Can You Freeze Spanish Rice?

Spanish rice is a way of making rice that adds more flavor than simple white rice or even brown rice. But you can easily freeze white rice and still get that same texture and taste you’d get from fresh rice. But Spanish rice is made differently, so can you freeze Spanish rice?

Can you freeze Spanish rice? Most rice dishes freeze very well, but can you take the best Spanish rice recipe and freeze it as well? Rice is the perfect side dish because it doesn’t take much to make and goes with almost every main dish.

Take some uncooked rice, rinse it, and put it in a pot on the stove top. Then, all you have to do is bring it to a boil over medium heat and simmer for twenty minutes; your side dish is ready to serve.

Of course, the recipe changes depending on the type of rice you use or want. But the basic rice recipe is straightforward to make. You can even put leftover rice in a freezer bag and freeze it for later.

Rice is one of those rare dishes that freezes and reheats very well. The steam from reheating it adds the moisture back in, so it tastes almost like it just came out of the rice cooker.

It is a great way to save some time in the kitchen when you can make a large amount of rice ahead of time. Just store the rice in a freezer-safe container, and you have a side dish that can be reheated quickly.

But rice can get pretty bland sometimes. Luckily, we can make different versions of rice that offer different flavors. We can make rice pilaf for something different or cilantro lime rice for those Chipotle copycat recipes.

The rice we use also makes a difference in the results. Long-grain rice, jasmine rice, and red rice are different in some ways. But one of the more popular kinds of rice to make is Spanish rice, not to be confused with Mexican rice.

There are quite a few differences between Spanish rice and Mexican rice. But will the ingredients in each version of the rice make a difference in freezing it? Can you freeze Spanish rice?

That’s all that really matters. We want to know that we can make an easy Spanish rice recipe, put it in a freezer container, and still have a delicious side dish ready to reheat when we need it most.

Can You Freeze Spanish Rice?

Most importantly, we aren’t confusing Spanish rice for Mexican rice, which is a common mistake. Mexican rice is made with rice, chicken broth, onions, tomatoes, tomato sauce or tomato paste, garlic, vegetable oil, cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice, and peas.

Spanish rice is made with olive oil, onions, garlic, cumin, oregano, chili powder, chicken broth, your favorite salsa, lemon juice, and chopped cilantro. As you can see, both types of rice provide us with a delicious dish that takes plain rice and turns it into something bursting with flavor.

But they aren’t quite the same. The cooking time is similar, and the amount of rice we use will also be the same, but the texture is slightly different as well. Mexican rice is also fluffier and not as sticky as homemade Spanish rice.

The recipes might be slightly different, but they go well with the same dishes. Both rice types can be served with refried beans, black beans, burritos, tacos, or in a seafood dish, making them both amazing side dishes.

But the ingredients we add to make the rice more flavorful beg the question, can you freeze Spanish rice?

​Freezing Spanish Rice

Can you freeze Spanish rice? The answer is an absolute yes! We already know that rice can be frozen, but the ingredients in Spanish rice make it questionable. The basic rice recipe simply has water, but Spanish rice gets moisture from other ingredients like chicken stock or even vegetable stock.

But these ingredients will continue to provide us with the moisture we want in rice even after reheating it. Of course, frozen rice will need to be reheated differently. But we also have to ensure we freeze the rice correctly.

We can make the rice any way we’d like: on the stove, in an Instant Pot, or even with a rice cooker. But there are specific steps we must take to freeze it properly so that we get the texture we want when reheating it.

We can’t resort to our best methods of freezing leftovers and applying them to make this popular dish last longer in the freezer.

How to Freeze Spanish Rice

Spanish rice is an easy recipe that goes with almost anything, especially Mexican recipes. The kind of rice we use won’t affect how we freeze them. But we do need to ensure we complete the proper steps to get the best results.

The first step is to find a homemade Spanish rice recipe we want to make tonight. Make sure you have all the ingredients you need from the grocery store, and then get to cooking.

You can enjoy the rice you need for the night, but then we need to pull out a baking sheet for the freezing process. This method is a good one for any type of rice you make as well, so be sure to apply it to other rice dishes you make.

Spread the rice out on the baking sheet and let it sit at room temperature until it completely cools. Cooling the rice is how we get that good texture during the reheating process.

Divide the rice into serving sizes or just dump it all into an airtight container. Simply place the container into the freezer, and you’re set. Can you freeze Spanish rice? Yes, so long as you do it properly and get that same great texture we love from fresh rice.

Otherwise, you will get rice that is either too mushy when you reheat it. The freezer shelf life of rice is 6 months. So be sure to enjoy it before the six months is up. 

More Great Side Dish Recipes

Instant Pot Cauliflower Mash Recipe | Cauliflower mash is a healthy substitute for mashed potatoes.

Instant Pot Rice Too Sticky? – What To Do | Rice can be too sticky sometimes. But wait, don’t throw it away! We may be able to fix it.

Instant Pot Rice Recipes From Around The World | Did we mention how many different ways there are to make rice? That’s partly why it’s such a great side dish.

Crockpot Corn On The Cob With Coconut Milk Recipe | Corn on the cob is another side dish that can benefit from some new takes.

Easy Crock Pot Mac And Cheese Recipes | There is no need to add even more flavor to something as perfect as cheese. We just need a good delivery system.