Can you reheat rice?
Last updated October 1, 2026
Yes, if it went into the fridge quickly after cooking, you eat it within a day and you reheat it only once. Uncooked rice can contain spores of Bacillus cereus, a bacterium that can cause food poisoning, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) says the longer cooked rice sits at room temperature, the more likely the bacteria or their toxins are to make it unsafe to eat. Most of the rules below are about the gap between the pot and the fridge.
Getting rice from the pot into the fridge
Chill leftover rice as quickly as you can, ideally within an hour, and keep it in the fridge for no more than a day before you reheat it. The FSA and the NHS agree on both limits.
To cool it faster, follow the FSA's general advice for cooked food and divide it into smaller portions in containers before it goes into the fridge. A pot left to cool with the lid on holds its heat for much longer than a few small tubs.
If rice has been left out overnight, the NHS says to throw it away. Reheating it will not fix that, so bin it.
Reheating it once, and until it is steaming hot
Reheat rice once only. The FSA's cooking guidance gives the reason for all leftovers: repeated changes in temperature give bacteria more chances to grow. The NHS is blunter about rice, saying it should not be reheated more than once and should be thrown away if it has been. If you cooked more than you will eat, portion it before it goes in the fridge, so you only warm what goes on the plate.
The rice has to be steaming hot all the way through, not just warm. For rice, the NHS puts a number on it: a core temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes, or the equivalent.
| Method | What to do |
|---|---|
| Microwave | Stir or turn it partway, because microwaves heat unevenly: very hot at the edges can still mean cold in the centre. Let it stand if your microwave's instructions say so. |
| Hob | Add a splash of water or stock and stir often so the heat reaches the middle. |
| Oven | Cover the dish to keep the moisture in, and check the middle is steaming hot before serving. |
| Air fryer | Suits a small portion. Shake or stir partway, then check the centre is steaming hot. |
A splash of water before heating also stops the edges drying out while the middle catches up. If you are making egg fried rice, the rice still sets the clock: chilled within the hour, eaten within a day, reheated once. Cook the egg through as you normally would.
Batch cooking for the week
If you are cooking a big pot of rice, divide it into portions as soon as it is cool enough to handle and get them into the fridge within the hour. Take one portion out per meal and leave the rest chilled. The fridge only gives you a day, so freeze what you will not eat by then. The FSA says rice should go into the freezer within an hour of cooking. Defrost it in the fridge, reheat it until steaming hot and eat it straight away.
For ways to use up a portion, see what to make with leftover rice.