Not all rice cooks well in slow cookers. Many types of rice tend to come out gummy when slow cooked, though other types cook quite well. Rather than try to adapt conventional rice recipes to slow cooking, use rice recipes intended for use with slow cookers, such as the three recipes below.
Sample Slow Cooker Rice Recipes
Plain Rice (serves 6)
- 1 cup converted white rice
- 1 cup water
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp butter
Combine the rice, water, salt, and butter in the crock. Cover and cook on low for 6–8 hours. Fluff the rice gently with a fork and serve.
Jambalaya (serves 6)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 cups smoky-flavored ham, diced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes (1 can), with juice
- 3 oz tomato paste (1/2 can)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Hot pepper sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 cup long-grain converted white rice
- 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Sauté the onion, garlic, and celery in the olive oil. Spoon the sautéed vegetables into the crock. Add the ham, tomatoes, tomato paste, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper, hot pepper sauce (to taste), broth, and rice. Stir to combine.
Cover and cook on low for 3–4 hours. Stir in the shrimp and chopped green pepper. Cook for about 20 minutes more, until the shrimp are pink.
Rice Pudding (serves 8)
- 3/4 cup uncooked short grain rice
- 13 1/2 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 cups water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 dash cinnamon
Combine the ingredients in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours.
