For some reason, every time I want to cook wild rice, brown rice, wheat berries or barley, I find myself having to Google for instructions. If you consider the fact that I cook these quite often and write a food blog, I think it is embarrassing to have to rely on other websites to provide me with the information I need. So today, I am starting a new series about How-To Cook Grains.
The first post of the series is How To Cook Wild Rice recipe. Below, in addition to providing you step by step instructions on how to cook it on stovetop, rice cooker, microwave, I will answer some of the questions that I had when I first started cooking wild rice.
Table of Contents
- What is Wild Rice? What is the difference between True Versus Cultivated Wild Rice?
- Ingredients:
- Should I soak wild rice before cooking?
- What is the water to wild rice ratio for the best wild rice?
- Stovetop Cooking Instructions:
- Cooking Instructions for Wild Rice Blend on the Stove:
- Rice Cooker Instructions:
- Microwave Cooking Instructions:
- Cooking wild rice in a pressure cooker:
- What is the best way to flavor wild rice?
- Why is Wild Rice So Expensive?
- Is Wild Rice Good For you? Nutrition Information
- How does wild rice taste?
- How to freeze cooked wild rice?
- What dishes can I use wild rice in? Recipes Featuring Wild Rice
- Other FAQs Answered:
- How to Cook Wild Rice
You will also learn about my go-to water to wild rice ratio for each cooking method as well as my favorite seasoning and flavoring suggestions.
What is Wild Rice? What is the difference between True Versus Cultivated Wild Rice?
Despite its name, wild rice is not always wild and it is not actually rice. Rather, it is the seed of a wild aquatic grass indigenous to North America.
According to Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, cultivated wild rice is grown under regulated conditions and it is what you can find in many supermarkets. On the other hand, the true wild rice is hand harvested from lakes and rivers in Minnesota and Canada.
Ingredients:
To cook wild rice you will need:
- Wild Rice – Rinsed and drained- My favorite brand is Reese Minnesota Wild Rice (affiliate link)
- Liquid – You can use water, chicken or vegetable broth
- Salt
- Optional flavorings: Spices, butter (or oil), and fresh herbs
Should I soak wild rice before cooking?
You can but you don’t have to.
In general, soaking grains overnight cuts down the cooking time. Additionally, according to Sarah Britton’s Cookbook My New Roots, soaking grains before cooking helps remove some of the naturally occurring phytic acid, that prevents mineral absorption, and break down some of the hard-to-digest properties.
In general, soaked wild rice cooks 50% faster. However, you can make wild rice without soaking as well. It will just take longer to cook. Either way, I highly recommend giving it a good wash before cooking.
If you decide to soak your wild rice, I recommend placing it in a bowl and filling it up with water enough to cover it and letting it sit on the kitchen counter for no more than 2-3 hours.
If you let it soak longer, the wild rice will burst open before cooking.
What is the water to wild rice ratio for the best wild rice?
- Stovetop Method: The ratio of liquid to wild rice for cooking it on the stove top is 3 to 1 for cooking it on the stove top. 1 cup of uncooked wild rice yields 3 ½ cups of cooked wild rice.
- Rice Cooker Method: 1 cup wild rice to 2 cups of liquid
- Microwave: 1cup wild rice to 3 cups of liquidInstant Pot Method: 1 cup wild rice to 1 ⅓ cups of liquid.
- Instant Pot Method: 1 cup wild rice to 1 ⅓ cups of liquid.
Stovetop Cooking Instructions:
- Place wild rice, water (or stock) and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Give it a stir. Put the lid on.
- Bring it to a boil, turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for 40-45 minutes. If you use soaked wild rice, it should be ready in about 20-30 minutes.
- Drain excess liquid and serve.
Cooking Instructions for Wild Rice Blend on the Stove:
While I love cooking long grain wild rice all the time, I occasionally cook various wild rice blends (also referred to as Wild Rice Mix) that are sold in the market. My favorite brand is Lundberg’s Wild Rice Blend (affiliate link).
If you want to give it a try, here is how I cook my wild rice blend:
- Combine 1 cup of wild rice blend, 1 ¾ cups of liquid (water or broth) and ½ teaspoon of salt in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Put the lid on.
- Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated.
- Let it rest on the stovetop for 10 minutes, fluff with a fork, and serve.
If you want to put your pressure cooker to use for cooking wild rice blend, be sure to check out my Instant Pot Wild Rice Blend recipe.
Rice Cooker Instructions:
If you like the hands off approach of a rice cooker, it is easy to cook wild rice in the rice cooker. I own an Aroma rice cooker (affiliate link) and it delivers perfectly cooked wild rice every time.
Here are the steps:
- Rub the rice cooker insert with a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil.
- Add 1 cup of wild rice, 2 cups of water, and a ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Give it a stir.
- Select the brown rice (or white rice) option and let it cook. During my testings, it took about 45-55 minutes for wild rice to cook in a rice cooker.
- When the cooking cycle is completed, let it rest for 10 minutes and fluff it with a fork before serving.
Microwave Cooking Instructions:
You can cook wild rice in a microwave, but honestly I do not recommend it. There are several reasons for it but the two most important reasons are that it takes a long time to cook (even longer than the stove top method) and it is really hard to get the right texture.
If the microwave is the only option, here are the steps you can follow:
- Place 1 cup of wild rice, 3 cups of water, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in a microwave safe bowl. Give it a stir.
- Use a large enough microwave safe plate to cover.
- Microwave on full power for 6 minutes. Carefully remove from the microwave and give it a stir. It will be very hot so be careful.
- Microwave on medium (50%) power for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Most of the water should be absorbed and wild rice should be fully cooked and tender.
- If not, microwave (covered with the plate) in full power in 1- minute intervals until it is fully cooked.
Cooking wild rice in a pressure cooker:
I find that cooking wild rice and wild rice blend is faster and convenient in a pressure cooker. I wrote a detailed blog post on how to cook wild rice in Instant Pot where I answered all your questions and shared some of my tips for troubleshooting.
What is the best way to flavor wild rice?
Here are a few ways to season and flavor your cooked wild rice recipe:
- Use Broth: While you can certainly cook wild rice in water, I highly recommend trying it with vegetable or chicken stock. I usually make vegetable stock using the scraps of all the vegetables I use throughout the week and keep them in jars. This is such an easy way to add great flavor to wild rice.
- Cook it with vegetables: Sauteeing it with vegetables is one of the best ways to add in flavor similar to how I did it in this Wild Rice Pilaf recipe.
- Mix it with nuts & herbs: Fresh herbs and nuts are perfect with the earthy flavor notes of wild rice. I love serving wild rice this way especially during the holiday season. This Wild Rice Stuffing recipe has always been a hit in our family.
Why is Wild Rice So Expensive?
According to Deborah Maddison’s Cookbook, Vegetable Literacy, the true “wild” wild rice is gathered by hand. To get the seeds out farmers bent the seed heads into a canoe and beat it with paddles to loosen them quickly. Since there is so much labor involved it is more expensive than most other types of grains.
Is Wild Rice Good For you? Nutrition Information
Yes. It is high in fiber, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, Vitamin B6 and considered as a high-antioxidant food (source).
Wild rice is naturally gluten-free and 1 cup of cooked wild rice is 166 calories.
Below is the nutrition information for 1 cup (164gr) cooked wild rice according to FDC.
- 6.54 grams of protein
- 0.558 grams of fat
- 2.95 grams of fiber
- 1.2 grams of sugar
- 4.9 miligrams of calcium
- 52.5 miligrams of magnesium
How does wild rice taste?
Wild rice has an earthy, nutty and toasty flavor with a smell similar to black tea.
How to freeze cooked wild rice?
If you decide to freeze cooked wild rice, be sure to drain it first and then place it in airtight jars. It will keep fresh up to 6 months. I freeze mine in small (1-cup) quantities so that I can grab the exact amount when I need it. Be sure to let it thaw in the fridge overnight a day before you need to use it.
What dishes can I use wild rice in? Recipes Featuring Wild Rice
You can use wild rice in so many dishes. I personally love using wild rice in salads, soups, and casseroles.
Wild Rice Salad (an old Ina Garten recipe), Wild Rice Pilaf (with mushrooms), Wild Rice Stuffing with cranberries and pecans are some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes that I make every year. This Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup recipe is another great one to use cooked wild rice.
Additionally, you can serve wild rice just by itself as a side dish.
Other FAQs Answered:
While it might differ slightly from one method to another, in general 1 cup uncooked wild rice yields 3 1/2 to 4 cups of cooked wild rice.
You will know that it is cooked when some of the kernels are burst open and the texture should soft. However, you can also give it a taste to make sure it is softened and cooked to your liking.
If I am using it as a side dish, 1 serve 3/4 to 1 cup of wild rice per serving. This way I can feed a family of four by cooking 1 cup of wild rice.
You can serve it with any of your favorite chicken and beef recipes. It also goes so well with salmon.
As long as it is stored in an airtight container, it should last up to 3-4 days in the fridge.
No, during my recipe testing I learned that not all wild rice brands deliver the same results, especially when it comes to cooking time. I tested every single method with Reese Minnesota Wild Rice (affiliate link) and Lundberg’s Wild Rice Blend (affiliate link).
With that being said, the cooking time difference is no longer than a few minutes.
How to Cook Wild Rice
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed well - Not soaked*
- 3 cups of water *, or vegetable, chicken or beef stock
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tbsp butter (or oil), you will need oil if you are using the rice cooker method
Instructions
To Cook Wild Rice on the Stove Top:
- Place wild rice, water (or stock), and salt in a saucepan with a lid over medium-high heat.
- Put the lid on and bring it to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and let is simmer for 40-45 minutes. You will know that it is cooked when some of the kernels are burst open. If you soaked your wild rice the cooking time should be around 20-30 minutes.
- Drain excess liquid and serve.
To Cook Wild Rice In Rice Cooker:
- Rub the rice cooker insert with a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil.
- Add 1 cup of wild rice, 2 cups of water*, and a ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Give it a stir.
- Select the brown rice (or white rice) option and let it cook. During my testings, it took about 45-55 minutes for wild rice to cook in a rice cooker.
- When the cooking cycle is completed, let it rest for 10 minutes and fluff it with a fork before serving.
To Cook Wild Rice in Microwave *
- Place 1 cup of wild rice, 3 cups of water, and ½ teaspoon of kosher salt in a microwave safe bowl. Give it a stir.
- Use a large enough microwave safe plate to cover.
- Microwave on full power for 6 minutes. Carefully remove from the microwave and give it a stir. It will be very hot so be careful.
- Microwave on medium (50%) power for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes.
- Most of the water should be absorbed and wild rice should be fully cooked and tender.
- If not, microwave (covered with the plate) in full power in 1- minute intervals until it is fully cooked.
Notes
- An easy way to flavor wild rice is to cook it in chicken or vegetable broth so if you want, you can use a combination of water and stock.
- The amount of liquid you will need for the rice cooker method is 2 cups (it is not a typo).
- While I shared the microwave method, I caution you on keeping a close eye on it as it cooks. The results you get and the timing might differ based on your microwave.
- I have tried this recipe both with cultivated and true wild rice varieties and the 3 cups of liquid worked perfectly for both of them. However, I read on a few other sites that some commercial wild rice sold in the supermarkets sometimes require more liquid. Therefore, I suggest keeping an eye on it during the cooking process and adding more boiling water, if necessary.
- To freeze: Be sure to drain it first and then place it in airtight containers. It will keep fresh up to 6 months. I freeze mine in small (1-cup) quantities so that I can grab the exact amount when I need it. Be sure to let it thaw in the fridge overnight a day before you need to use it.
- Want to cook it in a pressure cooker? Check out my foolproof Instant Pot Wild Rice recipe
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So helpful, thank you!
I am happy to hear that you found it helpful Dalya.
Hello, Ice! In the stove-top method: I wanted to know if you use the same amount of liquid for the pre-soaked rice as for cooking it without soaking it first. Since it cooks in half the time, would it still absorb all that water?
The soaking sounds like a good idea to me because of digestion and mineral absorption issues. (And thanks for the careful instructions you wrote.) But I want to be sure about the liquid amount. I’m not super experienced and I don’t understand all the principles.
Thank you!
Hello Karyn,
Thanks for your kind words. I am happy to hear that you found them helpful.
To answer your question: 3 cups should be fine. You will most likely end up with some liquid in the pot (after it is fully cooked) but you can easily drain it. My recommendation to check doneness after 20 minutes of cooking.
I hope this helps. Please let me know if I can help in any other way.
Cheers,
Aysegul
When you say 1 cup wild rice and 2 cups water or broth are u using cup that comes with the rice cooker. Thank you.
No, I use a regular cup measure. Hope this helps.
I live at 5,000 feet, are there any adjustments?
Hi Kevin,
To be honest, I have never lived/cooked in 5,000 feet. However, I know that water boils at a lower temperature at a higher altitude. As a result, it might take longer to cook wild rice. Now, it is hard to say how long without testing it. However, I would keep a close eye on it around 45-minute mark and test it periodically.
Hope this helps.
Love cooking wild rice in my rice cooker. I have found that in the rice cooker I need 3 cups of water to 1 cup of wild rice so it comes out tender. When I cook short grain brown rice in my rice cooker I use 2 cups of water to 1 cup of brown rice for it to come out just right. Sometimes I will cook a separate batch of each, and after it rests, will toss the 2 rice together to make a tasty mixture.
Same here! Thanks for sharing your experience Matt.
Thank you for this very thorough article on wild rice cooking! Instead of broth, I like to put one tea bag of lapsang sou chong tea (inside a tea ball to avoid riping). I find this give a pleasant smoky flavour to the rice. Then, fried mushrooms (like oyster or shiitakes) and slivered almonds or other nuts make a great addition.
Hi Regine,
This sounds incredible. I am thrilled to hear that you enjoyed it. I love the addition of mushrooms and almonds. Will surely try next time I make it. Cheers!
Dear ‘Ice’
I love serving wild rice with cornish hen. Any chance of getting these two paired together. The festive season is fast approaching. Also, could the wild rice be made for a white sauce?
Hi Marlen,
I totally agree with serving this with Cornish Hen. My favorite one is this Roasted Cornish Hen recipe.
Can elaborate on what you mean with white sauce? Am I understanding this right? You want to cook wild rice with a heavy-cream/milk based sauce?
I am Ojibwa (Chippewa) Indian and my relatives do out “ricing” for the wild rice. You did a fantastic job on this how to!! Thanks for promoting wild rice….it’s a big deal to the tribe 🙂
That makes me so happy. Thanks Carleen.
Hello! I have a question about the Rice Cooker directions. Your recipe seems to call for 3 cups of liquid for all methods; but then at Rice Cooker it says 1 cup of rice and TWO cups of liquid. Which one is correct? Thanks!
Hi Lynn,
You will not need as much liquid for cooking it in a rice cooker so the ratio of 1 to 2 (1 cup wild rice to 2 cups liquid) is correct. I did clarify that it in the recipe.
I hope this helps.
This is my go-to wild rice recipe that I have been making for years. I love that you have instructions showing how to cook wild rice in a rice cooker as well. If I am short on time I cook it on the stove top, but if I have time then rice cooker is my go-to.
This makes me so happy to hear Taylor. Thanks for letting me know. Cooking it in a rice cooker delivers foolproof results for sure so I cannot agree more.
Cheers!