Y’all know how I am about leftovers. I try to use them whenever and wherever I can because food waste is one the the biggest areas where you can recapture some of your food budget. While rice is one of the least expensive ingredients in my arsenal, I find that it’s really easy to accidentally make too much and have the leftovers get lost in the fridge, only to end up in the garbage a week later. Making a conscious effort to keep track of and use leftovers can have a huge impact on your budget. So, this week when I saw some leftover rice in my refrigerator and I started brainstorming to come up with these 7 ways to use leftover rice. Hopefully this will be helpful to you!
Is Leftover Rice Safe to Eat?
Yes, IF it has been cooled and stored properly after cooking. Rice can naturally contain a bacteria called Bacillus cereus, which has spores that are resistant to cooking. After cooking, these spores can “hatch” if the rice is left at warm temperatures (between 40-140ºF) for too long. Once the spores hatch, the bacteria goes to work eating the rice and producing a toxin that can make us sick. While reheating the previously cooked rice may kill the active bacteria, it does not kill the spores or eliminate the toxins in the rice, making the rice still potentially dangerous.
How to Properly Store Cooked Rice
Bacillus cereus contamination does not produce any visible signs or smells, so it’s of utmost importance that rice be cooled properly immediately after cooking. Transfer your cooked rice to a new container (do not leave it in the hot container it was cooked in), divide the rice into smaller portions if cooked in a large batch, and then place it in the refrigerator to cool. Do not let your rice sit out at room temperature. The goal is to cool the rice to below 40ºF in under two hours, so the sooner it gets in the fridge, the better.
Fun fact: I used to be a microbiologist and worked with Bacillus cereus on a daily basis! It’s one of those environmental organisms that is on the surface of almost everything and is usually benign, unless it gets someplace that it shouldn’t be, like our food.
Fried Rice and Stir Fry – Leftover or day-old rice is actually ideal for making fried rice because the grains are slightly more firm and less likely to get sticky and gummy when stirred in with sauce or other ingredients. So, toss whatever vegetables you have in your fridge or freezer into a skillet, a scrambled egg, add your leftover rice, and drizzle them with a delicious sauce. Dinner is DONE. Try Shrimp Fried Rice with Pineapple and Toasted Coconut. You can also add rice to traditional stir fries. Use it either as a bed for the stir fry or combine it right in the skillet to make a fried rice/stir fry hybrid. Try adding rice to Beef and Cabbage Stir Fry or use it as a bed for stir fry like these Hoisin Stir Fry Bowls with Spicy Peanut Sauce.
Bowl Meals – Breakfast bowls are my jam, but “bowl meals” are actually great any time of the day. Here’s the idea: grab whatever protein, vegetable, and sauce you have in the fridge and pile them on top of a bowl of rice. Heat, eat, and be happy. They’re so fast and easy and you can make “one offs” to accommodate whatever leftovers you have on hand. At least 50% of my meals follow this format. Some of my favorites include: Poor Man’s Burrito Bowls, Pineapple Sriracha Breakfast Bowls, Spicy Tuna Guacamole Bowls, Sweet and Spicy Chicken Bowls, and Bibimbap.
Soups and Stews – Okay, this one is not going to be news for anyone living in Louisiana because we add rice to everything, but I’m sure there are a lot of people out there who don’t know how much a simple scoop of cooked rice can add to a bowl of soup or stew. If you don’t have a nice loaf of crusty bread to dip in your soup, add a scoop of rice instead! This is perfect for when you have just a small amount of rice that needs to be used. Try adding scoop of cooked rice to Golden Coconut Lentil Soup, Vegan Peanut Stew, 30 Minute Posole, Slow cooker Black Bean Stew, Weeknight Black Bean Chili, or Mexican Red Lentil Stew.
Casseroles and Skillet Meals – Similar to fried rice, day-old rice is actually ideal for casseroles and skillet meals. The grains are slightly dryer and more firm, allowing them to mix easily with other ingredients and absorb extra liquid and flavor. So, turn last night’s leftovers into a whole new meal with a comforting casserole, or quick skillet meal. Try Broccoli Cheddar Casserole, Beef Burrito Casserole, Southwest Chicken Skillet, or Cheesy Chicken and Vegetable Rice Casserole.
Meatloaf and Meatballs – Leftover rice makes a great addition to both meatloaf and meatballs and absorbs excess moisture in the same way that breadcrumbs can! This is a great alternative for those with sensitivities to wheat. You may need to play around with the proportions as it probably won’t be a 1:1 substitution for bread crumbs. Try Thai Turkey Meatloaf.
Rice Pudding – Transform your leftover rice into a rich, creamy, and COZY dessert with just a few ingredients. It really doesn’t get any better than this! Try my Creamy Rice Pudding.
Rice Pancakes – Okay, I haven’t made this one in ages, as you can probably tell by the photos, but it’s still one of my favorite ways to use up leftover rice. Simply mix your rice with an egg to hold everything together and a few yummy flavorings like cinnamon and vanilla, then cook them in a skillet. Now that I’m thinking about it, I bet these would be really awesome cooked in a waffle iron, too! Try Rice Pancakes.
Freeze it – And if all else fails and you just can’t find an immediate use for your leftover rice, be sure to pack it up and freeze it for later use. Having single portions of cooked rice stashed in the freezer makes last-minute meals (like those bowl meals!) really easy. A quick microwave and you’re on your way. Check out How to Freeze Rice.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways to use up leftover rice, but they are seven of my favorite methods. Share your favorite way to use up your leftover rice with the rest of us by leaving a comment below!
As someone who isn’t the biggest rice lover these suggestions are great. My wife likes rice way more than I do so maybe these ideas will open me up to trying new things!
I like to make “barbecue rice” Just saute some onion, red pepper, zucchini, celery, carrots and you add that to your cooked rice. Then I pour some barbecue sauce, about 1/4 cup. Oh and some corn too! You can even use leftover chicken… You decide!! Anyway you want it! By the way; I love your blog ☺
That sounds fantastic!!
My two favorites are probably under the “bowl” category. I love to do beans and rice; saute some onion and bell pepper, add part of a can of beans and taco seasonings, pour that over the rice, top with cheese and cilantro if I’ve got it. My second go to is also to use up extra greens when I go too crazy at the market and end up with half a bunch of kale leftover. I saute greens and add an Asian style sauce (usually soy sauce, mirin, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and honey) pile that over the greens and add a fried egg on top. Both budget friendly, both under 10 minutes from stove to table!
When I was younger, I got really severe food poisoning from left over rice, and ever since then I’ve been pretty awkward about leftover rice. My mum had only left it out as we finished our dinner (30-40 minutes?) and then put it away, but we all got seriously sick when she re-used it the next day.
If I don’t use it, I throw it away because honestly, I just don’t know how to store it properly without it getting contaminated.
Any suggestions on proper storage for it?
Yes, it is very important that leftover rice be chilled as fast as possible after cooking because there is a naturally occurring bacteria on most rice, called Bacillus cereus, that has spores which can survive the cooking process. So, make sure to divide your rice into smaller portions for faster cooling, and get it into the refrigerator as soon as possible. This bacteria is actually common in the environment and can cause food borne illness from just about any food, so it’s important to treat any type of leftovers with the same caution. :)
I honestly don’t really ever have to worry about leftover rice because my fiance and I go through it so quickly. We usually make your golden rice or coconut rice at the beginning of the week, and if we can get them to last until Wednesday that’s lucky.
Rice pancakes are the best! Almost better than potato pancakes.
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Iam always left with some left over rice in the refrigerator.
And always try doing some south indian make over to rice
Beth, i will give these recipes a try to give a change to the family.
Meatloaf is my favorite here
I often use leftover rice to make burritos. Thanks for the interesting post. :-)
This just reminded me that I have a little bit of rice pilaf langusishing in the fridge. Maybe with some scrambled eggs and shredded chicken – thanks for the help!
I always cook more rice than I need for a single meal–as Beth points out, it’s gold in the freezer or fridge. I most often use it for soups or casseroles, but it’s nice to heat up if there’s just a little left over stew or curry that needs something as a foundation.
I have leftover coconut rice.. Any suggestions for repurposing?
Coconut rice is great for stir fry and adding to soups that have either East Asian or Indian flavors. :)
I make rice in big batches on purpose and freeze in single serving portions. I don’t own a microwave so I take my rice and put it in a strainer set over simmering water. Cover the pan with foil (to be able to cover the handle of the strainer). In 10 minutes (defrosted) or 20 minutes (frozen) you have perfect reheated rice.
One of my favorite uses for leftover rice is rice pudding. I think the rice pancakes could be delicious as a savory dish, too, with leftover meat and veggies.
Yes and yes!
My Peruvian in-laws make rice patties. Use plenty of egg, so it is more like an egg foo yung consistency, Gently stir in large dice onions and fresh tomatoes, season with salt, paprika, and a dash of garlic powder. Fry in a bit of oil, so the get crispy on the outside. Delicious!
Thanks for sharing this!
Just wondering – is there a reason for your preference for white rice over brown? (It seems like every time you post a recipe involving rice, you immediately get a bunch of comments asking if it would work to sub it brown rice…)
Er, sub IN. :)
And for those who think brown rice is not quick and easy – I use my stove top pressure cooker to cook brown rice in 12 minutes! Then I can freeze single servings in zip bags. For those of you who have Instant Pot pressure cookers, I’m pretty sure you can cook brown rice in that appliance as well.
I’ve learned to cook jasmine rice in a pyrex casserole dish in the microwave. So easy and so much less mess than pans boiling over on the gas range.
I recently discovered I can cook brown rice in my electric pressure cooker. It is so easy! I do 2 cups brown rice and 2.5 cups water, add a little salt and cook on high pressure for 22 minutes. Comes out perfect every time!
I’ve never once had a pan of rice boil over in forty years. Rice is incredibly easy on the stovetop.
But for most of the recipes where you add raw rice to other ingredients, you don’t want to use brown rice because it’s going to take too long to cook compared to everything else in there. (Unless you buy the parboiled–not quite Minute rice, but quicker-cooking–brown rice, or you partly cook your rice first.)
I occasionally use brown rice but over the years my taste preference has just been for white rice, jasmine specifically. I find that brown rice has a rather over powering flavor that can often overshadow a dish. So, it’s just a personal preference, and since I actually eat all the stuff I cook here I have to go with what I’ll enjoy. Hahah :)
loving this list! Thanks for sharing =)