A simple, straightforward guide to freeze and reheat rice so that it turns out moist, fluffy, and delicious every time! This is a fantastic option for an easy weeknight side, prepping meals ahead, or serving a crowd.
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Have you ever frozen and reheated rice? It is one of our family’s go-to cooking hacks for SO many reasons.
- Great make-ahead option and a convenient side dish for busy weeknights.
- Avoids wasting leftovers.
- GREAT for serving to a crowd (it can be made in large batches and is hands-free the day of serving).
- Rice is very economical. Making your own and freezing it is definitively cheaper than buying it pre-made at the store.
- It’s easy and convenient. If you are already making rice, just double it and freeze half for a future meal.
If you haven’t joined the bandwagon already, it’s not too late. This guide will give you all the tips and tricks to freeze and reheat rice like a pro.
🌾 Ingredients
The ingredients needed are completely dependent on which rice recipe you want to freeze. This works well with almost any rice, so pick your favorite! A full list of rice recipe ideas is also included further down in this post.
🍚 How to freeze rice
1. Make rice as directed. Leave off any fresh ingredients normally added before serving (i.e. lime juice, shredded coconut, green onions, etc.). Finished rice will look moist but be very flat in the pot.
2. Use a fork to fluff the cooked rice. Scrape the tines across the surface of the rice, starting shallow and moving deeper as you go until all the rice is evenly fluffed. This is key to great texture! If you use a spoon to stir instead, it will smash or squish the rice.
3. Spread the rice into an even layer on a baking sheet, keeping it fluffed with the fork as you go (don’t press or smash the rice onto the pan). If the rice layer is thicker than your baking sheet, spread it onto additional sheets for thinner layers. Allow it to cool on the counter or in the fridge until it has reached room temperature. Don’t rush this step - cooling it thoroughly maintains it’s fluffy texture and prevents it from becoming one giant clump in the freezer.
4. Scoop the rice into a zipper bag, squeezing out as much extra air as possible (you could also store in an airtight container or disposable baking pan). Gently pat the rice until the bag lays flat. Freeze flat on a baking sheet until frozen solid (this makes the rice easy to stack or store in tight spots in the freezer). Frozen rice keeps well for 1-2 months.
♨ How to reheat rice
- Place frozen rice in a baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with water (no more than ½ tablespoon per cup of rice).
- Cover with tinfoil and bake at 300°F for 30-40 minutes or, if you have allowed it to partially thaw, at 300°F for 20-30 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork again. If needed, top with fresh ingredients (i.e. lime juice, cilantro, shredded coconut, green onions, etc).
- Serve rice very soon after reheating to avoid it drying out.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This is a great technique for serving rice to a crowd. If you make and freeze the rice ahead, pop it in the oven to reheat while you cook the main dish. Then just add toppings before serving!
🙋 Questions & Answers
You can freeze practically any rice recipe out there. They all follow the same essential steps to be frozen and reheated. I have tried this with white rice, brown rice, pilafs, Mexican rice, and even other grains like quinoa.
First, rice can simply be reheated to make an easy side dish. This works best with flavored rices and pilafs. However, you can also use frozen rice in soups, stews, stuffed peppers, Mexican burritos, rice cereal, and any other recipe that calls for already cooked rice.
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Make sure to thoroughly fluff the rice with a fork before freezing. Do not use a mixing spoon since spoons tend to squish and mash rice.
- Avoid overcrowding the sheet pan. The layer of rice should not rise above the rim of the sheet pan. If it does, use additional pans for thinner layers.
- Do not freeze the rice until it is room temperature. Warm rice sticks and becomes clumpy, but cool rice will maintain its fluffy texture.
- Never reheat rice uncovered. Keeping it covered with tinfoil traps the moisture and prevents the rice from drying out.
- If serving a crowd, freeze the rice in a disposable baking pan. You can pull it straight from the freezer, bake it, and serve it all in the same pan.
Orange Cranberry Rice 
Brown Butter Rice Pilaf Cilantro Lime Rice Pineapple Lime Rice
📖 Great rice recipes to try
Want to give freezing rice a try? Here are some of our family favorite rice recipes that work great for freezing and reheating!
- Toasted Coconut Rice - Slightly sweet, definitively addictive, and subtly tropical.
- Brown Butter Rice Pilaf - Packed full of flavor with only 4 ingredients!
- Pineapple Lime Rice - A perfect compliment to tropical, Asian, or Mexican flavors (Sounds too good to be true, huh?).
- Cilantro Lime Rice - A bright and zesty rice perfect in or alongside your favorite Mexican main dish.
- Orange Cranberry Rice- An easy side dish infused with fresh oranges and studded with red cranberries.
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📋 Recipe
How to Freeze and Reheat Rice Perfectly Every Time
Ingredients
- Cooked rice - Any rice recipe in any amount
Instructions
How to Freeze Rice
- Make rice as directed. Leave off any fresh ingredients normally added before serving (i.e. lime juice, shredded coconut, green onions, etc.). Finished rice will look moist but be very flat in the pot.
- Use a fork to fluff the cooked rice. Scrape the tines across the surface of the rice, starting shallow and moving deeper as you go until all the rice is evenly fluffed.
- Spread the rice into an even layer on a baking sheet, keeping it fluffed with the fork as you go (don’t press or smash the rice onto the pan). If the rice layer is thicker than your baking sheet, spread it onto additional sheets for thinner layers. Allow to cool on the counter or in the fridge until it has reached room temperature. Don’t rush this step - cooling it thoroughly maintains it’s fluffy texture and prevents it from becoming one giant clump in the freezer.
- Scoop the rice into a ziptop bag, squeezing out as much extra air as possible (you could also store in an airtight container or disposable baking pan). Gently pat the rice until the bag lays flat. Freeze flat on a baking sheet until frozen solid (this makes the rice easy to stack or store in tight spots in the freezer).
- Frozen rice keeps well for 1-2 months.
How to Reheat Rice
- Place frozen rice in a baking pan. Sprinkle lightly with water (no more than ½ tablespoon per cup of rice). Cover with tinfoil and bake at 300°F for 30-40 minutes or, if you have allowed it to partially thaw, at 300°F for 20-30 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork again. If needed, top with fresh ingredients (i.e. lime juice, cilantro, shredded coconut, green onions, etc).
- Serve rice very soon after reheating to avoid it drying out.
Notes
- Make sure to thoroughly fluff the rice with a fork before freezing. Do not use a mixing spoon since spoons tend to squish and mash rice.
- Avoid overcrowding the sheet pan. The layer of rice should not rise above the rim of the sheet pan. If it does, use additional pans for thinner layers.
- Do not freeze the rice until it is room temperature. Warm rice sticks and becomes clumpy, but cool rice will maintain it’s fluffy texture.
- Never reheat rice uncovered. Keeping it covered with tinfoil traps the moisture and prevents the rice from drying out.
- If serving a crowd, freeze the rice in a disposable baking pan. You can pull it straight from the freezer, bake it, and serve it all in the same pan.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Shelli says
I love being able to go to the freezer and pull out a ready-to-go meal after a busy day. Thanks for the time saving tip!
Stephanie Berry says
I was excited for this recipe until I saw the reheating is 30 mins in the oven ...that doesn't really save me any time on weeknights. Do you have any recommendations for a faster reheating method using the stove or microwave?
Misty says
Good question! We have tried reheating rice in the microwave or on the stove, but for a large amount (i.e. not just a single serving) it typically makes the rice very dry or gummy. We have found that using the oven avoids those problems. We typically use this method making a rice that requires prep work, or we intentionally double a rice recipe in order to have hands-off time for a weeknight dinner. I do understand the need to save time though! Although it isn't our favorite method, if the microwave works better you can reheat it in single sized servings sprinkled with water until warmed through. Hope this helps!