Wondering how to cook wild rice in a rice cooker? Find out my top tips and tricks so you get perfectly cooked wild rice every time.
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Love rice but want to mix it up? Check out wild rice!
It’s a delicious and nutritious alternative to your everyday white or brown rice. It can be cooked in a rice cooker, so it’s super easy to make.
If you love healthy food or if you are looking for new ways to prepare your favorite dishes, then learning how to cook wild rice will be an invaluable skill for your kitchen arsenal.
Once you learn how easy it is and see just how delicious cooked properly prepared wild rice tastes, I have no doubt that making your own on a weekly basis.
Serve wild rice with your favorite chicken or fish dish for a complete and satisfying meal. You’ll love how this hearty grain takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with.
Follow the instructions in this post to learn how to make wild rice perfectly in your rice cooker each time.
Wild Rice FAQs
Compared to white rice, Wild rice is a great alternative because it’s packed with antioxidants, minerals, and it’s a great plant-based protein source.
Both wild rice and brown rice are healthier alternatives to white rice. However, wild rice is healthier because it has 30% fewer calories than brown rice and 40% more protein. It’s also a great source of fiber, potassium, and zinc.
Yes, wild rice is a better option than white rice for people with diabetes. It has more fiber than white rice so it takes longer for your body to digest it. Brown rice is another good alternative for diabetics.
What is Wild Rice?
Enjoy the ultimate grain imposter in the easiest preparation you will find. Wild Rice in a rice cooker is perfect with so many different foods you’ll be surprised you never tried it.
I said it’s an imposter and that’s because Wild Rice is actually a grass that is similar to rice. But it is not in the same family as rice. Wild Rice grows in shallow water areas, kind of like rice, but it is a gluten-free grain that has a naturally nutty flavor and is slightly more rigid in texture than most rice varieties.
A lot of people think that wild rice is similar to brown rice in texture and flavor, but the grains are more slender and tougher. Wild rice is a great option for soups because it maintains the structure of the grains without becoming mushy and falling apart.
Cooking Wild Rice in a Rice Cooker
My favorite cooking method for wild rice is in the rice cooker. That’s because it’s easy and I can let it go while I move on with other parts of dinner.
I like to use chicken broth instead of water in my recipes so I get a little more flavor in the rice. I actually do this with regular rice too sometimes.
Wild Rice makes a perfect side dish with chicken or fish. You can also mix it with other grains and vegetables in a grain bowl recipe.
I always make sure to use the exact amount of water to rice ratio that is in the recipe and the instructions for my rice cooker. That’s because if you don’t you will either end up with burnt and dried out rice, or soupy and mushy rice paste.
The rice to water ratio is how you control the steam that ends up cooking the rice to the perfect puffiness. It also preserves the flavor so it isn’t all cooked out in the water.
Different types of rice require different cooking times. The more fiber content and more rigid the grains of rice are the longer they take to cook.
That’s because you’re breaking down the different layers of the rice grains and some are tougher than others. Long-grain white rice has thinner layers so you can cook it faster.
Brown rice and black rice take longer, as does Wild Rice.
For the best results, you need to follow the instructions for the type of rice you’re cooking and the rice cooker you are using.
Wild rice has a higher water ratio than others. So it could be as much as four parts water to one part rice, but each set of instructions will matter more than general instructions.
Why Do I Love Using a Rice Cooker?
- Free up stove space to cook the rest of the meal
- Perfect cooking time for each type of rice
- A convenient way of cooking rice and vegetables or fish at the same time using the steamer basket
- Perfect rice every time without worrying about timing and stirring
- Easy cleanup, the nonstick surface of the rice pot keep it all clean and easy to serve
- Great portion sizes made easy, the rice cooker makes just enough rice for a family of four to six
How To Cook Wild Rice in a Rice Cooker
You always want to rinse your rice in cold water with a fine-mesh strainer. Then use your hands to move the grains around and get them all rinsed.
That means that you rinse until the water runs clear. This removes excess starch from the rice surface. And it takes away any debris and dirt that may be stuck to the grains.
Make sure to let it drain well and then mix all other ingredients together and add to the rice cooker.
Add in your rinsed wild rice and turn on the rice cooker. If you have settings you need to pick the right setting, if not just press cook. The rice cooker will know when it is done by the weight of the cooked rice. It is much lighter once the rice is steamed perfectly.
If you want your rice cooker to last for a long time then you need to make sure you protect the inner pot so it doesn’t get scratched during serving or cleaning. Get all my rice cooker cleaning tips HERE.
Don’t use any abrasive cleaners or sponges to clean it, just a soft sponge or cloth and soap, and don’t serve with metal utensils.
Most rice cookers will come with plastic serving pieces like a rice paddle, so you don’t scratch the inside of the machine.
What to Serve with Wild Rice
- Chicken – Roasted Chicken or chicken soup is perfect with wild rice. The different flavors you add to the chicken should complement the nutty flavor of the wild rice
- Fish – the lighter and fresh flavors of fish complement the natural earthy flavors of the rice
- Vegetables – steaming vegetables lightly keeps the flavor and freshness that complements the earthy flavors of the wild rice
- Soups – Wild rice doesn’t soften and become mushy with longer cooking times like adding it to soup broth. It has a tough outer layer that keeps it strong when cooked
- Colorful Ingredients – the dark and bland colors of the rice work well with brighter colored vegetables like peppers and tomatoes to make beautiful dishes easily
Adding healthy sources of fiber and carbohydrates to your meals doesn’t have to mean boring. Wild rice is. a good idea to add some new flavors and textures to your dinner table.
The earthy and nutty flavors that naturally occur with wild rice make it easy to add to different recipes without worrying that the flavor will overpower others while cooking.
You might be surprised how much you and your family like trying this new variety of rice, give it a try and let me know what you serve it with and what you think.
I enjoy hearing how people take the recipes on my site and make them their own, and the encouragement others get from families trying new things and posting how it goes, they get more empowered to try new recipes in their homes too.