Cooking Brown Rice In An Oven Is Unbelievably Easy
When I originally encountered the idea of baking brown rice in an oven rather than cooking it on a stovetop, I was eager to give it a try! It turned out perfectly, and not just the first time either — this oven brown rice method produced perfectly cooked brown rice time after time, which is why I’ve taken to calling it “foolproof!”
Before I learned about the oven method, I didn’t make brown rice very often — but not because I didn’t like eating it! It just takes longer to cook brown rice compared to white rice, and I didn’t love having to keep an eye on a pot for an hour to make sure it didn’t boil over or run dry!
Luckily, there are no such issues when you bake brown rice in an oven. The rice comes out fluffy and tender, and you get consistent results every time. This method makes it easy to enjoy the benefits of incorporating more brown rice into your diet (and I’ll tell you about some of those benefits later in this post!)
Related: Add This One Ingredient To Make The Best Rice Ever
How To Make Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice
Adapted from Cooks Illustrated
Ingredients:
- 3 cups brown rice, rinsed (see link below)
- 4 2/3 cups water
- 4 tsp butter
- 1 tsp salt
Related: Should You Rinse Rice? The Answer Is Surprisingly Important
Directions:
Spread rice out in an even layer in the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish, then top the rice with 4 pats (teaspoons) of butter.
Bring the water to boil in a saucepan, your microwave, or in a kettle, then stir in the salt.
Pour the salted water over the rice in the baking dish, then cover the dish tightly with a double layer of aluminum foil
Bake at 375°F for 1 hour, or until the rice is tender. After an hour, remove the baking dish from your oven, remove the foil, and fluff the rice with a fork. Re-cover the baking dish with the foil and let it stand at room temperature for 10 more minutes before serving.
BONUS: 5 Benefits Of Brown Rice
- Brown rice contains more nutrients than white rice because only its outermost layer, or hull, is removed during processing. White rice, on the other hand, is stripped of several of its outer layers in to reveal the white color beneath.
- Brown rice contains more than 80% of the recommended daily value of manganese, a coenzyme that aids in metabolizing carbs and protein, and that helps keeps your immune and reproductive systems in good working order.
- The fiber in brown rice helps you feel full, thereby decreasing your chances of overeating.
- The fiber and selenium found in brown rice may also have a protective effect against certain types of cancer, which is never a bad thing!
- Whole grains like brown rice can help lower bad cholesterol.
There you have it: five good reasons to incorporate more brown rice into your diet. And there’s simply no easier way to cook brown rice than by baking it!
Do you prefer brown rice or white rice?
More Ideas You'll Love
Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups brown rice
- 4 2/3 cups water
- 4 teaspoons butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Spread rice in a 9×13" baking dish and top the rice with 4 pats (teaspoons) of butter.
- Bring water to boil, remove from heat, stir in salt and pour over rice.
- Cover baking dish tightly with a double layer of foil. Bake for 1 hour at 375°F, or until tender.
- Remove baking dish from oven and uncover. Fluff rice with fork, then re-cover and let stand for 10 more minutes before serving.
Thanks for the recipe and info, Jillee! Do you have a recipe for cooking brown rice in an Insta Pot (like the one you have for white rice)?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.This is a great guide, Elizabeth. :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Perfect Instant Pot Brown Rice
Jillee,
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You should never wash hard anodized aluminum in a dish washer.
The harsh chemicals break down the anodized coating that leads to that dull chalky residue.
Always hand wash, using as little soap as possible,
Keith
This recipe saved me! I needed to make rice for 35 people for a Salvation Army dinner. I couldn’t imagine how to cook it. I followed your recipe to a T, and all three pans came out perfectly! I wrote a little about it last night, on clumpaday.com, and included a link to your blog.
Thank you so much!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thanks for the recipe. I just halved the recipe n I’m eating it as I type. Use 3/4 cup brown rice, 1.5 cups water. Instead of simply adding butter, I Indianized it. After rinsing the rice thoroughly, I heated a tsp of oil in a pan. Added cumin seeds, ginger, garlic, onion, half a finely diced potato, green chilli or paprika. After stir frying for a minute, I added the drained rice n let it roast for another minute. And then, as per ur recipe. After the rice was ready I added salt, lemon juice. For the second serving tried adding schezwan sauce, it was really good.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I’m now not sure where you’re getting your info, but great topic. I must spend a while learning much more or understanding more. Thank you for great info I was searching for this info for my mission.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I have never bee able to fix brown rice successfully. I live above 6000 feet altitude. Would I have to change anything?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.The chicken in this picture also looks amazing!! Do you have a recipe for that?? :-)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.For all of you still boiling water in a saucepan or kettle, can I recommend a good ELECTRIC KETTLE! Since moving to England, where it originated, I realise that the uses for this indispensable appliance are many. Not just for the odd cup of tea or coffee, but when needing large amounts of water for cooking rice, pasta, potatoes, soup, etc. It’s a real time-saver, so Jillee – check it out! Get one that can rotate 360° on its base and has a fast boiling time. I prefer stainless steel or glass rather than plastic, which can leach chemicals over time.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I love baking brown rice! Any time I have tried to make brown rice on the stove top in the past the results have been so inconsistent.
White rice spikes my blood sugar for some weird reason, nothing else does it but white rice. I am starving only a couple hours after eating white rice. So I just haven’t been having rice at all for a long time, or buying pre-cooked brown rice if I really wanted some. I found this method of cooking brown rice on Pinterest and it worked perfectly!
So now I make a big batch in the oven, use what I need for the one meal, and freeze the rest in a ziploc baggie. Then I have brown rice ready to go at any time for a while. I’m the only one in the house who eats it, so one recipe lasts me a long time. Just pop the rice in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and it’s ready for whatever meal you have!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I make my brown rice in the rice cooker with either coconut oil or a little olive oil. I add an extra half cup of water so the rice will cook longer and be done.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I am sorry, but I am going to burst everyones bubble with this.
Last year it was discovered that rice, particularly brown rice has dangerous levels of arsenic. It is very important to cook it like pasta, draining off the cooking water.
Here is an article explaining it. Or you can just google it. This is not a hoax. Children especially are at riskCook and drain your rice sort of like pasta.
“We say to use about 6 parts water to 1 part rice,” says Michael Hansen, a senior staff scientist at Consumer Reports. “And then drain off the water after it’s done.” The FDA says that studies show rinsing and cooking in excess water can reduce total arsenic levels by 50 to 60 percent. “However, it should be noted that for enriched rice, rinsing will also likely reduce the amount of added nutrients,” the agency said.
Choose aromatic rices. For those who are already fans of Indian basmati or Thai jasmine rices, the news is not so bad. According to the hundreds of recently released test results, aromatic rice varieties show the lowest levels of inorganic arsenic. Imported basmati and jasmine rices showed about half to one-eighth the level of arsenic as regular rices grown in the Southern U.S.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-10-03/features/ct-food-1003-rice-arsenic-cooking-tips-20121003_1_inorganic-arsenic-rice-consumption-brown-rice
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I didn’t read through all of the comments, so this may be a repeat. LOL!
I make my brown (and white) rice in my rice cooker. I’m pretty sure it doesn’t take very long either. I’ve found recently that if I put a dash of salt in with it, that it doesn’t stick together and comes out perfect! Just remember when using a rice cooker that the measurement for cups of rice is different from what we use to measure other foods…i.e., a cup of uncooked rice isn’t 8 oz of rice. Yeah, didn’t know THAT until I got a rice cooker. Recently, I’ve been cooking up a whole 2-lb bag of brown rice at a time so that I don’t have to cook it as often. :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I don’t have any trouble at all cooking brown rice on the stove. It turns out prefect and fluffy, too.
2 cups brown rice (I use long grain)
3 cups water or broth
Pour together into 2 qt saucepan, bring to a boil.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Cover, turn down heat to simmer.
Set timer for 35 minutes. (do not take off lid to check!)
Fluff and serve.
Oh, and I gotta “Thank” Jillee……as always, I LOVE YOUR TIPS!!!! I find I’m on this site, at least, twice a day, if not more. I’m a BIG fan!
Big Hugs!!!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Thank you, Sage, for the Oatmeal Power Bar recipe!!! I’m so happy to have found your recipe. I was wondering if they wouldn’t be just as scrumptious using dried cranberries in place of the chocolate chips? I’m not a fan of chocolate chips….strange, I know. Anyway, another thing I’d like to know is have you ever cut them into bar sizes and froze them individually. I would think that would be a great “grab and go” breakfast bar. Tell me what you think. Thanks ever so much, again!
Please log in or create a free account to comment.You’re welcome, Rhonda!
Yes, you can substitute any dried fruit for the chocolate chips. I have done so with great success. But – if you do add dried fruit, consider adding appropriate spices for the different fruits – dried apples would use cinnamon, peaches would go with nutmeg, and maybe a small amount of ground cloves for cranberries. Pumpkin pie spice is also a great addition for any dried fruit. Go with a tsp. and sample it before baking. I’ll use any excuse to open the jar and sniff!
As far as freezing – cut them into any size you want, and wrap in real freezer paper – not plastic wrap. They freeze nicely, but take some time to thaw as they are very dense. Happy whole food baking! :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Sage:
I would love your Swedish Meatballs recipe!
…and…do you have a webpage? Where you post recipes? :)
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I used to blog for a political blog, believe it or not! :D I’ve been considering starting one, but my husband is concerned it will overwhelm me to try to keep up with it on my own (I’m a ladies Bible teacher )
Here is meat ball recipe: To each pound of ground meat ( turkey, pork, beef, chicken, venison, or a combination of any. Traditional Swedish meat balls are half pork, and half beef, but I use mostly turkey now)
1/2 – 3/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup whole milk or half and half
1/2 Tbsp. dried, minced onions
1 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
Two times a year I make a huge batch of meatballs – a divide them into Swedish, Italian, and regular.
For Swedish – 1/2 tsp. allspice, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. cardamom, per pound of meat
For Italian 1/2 tsp. parsley, 1/2 tsp. garlic pwd., 1/2 tsp. black pepper, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning per pound of meat
I start with 20 pounds of ground turkey, and divide it into three – and add the different seasonings to each. Then shape into the size meatballs you want ( I use disposable plastic gloves) and bake on foil covered baking sheets (rimmed) for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees. After cooling – put into labeled freezer bags – and you have meatballs for any occasion!
Swedish sauce is simply butter 1/2 stick butter melted, with a can of beef broth, mixed in, small amount of flour or whatever thickener you like, and I like to use equal amounts 1/2 + 1/2 and sour cream. The sour cream makes it authentically Swedish. Its your basic, rich brown sauce + sour cream. This will provide sauce for one pound amount of meatballs. Just spray your crock pot, dump the frozen meatballs in, and top with your sauce. Your meat balls are already cooked – so cooking on low is OK for 4 hours, not high for Swedish sauce because the dairy ingredients might curdle.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.I use a Tupperware Rice cooker in the microwave. It takes 45 minutes to cook the brown rice and comes out perfect every time. I’m anxious to try the oven brown rice without the butter as that detracts from healthy eating.
Please log in or create a free account to comment.For Sage: At what temperature do you bake the oatmeal power bars please?
Please log in or create a free account to comment.Also key to fluffy rice is not to stir it once it is simmering. Place brown rice and twice as much boiling water in covered pot, simmer for 30 mins or unt done. If there is extra water, remove lid to allow it to evaporate before taking off of heat.
Oops-sorry! 350 and I don’t preheat!
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