Rice is one of the Rockstars of the prepping world. If your family likes eating rice, adding it to your long-term emergency food storage is an excellent idea. Rice and beans are the bulk of my family’s emergency food store because they are inexpensive and nutritious. Not to mention we love eating them.
The type of rice that stores the longest for food storage is white rice. Adequately sealed in an oxygen-free environment like sealed Mylar bags or #10 cans, all white rice types will remain edible for 30 years. If left in the store-bought packaging, white rice remains edible for up to 5 years.
Interested in storing rice in your long-term food pantry or emergency kit? Read on…
Is White Rice Good For Long-Term Food Storage?
White Rice is an excellent staple food for long-term storage. It goes well with other foods. It is long-lasting, affordable, and easily rotated into your family’s diet. White rice makes a complete protein when added to cooked dry beans.
Why Does White Rice Last So Much Longer Than Other Types of Rice?
White rice lasts so long because it has the bran layer removed. Other rice types, like brown rice, still have the bran layer and the oils that come with it. The oils in the husk cause brown rice to oxidize or go bad quickly.
Tip:
- You can refrigerate or freeze brown rice for an additional 6 months of storage, but you will never get more than a 12 to 18-month shelf life, even if stored in oxygen-free containers.
- Brown rice is not a good bulk staple for your emergency food storage.
Check out Ready Squirrel’s most popular article on Rice as survival food, “The Best Way to Store Rice Long-term.”
Shelf- Life of Rice Varieties for Long-Term Storage
| Varieties of White Rice | Shelf Life Hermetically Sealed/Oxygen Free | Shelf Life Store Packaging | Shelf Life In The Freezer |
| Long-grain | 30+ years | 5 years | 30+Years |
| Jasmine | 30+ years | 5 Years | 30+ Years |
| Basmati | 30+ years | 5 Years | 30+ Years |
| Arborio | 30+ years | 5 Years | 30+ Years |
| Minute Rice | 30+years | 5 years | 30+ years |
| Other Types of Rice | – | – | – |
| Brown | 18 months | 3-6 months | 12-18 months |
| Black/Purple | 18 months | 3-6 months | 12-18 months |
With the husk on, like brown rice, Rice has natural oils that cause them to oxidize and spoil quicker than white rice, where the shell is removed.
To read more about everything rice for long-term storage, Check out Ready Squirrel’s article, “Best Type of rice for Long-term Storage and How to Store It.”
Store hundreds of pounds of white rice on the cheap check out the Ready Squirrel article, “How to Store Rice in 5-gallon buckets.”
