Can You Freeze Rice and Peas?

3 minutes

Rice and peas is an iconically Jamaican dish, alongside jerk chicken. With rice, however, is incredibly easy to cook a little too much. So, what do you do with those leftovers?

How to Freeze Rice and Peas

Freezing rice and peas is very simple, but follow our steps so your food is as safe and tasty as possible:

1. Cool: Making sure that the food you’re working with has cooled will ensure that you don’t create a warm, humid environment when the container is sealed. In turn, this will prohibit bacterial growth.
2. Portion Out: Once the food is cool, move it into airtight containers, and be sure to pack the food tightly so that you’re using your space efficiently.
3. Seal: Seal each container that you’re using as tightly as possible. This will ensure that the rice and peas don’t get touched by frost too quickly in your freezer, leading to better long-term storage conditions.
4. Freeze: Freeze the rice and peas in the centre of your freezer, where the food will be as far as possible from the frost front at the edge of your freezer. This will allow it to avoid freezer burn for as long as possible.

3 Tips for Freezing Rice and Peas

Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing rice and peas to have the best results:

Avoid Sauces
When freezing starchy carbohydrates like rice, you will not be well-served by having sauces or other liquids in the container with the food. This means you should avoid adding sauce to rice and peas before freezing – they make the freezer burn more likely.

Use Stackable Containers
Using stackable containers in your freezer is a great way to use the space as efficiently as possible. We would recommend this for any food, as it will allow you to store as much as possible in your freezer, making every step of the process more efficient.

Wrap the Containers
If the containers aren’t quite as airtight as they could be, then wrapping them with a layer of cling film can make them much more effective. Using cling film can form an airtight seal with very little effort, leading to a very effective storage method.

How Long Can You Freeze Rice and Peas?

You can freeze rice and peas for around 6 months.

The reason rice and peas freeze well is that it has a relatively low moisture content, so it’s rare that the food will become independently freezer-burned.

Make sure to seal the container well to ensure you get the full 6 months.

How Do You Defrost Rice and Peas?

The best way to defrost rice and peas is to cook it directly from frozen. Open the container a little, and place it into the microwave, zapping it on high for increments of thirty seconds.

The food is ready to eat when it’s steaming hot throughout. Ensure you reach this temperature, as rice is a dangerous food when it comes to reheating – steaming hot means that the food is safe.

Can You Refreeze Rice and Peas?

Yes, you can refreeze rice and peas.

Because the food doesn’t contain any amount of meat, fish, or raw dairy, it can be frozen several times over.

However, you will likely notice a decrease in quality over repeated refreezing, meaning that the food probably shouldn’t be refrozen too many times if you hope to maintain its quality.

Does Rice and Peas Freeze Well?

Yes, rice and peas does freeze well.

They make a great freezer-staple for a meal-prepper because they give you a ready-to-go side dish that works well alongside a range of meals.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing rice and peas or rice in general, then these may help: