Pantry Winners And Losers
Microwave rice shouldn't be complicated, but Ben's Original has turned it into an entire catalog of hits and misses. Some pouches deliver restaurant-quality flavor in 90 seconds, while others taste like someone forgot to add the seasoning packet. The difference between their best and worst flavors is shockingly huge. Here's exactly which ones deserve space in your pantry and which ones you should leave on the shelf.
1. Ready Rice Roasted Chicken
This pouch smells like Sunday dinner without the three-hour wait. Real chicken fat and yeast extract create a surprisingly deep flavor that doesn't taste artificial or flat. People call it the "crowd-pleaser pouch" because even picky eaters go back for seconds.
2. Spanish Style Rice
Tomato, bell pepper, and paprika bring actual fiesta energy to your plate. The seasoning hits that sweet spot between flavorful and not-too-spicy, so kids and adults both enjoy it. Pair it with tacos or grilled chicken, and suddenly your lazy Tuesday dinner instantly looks effortful.
3. Jasmine Rice
Sometimes you just want good rice that smells amazing without any fuss. This pouch delivers authentic Thai jasmine fragrance that fills your kitchen. It’s simple enough for everyday meals but aromatic enough to turn plain rice into something special.
4. Long Grain & Wild Rice
Twenty-three herbs and seasonings sound excessive until you taste it. The wild rice adds texture as mushroom powder and natural smoke flavor build complexity you don't expect from a microwave pouch. Reviewers swear this is the reliable classic that makes every protein taste better.
5. Ready Rice Cilantro Lime
Coconut cream sneaks in subtle richness while lime and cilantro wake everything up. It tastes like vacation—specifically like that beachside taco stand that ruined all other rice for you. The bright, fresh flavor works with everything from fish to chicken.
6. Mexican Style Rice
Jalapeño powder brings actual heat and not just promises. Tomato, chili pepper, and lime create layers of flavor. Dubbed the "spice hero," it proves someone actually cared about authentic Mexican rice rather than just branding it.
7. Basmati Rice
India's royal rice shows up ready in under two minutes, which feels almost disrespectful to its elegance. The floral aroma hits you the second you open the pouch, and the long, fluffy grains separate beautifully.
Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka on Wikimedia
8. Ready Rice Garlic Butter
Real butter, oil, and garlic create that irresistible smell you associate with good Italian restaurants. The creamy richness makes plain proteins feel complete without any additional effort required from you. It's garlic bread's best friend in rice form, turning boring chicken or fish into something you'd actually look forward to eating tonight.
9. Brown Rice Whole Grain
This manages to make healthy rice taste good, and it’s harder than it sounds. Whole grain brown rice keeps its nutty flavor and chewy texture even after microwaving, so you're not sacrificing taste for nutrition. It sneaks fiber and nutrients into dinner while tasting better than sad, overcooked stovetop brown rice.
10. Coconut Thai
In this jasmine rice, coconut adds just enough sweetness without making it dessert-weird, creating that perfect balance Thai restaurants charge extra for. No passport required, just 90 seconds, and suddenly your kitchen smells like Southeast Asia's best beaches.
1. Ready Rice Santa Fe
New Mexico's vibrant food scene deserves better than this timid attempt. The seasoning is so mild that reviewers joke it needs "extra salsa therapy" just to have any personality at all. You'll taste tomato and bell pepper trying their best, but the whole thing suggests Southwest flavor just in theory.
2. Chicken & Herb Rice Mix
Twenty-five minutes of cooking should deliver more than this barely-there herb situation. The chicken flavor exists somewhere in theory, not really on your tongue. Sold as "Flavor Infusions," the mix delivers less depth than the name suggests.
3. Ready Rice Fried Rice
Takeout fried rice, and make it disappointing. Carrots and peas show up, but the savory depth you expect from actual fried rice never arrives. People say it's like ordering fried rice and forgetting to tell the chef to add the "wow" factor.
4. Ready Rice Roasted Garlic
The garlic is so aggressive that people call it "vampire repellent rice" without affection. It overwhelms everything else on your plate instead of enhancing it as garlic should. Some versions go creamy, but that just means you get intense garlic in a weird, oily coating.
5. Mushroom Recipe Rice
Mushroom risotto inspiration crashed headfirst into reality and lost badly. The mushroom flavor is faint, and reviewers call it a "mushroom whisper." You're better off buying plain rice and adding actual mushrooms to your recipe.
6. Ready Rice Cheddar Broccoli
Broccoli cheese soup promised to show up, and what arrived was its boring cousin. The cheese blend of cheddar, romano, blue, and mozzarella looks strong on paper, yet the flavor is weak. It’s like they forgot to add enough of any of them.
7. Oriental Fried Rice Mix
The vintage "Oriental" name tells you everything about how outdated this flavor tastes. Everyone agrees that homemade fried rice wins easily, and when microwave rice loses to five minutes of effort, that's a problem.
8. Ready Rice Chicken Flavor
Chicken‑flavored rice somehow comes across as rice‑flavored chicken, which feels off and disappointing. It's reliable for desperate moments, but that's the nicest thing anyone says about it. This "plain Jane" of the chicken rice world exists without ever giving you a reason to choose it over literally any other option.
9. Butter & Herb Rice
This promises cozy blanket vibes only to deliver plain rice wearing a butter costume. The herbs are so subtle they're basically invisible, leaving you with slightly oily rice, wondering where the flavor went. People say it needs "extra herb drama."
10. Ready Rice Pinto Beans & Rice
Mexican rice-and-beans combos should bring energy and spice to dinner. Prepared to mingle, the rice‑and‑beans dish skips the full spice party everyone expected. Even with poblano peppers and pinto beans, the dish delivers a muted version of Mexican flavor.
