Making Rice In A Crock-Pot: The Slow Cooker Rice Recipe You’ll Want To Try

I don’t have a rice cooker. I just don’t like the idea of a single-purpose machine cluttering up my home. Besides, I’ve always made instant rice, and I can handle that simple task in the microwave in five minutes. Who needs any other kind of rice?

Then, I discovered that jasmine rice tastes so much better than that instant stuff — and has a much better texture too.

When I learned that you can make perfect rice in a Crock-Pot in just a couple of hours, I was sold on the idea. You see, I often make pork or beef roast in my slow cooker — and it’s the best way to make pinto beans or black-eyed peas. But I don’t use the machine nearly as often as I should.

Based on some recipes I found online and tweaked to work even more perfectly, here’s how to make rice in a Crock-Pot:

Easiest-Ever Slow Cooker Rice

2 cups jasmine rice
3 1/3 cups water

Add rice and water to the slow cooker and stir. Cook one and a half hours on high, stirring at least once or twice during the cooking time.

Rice should be fluffy and just done when the cooking time is complete, but it will become stickier as it sits in the slow cooker (off or on warm) waiting for serving time.

Note that stirring when you first add the rice and water to the Crock-Pot and stirring at least once along the way are crucial to the success of this recipe. Also note that I don’t add any salt. Once you’ve experienced rice without salt, you’ll develop a whole new appreciation for the taste of it.

This will probably be exactly like the steamed rice you find at your neighborhood Chinese buffet — and better in taste and texture than you’ll get from most rice cookers.

You can make any other kind of long-grain rice the same way. Brown rice will work too, although you might need to increase the cooking time.

The rice from this recipe is perfect for making fried rice. Just heat some sesame oil in a skillet, then add the rice along with some garlic powder and ginger powder and season with soy sauce. Add leftover or frozen mixed veggies, any cooked meats you have sitting around and even a scrambled egg if you want. (Reheat the meats and veggies in the same skillet before cooking the rice if you want, and scramble an egg in advance in the skillet too.) Nothing makes a better quick-and-easy lunch than some leftovers turned into a flavorful fried rice.

Extra slow cooker rice can be frozen and reheated in the microwave. Just add a couple of tablespoons of water to the bowl or container when reheating so the rice will steam back to life.

Who knew making rice in a slow cooker was so easy? If I’d known this years ago, I would have never bothered with that instant stuff.

Image: Pixabay