Vacuum Sealing Rice, Flour & Dry Goods for Long-Term Storage

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You can vacuum seal rice for long-term storage, and white rice is one of the best foods for it because it is dry and low in oil. For storage of a year or two, a vacuum sealer bag in a cool, dark place works. For 10 years or more, Utah State University Extension recommends tightly sealed oxygen-barrier containers, such as Mylar-type bags, glass jars, PETE containers or enamel-lined #10 cans, with food-safe oxygen absorbers. Flour, brown rice and other oily foods keep for much less time no matter how you seal them.

Here is how to choose the container, how to seal each one, and how long each dry good actually lasts.

How long vacuum-sealed rice and dry goods last

The key number is temperature. Utah State University Extension, citing USDA, notes that each 10.8 °F rise in storage temperature cuts shelf life roughly in half, and USU says the best temperature for storing grains is 40 °F or below. A cool basement beats a hot garage every time.

Which container to use

USU Extension lists food-safe PETE containers, glass jars, #10 cans lined with food-grade enamel and Mylar-type bags as the containers that work best for long-term rice storage. A #10 can holds about 5.7 lb of rice, per USU.

Method 1: Vacuum sealer bags (1 to 2 years)

Quick and easy if you already own a sealer, and good for rice you will use within a year or two.

1. Portion the rice into quart or gallon bags. Smaller bags mean less exposure when you open one.
2. Leave 3 in. of headspace and keep the bag mouth free of rice dust.
3. Vacuum seal on the Dry setting. Hard rice grains can poke pinholes; a second seal line or thicker bags help.
4. Label with the date and store in a cool, dark place.
5. Check bags after a day for any that lost vacuum.

Clear film lets light through and, over months, a little oxygen too. That is fine for a year's supply, not for decades.

Method 2: Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers (10+ years)

This is the standard long-term method, and you do not need a vacuum sealer at all.

1. Use truly dry food. USU Extension says foods stored with oxygen absorbers should be about 10% moisture or less, because moist foods in low-oxygen packaging can support botulism.
2. Fill the Mylar bag and tap it so the rice settles. Leave room at the top to seal.
3. Press out the air by hand, or vacuum it if you use textured Mylar or a chamber sealer.
4. Add the oxygen absorber last, sized for the bag, and work fast: absorbers start working as soon as they are exposed to air.
5. Seal across the top with an impulse sealer, heat sealer or a household iron on medium (Wallaby lists all three for its bags).
6. Label, date and store in a cool, dark place, off concrete floors and away from rodents.

Within a day or two, a sealed bag with an absorber will look slightly sucked in but not shrink-wrapped. USU Extension explains why: air is about 78% nitrogen and 21% oxygen, so once the absorber takes the oxygen, mostly nitrogen remains.

Which sealer for Mylar?

A FoodSaver-style external sealer can heat-seal smooth Mylar but cannot vacuum it. If you want to vacuum Mylar on an external machine, buy textured Mylar such as LEM's. Otherwise, an impulse sealer is the cleanest tool for gallon bags. Our impulse sealer vs vacuum sealer comparison and best heat sealers for Mylar bags explain the options, and our Mylar vacuum seal bags guide compares the bags.

Method 3: Vacuum seal rice in a mason jar

Jars are best for the rice you are actively using, or small batches of specialty rice. A mason jar vacuum sealer makes the job quick.

1. Fill a clean, dry jar with rice, leaving about 1 in. of headspace.
2. Wipe the rim so no dust stops the lid sealing.
3. Place a flat canning lid on top, without the ring.
4. Attach a jar sealer (regular or wide-mouth) to your sealer's hose or a handheld pump and vacuum until it stops.
5. Check the lid is pulled down tight, then add the ring loosely for transport.
6. Store in a dark cupboard, since glass lets light in.

You can also drop a small oxygen absorber in a jar and close a standard lid. Our mason jar vacuum sealing guide has the full method. This is storage, not canning: it is only for dry food.

How to vacuum seal flour

Flour is dry enough to store, but it is a powder, and an external sealer pulls powder into its channel and onto the seal.

• Keep the flour in its paper bag and put the whole bag inside the vacuum bag.
• Or lay a folded paper towel or coffee filter over the flour before sealing.
• Leave extra headspace, 4 in. or more.
• Stop the vacuum early with Pulse or Seal if powder starts moving.
• Wipe the seal area before sealing; flour dust is the most common cause of a weak seal.

Chamber sealers handle flour better because the air leaves slowly and evenly; our chamber vacuum sealer bags guide covers pouches for that. White flour is a medium-term food; whole wheat flour, with more oil from the germ, keeps for much less time. Many long-term preppers store whole wheat berries instead, and mill flour as needed.

Insects and moisture

Bugs and damp ruin more stored rice than oxygen does:

• Inspect rice for insects or discoloration before packing, as USU advises.
• Freezing small bags for 3 days is a method USU notes many people use to kill any insects or larvae before storage.
• Let frozen rice come to room temperature in its sealed bag before opening, so condensation does not wet the grain.
• Store off the floor in a dry place.

Oxygen absorbers also help: USU says they preserve rice quality and protect it from insect infestation.

What not to store this way

Long-term dry storage only works for dry foods. Never put moist or low-acid foods, such as cooked rice, fresh vegetables, meat or leftovers, into Mylar or vacuum bags at room temperature. Clemson Cooperative Extension (HGIC 3865) says vacuum packaging is not a substitute for safely processing perishable foods meant for room-temperature storage. Cooked rice belongs in the refrigerator or freezer. Our list of foods that should not be vacuum sealed covers the risky ones.

Common mistakes

• Using clear vacuum bags for 20-year storage. Use Mylar with absorbers.
• Storing brown rice or whole wheat flour long term. The oil goes rancid.
• Opening a pack of absorbers and leaving it out. Work quickly and reseal unused absorbers.
• Hot storage. A garage that hits 90 °F cuts shelf life sharply.
• Flour dust on the seal. Wipe it clean and reseal.
• Sealing damp food. Only foods around 10% moisture or less belong with absorbers.

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