Learning How to Cook Wild Rice is super simple and a recipe that you’ll turn to again and again whether your using your trusty stove top, the instant pot, or your rice cooker.
The Best Wild Rice Recipe
When I want to amp up the nutritional value of any meal, I turn to wild rice. It has more fiber, protein, and minerals compared to classic white rice, and while it might take longer to cook than white rice, it’s truly a no-brainer recipe. If you want to shave a couple minutes off your total cook time, try our instant pot wild rice recipe.
Looking for More Healthy Side Dish Ideas?
Then try your hand at making our coconut quinoa recipe! It has healthy fats from the coconut and protein, fiber, and minerals from the quinoa.
What You Will Need
- wild rice – Experiment with different blends of wild rice to find your favorite brand.
- chicken broth – An easy way to infuse flavor into the wild rice. You could use vegetable broth, but it’ll change the flavor slightly.
- kosher salt – Just a bit to heighten all of this grains natural flavors.
What Is Wild Rice?
Despite its name, wild rice isn’t a rice at all but rather the seed of an aquatic grass called zizania palustris. It’s actually grown right here in the northern region of Minnesota and was a key source of nutrition for the indigenous peoples of this area. Wild rice tastes a bit nutty and has a chewier texture than traditional white rice. This unique grain is a great way to add nutrition to side dishes, pasta salads, or soups thanks to it’s complex nutritional profile.
How To Make Wild Rice
To make wild rice on the stove top, start by gathering your ingredients, making sure to rinse your uncooked wild rice in a fine mesh strainer before cooking. This helps to remove any excess starch that may be coating the wild rice grains, ensuring that your rice doesn’t clump together during the cooking process.
How Long To Cook Wild Rice
Next, put the rinsed rice, chicken broth, and a pinch of salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring it to a boil. Then reduce it to a gentle simmer, cover, and let it cook for 50-60 minutes.
How To Cook Wild Rice In Instant Pot?
Add 1 cup of rice and 1 1/2 C chicken broth in the instant pot. Close the lid and cook on high for 25 minutes. Let it naturally release for 10 minutes, remove the lid, fluff, and enjoy!
You’ll know when your wild rice is done cooking when it looks as though the outer shell of the grains have burst open. The rice should be chewy, but still tender enough to easily enjoy. It’s a great addition to your next soup, salad, or side dish.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- What’s the best way to cook wild rice? – We love our trusty stovetop method, but the instant pot is also nice when you want to shave a few minutes off your total cook time. A rice cooker is always a surefire way to cook rice as well. The amount of time varies slightly between methods, but they’re all around 30-45 minutes.
- How much water is needed to cook one cup of wild rice? – This also depends on the cooking method. On the stovetop, we use a 1:3 ratio, but this changes depending on if you’re using your pressure cooker or rice cooker.
- What is a good seasoning for wild rice? – While wild rice has it’s own mild flavor, just like white rice, it does an amazing job of soaking up flavors and is mild enough where you can really experiment with a seasoning blend that suits your meal. A dash of garlic and onion powder would amp up the flavor profile. Or you could always add some fresh herbs like parsley, thyme, or sage.
- How long does wild rice take to cook? – The time varies depending on cooking method, but in general terms, it takes between 30-45 minutes to cook.
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Some Of My Favorite Recipes That Use Wild Rice
How to Cook Wild Rice
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Follow our super simple tutorial on How to Cook Wild Rice right on your stove top for an easy side dish or add to your favorite recipe!
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
Instructions
- Prep: Place wild rice in a strainer and rinse under cold water.
- Boil: Add the wild rice to a saucepan with the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and let cook for 50-60 minutes.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately or use in your favorite wild rice recipe!
Notes
- Storage: keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4 oz
- Calories: 77
- Sugar: 0.9 g
- Sodium: 347.8 mg
- Fat: 0.4 g
- Trans Fat:
- Carbohydrates: 15.4 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 1.9 mg
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