Cooking Wild Rice in a Rice Cooker • The Incredible Bulks (2024)

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Yes, you can cook wild rice in your rice cooker! It's super easy and probably the most convenient way to make wild rice. In this guide, you'll learn everything you need to know, from water to wild rice ratio, storage, nutrition, recipes for your cooked wild rice, and more.

A rice cooker is a very convenient tool that you can do more with than you probably realize. Not only can you cook brown and white rice in it, but you can also cook a myriad of other types of rice and grains, including wild rice.

The thing I love about cooking wild rice in a rice cooker is how incredibly easy it is, and how it's pretty much impossible to burn. (Has anyone else forgotten a pot of simmering grains on the stove and had to try to scrape it off? It is NOT FUN)!

Wild rice is one of the most expensive grains, (check out "A Complete Guide to Wild Rice" to find out why). Bulk bins to the rescue! 99% of the time, it is significantly cheaper to purchase grains from bulk bins, and you should be able to find wild rice in that section if your grocery store has one.

So, it doesn't matter if you have a fancy rice cooker or just a very basic one, you can use it to cook wild rice! Let's get started!

📖 Instructions

Start by spraying the bottom of your rice cooker bowl with a little cooking spray. This will help prevent the rice from sticking.

Next, rinse your uncooked wild rice grains with cool, clean water. This removes any dust or debris that has settled in storage. You do not need to soak your wild rice before cooking it in the rice cooker.

The ratio of water to wild rice is 1 cup of wild rice to 2 cups of liquid. I find that 1 cup of uncooked makes a little over 3 cups of cooked wild rice.

Add the water and wild rice to the bowl of the rice cooker and place the lid on.

If you have a basic rice cooker, push the button down and let the rice cooker do its magic. The button will pop, letting you know the wild rice is done.

For me, it takes about 1 hour for 1 cup of wild rice to cook in my basic rice cooker.

If you have a fancy town rice cooker, i.e one that has multiple settings, you'll want to choose the "brown rice" setting before starting the rice cooker. The Aroma Rice Cooker is an example of one that has multiple settings and can be used to cook wild rice.

Once the rice cooker is done, remove the lid, give your wild rice a nice fluff with a fork and get ready to serve it!

🔁 Substitutions

Wild Rice blend in the rice cooker

Wild Rice is often found in a mix or medley with other kinds of rice, like brown and red rice. If you have a wild rice blend, you can use the same liquid-to-wild rice blend ratio, which is 2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice.

Because each wild rice mix or blend can have different ingredients, if the rice is too firm at the end of cooking, it may be necessary to add 1-2 Tbsp. liquid and cook longer.

Adding Flavors

If you'd like to give your wild rice more flavor you can do this by using broth (chicken, beef, vegetable, etc) instead of water.

🥣 Storage

Once cooked, wild rice can be stored in the fridge for about 1 week. Just make sure to keep it in an airtight container.

It can also be stored in the freezer for up to 6 months. You'll want to use a freezer-friendly container (I love to use these reusable ziplock bags). In order to prevent freezer burn, make sure rice is completely cooled before placing it in the freezer.

When it's time to thaw your rice, it's best to let it defrost in the fridge overnight. If you forgot to do this ahead of time (me 🙋‍♀️), you can defrost it in the microwave. It's best to add just a little water and cover the bowl. This helps the grains become soft and fluffy again.

💪 Nutrition

Wild Rice is naturally gluten-free. It's high in protein and full of antioxidants.

Some label it as a "superfood" and some claim it is the healthiest form of rice because of its high protein content.

✨ Top tips

Good things to remember:

• The ratio of water to wild rice is 1 cup of wild rice to 2 cups of liquid.

• 1 cup of uncooked makes a little over 3 cups of cooked wild rice.

• It takes about 1 hour for 1 cup of wild rice to cook in a rice cooker.

Wild rice is naturally chewier than cooked white and brown rice, but if you think your rice isn't as soft as it should be at the end of cooking, add 1-2 tablespoon of liquid and cook longer.

Wild rice can also be made in a pot on the stove, or in the Instant Pot.

🥗 More Recipes/Serve With

Wild rice is often used in salads, casseroles, and soups. Here are some of my favorite recipes from around the web:

Creamy Wild Rice Soup

🍽️ Equipment

Here are some items you'll need to make this recipe.

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You can successfully make brown basmati rice in whatever rice cooker you have, whether it be the simplest of rice cookers or an extra fancy one. If you need a rice cooker, here are some highly rated ones at different price points. Just click on the picture to learn more about the product.

Highly Rated Rice Cookers

Aroma Housewares Aroma 6-cup Rice Cooker

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AROMA Professional Digital Rice Cooker, 8-Cup

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TOSHIBA Rice Cooker, 6 Cup

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Zojirushi Micom Rice Cooker and Warmer

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If you don't have a fine mesh strainer I highly recommend getting a metal one. They are great for rinsing small grains, like rice and quinoa, because they can't fall through the mesh. The metal mesh strainers are a lot more durable than plastic or fabric ones. I've had holes rip in the plastic ones before.

Highly Rated Strainers

Bellemain 5 Qt Metal Colander with Handle

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Cuisinart Mesh Strainers, 3 Count

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Kafoor 9" Large Fine Mesh Strainer with Thermo Plastic Rubber Handle

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I hope this wild rice in the rice cooker tutorial was helpful to you!

✌️ Ems

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