Kitchen rescueRice, pasta and potatoesPartly saveable

How to fix mushy rice

Drain off any extra water, spread the rice out on a baking tray and put it in a low oven for a few minutes to dry the surface. This helps slightly soggy rice, but rice that has turned to mush can't be made fluffy again, so use it in a dish where softness doesn't matter.

How you can tell

  • The grains are swollen, split and sticking together
  • The rice is wet and porridge-like
  • There's water left in the bottom of the pan

Why it happens

Rice absorbs water as it cooks and its starch swells and softens, a process called gelatinisation. With too much water or too long a cooking time, the grains swell until they split and release starch, which makes the rice sticky and mushy. Stirring the rice while it cooks breaks the grains and releases even more starch. Some types of rice, such as short-grain and risotto rice, are naturally softer and stickier.

How to fix it

Option 1Dry it out

  1. Drain any extra water through a sieve
  2. Spread the rice thinly on a baking tray
  3. Put it in a low oven for a few minutes to dry the surface

Option 2Use it another way

  1. Use very soft rice in rice pudding, soups or congee
  2. Shape it into rice cakes or patties and fry them until crisp

Next time

  • Use the amount of water the packet or recipe suggests for that rice
  • Rinse long-grain rice until the water runs clear to wash off surface starch
  • Don't stir rice while it cooks
  • Let it stand with the lid on off the heat, then fluff it with a fork

Terms on this page

General kitchen guidance, not food-safety advice. If food may be unsafe, for example undercooked meat or anything left out too long, follow the Food Standards Agency and throw it away if in doubt.