How to Meal Prep Rice: 5 Tips for Safely Meal Prepping Rice

When you purchase one of our recommended products through our links,
we may earn a commission.

If you’ve been in the meal prep community long enough, you’ve probably heard the common misconception that you shouldn’t meal prep rice. And while there is reason to be cautious when cooking and reheating rice, here’s the truth: once you learn how to meal prep rice safely, there’s no reason not to enjoy this ingredient in your weekly meal prep! In this quick meal prep how-to guide, you’ll find 5 helpful tips for meal prepping rice — including how to safely cook, cool, and store your rice for meal prep.

Jump To:

• Can you meal prep rice?
• Cook your rice all the way through
• Get your rice into the fridge quickly
• Reheat your leftover rice thoroughly
• Prep only enough rice for 3-4 days
• Recognize when to discard spoiled rice
• Meal prepped rice FAQ

Can you meal prep rice?

Before we dive into whether or not it’s safe to meal prep rice, it can be helpful to first understand where the concern around meal prepping rice comes from.

When farmers cultivate and harvest rice, it can become contaminated with spores of Bacillus cereus, a type of bacteria that produces harmful toxins. Although cooking usually kills harmful bacteria, B. cereus spores can actually survive the cooking process. When cooked rice containing these spores is left at an unsafe temperature (usually between 40-140°F), the bacteria can grow and contaminate the cooked rice.

Given the risk of contamination, you’re probably wondering if it’s safe to meal prep rice — and the answer is yes! If you cook and reheat your rice correctly, you can safely store and eat meal prepped rice for up to 3-4 days. With that said, here are the top 5 beginner-friendly tips you should keep in mind if you’re planning to cook and store rice for meal prep.

1. Cook your rice all the way through

Food safety starts during the cooking process — so the first step in prepping your rice safely is to ensure that it’s cooked all the way through. Generally, you can cook most types of rice using one of two easy methods:

• In a pot: start by boiling and salting the water, then add the rice to the boiling water (it’s usually a 1:2 ratio of rice to water). Allow the rice to come back to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for roughly 15-18 minutes undisturbed.
• In a rice cooker: fill the rice cooker with the appropriate amount of water and rice. Close the lid, set the rice cooker to the correct rice setting, and allow the rice to cook undisturbed.

Although boiling and steaming won’t necessarily kill all of the spores that may be present in raw rice, cooking your rice thoroughly can still help reduce the risk of other potentially harmful bacteria.

2. Get your rice into the fridge quickly

Dangerous foodborne pathogens — including B. cereus — can grow rapidly when the temperature of food remains between 40°F and 140°F for too long. Because even reheating food can’t eliminate the toxins that B. cereus releases once grown, the most important step in meal prepping rice safely is to cool it down as quickly as possible.

In order to cool your rice down safely, you’ll want to get it into the fridge or freezer within 2 hours, according to the CDC. If the temperature in your kitchen or the environment is higher than 90°F, however, you should make sure to refrigerate it within 1 hour instead.

3. Reheat your leftover rice thoroughly

When it comes to learning how to meal prep rice the right way, it’s important to know how to reheat your rice so that it’s safe to eat. Like any other leftover ingredient, the USDA recommends reheating cooked rice to at least to 165°F to kill any bacteria that may be present.

If you don’t have a thermometer that can give you an accurate temperature reading, the best way to make sure that your rice is fully reheated is to ensure that it’s steaming all the way through. And even if you see steam, don’t forget to check that there are no cold spots trapped anywhere in the center of the rice.

One important thing to remember is that although reheating food to 165°F can kill B. cereus cells, it can’t destroy any toxins that have already been released by the bacteria itself — which is why cooling your food quickly is so important.

4. Prep only enough rice for 3-4 days

As a meal prep beginner, knowing how long meal prep ingredients last in the fridge is an important part of meal prep food safety. Since cooked rice only lasts in the fridge for about 4 days, your best bet is to only cook as much rice as you’ll need for 3-4 days’ worth of meal prep.

Of course, if you’re someone who prefers buffet-style meal prep or freezing your meals, you can get away with prepping larger portions of rice if you plan to freeze them. However, freezing can sometimes change the taste and texture of rice, so most people prefer to prep their rice fresh each week.

5. Recognize when to discard spoiled rice

Most of us have come face-to-face with spoiled food before — perhaps a container of takeout that smelled “off”, or a carton of milk that tasted sour. But when you’re frequently eating reheated meals, it becomes even more important to recognize the signs of food spoilage so that you can protect yourself against foodborne illnesses.

If you open your container of rice and notice signs of spoilage like mold, sliminess, or a bad odor, throw it out. Even if you haven’t noticed any visible signs of spoilage, if there’s a chance that you cooked, stored, or reheated your rice improperly, don’t risk it — simply throw it out and make a new batch.

Meal prepped rice FAQ

Hundreds of thousands of people eat reheated rice on a regular basis — and just as many of us regularly include rice in our weekly meal plans. If you’re still on the fence about whether or not you should meal prep rice, here are a few more things to keep in mind.

Can I eat rice that has been in the fridge for 3 days?

Cooked rice that has been properly cooled and stored in the fridge is generally considered safe to eat for up to 4 days (which makes it a perfect ingredient for any 3-day meal plan). If you notice any signs of food spoilage during this time period, however, you should discard the rice and make a new batch.

How much rice can I meal prep for a week?

If you plan to include rice in your weekly meal plan, the best way to do this is to prep only as much rice as you can eat in 3-4 days. Any leftover rice that you’re not able to eat within 4 days can be frozen and reheated later — just make sure to eat it as soon as possible after reheating it.

How do I store white rice for meal prepping?

One of the best ways to store meal prepped rice is in airtight glass containers that are designed to help keep food fresh for longer, like Prep Naturals’ glass meal prep containers. Plastic containers are also safe to use for storing rice, but not all plastic containers provide airtight storage to help keep your ingredients fresh.