How To Reheat Sticky Rice

If you’ve got your portion controls a bit mistaken, you may find yourself with a lot of sticky rice left over. This delicious rice is too good to waste, so can you cook it up again the following day?

Sticky rice can be reheated safely as long as it has been kept refrigerated after it was first cooked.

But how do you reheat sticky rice? Sticky rice can be reheated by a range of methods, including the oven and microwave. For the best results, sticky rice should be reheated on the stovetop in a steamer.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about how to reheat sticky rice, including our top tips for keeping this gourmet ingredient at its absolute best!

What Is Sticky Rice?

Sticky rice has long been a popular ingredient in Asian cooking and is now used widely all around the world. You will also hear sticky rice referred to as sweet rice or glutinous rice, and it can be used in both sweet and savory dishes.

Sticky rice is round-grained rice that comes in both long and short-grain varieties. As the name suggests, sticky rice has a gluelike texture when it is cooked.

This means that the individual grains stick together, enabling them to be formed into balls and used for a variety of cooking techniques.

The reason that sticky rice has this unusual texture is due to the starch within the rice. Most rice grains contain a mix of starches called amylase and amylopectin, and the proportion of the two determines the stickiness – or not – of the rice. 

Rice that contains high levels of amylose, such as long-grain white rice, will be soft and fluffy, with grains that do not stick together.

Short-grain white rice has a moderate amount of amylose and is slightly stickier. Sticky rice contains barely any amylose, which gives it the intensely sticky texture that enables it to be molded and formed into balls.

Sticky rice is normally cooked by steaming and is used in a variety of dishes. It is popular in desserts and also used as a stuffing for duck and other meats.

Sticky rice can be formed into balls to make traditional Chinese dumplings such as shumai and zongzi.

Can Sticky Rice Be Reheated?

As long as sticky rice has been stored correctly, it can be safely reheated to enjoy the following day. However, remember that once your sticky rice has been reheated once, it cannot be reheated again.

Many people worry about reheating rice, as we are rightly concerned about the bacterial contamination that can occur with cooked rice.

But it is the way that rice is stored that creates a high risk of bacterial contamination, not how it is reheated.

Rice contains spores of bacteria that can cause food poisoning. These spores can survive the cooking and reheating process and will multiply quickly in cooked rice under the right conditions.

This is why rice should never be left at room temperature for long periods of time.

So, as long as your cooked sticky rice has been refrigerated after it was first cooked, it will be perfectly safe to reheat and consume the following day.

If you need to refrigerate cooked sticky rice, ensure it is cooled as quickly as possible after cooking. Do this by placing the hot rice on a baking sheet in one layer and putting it in the refrigerator.

Once the rice is completely cool, scoop it into an air-tight container and store it in the refrigerator where it will last for up to 4 days. Cooked sticky rice can also be kept in the freezer for up to a month.

The great thing about reheating sticky rice is that there are many different ways to do this, so everyone will be able to find a method that suits them best.

The great texture and flavor of sticky rice can be maintained even when it is reheated, and some people even think that it tastes better the following day!

What Is The Best Way To Reheat Sticky Rice?

The best way to reheat sticky rice is by using the same method by which it was cooked in the first place – steaming. This is not necessarily the easiest method but gives you the best results.

Reheating using steam will ensure that the rice stays moist without becoming too soggy or overcooked. Steam will gently heat the rice thoroughly, making sure it retains the same perfectly sticky texture.

When reheating food as delicate as rice, it is vital to ensure that it is heated through without cooking it any further. Steaming rice at a gentle simmer creates the perfect conditions to achieve this, helping to retain the incredible texture of sticky rice.

And if you don’t have a steamer, it is super simple to improvise and make one using your kitchen pans! So you don’t need to splash out on a specialist piece of equipment to reheat your rice to perfection.

If reheating sticky rice in the steamer is not the option for you, then several other methods also work well.

Sticky rice can be reheated in the microwave or the oven; the results may not be quite as good but many people find these techniques simpler.

The technique you use for reheating rice will also depend on how much rice you need to reheat, and what you intend on using it for.

1. Steaming Sticky Rice

The best results for reheating sticky rice come from using a stovetop steamer. Luckily, this method can be used even if you don’t have a purpose-made steamer, through some simple improvisation techniques!

Reheating rice in a steamer is the ideal method to preserve the texture and consistency of sticky rice.

It will work equally as well with small and large quantities of rice, as long as you have a large enough pan to spread the rice out in a thin layer.

If you do have a steamer, such as a traditional bamboo steamer:

1. Pop around an inch of water in the bottom and bring it to a gentle simmer.
2. Add the rice to the top of the steamer in a thin layer, breaking up any large clumps.
3. Steam it for around 5 minutes, then serve.

If you don’t have a steamer:

1. Our favorite method is to use a large skillet, with 4-5 balls of rolled-up aluminum foil placed in the bottom. Pour an inch of hot water into the skillet, and rest a heatproof plate on top of the balls.
2. Put the rice on the plate in a thin layer, making sure that any balls are broken up. Cover the skillet with a tightly fitting lid, and bring the water to a gentle simmer.
3. Voila, you have a homemade steamer made from just a few ordinary household items! Steam the rice for around 5 minutes, until piping hot.

2. How To Reheat Sticky Rice In The Oven

If you need to reheat a large amount of sticky rice, then reheating it in the oven may be a better option for you. It is not always cost-effective to put the oven on to reheat a small amount of food though.

Reheating sticky rice in the oven:

1. To reheat your cooked sticky rice in the oven, preheat the oven to 300°F.
2. Put the cooked rice into an oven-safe dish, gently breaking up any large clumps. Stir around 3 tablespoons of water through the rice.
3. Cover the dish with a tightly fitting lid or aluminum foil, and place it in the oven for 10 minutes. For small amounts, 5 minutes should be sufficient. The water will create steam within the dish, heating the rice without drying it out.

However, you are adding extra water to the rice which may alter the texture. It is a very small amount, so you shouldn’t notice too much difference.

The other advantage of this method is that your rice will stay warm in the heated dish for longer, ideal if you are trying to prepare several dishes at once.

3. How To Reheat Sticky Rice In The Microwave

Want to reheat a small amount of sticky rice in a hurry? The microwave may well be the perfect method for you in this situation!

Reheating sticky rice in the microwave:

1. Place the rice into a microwave-safe bowl, along with around a tablespoon of water per cup of rice.
2. Gently fluff up the rice with a fork, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
3. Pierce the wrap a few times with a knife to allow steam to escape. Alternatively, you can cover the rice with a damp paper towel to trap steam.
4. Heat the rice on the highest power setting for 20 seconds, then give it a quick stir. Food in the microwave heats from the inside out, so repeat this step as many times as necessary until the sticky rice is heated through.

Don’t be tempted to put the rice on for longer and hope for the best, as it will not work!

The rice on the outside will be cold, while the middle of the rice will be piping hot and starting to cook. Overheating rice in the microwave can also cause it to dry out.

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