How To Cook Wild Rice

Wild rice is a protein and fiber rich wild grain, grown and harvested throughout North America as well as China, and India. It's flavor when cooked is slightly nutty, and with a bit of a chew similar to brown rice. Ideal as a side dish, or used in other recipes, wild rice is healthy and best of all learning how to cook wild rice couldn't be easier!

Traditionally harvested in North America by Indigenous tribes, wild rice played in important role as a staple food, as well as in religious and medicinal uses. This wild grain makes an excellent addition to any healthy diet and is gluten free to boot!

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Jump to:

• Ingredients
• How To Cook Wild Rice
• Stove Top Instructions
• Rice Cooker Instructions
• Instant Pot Instructions
• Variations & Substitutions
• FAQ
• Recipe
• Comments

Ingredients

To cook wild rice you really only need a few ingredients. Flavorings such as minced garlic, herbs, or spices can be added to the wild rice as it cooks but are not required. We'll cover the basics here and let you experiment with flavorings at home!

You'll need:

• unbroken, whole wild rice
• water
• and a pinch of salt

How To Cook Wild Rice

The easiest way of cooking wild rice at home is on the stove top. While it does take quite a while to simmer, about 40 - 50 minutes. The longer cooking time (as compared to Basmati rice for example), allows you to multitask and prepare or cook something else (such as these oven baked chicken breasts ) as the wild rice cooks.

You'll also find instructions below for cooking wild rice in a rice cooker, and how to cook wild rice in an Instant Pot.

It's important to note that the water to rice ratio's change for the different cooking methods, so pay attention to those!

Stove Top Instructions

1.Start by bringing a large pot with water to a boil. Once boiling, add the wild rice and quickly bring the pot back to a boil.

Rinsing the wild rice before cooking it is optional and not required. See the FAQ section below for more information on rinsing wild rice.

2. Once the pot has come to a boil, cover the pot with a lid, and turn the heat down to medium or medium low, to allow the wild rice to simmer. Let the rice simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, before checking the rice for done-ness.

3. After the cooking time has elapsed, test the rice for doneness. Simply taste it with a spoon to check the texture. It should have a little bit of a chew, but not be hard or crunchy in the middle.

Some people prefer their wild rice quite chewy and barely broken open, while others insist it must be fully burst open. I prefer it somewhere in the middle with most of the grains burst open, yet not cooked to mush. Depending on your preference simply add or subtract 5 minutes of cooking time.

Tip: Depending on the size of the rice grains and how tight fitting a lid you used, all of the water may be absorbed by the rice or there may be a little liquid remaining in the pot. Simply strain any remaining liquid out.

Serve the wild rice immediately, or cool it down to be used in other recipes such as grain salads, or stuffing's. The wild rice can be seasoned with herbs, spices, or vegetables such as onion, garlic, and mushrooms to create a hearty side dish.

Rice Cooker Instructions

Cooking wild rice in a rice cooker is a convenient and easy way to cook rice at home. It's very similar to cooking rice on the stove top, with only a few different steps.

1. Begin by brushing the inside of the rice cooker insert with butter, oil or cooking spray. This will prevent the rice from sticking and burning to the sides.
2. Add 2 cups of water for every cup of wild rice to the rice cooker.
3. Cook the rice for about 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender with no crunch.
4. Let the rice stand for about 5 minutes, and then serve immediately.

Instant Pot Instructions

Using an Instant Pot to cook wild rice is another great cooking option. The Instant Pot greatly reduces the cooking time, making it the perfect solution when in a rush, or meal prepping.

Read our detailed guide to Cooking Wild Rice In An Instant Pot for more information.

Variations & Substitutions

It should be noted that while the above cooking instructions are the very basic method of cooking wild rice, there are many variations possible.

You can flavor the wild rice with garlic, finely chopped onions and carrot, herbs, or even spices.

Instead of water to cook the rice you can also use vegetable or chicken broth to add more flavor or nutrition.

FAQ

We get a lot of questions about how to cook wild rice so we wanted to answer a few of the most common ones here!

Is Wild Rice Healthy?

Yes! While wild rice is not really a true rice but closely related, wild rice is full of important B vitamins (niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, folate), and minerals (Manganese, phosphorus, iron, magnesium). Wild rice stores extremely well with very little nutritional loss making it an ideal food source.

Studies show that wild rice is beneficial to digestion, helps reduce cholesterol, and can reduce heart disease. With more protein per gram then white rice, wild rice is a great natural source of fiber, and is naturally gluten free. While wild rice is not a true 'rice' it is still considered a grain, and as such is usually avoided in diets such as the paleo or whole 30 diet. That being said, if you are looking for a healthy way to add a little carb to your diet, wild rice is probably one of the healthiest ways to do it!

What Does Wild Rice Taste Like?

Wild rice has a slight nutty flavor, with some describing the flavor as tea like. It's chewy texture makes wild rice ideal for use in soups, stews, and stuffings, where the earthy flavor adds a delicious and hearty element to the dish.

Depending on how long the wild rice is cooked for, it can have a bit of a chew when it is just starting to burst open, or become quite soft when cooked longer.

Try these wild rice recipes at home:

• Leftover turkey & wild rice soup

Do You Have To Soak Or Rinse Wild Rice Before Cooking?

Do you really need to soak or pre-rinse prior to cooking wild rice? Yes and no. While rinsing the wild rice before cooking is always a good idea, soaking it is not required. Soaking the wild rice for 15 minutes can cut the cooking time in half, but it will also result in a softer, less textured end product.

If cooking wild rice in the Instant Pot I recommend not soaking the rice to avoid over cooking it.

Have you cooked wild rice at home? Leave a comment and star rating below, then take a picture and tag me on Facebook & Instagram: @earthfoodandfire. For more from scratch recipes follow me on Instagram & Pinterest

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