I recently received a rice cooker as a gift and while I’m more than content to eat regular white and brown rice on a regular basis, I have often found myself wondering what else this device can do, and seeking the answers to questions like “can I cook black rice in the rice cooker?” (and for how long, and on what setting, and with how much water?).
Thankfully, preparing black rice in the rice cooker is easy. If you’re patient, your rice cooker can accommodate all sorts of different varieties of rice, as well as other grains and pseudograins like quinoa.
When it comes to black rice specifically, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Black rice would actually make an amazing natural purple dye for foods. However, because of this, it’s a bit like working with turmeric – be careful when handling it because it will stain all of your equipment. Avoid storing it in plastic containers, wash your kitchen tools shortly after using them to cook black rice, and don’t wear your fanciest attire when cooking.
- If you aren’t careful to wash black rice before cooking it in the rice cooker, you could end up with a gummy result, or worse – the excess starches could cause a volcano-like effect in your rice cooker and spill starchy purple goo all over your kitchen counter. Not good. So please follow my instructions on how to cook black rice in the rice cooker! Some resources suggest soaking black rice for multiple hours ahead of time. I don’t find this necessary at all, but you do need to carefully prep it before you are ready to cook. See the recipe for details.
Black rice has a higher anthocyanin content than other types of rice, and is also a great source of lysine, B vitamins, iron, zinc, and more. Even more importantly, it’s delicious! Nutty, chewy, and fragrant, it will add a beautiful flavor to your meals. Here I have paired it with a Moroccan roasted carrot soup. It provides a nice counterpart to Northern African, Middle Eastern, and Southern Asian flavor profiles, or wherever else you enjoy hearty flavorful rice. Aside from this soup I think it would also be lovely with my turmeric chickpea stew, African peanut stew, or roasted acorn squash soup. Enjoy!
Rice Cooker Black Rice
Easy instructions for how to make black rice in your rice cooker. Scale up the rice and liquid quantities as needed to make more.
Ingredients
- 1 cup black rice
- 1 and 3/4 cups water or stock plus more water for rinsing
- salt to taste
Instructions
Prepare the rice:
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Add the rice to a large bowl - preferably metal or glass, so that it doesn't stain. Add warm water until the rice is completely covered, and use your hands to mix around and generally agitate the rice. You will notice the water quickly becoming dark purple in color.
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Strain the water out of the bowl - I recommend using a mesh sieve so that you don't lose any rice kernels. Repeat the process 4 more times (yes, 4) of filling the bowl with water, agitating the rice, and straining out the water. This is important for removing excess starch from the black rice so that it cooks properly in the rice cooker.
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Drain the rice, and add it to your rice cooker. Add water or stock at a ratio of 1 and 3/4 cups per cup of black rice.
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If your rice cooker has a brown rice mode, start it. Otherwise, set the timer to 25 minutes.
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When the timer goes off, remove the lid to release excess steam.
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Cooked black rice can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5-7 days.
Recipe Notes
All rice cookers are different. Start with a small batch the first time just in case you need to make adjustments to the cook time or amount of liquid for making black rice in your own rice cooker.
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Cliff says
Hello, can I use my “Quinoa and other grain” setting, or stick to “brown rice” setting?
Just joined, can’t wait for the feasts ahead!
Constance B. Clark says
Thank you! I was looking for a simple way to cook the black rice, I followed your instructions and gave the rice a extra quick clean and cooked it longer than you listed and it came out great!
arj says
I don’t know what happened–followed the recipe exactly–but my rice didn’t really cook all the way. I had to dump it out. 🙁 So bummed because the flavor was good, but the rice was just hard. I think I’m going to try it in the pressure cooker next time and see if it cooks better that way. I generally have great luck with your recipes btw. Just something didn’t turn out with my rice for some reason.
Christine Bogard says
Add more water, unplug the cooker, then start the cooking cycle again. Don’t waste good rice!
Linda Falcone says
i TOO WOULD LIKE THE RECIPE FOR THAT SOUP, PLEASE . i’D ALSO LIKE THE RECIPE FOR THE 2 STEWS YOU MENTIONED.
THANK YOU,
LINDA
Dave says
Black rice often looks shiny. Are people adding a bit of oil to it, or does it just look that way naturally?
I just bought some to cook in my Zojirushi. I’m going to skip the GABA setting the first time I try it.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Dave, I think it’s just naturally shiny, I never add oil to mine.
TJ says
Why does the rice need to be rinsed?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi TJ, the rice has a lot of excess starch on the surface and will be sticky and less fluffy if you don’t rinse it. It also has the potential to boil over easily when not rinsed, also due to the starches.
DAVID BUFFALOE says
WHICH BRAND RICE COOKER ?
LeoMarius says
Zojirushi makes the best rice cookers. It’s Japanese, so of course they know rice.
DAVID BUFFALOE says
ARE YOU LOSING THE VITAMINS AND ANTIOXIDANTS WITH ALL THE RINSING ?
Peter Cave says
Yes rinsing does wash away a lot of nutrients. I cook it all the time in a Japanese rice cooker on the brown rice setting and it’s never boiled over or been gluggy.
Jackie says
Thank you for this! It’s perfect – if I’ doubling or tripling the recipe for a dinner party for 6 people do i need to make any adjustments other than the 1:1.75 (so 2:3.5 or 3:5.25) ratio of rice to liquid? is this correct still with the increase? also, same cook time for doubled?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Yep, that’s right! The rice-to-liquid-ratio and cooking time should both stay the same, so if you double the rice, double the liquid.
jayme says
Are you using a standard 1 cup measuring cup or the cup that comes with your rice cooker?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Standard 1 cup measuring cup!
Kevin says
Works like a charm. Now I would really like to have that soup recipe…