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 an 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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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 stovetop. 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 ratios change for the different cooking methods, so pay attention to those!
Stove Top Instructions
- Start by bringing a large pot of 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 doneness.
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 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 stuffings. 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.
- 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.
- Add 2 cups of water for every cup of wild rice to the rice cooker.
- Cook the rice for about 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender with no crunch.
- 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, carrots, 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 than 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 slightly nutty flavor, with some describing the flavor as tea like. Its 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, 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:
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 overcooking it.
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Recipe
How To Cook Wild Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup Wild Rice whole, unbroken grains
- 3 cups Water chicken or vegetable stocks may also be used
- 1 pinch Salt
Instructions
Stove Top Instructions
- Bring a pot with the three cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add the rinsed wild rice, and quickly bring the pot back to a boil.
- Cover the pot with a lid, and turn the heat down to medium or medium low. Let the rice simmer for 40 to 45 minutes.
- Checkthe rice for done-ness. Simply taste it with a spoon to check the texture. It should have a little bit of a chew, but not be hard in the middle.
- Serve the cooked wild rice immediately. It may also be cooled down to be used in other recipes such as grain salads, or stuffings.
Rice Cooker Instructions
- Brush the inside of the rice cooker insert with butter, oil or cooking spray. Add 2 cups of water for every cup of wild rice to the rice cooker.
- Cook the rice for about 50 minutes, or until the rice is tender with no crunch. Let the rice stand for about 5 minutes, and then serve immediately.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Read our detailed guide to Cooking Wild Rice In An Instant Pot for full instructions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Debbie
I just read your tutorial and loved it. I have one question. It sounds like we really need to serve it straight from the kitchen. But over the years I've found I like it mixed with the left over sweet potatoes the next couple days. Is there a reason you push eating it right after it made? I even like it cold. This year I have been thinking it is one dish I could make ahead of time and then just heat it up before being served to the table.
Help me, please.
Chef Markus Mueller
Hi Debbie, there is no need to serve the wild rice directly from the kitchen. It is simply the next 'logical step' when writing recipes, as such it is standard practice to include it in written recipe content. You can of course cool the rice, and then re-heat and serve as desired. Just make sure to follow proper food safety (so cooling and re-heating, not keeping it to long etc.) to prevent any chance of food poisoning. Happy cooking!
Markus
Patricia Sausen
I have been cooking wild rice most of my life, this is one of the better instructions on how to do it, very informative! I get mine from the reservation my family is from! It’s much better than what you often buy from most stores!
Chef Markus Mueller
Awesome! I wish we grew wild rice here in PEI!
Glad you liked the post!
Chef Markus
Graciela Schwartz
How do you cook it in the instant pot?
Chef Markus Mueller
Hey! If you are planning on cooking wild rice in the Instant Pot, I would suggest reading my guide to cooking wild rice in the Instant Pot first. Generally, though, you would simply add even parts of wild rice and water, and then cook it on a manual setting anywhere from 28 to 32 minutes, depending on how well done you like it.
Emily Leary
This is great. I love wild rice - it has so much flavour and looks so pretty compared with plain white rice.
Eileen Kelly
Such great tips and info about wild rice and how to make great rice!
Chef Markus Mueller
I hope you found it helpful!
Najah
Thank you ,what you said is very clear .I'll follow your advice
lauren
Love love wild rice! Thanks for the tip about washing and soaking. I try to buy rice that's already pre-washed (because who has the time) but it's not always possible. Nice to know you can skip the soaking or do it to speed up the cooking process!
Chef Markus Mueller
I didn't know you could buy it pre washed! Do you prefer certain brand?
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
I could never place it until you mentioned that some people describe the flavor of wild rice as tea-like. That's totally what it tastes like! I always thought it was a bit floral, but tea is a better descriptor. We don't have wild rice too often, but this post has inspired me to change that!
Chef Markus Mueller
I know! The flavor is quite unique. It's delicate enough that it goes well with almost all proteins! I'm working on a turkey wild rice soup as we speak!
Jessica (Swanky Recipes)
The hubs is in charge of meals this week and he just asked me to pick up some rice. I think I'll grab wild rice to pair with our chicken. I always rinse my rice but I never knew that soaking can cut cook time down. I'll have to try it out!
charity
What a great primer! I love wild rice in a cold salad but haven't gotten the gumption up to try one myself. This will help me give it a go.
Chef Markus Mueller
It's not to hard! Hope you give it a go!
Michele
This is a great post to learn how to make wild rice. I've made it with a mix, but never from scratch. So glad to find this post because my family really loves dishes with wild rice!
Chef Markus Mueller
Glad to hear it! I know the wild rice mix is popular. I find it difficult to cook because all the different varieties of rice take differing times to cook. It is tasty though!
Jagruti Dhanecha
We love wild rice, sometimes add with basmati, sometimes on its own for a salad, such a healthy and delicious rice. Lovely tutorial.
Andrea
I could eat wild rice everyday, such a great flavour and texture! Thank you for sharing such detailed instructions, super helpful!
Chef Markus Mueller
Yy! I've been trying to eat more of it myself! Super tasty, and so good for you!
Vanessa Price
I love wild rice but don't make it often because my husband doesn't like the texture. I will be trying it out again soon, though! Thanks for the great post.
Chef Markus Mueller
Your welcome! Have you tried using it in soups and salads so that there isn't so much of it there? It will hide the texture a bit. You could also cook it lonbger to soften up the rice more!
Anne Lawton
I love wild rice, but have not made it in a long time. Thank you for sharing detailed instructions to make it.
Chef Markus Mueller
Your welcome!
Courtney
I absolutely love wild rice, but rarely make it. Thank you for the great instruction on how to cook it.
Chef Markus Mueller
Same here! I find it's easy to get stuck in a rut cooking the same things over, and over, this was part of an effort to break that and cook a wider variety of foods more often!
Aleta
This is a great tutorial on how to cook wild rice thanks for sharing!
shobelyn
I usually make Wild Rice Soup and the family love it. Have not tried cooking the same way you did.
Chef Markus Mueller
I'm planning a wild ricee turky soup for next week! Gonna be yummy!!!
Jenni LeBaron
I love wild rice but I honestly cant remember the last time I made it. Thanks for the reminder that I need to add this gorgeous grain back into the dinner rotation!
Chef Markus Mueller
It's such a healthy grain, I am trying to get my family to eat it more often as well!