Learn how to cook brown rice on the stove. This foolproof method makes the best fluffy brown rice!
If you’re like me and cook brown rice nearly every week, this easy method for cooking perfect brown rice is going to change your life. I originally shared this brown rice recipe in 2013 and I’ve been cooking my brown rice this way ever since.
So how do you cook brown rice? The best way is to cook it like pasta, in an excess of water. I did a side-by-side comparison of this method versus using a specific rice to water ratio, and here’s why cooking rice like pasta is better:
- It has a better texture. The rice was fluffier and not soggy or mushy at all (versus the rice cooked in just enough water).
- It’s foolproof. You don’t have to babysit a pot on the stove or use the perfect rice to water ratio. The rice soaks up exactly as much water as it needs.
- It’s hands-off. If you use a specific water to rice ratio, you have to keep the heat at a very low temperature and keep an eye on the pot so you’ll know exactly when the water is all absorbed. With the method outlined below, all you have to do is set a timer and then come back to perfectly cooked brown rice. Easy peasy!
Fluffiest brown rice I’ve ever made! Only making brown rice this way from now on.
Mary
How to Cook Brown Rice
Note that this method works for any type of brown rice – long grain, medium grain or short grain, as long as it’s not the quick-cooking or instant type of rice.
Bring the water to a boil. You’ll need about 8 cups of water for 1 cup of rice, but you don’t actually have to measure. The key is to use an excess of water. If you want to cook double the amount of rice, you don’t need double the water, just use a big enough pot and enough water to keep the rice covered with water as it cooks.
Rinse the rice. Place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it well under cold running water. Rinsing will remove excess starch and any dust or grit that may have been left from processing.
Boil the rice, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Set a timer as soon as you stir the rice into the boiling water so that it doesn’t overcook. Overcooking will lead to bloated, mushy rice – not what we want.
Drain it well. Pour the rice into a strainer or colander and drain off all excess water.
10 minute rest. Immediately return the rice to the hot empty pot and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let the rice sit for 10 minutes before serving. During this time it will steam and become light and fluffy.
Fluff the rice with a fork or spoon and serve!
Brown Rice Recipes
Brown rice is a versatile, nutritious side dish that goes with so many meals. Serve it with a Beef Stir Fry or Kung Pao Chicken, or add it to a burrito or Burrito Bowl. It’s a perfect accompaniment for saucy meals like Teriyaki Salmon and Tuscan Slow Cooker Chicken Thighs, since the rice is an excellent vehicle for soaking up extra sauce.
This brown rice recipe is also my go-to whenever I need cooked brown rice as a recipe ingredient. Try it in these recipes:
To Store, Freeze and Reheat
- To Store: Promptly store leftover cooked brown rice in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: Let the rice cool (you can speed up the process by spreading the rice out in an even layer on a baking sheet). Promptly freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I like to freeze rice in portion sizes that are enough for one meal.
- To Reheat: When reheating rice, adding a little bit of water can help the rice to stay moist. I find that the easiest way to reheat rice is in the microwave. You can also reheat rice in a pot on the stove, covered, stirring often. Or, reheat rice in the oven at 325 degrees F. Place the rice in a baking dish, stir in a little bit of water, and cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake the rice until hot, 15-20 minutes. Rice should be reheated until steaming hot.
More Cooking Basics
- Instant Pot Brown Rice
- How to Cook Rice
- How to Cook Wild Rice
- How to Cook Quinoa
- How to Cook Farro
- How to Cook Lentils
- Pinto Beans Recipe
- Black Beans Recipe
How to Cook Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 8 cups water
- ¼ teaspoon salt, optional
- 1 cup brown rice
Instructions
- Bring water (and salt, if using) to a boil in a 3 quart or larger saucepan or pot. (Make sure to use a pot that has a tight-fitting lid, since you will need to cover the rice while it rests after cooking.)
- Meanwhile, place the rice in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse it well under cold running water.
- Once the water is boiling, stir in the rice and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil. Boil the rice, uncovered, for 30 minutes. (Set a timer so that you don't overcook it.)
- Turn off the heat. Pour the rice into a strainer and drain it very well. Immediately return the rice to the hot empty pot and cover with the lid. Let the rice sit for 10 minutes before serving. During this time it will steam and become light and fluffy.
- Fluff the rice and serve.
Notes
-
This method works for any type of brown rice – long grain, medium grain or short grain, as long as it’s not the quick-cooking or instant type of rice.
- 1 cup of dry rice will yield about 3 cups of cooked rice.
- To Store: Promptly store leftover cooked brown rice in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To Freeze: Quickly cool the rice (you can speed up the process by spreading the rice out in an even layer on a baking sheet), then promptly freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. I like to freeze rice in portion sizes that are enough for one meal.
- To Reheat: When reheating rice, adding a little bit of water can help the rice to stay moist. Reheat in the microwave or in a pot on the stove, covered, stirring often. Or, reheat rice in the oven at 325 degrees F. Place the rice in a baking dish, stir in a little bit of water, and cover the dish tightly with foil. Bake the rice until hot, 15-20 minutes. Rice should be reheated until steaming hot.
Thank you. I am anxious to try this.
Thank you, this was extremely helpful.
Question…when you place the rice back into the hot pot, do you leave the pot on the hot cooktop (turned off but still hot) or do you place the pot off of the hot area of your cooktop? Thank you for great content, just now trying some of your recipes out!
Hi Nancy,
Good question, I usually use a gas stove where it is fine to return the pot to the stove. However, if you are using an election/induction stove that retains a lot of heat, you might move the pot to another surface to prevent further heat transfer from the hot element burning the rice on the bottom.
Oh my goodness, thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I finally successfully cooked brown rice!!! It was amazing!!!
Thank you, this worked well. I can’t imagine why we torture ourselves, trying to get the exact perfect amount of water so the rice isn’t mushy, dry, or stuck to the pot, when we could just do it this way! Not to mention that the pot was much easier to clean.
Fluffiest brown rice I’ve ever made! Only making brown rice this way from now on
This worked perfectly for me! Thanks!
F I N A L L Y – a way to cook brown rice and get it fluffy instead of mushy!! 🙏🏽🙌🏽 I did have to cook it for 40 mins instead of 30, but the rice still came out great. Thank you!!
Will this work for “white” rice too?
Hi Elaine, see my recipe specifically for white rice here: How to Cook Rice
OK, so looking at your recipe for White Rice, it seems that this method (for brown rice) won’t work for white. I’m always curious so can you tell me “why” it won’t work? I know some sources say brown rice is better but other sources also say white is better and I tend to believe that. I would love to have an easy way to make white rice because I’ve always thought it was tooooo difficult the standard way.
It may work to cook white rice this way, I just haven’t tried it since my white rice recipe always works perfect for me. I’ll try to remember to test out cooking white rice using this method soon, and will report back. If you give it a try before I do, let me know how it works out. 🙂 You would need to adjust the cook time since white rice cooks faster.
Hi Elaine,
I tested this method with white rice last night and it worked well! I suggest using a cook time of 13-15 minutes for white rice (you can taste it to see if it’s tender), and follow all of the other recipe steps as directed.
I just tried your method for WHITE rice, paring the cooking time down to 20 min (instead of 30 min) and it worked very well. I’m going to try 15 min next time to see if that makes it even better. Soooooo happy with this method. I wonder why we never thought this method would work!?!?
Hi Elaine,
This is too funny – before I saw this comment, I just replied to you that I tried this method for white rice last night! I only cooked mine for 15 minutes. I’m glad you found a new way to cook rice that works for you!
Wow, that was quite a coincidence! It’s fantastic that we can do this for both white and brown rice. What a relief! Thank you.
This totally worked! I keep trying to make good brown rice, but it more often than not ends up mushy… Thank you!!
I always have a difficult time getting my brown rice to be nice, light and fluffy. This recipe made it perfectly!! This will now be my “go to” method for cooking my rice!