Whether it’s European or Asian-inspired, rice soup is a great way to fill up with a nutritious, healthy meal. But, it can be a bit of a faff to make. So, is there a way to prepare it in advance and have it ready in the freezer?
Can You Freeze Rice Soup?
Yes, you can freeze rice soup for up to 1 month. The best way to do this is to place the soup into a container with around an inch or so of headroom – liquids can expand when frozen. Then, seal the container and pop it into the freezer.
Do Does Rice Soup freeze well? No
Can you refreeze Rice Soup? No
How to Freeze Rice Soup
Freezing rice soup can be a little tricky. To ensure that you get it right, we recommend following our instructions. There are a few vital steps you’ll need to take in the process of freezing it:
- Cool: Allowing the soup to cool is vital, as this will stave off any level of bacterial growth that might take place while the soup cools in the container.
- Portion Out: Portion the soup into portion-sized containers. We advise that you clean off the rim of the container before you come to seal it. The reason for this is that the container won’t seal properly if there’s a drop of soup on it.
- Seal: Seal the container, ensuring that you have a small amount of headroom between the soup and the lid of the container. This will allow the soup to expand a little during freezing.
- Label and Freeze: Finally, pop a clear label on each container and then carefully place the containers into the freezer.
If you have thick, good-quality bags then you can freeze soup in them. it’s vital that you check the seal in this case as it’s easy to leave a small opening in the bag which will result in a right mess in the freezer.
3 Tips for Freezing Rice Soup
Now you know how to freeze it, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing rice soup to have the best results:
Check the Seal
Ensuring that the container is totally sealed ensures that you can avoid any form of spillage in the freezer. If you let it spill out, you’ll be finding grains of rice for months on end!
Leave Room for Expansion
Leaving a bit more headroom will ensure that you can avoid any kind of burst container in the freezer. While this is rare, it’s worth taking as many steps as you can to avoid a headache further down the road.
Don’t Bother
Generally, soup freezes really well. But there are exceptions to this. Soup that contains either rice or potato does not freeze well. You’ll end up with a poor-quality soup that’s mushy and lumpy. You, therefore, have to question if there’s really any point.
How Long Can You Freeze Rice Soup?
You can freeze rice soup for around 1 month before the quality begins to decline rapidly. To ensure that this doesn’t have an impact on the soup, we recommend following the steps laid out above.
If the soup is frozen for less than 1 month, it will freeze quite well. While the texture will change, it will typically not lose any flavour.
Rice soup doesn’t last an exceptionally long time in the fridge, unfortunately. When kept in an airtight container, it will last for around 3 days.
How Do You Defrost Rice Soup?
The best way to defrost rice soup, as when defrosting any form of soup, is to remove the lid and place the soup into the microwave. Heat it, on full power, for increments of thirty seconds. Do this until the soup is steaming hot all the way through.
You can also allow it to thaw slowly by popping it in the fridge overnight. We don’t recommend defrosting it at room temperature, however. If go for fast, intense defrosting or slow and steady.
Can You Refreeze Rice Soup?
This depends upon the ingredients of the rice soup, as some ingredients are more susceptible to bacterial growth than others.
You cannot refreeze fish, meat, and dairy – if your soup contains any of those ingredients, then the soup cannot be refrozen.
Does Rice Soup Freeze Well?
Not really, no.
The reason for this is that the rice within the soup will continue to cook as it cools on the stove. Therefore, when reheated, the rice will be overcooked.
A great way to avoid this is to freeze the broth of the soup in advance and then cook some fresh rice before mixing it with the thawed broth.
Related FAQs
If you’ve still got questions about freezing rice soup or rice in general, then these may help:
Yes, chicken and rice soup can be frozen for around 1 month. You will find the rice becomes a little mushy and it’s vital that the chicken is heated thoroughly once it has thawed.
