You can make creamy, velvety congee in a rice cooker with 4 ingredients. This hands-off method of making congee requires almost no effort; just set and forget!
If you love hands-off recipes like this, check out our Instant Pot dal and chickpea pulao next.
Growing up Chinese, a rice cooker is a must-have appliance, and I would say ours is very well used! Besides making basic rice, we also use it to make other dishes like rice cooker biryani and this congee recipe.
This rice cooker congee is highly versatile, and we love serving it with saucy dishes like hoisin tofu stir-fry, and vegan chop suey. It's also great with vegetable sides like Chinese eggplant and soy sauce green beans.
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💚Why you will love rice cooker congee
- A hands-off, effortless method of making congee
- Simple recipe calling for only 4 ingredients
- A comforting, creamy staple that is highly versatile
- Customize with your favorite add-ins, seasonings, and toppings
🍚What you will need
- Rice - Use short- or medium-grain rice (like Jasmine or Japonica). If using brown rice, soak it for at least an hour beforehand.
- Broth - Use vegetable broth of choice, or bouillon powder/stock cubes. Gives tons of flavor to congee!
✨Congee add-ins and toppings
- Brown rice congee - Choose short- or medium-grain brown rice. Soak for at least an hour before cooking.
- Fish congee - Slice your fish fillets ¼ to ½ inch thick. Once porridge is done cooking and in the "keep warm" setting, add your fish fillets.
- Chicken congee - Add a whole chicken breast to the middle of the pot and cook it alongside the congee. Once cooked, remove the chicken breast, shred it, and mix it into the porridge.
- Plant-based protein - Feel free to stir in some shredded seitan chicken or tofu (like my soy sauce tofu) into the congee.
- Seasonings - I am going with just broth, but feel free to flavor your congee with seasonings like soy sauce, sesame oil, chili oil, or white pepper.
- Toppings - Common options include Youtiao (Chinese donuts), pickled vegetables, chopped green onion/parsley, and fried shallots.
🔪How to make
Step 1: Add all ingredients to the rice cooker and set to cook. (If the rice cooker doesn't have a porridge setting, use the standard cook setting, and cook uncovered.)
Step 2: Cook until the indicator turns off. If the grains are not fully soft, restart the cooking process. Top with desired toppings and enjoy!
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✅Helpful tips
- Cooking congee uncovered - If rice cooker does not have a porridge setting, cooking it uncovered might risk porridge boiling over.
- Adjust congee to desired consistency - If congee is too thick, stir in some hot water.
- Congee thickens as it sits - Don't worry if your congee looks watery, as it will thicken as it sits. If it thickens too much, add hot water to thin.
- Making it on the stove - I recommend checking out my vegan congee or brown rice congee recipe instead.
❄️Storing suggestions
Fridge - Leftover rice cooker congee can be refrigerated for 5 days.
Freezer - Freeze congee for up to 3 months. Portion out using freezer containers or souper cubes, so you only take out what you need.
Reheating - Allow frozen congee to thaw overnight in the fridge. Then, heat it in the microwave or on the stove, adding water to thin.
?Commonly asked questions
To thicken watery congee, let it simmer for a few minutes until it reaches the desired consistency. Congee will also thicken naturally after sitting untouched for a few minutes.
For white rice, soaking is unnecessary and will not make much difference to cooking time. If using brown rice, soak it for at least an hour before cooking, as it is tougher to cook.
Short- or medium-grain rice works best in congee. Long-grain rice (like basmati) is not recommended, as it does not break down and turn creamy as easily.
🍽️More rice dishes
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Rice Cooker Congee
Ingredients
- 5 slices ginger
- 3 cups vegetable broth or other broth of choice
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup Jasmine rice *see notes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Add all ingredients into the rice cooker.
- Rice cooker with porridge setting - Set the cooker to porridge mode and cook until the indicator turns off.Regular rice cooker - Set it to cook, but keep it uncovered to prevent porridge from boiling over. Let it simmer for 40-50 minutes, or until the rice starts to fall apart. If it thickens too much while cooking, add more water to thin it.
- Serve your rice cooker congee with toppings and dishes of choice, and enjoy while warm.
Notes
- Cooking congee uncovered - If rice cooker does not have a porridge setting, cooking it uncovered might risk the porridge boiling over.
- Adjust congee to desired consistency - If congee is too thick, stir in some hot water.
- Congee thickens as it sits - Don't worry if your congee looks watery, as it will thicken as it sits. If it thickens too much, add hot water to thin.
Save this recipe!
Email yourself a link to this page and come back later.
Also get a FREE high-protein vegan recipe eBook + weekly new recipes! Unsubscribe anytime.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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