How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice
This stovetop brown rice recipe yields perfectly fluffy brown rice, every time, with any variety. You'll never want to cook brown rice any other way!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Repeat after me: No more mushy rice! No more mushy rice! I’ve been using this brown rice cooking technique for years, and it never fails.
A few reasons to love this recipe:
- You don’t need a rice cooker or any special equipment (just a pot with a lid, and a kitchen stove).
- You can use this technique on any type of brown rice (long, medium or short grain, as long as it’s not a quick-cooking variety).
- It’s so easy to remember, you’ll never need to look up how to cook brown rice again.
For this technique, you’ll boil your rice in an abundance of water for 30 minutes. Drain off the excess water, return the rice to the pot, cover, and let the rice steam for 10 minutes. Ta da! Perfect brown rice, every time.
I originally found this technique on Saveur, and I’m so thankful I did. Their recipe calls for 12 cups of water (that’s a lot) per cup of rice, and I’ve learned that it really only needs 6 cups.
However, you don’t actually have to measure the water as long as you’re using a large enough pot. If too much water evaporates during the cooking process, just add more and return the water to a boil. Your rice will still turn out perfectly!
Watch How to Cook Brown Rice
How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice
Once you try this easy technique, you’ll never want to cook brown rice any other way. You can scale this recipe up or down as needed. The basic ratio is 1 part brown rice to 6 parts water, which yields 3 parts cooked rice. As written below, the recipe yields 3 cups cooked rice.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown rice (short, medium or long grain brown rice will work, as long as it’s not a quick-cooking variety)
- 6 cups water
- Salt, soy sauce or other desired seasonings, to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil, using at least 6 cups water per 1 cup rice. Rinse* the rice in a fine mesh colander under running water to remove excess starch.
- Add the rice to the boiling water. Reduce the temperature as necessary to prevent overflow, but maintain a steady boil. Boil, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Drain off the remaining cooking water and return the rice to the pot. Cover the pot and let the rice rest, off the heat, for 10 minutes. Fluff, season as desired, and serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Saveur.
*Note on rinsing: I’ve forgotten to rinse my rice before, and the rice turned out almost as good. The cooked grains are a little more starchy—you can see a thin layer of gluey starch at the bottom of the pot after steaming. If you’re in a hurry, skip the rinse.
Make it gluten free: Rice is gluten free, so just be mindful of your additions. Soy sauce, for example, is not gluten free (substitute certified gluten-free tamari instead).
Wild rice option: For wild rice, use 8 cups water and boil for 40 to 55 minutes, until tender but pleasantly chewy.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
5 Recipes Featuring Brown Rice
The following recipes feature this brown rice cooking technique. I have many more brown rice recipes here. You’ll find brown rice risottos, paella, mujaddara and more.
1) Thai Red Curry with Vegetables
Gluten free and vegan
“Made this yesterday following the recipe quite faithfully. Hubby said it tastes exactly like the red curry at our favorite Thai restaurant! This is a winner and will be bookmarked and made often! The details provided in the recipe such as time to cook at each step ensure that you can’t go wrong with the recipe. And so I would feel confident making this recipe for company too.” – Poornima
2) Kale, Black Bean & Avocado Burrito Bowl
Gluten free and vegan
“I’ve made this twice now and love it! The lime juice-marinated kale totally converted me to eating raw kale! This is a perfect recipe to make for weekday lunches in the office because it’s easy to pack and reheat and leftovers taste just as great. Thanks!” – Lauren
3) Extra Vegetable Fried Rice
Gluten free and easily vegan
“I made this last weekend and love love loved it so I’m making it again this weekend! My husband really liked it too, and it’s a tall order to get him to eat a lot of vegetables so this will be entered into our regular rotation for sure. So glad I found this blog, I’ve email subscribed and have just purchased your cookbook! Thanks Kate!!” – Julia
4) Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Crispy Baked Tofu with Honey-Sesame Glaze
Gluten free and vegan
“Another amazing recipe, perfect combination of sweet and spicy. I pitched this to my meat loving boyfriend as vegetarian general tso’s, and it worked! Every recipe I cook from this blog is so delicious – all I want to know is when is the Cookie and Kate cookbook release date! Thank you, Kate, your recipes have renewed my love of cooking and make breaking bread with loved ones even more special.” – Ailla
5) Anything-Goes Kale Salad with Green Tahini Dressing
Gluten free and vegan
“Thank you so much for this lovely salad, beautiful and delicious! The dressing is such a nice combination. Just the thing after a weekend of not-so-healthful eating.” – Wendy
More resources you might appreciate: 23 make-ahead breakfast recipes, 45 recipes that pack well for lunch and 20 simple weeknight dinners. You can shop my essential kitchen equipment here. Don’t forget to follow us on Pinterest for a steady stream of recipe inspiration!
Made the brown rice following the exact ratio/water rice..rinsed well in cold water….lots of water, one cup rice. 30 min into boiling water uncovered. drain , off heat covered 10 min.Fluffed what was about 1.5 cups of semi hard and gluey resultant. Whats wrong??I was so looking forward at last to a foolproof method.
Hi Dave, I’m so bummed to hear that! I’ve used this method many, many times with short, medium and long-grain brown rice and never experienced that result. If the result was gluey (caused by starch), it makes me wonder if the rice needed to be rinsed even longer. Was there much water left in the pot near the end of cooking? It really needs an abundance of water throughout the process. Hope this helps.
I made this recipe and followed it to the T. It came out perfect! Thank you because I had been doing it incorrectly for years!!!
Wonderful! I’m happy you enjoyed it, Sherri.
it needs to boil at least 45 mins. Idk how stovetops are so different that these bloggers can cook food faster
Lots of water left at end boil time, well rinsed in cold water before plunge to boil………now cooled, it has yielded about 2.5 cups.
The boil was completely lid off, perhaps partial liding would have kept a higher temp while cooking. Perhaps expecting less of a “chew”…all in all, its going into a chicken and rice soup w/green onion and spinach shreds. Cheers, thanks for the comeback, Dave
I just made tonight following directions exactly and it was perfect. Using a gas cooktop and a heavy conductive stockpot, and lid partially covered. Hope that helps!
I just made this. I followed the recipe exactly. The rice was delicious, each grain separate. No mush. I used a cup of long grain brown rice, six cups water. I left the rice in the pot after 30 minutes of a “hard “ boil, the drained with the lid on over the sink. Let rest off the burner 10 minutes, lid on. Just perfect. Thank you!
This recipe is perfect, like all your recipes. Have made it 4x now. My only change is to let it boil for 35 mins. This recipe is advisable because rice, and in particular brown rice, contain high levels of arsenic. The rinsing and cooking in extra water decrease the amount of arsenic you consume.
Wow, I will never make brown rice the same way again! This recipe made my brown rice come our perfectly…thank you!! (And oh my gosh so much easier and quicker)
This is awesome! I can’t tell you how many brown rice cooking methods I have tried where they have claimed to be the best brown rice cooking method and they NEVER work. I always thought it was me. I am so happy to have found your method; it did work perfectly!!! Thank you.
Hello!
I made this recipe exactly as you explained and this is the best brown rice I’ve ever had.
No more sticky rice for me.
We just need to be clear that we are cooking brown rice and not basmati or parboiled. Just set up your expectations to a logic level and enjoy!!
Thank you!!
Excellent tips on cooking brown rice! Cooked perfectly!! Thanks a million!!
Excellent tips on cooking brown rice! Cooked perfectly!! Used 6 cups water to 1 cup rice. Exactly 30 minutes I had no water left. Thanks a million!!
First time I’ve made brown rice in a while and wow, I was really impressed with how it turned out! Perfectly cooked, and also easy to remember which I love.
My bag of rice says to use 5 cups of water per 2 cups of rice. So, will this recipe still work with your rate of 6/1?
Hey Michelle! As long as your rice is brown rice (any variety, but not quick-cooking) then yes, this method should work well!
I’m about to make this. Are you saying completely dump the rice to strain it after 30 mins, or only pour off the excess water that may be left on top?
Hi Angel, you want to strain off every last bit of water. Hope that helps!
And do we need to rinse the cooked rice with cold water before putting it back in the pan to fluff
Thank you! I did and turned out perfect!
Would the timings and water amount be different if I presoak the rice first? I always presoak rice (white and brown) and usually cook in instant pot. Wanted to try stovetop so thought I would check. Also, I have 2 cups of rice, soooo 12 cups of water??
Hi Bee, That could be the case as your rise may soften and/or absorb some of the water. I wish I could give you specifics, but I wouldn’t know without testing it.
My rice came out perfect! kinda eyeballed the amount of water and brought the soaked rice up to a boil in the water (after rinsing a few times). Cooked for about 15min since the water took slightly over 5min to boil. Thanks for the recipe :)
You’re welcome! I’m glad it turned out.
I need to know how much rice to the 6 cups of rice
Made brown rice last week using this method to eat with stir fry. Turned out great, rice grains stayed separate and had a little chew to them. Much better than with the usual way it says to cook rice on the back of the bag. Making it again today and will definitely come back to this recipe in the future. Thank you!
I used this method of cooking brown rice for the first time tonight using a hearty broth and WOW it was good. Probably because of the salt in the broth but the flavor was excellent and I found the cooking method quite easy to follow. Will definitely be using this approach again. Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m happy it worked out so well for you.
Made this tonight following the recipe to a T and it came out mushy and all stuck together. Came back to your recipe after dinner and that’s when I saw the comment about not to use quick/instant brown rice! So was that the problem you think? I didn’t realize that’s what I bought and used
Kim
Hi Kim, that would be the issue as it doesn’t require the same amount of cooking time. I’m sorry you had a poor experience!
I use your method for brown rice every single time and it hasn’t failed me yet!
Great to hear, Claire! I appreciate your review.
I’ve tried twice now, making sure to follow these directions exactly. Both times I ended up with gummy, sticky rice that really kind of turned my stomach. Not wasting any more time or effort on this.
I received compliments on the brown rice. Thank you!
You did it again! For YEARS I have been making brown rice and have never been happy with it. The perfect brown rice was elusive…until I tried this technique last night. Perfection!! Thank you for all you do!!
Do you add salt to the boiling water before adding the rice?
Hi Rasha! You could, but I wait to stir in salt to taste at the end (for full control).
I cut the recipe in half, came out beautifully. Very excited to try with brown basmati next.
So easy & came out perfectly! Thank you so much!
Love to hear that, Gladys!
This was perfect!! I usually avoid cooking rice because I can’t get it just right but following these instructions gave me the perfect cup of rice! Just the way I like it!
Cook the rice as directed and it came out perfect.. I left the rice on a medium high boil and I had no water at the end and the rice was as if I cooked it in the rice cooker. Thanks a lot
This recipe does not work. I followed it to a T! It was so mushy, basically baby food. Yucky is all i have to say
Hi June, I’m sorry to hear this didn’t work for you. I wonder if you might have had your heat a little too high. What type of rice did you use?
Glad to say this is my first comment on a recipe ever. I was very sceptical of the recipe at first, especially because it’s so counter to what I have been taught but this recipe worked.
After my rice boiled I thought it was a little mush and I don’t know how but after covering it for ten minutes off/heat I was so amazed with the way the brown rice turned out.
It looked very close to puffy white rice, I was very astonished.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, really appreciate it and I’m sure my family who from now on can enjoy brown rice like nothing cooked at home before.
First time I made fluffy brown rice!
(BTW a side comment, I did learn that brown rice is better when left soaked for a bit, I soak it come back to it, rinse it, soak it again and do this for about 10-20min depending on how much time you have. The longer it soaks the better, it really allows a lot of stuff to come off when it’s left submerged in water. I usually use luke-warm to slightly warm water- hope this helps someone :)
Wow! By far this is the best brown rice I have ever made at home. Thank you! Perfect consistency. Just like I get in restaurants. And very easy to make and doesn’t suggest the half or more teaspoon of salt that many of the other recipes do and that completely ruin the flavor of natural rice. I liked it so much I even bothered to leave a comment which is not something I usually bother to do
This gif not work for me at all. Not sure what went wrong but it was mushy. I ended up just trying some of it so we had something for dinner. I will give it another try though since it has such good ratings.
WOW. I have NEVER been able to cook a pot of brown (or any) rice right even one time in literally 25 years of attempts. I found your recipe and of course was skeptical because clearly the fault at this point lies with me. I followed this to the letter, and oh my goodness, it came out PERFECTLY!!!!! Can’t believe that finally I can make a decent, no, perfect pot of brown rice! I can’t wait to try some of the other recipes you’ve posted, the first will be the brussels sprouts/tofu, very excited. Thank you SO much for posting this recipe, I’m absolutely delighted :-)
Fantastic to hear this method turned out perfectly for you, Caroline! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Kate….I COOKED BROWN RICE AND IT WORKED! This technique works so much better than the absorption method, perfect fluffy brown rice that is soft but still has chew. Thank you!
Excellent recipe. I almost gave up on making brown rice because I could not do it. I even made a brown rice frisbee once! This recipe was so easy and the rice was fluffy. Nice job Kate!
I am notorious (in my family at least) for being terrible at making rice. I was very hopeful for this recipe, but alas, I stayed true to form. :-(
I used 1/3 cup of brown basmati rice to 6 times 1/3 cups water. I added another 1/3 cup water about half way through because it was starting to evaporate, and at the end there was almost no water left.
The constituency after the 10 minutes resting was almost exactly like porridge (and it kind of tasted like porridge too). Not sure what I did wrong (but I know it was me).
I actually have a rice cooker, but never made brown rice before. I read the manual and it said it’ll take TWO HOURS. I’m so glad I found your recipe, it was done in a jiff and came out PERFECT. Thank you so much :D
I’m happy you found it too, Hana! Thanks for taking the time to report back.
Best and easiest fool proof rice recipe! My mom, who has been making brown rice for years, was very impressed with how it was the exact perfect texture! She couldn’t believe it when I told her how I did it. Adult daughter win :)
I struggle with rice … but not with this recipe! I followed it exactly…aside from rinsing it. Thank you!! Any tips for white rice??
Wonderful! I don’t cook much with white rice as I like the nutritional boost brown rice provides.
My rice has the consistency of mash potatoes
I’m sorry to hear that this didn’t turnout perfect for you. Was there any water left in the pan? Was it at too high of a boil the entire time and overcooked? Let me know.
Tried your recipe/method – this is the first time brown rice has turned out palatable. Mine was a little sticky, but I like it that way. I was apprehensive about 6 cups of water, but by the time 30 minutes rolled around, there was hardly any water left. Yay- thank you – I’m doing it this way from now on!
Just made this exactly as written and it turned out perfect! Finally, brown rice that isn’t crunchy and has a perfect texture! Thank you so much!!
Worked for me!
Amazingly, I used much less water than the recipe requires.
Cooking for five, I used a large mug x 2. Which *should* require 12 equivalent cups of water, but after 7 the rice looked so dwarfed by the water I left it at that.
Cooked 35 mins without a diffuser and still the water level was twice that of the rice.
Made this tonight to go with some baked chicken thighs & I will probably always make my brown rice this way! The only change I made was I use 7 cups of water instead of 6.
When you throw the excess water, are you not throwing away the nutrients in the brown rice?
Hi Shar, you may be loosing something, but I believe most is in the grain itself.
Perfect recipe!! I always hated brown rice but this recipe actually works and the rice tastes really good.
Carrie, when you boil it in excess water instead of steaming (the traditional way where all of the water is absorbed), it cooks faster. It’s science, not blogging magic.
Does this actually give you tender, tasty brown rice? Mine always comes out so chewy, even crunchy but I use far less water and try to cook it in my cheepo rice cooker from Target. I realize the health benefits of brown rice but if it’s inedible….Even my dog wouldn’t eat it, and he eats pretty much anything.
Hi Maury, I find this one works very well. I hope you try it and let me know what you think!
About when does one add the salt and or other seasons? Thanks in advance!
Hi James! This is about cooking brown rice plain to add to other recipes. It depends on the recipe you want to include the rice into. You could use my cilantro lime rice as a base if you like.
Hello Kate! Thank you for the reply. I was asking because on the ingrediant list it has this bulleted: “- Salt, soy sauce or other desired seasonings, to taste”.
Also, I did the recipe 100% how it is explained above. Unfortunately my rice came out with a lot of moisture. If it is due to not rinsing the rice sufficiently, about how long should one rinse for best results? Thank you in advance!
Hi James, sorry for misunderstanding your question! You would add those at the end for your desired taste. A recipe you may be using it for would also give you guidance, if that makes sense? I’m sorry you didn’t have a perfect result! You want to drain excess water if there is any and then cover per directions. Did you drain the excess water?
I followed your recipe for cooking brown rice and it turned out
pretty much like muck.
Perhaps it is your cooking pot that turns this porridge into fluffy rice.
Could you use brown bas ate rice in this recipe? I tried it, but it was overcooked at 25 minutes. Would you modify the recipe some other way besides a shorter cooking time?
I haven’t tried cooking regular brown rice with this recipe but plan to.
Thanks
Hi! Just want to make sure I’m answering correctly. Do you mean basmati?
Yes, brown basmati rice
I’ve always had problems getting brown rice to turn out fluffy & not gummy. Wasn’t actually expecting this to work – so happy I was wrong!! Thank you so much for posting this!
Used your method exactly. Rice still crunchy. Have never been able to cook soft brown rice. I’m going back to white/jasmine rice which I can cook like a pro. You and all who have positive comments below apparently have a superpower that does not exist for me, a mere mortal. Namaste!
I’m going to make the vegetable fried rice tomorrow I’ll let you know how it came out.