Wild Rice Shelf Life: How Long Does Wild Rice Last?

What is the average shelf life of wild rice? How long does wild rice last in the pantry, refrigerator, or freezer? What is the best way to store wild rice to increase its shelf life? Find out the answers to these questions and more below:

Shelf Life of Wild Rice

	Pantry	Refrigerator	Freezer
Uncooked	3-5 Years	N/A	N/A
Cooked	N/A	3-4 Days	4-6 Months

Wild rice has a durable storage time. If you keep it an airtight jar, it stays fresh. Keep it in a dry place in rather a cool environment. The airtight wild rice has a shelf life of years raw or uncooked. If you have cooked rice and you want to store it for a week, you can store it in a refrigerator. It can be stored for even months if you keep the rice in a freezer.  Well for the uncooked brown rice it can last for about 5-6 months at about normal temperature. Even they can be stored for years.

Purchasing Wild Rice:

There is a no hard and fast rule of buying wild rice. As you see there are many brands, so you must know from which you want to buy. You can check this information on the packaging. Buy always in a large quantity and store them in dry containers. This will help you in not buying them again and again. Most people prefer buying old rice over new ones because they don’t break into halve while cooking.

Storing Wild Rice:

Wild rice is easy to store and manage. It is one of the food items that can be stored for a pretty long time. The main storage way is to put them in a container and store them in a dry place. It is very necessary that the rice should be stored away from the moisture. The moisture can spoil the rice and increase the chance of sponges in the container. You can also store them in a plastic bag. They can be easily stored for years if they are properly taken care of.

How to Handle Wild Rice:

Handling wild rice is easier than other grains. You can handle dry rice in any container. All you need is to keep the rice container away from the moisture.

You just need to make sure that you wash them thoroughly before cooking because they contain dust and tiny weevils that you must drain out of the rice. Even after that, you have to let the rice soak in the water for at least half hour. This makes the rice taste and cooked even better. Just be sure that you don’t cook them for a very long time after soaking them in the water. They will get totally spoiled.

Cooking the Wild Rice:

Wild rice is not a commonly cooked food in English countries. People usually cook them on occasions like Thanksgiving or rarely twice or thrice a year. Rinse it with water and then drain them completely. Boil them in water mixed with a small amount of salt. Don’t stir them too much as they might get break easily because of the boiling water. Drain the water when you think they are getting soft and enjoy them on your special days.