Pantry storage
Does white rice need to be refrigerated?
No. A sealed bag keeps about 2 years in the pantry, and an open bag stays there too. FoodKeeper gives opened white rice a year in the pantry, and its time in the fridge is the shorter of the two.
These times are a guide, not a safety guarantee, and a label that says to refrigerate comes first.
How we checked this: the storage times here come from the sources named on the page, and each one is checked against its source before the page goes live. Editorial policy
Cooked rice is a different story: the FSIS shelf-stable chart gives rice 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator once it is cooked. Source: USDA FSIS: shelf-stable food safety (opens in a new tab)
Unopened and opened
Unopened and opened packages keep for different times. These are the times the source gives.
- Unopened
- About 2 years in the pantry
- After opening
- About 1 year in the pantry, or 6 months refrigerated
- Where to keep it once open
- Pantry or cupboard. The source gives a shorter time in the fridge than in the pantry, so the fridge does not help.
Sources and limits
The after-opening time runs from the day you opened it, not from the date printed on the package, so write that day down. Well Stockd doesn’t know when your package was made, bought or opened: follow the package directions, keep it somewhere cool and dark, and check the official listing when food safety is in question.
The storage times above are quoted from the sources below. They’re a guide, not a safety guarantee: quality varies with packaging, temperature and how the package is handled between uses. Nothing here overrides a label that says to refrigerate. This page was last updated .
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