What Is Congee? The Chinese Rice Porridge, Explained

Congee is a rice porridge made by simmering rice in plenty of water or stock until the grains turn very soft and start to break apart. In Mandarin it’s usually called zhōu (粥); in Cantonese-speaking communities it’s often called jook.

In Chinese homes it works as breakfast, comfort food, a way to use up last night’s rice, or the first thing someone cooks when a family member is unwell. When I want a more filling breakfast, I sometimes order a bowl of congee with a jianbing on the side. Together, the warm, soft porridge and the crisp, savory crepe make a surprisingly satisfying meal.

This guide covers what congee is, the names it goes by, how to make it three ways, what people put on top, and a few things worth knowing about health and storage.

What Is Congee?

Congee is a savory rice porridge eaten across China and much of Asia. You take a small amount of rice, add far more water than you would for steamed rice, and simmer it low and slow until the grains break down. The starch they release thickens the pot into a smooth, almost soupy porridge.

It goes by several names depending on where you are:

The English word congee most likely comes from the Tamil word kanji, passed into Portuguese as canje before it reached English. So the English name has South Indian and Portuguese roots, even though this article focuses on Chinese styles of rice porridge.

What Is Congee Made Of?

Basic rice congee needs only rice and water. That’s the foundation; everything else is seasoning and toppings.

Most Chinese home cooks use ordinary white rice. Jasmine rice gives the congee a light fragrance and a looser texture, while short- or medium-grain rice tends to cook down thicker and creamier. You can use water alone, or swap in chicken, pork, or vegetable stock for more flavor. From there people add ginger, garlic, scallions, soy sauce, white pepper, and a little salt.

A plain version without meat or elaborate additions is commonly called báizhōu (白粥, white congee). It’s the blank starting point — what many people reach for when they don’t feel like eating anything heavy, or what you dress up into a full meal.

How to Make Congee on the Stove

The stovetop method takes the longest but gives you the most control. The main decision is how thick you want it, and that comes down to your rice-to-water ratio.

These are starting points rather than fixed rules. Rice variety, cooking time, how much water evaporates, and whether you cook with the lid on all change the final texture.

Method: Rinse the rice two or three times, then drain — there’s no need to wash it perfectly clear, since it will still release plenty of starch as it breaks down. Add 1 cup of rice to a large pot with about 8 cups of water for a soft, creamy result, or adjust using the table above. Bring to a boil, then drop the heat to a low simmer. Cook uncovered or with the lid cracked for about 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring now and then so the rice doesn’t catch on the bottom. Add a few slices of ginger early for a warming background note. Season with salt at the end.

One tip from years of doing this: congee keeps thickening as it sits and cools. Pull it off the heat a little looser than you want it. If it stiffens up, a splash of hot water loosens it right back.

If you want to see the texture and cooking process in action, check out this basic video below. If you’d rather turn it into a fuller meal, you can also add shredded chicken and a soft-boiled egg.

How to Make Congee in a Rice Cooker

If your rice cooker has a porridge or congee setting, this is the hands-off option. Add rinsed rice, water or stock, and aromatics like ginger and garlic, then run the cycle, which usually lands around 50 to 70 minutes.

Use the cooker’s porridge water line, or the ratio listed in its manual, rather than a fixed number — the measuring cups, water markings, and programs vary a lot between machines. If your rice cooker doesn’t have a porridge or congee setting, check the manual before trying a standard rice cycle. Congee foams and rises as it cooks, and the safe quantity and method depend on the model. Don’t prop the lid open or go past the cooker’s porridge capacity.

How to Make Congee in a Zojirushi Rice Cooker

Zojirushi rice cookers make congee easy. You just use the Porridge setting — Zojirushi tunes it to make congee, so there’s no separate button to look for.

Rinse the rice, add it to the inner pan with water up to the marked porridge line for that amount of rice, then select Porridge and start the cooker. Because the measuring cups and water lines differ between models, follow the quantities in your cooker’s manual rather than the standard rice line. A 3-cup model like the Zojirushi NS-LHC05 suits one or two people, while the 5.5-cup Zojirushi NS-TSC10 is a practical size for most households and also includes settings for porridge, brown rice, and cake.

How to Make Congee in an Instant Pot

An Instant Pot shortens the active cooking time and needs very little attention, though you still have to allow for it to come up to pressure and release afterward.

Add 1 cup of rinsed rice, about 7 to 8 cups of water or stock, and aromatics — a common starting ratio, though models vary, so check your manual. Seal the lid and cook on high pressure for about 20 to 30 minutes, depending on how broken down you want the rice. Let the pressure release naturally until the float valve drops on its own. Don’t use quick release for congee — hot starchy liquid can spray from the valve. Because rice and porridge expand as they cook, keep the total contents below the Instant Pot’s halfway mark. Open, stir, and season. It will look thin at first and thicken as it settles.

How to Make Congee With Cooked Rice

Leftover rice makes a faster, slightly less silky congee. Combine about 2 cups of cooked rice with 4 to 5 cups of water or stock, bring it to a simmer, and cook for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring and pressing some of the grains against the side of the pot to help them break down. Add more liquid if it gets too thick. It won’t be quite as smooth as congee made from raw rice, but it is a practical way to turn leftover rice into breakfast.

Chicken Congee and Other Common Versions

Plain congee is the base, but most people eat it with something. A few of the everyday versions:

Chicken congee: This may be cooked with chicken stock and shredded cooked chicken, or with raw bone-in chicken that simmers with the rice until the meat is fully cooked, then removed, shredded, and stirred back in. It’s the gentle, comforting bowl many people picture when they think of congee.

Century egg and pork congee (pídàn shòuròu zhōu, 皮蛋瘦肉粥): A Cantonese classic with sliced preserved egg and seasoned lean pork. If you’ve only had plain congee, this is the one that changes your mind about it.

Sampan congee (tǐng zǎi zhōu, 艇仔粥): A Guangzhou specialty named after the small boats that once sold it along the river, loaded with bits of fish, pork, peanuts, and more.

Laba congee (làbā zhōu, 腊八粥): A sweeter porridge of mixed grains, beans, nuts, and dried fruit, traditionally eaten on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Congee Toppings: What to Eat with Congee

Toppings are where congee stops being plain and becomes a meal. The bowl is a base; what you spoon on top is personal. Common choices:

• Scallions, fresh ginger, and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil
• Soy sauce or tamari and a little white pepper
• Youtiao (油条), the fried dough sticks people tear up and dip in
• Pork floss (ròusōng, 肉松), the fluffy dried pork
• Pickled mustard greens (zhàcài, 榨菜) or other preserved vegetables
• A soft or jammy egg, or sliced century egg
• Peanuts, fried shallots, cilantro
• Fermented tofu (fǔrǔ, 腐乳) — a tiny salty cube goes a long way

There’s no fixed rule. Cantonese bowls lean savory and rich; a sick-day bowl might be plain congee with nothing but a dab of fermented tofu.

Also read: Chinese Chopsticks: How to Hold and Use Them Properly

Useful Equipment

You don’t need special equipment for congee; any sufficiently large pot will work. A heavy-bottomed pot is enough, and it stops the starchy bottom from scorching. A rice cooker with a dedicated porridge setting is useful if you make congee regularly, because it manages the heat and foaming without repeated stirring — though it’s probably unnecessary if you only make it now and then. A Mini 7-in-1 multi-use electric pressure cooker suits people who also want to pressure-cook beans, soups, and meat in the same pot.

For stovetop congee: A 5-quart enameled cast-iron Dutch oven works well because the heavy base holds a steady, gentle heat and the high sides help reduce splashing. This budget-friendly Umite Chef Dutch oven is large enough for a family-sized batch and can also be used for soups, stews, braising, and bread.

Is Congee Healthy?

Plain congee is soft, high in water, and often easier for people to tolerate when they don’t feel like eating a heavier meal. That’s why it shows up so often as food for someone who is sick, recovering, very young, or elderly. Its long-standing reputation as a soothing food is understandable, though congee is best treated as food rather than medicine.

A couple of honest points. Because it holds so much water, plain congee usually provides fewer calories per cup than the same volume of cooked rice — but the total still depends on how much rice you use and how big the bowl is. And plain congee made from white rice is low in fiber, so it may raise blood glucose relatively quickly, especially in a large portion eaten without protein, fat, or vegetables. None of that makes it unhealthy; it makes it a base. Cooking it with brown rice or mixed grains, using stock, and adding protein and vegetables turns a light porridge into a balanced meal.

Read More: What Makes a Chinese Meal Lighter or Heavier

People who monitor their blood glucose should consider portion size and follow advice from their own healthcare professional.

Can You Freeze Congee?

Yes, congee freezes well. Divide leftovers into shallow, airtight containers and refrigerate or freeze them within two hours of cooking. For the best quality, eat refrigerated congee within three days, or freeze it for up to three months. It thickens considerably when cold, so add a little water or stock when reheating and heat it until steaming hot throughout. Freeze plain congee where possible and add fresh toppings after reheating.

What Congee Means in a Chinese Home

When I was little and ran a fever, the kitchen smelled like plain white congee within the hour, and I’d eat it slowly with a sliver of fermented tofu because that was all my stomach wanted. The morning after a big dinner, last night’s rice became the next day’s breakfast, simmered soft with whatever was around. That’s the part a recipe doesn’t capture: congee is the food you make for someone you’re taking care of, including yourself.

It also varies by region. In Cantonese kitchens it’s often cooked thick and smooth, the rice barely recognizable, frequently rich with meat or seafood. Elsewhere it leans thinner — xīfàn, where you can still see the grains, eaten alongside pickles and small dishes at breakfast. Texture is only one of the regional differences, and there are others in the grains, the seasonings, and what gets served beside it, but it’s usually the first one a visitor notices.

FAQ

Is Congee the Same as Rice Porridge?

Congee is a type of rice porridge — the word usually refers to the Chinese and wider Asian style made by simmering rice in a lot of liquid until it breaks down. Rice porridge is the broader English term, and many cultures have their own versions.

Is Congee Good for Weight Loss?

Congee can be part of a weight-loss diet, but it isn’t automatically a weight-loss food. Plain white-rice congee is mostly carbohydrate and water and may not keep you full for long. A moderate portion served with eggs, chicken, tofu, fish, or vegetables is generally more satisfying than a large bowl eaten on its own.

Can You Make Congee With Brown Rice?

Yes. Brown rice congee works and adds fiber and a nuttier flavor. It takes longer to break down and stays a bit more textured than white rice, so plan on extra cooking time and a little more liquid.

Is Congee Gluten-Free?

Plain congee made only with rice and water is naturally gluten-free. However, soy sauce, stock, processed toppings, and restaurant preparation may introduce gluten. If you have celiac disease or need to avoid gluten strictly, check the ingredients and ask about cross-contact.

How Long Does Congee Take to Cook?

On the stove, congee usually takes about 1 to 1½ hours at a gentle simmer. In a rice cooker using the porridge setting, allow roughly 50 to 70 minutes. In an Instant Pot, cook it on high pressure for about 20 to 30 minutes, then let the pressure release naturally. Remember that the total Instant Pot time will be longer once you include the time needed to come to pressure and release.

Know someone who thinks Chinese cooking is complicated? Send them this as an easy place to start. For more plain-English guides to Chinese food and the customs around the table, join the Stellar Chinese email list on the site — and while your congee cooks, our guide to everyday Chinese dining etiquette is a good next read.