About 3 to 4 days. Cooked rice keeps that long in the fridge, but only if it was cooled and refrigerated within about an hour of cooking — rice is riskier than most leftovers.
Rice has a reputation problem that is actually earned: it is one of the few foods where reheating is not automatically enough to make it safe again.
The culprit is Bacillus cereus, a bacterium common in raw rice that survives cooking as a spore and can produce toxins if the cooked rice sits out too long — toxins that reheating does not destroy.
Bacillus cereus spores can germinate and multiply once cooked rice cools into the 40–140°F danger zone. The faster you get rice into the fridge, the less time those spores have to become a problem — aim for within 1 hour of cooking, not the usual 2-hour rule for most foods.
Reheat rice only once, and heat it all the way through to 165°F, stirring partway to eliminate cold spots. Add a splash of water to loosen it up and prevent it from drying out.
A sour smell, sticky or slimy texture beyond normal stickiness, or any discoloration means it is time to throw it out — do not taste-test questionable rice to decide.
Cooked rice is fine for 3 to 4 days, but only reward yourself with leftovers if it went into the fridge quickly after cooking. When timing was off, skip it rather than risk it.
No — rice left at room temperature overnight can develop Bacillus cereus toxins that reheating will not remove. Throw it out.
It is not recommended. Each cooling-and-reheating cycle gives bacteria another chance to grow, so reheat only the portion you will eat.
About 3 to 4 days, the same as plain cooked rice, as long as it was refrigerated within an hour of cooking.
Yes — cooked rice freezes well for about 1 to 2 months and reheats easily from frozen in the microwave or on the stove.