Do Rice Noodles Go Bad? The Ultimate Guide to Storing & Cooking With Rice Noodles
You’re not alone if you’ve ever wondered whether your pack of rice noodles will eventually go bad.
Like other perishable foods, rice noodles do go bad.
Rice noodles are a popular choice for many noodle-based Asian dishes. These Asian-famous noodles are often obtainable in dried, fresh, and frozen options, and like we said earlier, they can spoil, nevertheless.
The upsides to rice noodles are that they are versatile and delicious. However, the downside is that these delightful Asian noodles eventually go bad.
If you’d like to learn more about the shelf life of this Southeast Asian favorite, stick around for this short review.
Do rice noodles go bad?
Yes, all rice noodles go bad eventually. Rice noodles are perishable foods, so this is inevitable.
Nevertheless, this East Asian noodle comes in three forms; frozen, dry, and fresh:
Dry rice noodles
Dry rice noodles can last for about six months to one year in your pantry before spoiling.
However, during this time, if you open the package of dry noodles, its quality begins to decline.
Even if they remain sealed, dry rice noodles will begin to lose their quality on the best-before date labeled on their packaging.
Fresh rice noodles
Fresh rice noodles will start to go bad after four hours at room temperature, four days in the fridge, and two months in the freezer.
The spoilage process of fresh rice noodles can be faster if they are not stored properly.
Frozen rice noodles
Cooked and uncooked frozen rice noodles will only begin to go bad after two months in the freezer.
Rice noodles stored in the freezer will start to spoil before the two-month mark if they are not stored appropriately. When using frozen rice noodles, work with the best-before date on the packaging. We’ll talk more about this later in this article.
How can you tell if rice noodles are bad?
Using your biological senses is the key to identifying spoilage in rice noodles and many foods.
The tips we’ll give will teach you how to use your senses of taste, smell, touch, and sight to recognize if rice noodles have gone bad.
Here’s how to identify spoiled rice noodles:
Check for mold or discoloration
Eyeball the rice noodles and if you notice mold growth or a color change in your rice noodles, throw them out because they have gone bad.
Check for a change in taste or a foul taste
Spoiled rice noodles often lose their starchy flavor and develop an off-putting taste that will have you gagging.
Do not ignore a sour smell
A significant determinant of spoiled rice noodles is an aggressive sour odor. Therefore, if your rice noodles smell bad, don’t eat them.
Feel for a change in texture
The texture of good raw rice noodles is neither too hard nor brittle. If rice noodles feel very hard or too brittle, you may be dealing with spoiled rice noodles.
Examine the package for the expiration date
The expiration date, a.k.a. best-before, best-by, and use-by date, show you an estimated spoilage date. So if your rice noodle pack has exceeded its expiration date, you should throw it away immediately.
Read also: What Does Bad Shrimp Taste Like?
How long do rice noodles last?
Rice noodles can last anything between two hours to a year.
Nonetheless, uncooked rice noodles can last up to four hours at room temperature, four hours in the refrigerator, and a year in the freezer.
The shelf life of cooked rice noodles is similar to that of uncooked ones. Cooked rice noodles can last up to four hours at room temperature, five hours in the refrigerator, and two months in the freezer.
You should remember that the most significant indication of a spoiled pack of rice noodles is if it has passed its use-by, best-by, expiration, or best-before date.
So regardless of whether you store the noodles adequately or not, once the noodles have stayed beyond the expiration date, they begin to lose their overall quality.
Check the packaging of the rice noodles to find the expiration date.
How long does it take for rice noodles to go bad?
Whether cooked or uncooked, fresh rice noodles take three to four days to start going bad in the fridge.
In the freezer, uncooked and cooked fresh rice noodles can last up to two months before they start to spoil.
On the other hand, dried noodles are best stored at room temperature and can stay at room temperature for up to six months to a year.
How long do rice noodles last in the fridge?
Uncooked rice noodles can last between three and four days in the fridge. Anything after four days may be a recipe for disaster.
Cooked rice noodles last between two and five days in the fridge. If you leave your cooked rice noodles in the refrigerator beyond this timeframe, you may notice signs of spoilage when you want to use them.
How long can rice noodles be left out?
Rice noodles can safely be left out for up to four hours.
If rice noodles are left to sit out for more than four hours, you risk the development of harmful spore-producing bacteria on the noodles.
How to store cooked rice noodles
You’ll need:
- a freezer-safe Ziploc bag or airtight container,
- a pen,
- paper tape.
Guide
- If you cook the rice noodles in broth, separate them. If you boil the rice noodles, rinse them in cool water, drizzle some oil on them and mix well. Allow the rice noodles cool.
- Put the rice noodles in the freezer-safe bag or airtight container. Put the broth in a separate freezer-safe container or bag.
- Label the container with the date of storage. Remember, cooked rice noodles only last in the fridge for up to two months.
How to thaw frozen rice noodles
Four or five hours before you intend to cook the rice noodles, place them in the fridge and let them defrost. If you can’t wait that long, place the container of frozen rice noodles in an ice bath.
Read also: How To Cook Frozen Udon Noodles
How to store fresh rice noodles
You’ll need a freezer-friendly airtight container
Guide
Place the fresh rice noodles in the freezer-friendly airtight container and store them for three or four days.
However, if you have to store fresh rice noodles at room temperature, keep the noodles well-covered. Do not store fresh rice noodles at room temperature for more than two hours.
Consider storing fresh rice noodles in the freezer for longer-term storage. We gave a detailed step-by-step guide on how to store rice noodles in the freezer earlier. You should check it out if you want to keep your fresh rice noodles for up to two months without worry.
How to store dried rice noodles
Keeping dried rice noodles at room temperature is easy.
All you need to do is take note of the use-by date and place it safely in your pantry. Then, ensure to use the rice noodles before the expiration date.
Dry rice noodles are best kept at room temperature if kept cool and dry in places like a pantry. Dried rice noodles often last for up to six months or a year.
Can you eat expired rice noodles?
Maybe, just maybe, but there’s a catch.
If rice noodles are expired, but there are no indications of spoilage, the rice noodles have been stored appropriately, and the packaging of the rice noodles is intact, it should be safe to consume.
This is because the expiry date gives you an idea of when the rice noodles will begin to decline in quality. However, if the rice noodles are well past the expiration date, you shouldn’t eat them.
