easily. Drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of water per cup of rice.
- Use a damp paper towel: Cover the rice with a damp paper towel. This prevents moisture from escaping and the rice from drying out.
- Microwave: Microwave the rice for about 20 seconds per cup until it’s hot. For larger amounts of rice, stir occasionally once it gets hot on the outer edges of the bowl. The rice in the middle will still be cool, so you want to redistribute it so it heats more evenly.
What Kind of Rice Can You Reheat?
These methods work to reheat most kinds of rice: white, brown, basmati, jasmine, Texmati, black, and even wild rice. (Side note: Did you know that wild rice is actually a type of grass? And, did you know that varieties like jasmine and basmati also come in brown rice versions?)
You can use these methods to reheat leftover risotto or other dishes made with Arborio rice. This also goes for other very starchy short-grain rice types, sticky rice and glutinous rice. However, do know that if you choose to reheat these types of rice, you will get hot rice, but not fluffy separate grains, since they weren’t fluffy or separate to being with.
Tips for Make-Ahead Rice
If you are making rice with the intention of reheating some of it later in the week, it’s a good move to cool it down quickly so it doesn’t get clumpy, sticky, or too soft sitting in the pot.
An easy way to do this is to spray a rimmed baking sheet or tray with nonstick cooking spray or cover it with parchment paper, and then spread whatever rice you plan to store on the sheet or tray. When it cools to room temperature, scoop it into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. This will help keep the rice more separate.
FAQs
Reheating rice in the microwave is not just safe, but it’s actually recommended. It’s fast, easy, and with a few handy tricks like adding water and covering the rice with a damp towel, your rice will come out just as fluffy as if it had been cooked the same day.
Like all hot food, rice tends to attract bacterial growth. The longer it sits on the counter uncovered, the more bacteria it might be exposed to. Reheating your rice opens up that window of possible exposure even more. That’s why it’s generally a good idea to get your rice in the fridge as quickly as possible after cooking it and to only reheat it once.
Ways to Use Reheated Rice
More Rice Recipes
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How to Reheat Rice
Equipment
- Saucepan (for stovetop)
Ingredients
- Leftover rice
- Water (as needed)
Instructions
On the Stovetop:
- Place the leftover rice in a pot, and add about 2 tablespoons of water for each cup of rice. Don’t use a very deep pot — you want to be able to stir easily so that the rice reheats more quickly and doesn’t get all scorched and broken while you are stirring it.
- Cover the pot and heat the rice over medium-low heat. Stir frequently until the rice is hot throughout.
In the Microwave:
- To reheat rice in the microwave, put it in a microwave-safe dish or shallow bowl. Use a bowl deep enough to allow you to stir without flinging the grains everywhere, but not so deep that it’s hard to stir the rice easily.
- Drizzle over a couple of tablespoons of water per cup.
- Cover the rice with a damp paper towel. This prevents hydration from escaping, which prevents the rice from drying out.
- Blast the rice for about 20 seconds per cup until it’s hot. For larger amounts of rice, stir occasionally once it gets hot on the outer edges of the bowl. The rice in the middle will still be cool, so you want to redistribute it so it heats more evenly.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, I am a widower and never learned to cook. I will be 80 in six months, bless your heart for your help-
Bob