How to Cook Wild Rice

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.

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 liquid
• Instant 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:

1. Place wild rice, water (or stock) and salt in a saucepan over medium high heat. Give it a stir. Put the lid on.
2. 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.
3. 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:

1. 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.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let it simmer for 45-50 minutes or until all the liquid has evaporated.
3. 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:

1. Rub the rice cooker insert with a tablespoon of butter or vegetable oil.
2. Add 1 cup of wild rice, 2 cups of water, and a ½ teaspoon of kosher salt. Give it a stir.
3. 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. 
4. 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:

1. 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.
2. Use a large enough microwave safe plate to cover. 
3. 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.
4. Microwave on medium (50%) power for 25-30 minutes. Remove from the microwave and let it sit on the counter for 10 minutes. 
5. Most of the water should be absorbed and wild rice should be fully cooked and tender. 
6. 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: