Cooked rice keeps for about 3-4 days in the fridge, and 1 month in the freezer. The table below splits those times by opened and unopened โ and a date still in range never overrides what your nose tells you.
Rice left at room temperature can grow Bacillus cereus, and the toxin it produces is not destroyed by reheating. The safest habit โ and the one that tastes best โ is portioning leftovers into the freezer as soon as they stop steaming. Wrapping while a little steam remains keeps it moist after reheating.
Storage times
| Unopened | Opened | |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | Within 1 hour | Within 1 hour |
| Fridge | 3-4 days | 3-4 days |
| Freezer | 1 month | 1 month |
Throw it out if you see this
- A sour, fermented smell
- Sticky, stringy texture
- Yellowing
Storage tips
- Freeze in single portions, wrapped
- Never leave it out more than two hours
- Sprinkle a little water before microwaving refrigerated rice
Sell-by and use-by are not the same date
A sell-by date tells the shop how long it may display the product; a use-by date tells you how long it stays safe to eat. They are not interchangeable, and a use-by date is usually later than the sell-by date printed on the same product.
Every printed date assumes the package is unopened and stored at the labelled temperature. Once opened, follow the "opened" column below instead of the printed date โ and if the smell, colour or texture is off, throw it out regardless of what the date says.