Food Shopping and Storing Food Shopping & Storing How to Reheat Leftover Rice Without Drying It Out Don't toss your leftover grains! Follow these simple steps to microwave, steam, or stir-fry them. By Betty Gold Betty Gold Betty Gold is the former senior digital food editor at Real Simple. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on May 11, 2024 Fact checked by Isaac Winter Fact checked by Isaac Winter Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process In This Article View All In This Article Overview Microwaving Steaming Stir Frying Don't have 55 minutes to prepare brown rice or even 20 minutes for white? We can relate, but once you learn how to reheat rice, you can make a double or triple batch when you do have time. With a bit of meal planning and adherence to food safety precautions, you'll end up with perfectly cooked, fluffy rice to have at-the-ready for recipes that call for leftover cooked rice. We'll walk you through the steps for reheating rice three ways—microwaving, steaming, and stir-frying—so it doesn't come out dry or tough. We also throw in a few tips for storing rice properly, in the fridge and freezer, to use later. How Long Can You Keep Leftover Rice? Let's debunk the common food safety myth that rice is unsafe to save and reheat. This is simply not true. While mishandling leftovers like cooked rice can cause bacterial contamination, it's safe to eat as long as you follow proper steps and safety precautions. If you want to save your perfectly cooked rice for later, the USDA says to cool leftovers quickly, ensuring they're in the danger zone (a temperature range between 40 and 140°F) for no longer than 2 hours. For a quicker cool-down, divide leftovers into shallow containers sealed with a lid or place hot food directly into the fridge or freezer. Toss leftover rice that has been left out for longer than 2 hours. (It's just not worth the risk of food poisoning.) The USDA says it's safe to keep leftover rice in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. It's perfectly safe to eat leftover rice cold, so long as it was cooled and stored correctly when you first cooked it. To ensure it's piping hot throughout and safe to consume, use a food thermometer and ensure its internal temperature is at least 165°F. How to Reheat Rice in the Microwave Whether you're microwaving frozen or refrigerated rice, follow these instructions for reheating rice without drying it out. Refrigerated Rice Place rice in a microwave-safe bowl with a loose cover.For each cup of rice, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water and cover loosely.Cook in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes or until piping hot throughout.Check for an internal temperature of at least 165°F, and serve immediately. Frozen Rice Remove the container's lid and sprinkle frozen rice with 1 to 2 tablespoons of water per cup of rice.Cover the container with a damp paper towel and microwave on HIGH for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on the portion size).Fluff rice gently with a fork and cook again for 1 to 3 minutes.Let rice stand for 2 minutes, fluff again, and serve after checking the internal temperature. How to Reheat Rice With Steam Transfer rice to a saucepan (with a lid) and add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter or oil.For each cup of rice, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water, bring to a low simmer, and cover, stirring occasionally.Once the water has boiled off, check for an internal temperature of at least 165°F.Serve piping hot. How to Stir-Fry Leftover Rice Transfer rice to a wok or sauté pan with cooking oil over medium heat. Stir continuously, breaking up clumps and ensuring rice gets an even coating of oil, until piping hot Check for an internal temperature of at least 165°F, and serve immediately. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Real Simple is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Leftovers and Food Safety. USDA.