How to Cook Rice in a Slow Cooker

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Inside: Slow Cooker Rice is an easy way to cook rice when you don’t want to cook it at the last minute.

Yes, you really can cook great rice in a slow cooker.

While it may not be the first appliance you think about for cooking rice, using the crock pot to cook rice can free up your stovetop. It is also a great method when you need to be attending to something else on the stove like frying chicken.

We often put rice in the slow cooker before leaving for church so we have hot, cooked rice when we walk in the door on Sunday afternoon.

white rice in a bowl with a sprig of parsley on a yellow towel

Slow Cooker White Rice

You will find a printable copy of the recipe at the bottom of the post.

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups white rice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp. butter or oil

Instructions:

  1. Grease the slow cooker insert with oil or cooking spray.
  2. Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Place rice in the insert.
  3. Pour water over the rice and add salt. Stir. Add the butter or oil and stir again.
  4. Cover the rice with the lid and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, until the rice is tender.
  5. Uncover and fluff with a fork before serving.
cooked rice in a slow cooker

Notes:

Please keep in mind that all slow cookers cook differently. I used a 5-quart slow cooker (Crockpot brand) for this recipe. If possible, I recommend testing this recipe one day while you are at home so you can see how long your slow cooker takes to cook the rice.

While some recipes only cook 1 cup of rice at a time, I have big eaters so I’ve always cooked 2 cups. I recommend cooking the two cups even if you have a smaller family since rice freezes well. Then you have rice in the freezer for a busy night.

By cooking two cups, you aren’t as likely to get burned rice on the outside.

Rinsing the rice removes a lot of the starch and keeps it from clumping together. I don’t recommend skipping this step unless you like sticky rice.

closeup of white rice in a bowl with a sprig of parsley
closeup of white rice in a bowl with a sprig of parsley

Slow Cooker White Rice

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours
Total Time 3 hours 10 minutes
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
Servings 8

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups white rice
  • 1 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 4 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp. butter or oil

Instructions
 

  • Grease the slow cooker insert with oil or cooking spray.
  • Place rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear. Place rice in insert.
  • Pour water over the rice and add salt. Stir. Add the butter or oil and stir again.
  • Cover the rice with the lid and cook on low for 2 to 3 hours, until rice is tender.
  • Uncover and fluff with a fork before serving.

Notes

Please keep in mind that all slow cookers cook differently. I used a 5-quart slow cooker (Crockpot brand) for this recipe. If possible, I recommend testing this recipe one day while you are at home so you can see how long your slow cooker takes to cook the rice.
While some recipes only cook 1 cup of rice at a time, I have big eaters so I’ve always cooked 2 cups. I recommend cooking the two cups even if you have a smaller family since rice freezes well. Then you have rice in the freezer for a busy night.
By cooking two cups, you aren’t as likely to get burned rice on the outside.
Rinsing the rice removes a lot of the starch and keeps it from clumping together. I don’t recommend skipping this step unless you like sticky rice.

I’m Julie…

 I enjoy creating (mostly from scratch) slow cooker recipes to help busy families get dinner on the table in a hurry. I use my slow cookers year-round and have even had 3 going at once!

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