How long does cooked rice last?
In the fridge, cooked rice keeps for 4 to 6 days from purchase.
No guideline
4 to 6 days
from purchase
No guideline
Does cooked rice go bad?
Yes. The fridge time above is the window USDA gives for good quality; after it, cooked rice may still be safe for a short while but quality drops and spoilage signs start. The date on the package is the maker's quality promise; the times here count from purchase unless marked "from the package date".
Two numbers to keep in mind: a fridge at 40 F (4 C) or below, and no more than 2 hours at room temperature (1 hour above 90 F / 32 C) for anything perishable.
How to tell cooked rice has gone bad
- Cooked rice is a leftover. The USDA FoodKeeper table above gives 4 to 6 days in the fridge; the general FSIS rule for cooked food is 3 to 4 days, so treat 4 days as the safe habit.
- Rice can carry Bacillus cereus spores that survive cooking and grow if the rice sits warm. Get it into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking, spread thin so it cools fast.
- Mould, a slimy surface or a sour smell means it goes out. The bacteria that matter here do not change the look or smell, so time in the fridge is the real limit.
- Reheat only the portion you will eat, to 165 F (74 C). Reheating and cooling the same rice several times takes it through the temperatures where bacteria grow.
Sources: Ask FSIS: how long will cooked food stay safe in the refrigerator; Leftovers and Food Safety (USDA FSIS); Safety of Leftover Rice (NC State Extension). The times on this page are quality guidelines, not safety limits; food that shows these signs goes out regardless of the date.
How long do other deli & prepared foods last?
Source: USDA FSIS FoodKeeper dataset (public domain). How we decode the data.