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!
I literally never comment on recipes, but this one is a complete game changer. So simple and easy yet effective ! Yielded perfectly cooked brown rice, not mushy or sticky at all. I love cooking but rice is something of a culinary adversary of mine, and no matter what I’ve tried seemed hit or miss. Since my mom’s diabetes diagnosis I switched to brown, and every time I tried to cook according to box instructions what I got was mushy gruel no matter how long I rinsed or soaked. But this gave me perfect results the very first time I tried !! Thank you so much !
Why don’t you let the water boil out like white rice and this brown rice you only boil for 30 minutes. Will be tying
About to make this! How much salt per one cup of rice would you say to use? I always do too much or too little. Thanks!
Hi Hannah! I would suggest 1/4 tsp and adjusting from there. You can reference my cilantro brown rice as a guide.
Incredible!! So easy! I am so happy to have found your recommendation on how to cook brown rice. No burning my fingers trying to secure aluminum foil. No burning the bottom of the pan. Simply perfect, fluffy brown rice. Thank you. Thank you!
Perfect first time. Thank you!
Oh my! I cooked my brown rice using your “recipe” and it was great! I can’t believe it was so simple yet yielded such perfect results. I won’t be dreading rice prep ever again. Me and my gumbo thank you. Thanks!
Wanted to thank you so very much, I followed this recipe exactly – even though instructions on my rice said cook 45 mins & then stand for 10 mins. Turned out perfectly, will definitely never cook brown rice another way again – thank you!!
Great to hear, Hayley! Thank you for your review.
You can prepare brown rice without a rice cooker. You can prepare it quick without much hassle. Btw, I loved the third recipe- extra vegetable fried rice- my all-time favorite.
I can now cook rice … finally! Thank you x
You’re welcome, Chloe!
Oh my gosh! We followed your method and it did turn out perfectly. We added some sautéed baby bello mushrooms after we fluffed it and it was delicious. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I’m happy it turned out perfect for you, Angie.
I am 63 years old have never been able to cook brown rice. I did this recipe and Wala I can now cook brown rice..fluffy brown rice!! Thank you so much for this technique it is very much appreciated!!
Hooray! I’m glad it worked well, Caroll.
Cooking brown rice has always been hit or miss for me. I’ve used the simple method twice and had great results – separate grains, no glutinous mass. One cup of rice yielded 3 of cooked. I’ve used your similar recipe for quinoa and also had great results.
Thank you so much. Never tought it would or could be this easy, the rice was perfect.
Wonderful, Celeste! Thank you for your review.
This recipe is a lifesaver! Thank you! Came out perfect!
I just could not believe that I could get perfect brown rice in 32mintues, so to prove you wrong I tried it, to my surprise it came out perfect, my husband was amazed, as I was.
Thank you
J J
What a fabulous technique, where has this been all my life?!! Thank you for sharing, finally an easy alternative to keep me from choosing to make white rice every time. My gas cook top is powerful, and I used a copper-core All Clad pot, and had wonderful results, even the first time when I was too lazy to rinse the rice. Both times, the resulting brown basmati rice was just delicious. I am in your debt for this game-changer of a recipe! ;o)
You’re welcome! I’m glad you appreciate it.
I made it this evening. Came out great! Thank you!
Wow!! This is my go to recipe for brown rice. I usually make this for my husband’s meal prep when I’m doing Asian inspired dishes and need brown rice to change it up. I make this recipe and season it at the end with a tablespoon of butter, soy sauce, and 2tsp of toasted sesame oil. I got this idea from your fried rice recipe. Thank you :) I will recommend everyone this.
Thank you so much! Last night’s brown rice was a mushy disaster. Afterwards, I found your website and instructions… I followed it exactly and I’m happy to report that it turned out perfectly! What a difference! So excited to try some of your recipes! Happy New Year!
I have made brown rice for 30 years. It’s almost always turns out very gluey. I wasn’t sure your recipe was going to work – but voila – it turned out PERFECT!! I followed it exactly. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!
You’re welcome, Scott! I’m happy this one worked for you.
This cooked my brown rice perfectly! I’m never going back to the old way. Is there a version of this method for white rice, just less time? Thank you so much!
Worked great! Fluffy not sticky, little chewy – delish!
I’ve always struggled with brown rice. Family refused to eat it when I would cook it. :(. That’s never fun. But now, they LOVE it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
I made this rice for my dinner tonight. It came out perfect, I followed your directions to the “T”. I chose to season it with small diced portobello mushrooms, and small diced bell peppers. Hmmm yum, it was delicious. Wish I could have posted a pic with my comment. Thanks.
This recipe for brown rice worked perfectly. I followed the directions just as is and used an electric stove top.
This makes an EXTREMELY wet, mushy, yet not quite done tasting rice. Letting it stand off heat for 10 minutes only produced a cold rice that needed to be microwaved to be served warm, nor would it fluff, it was to much of a wet mess. I followed this exactly but will never again use it. Very disappointed.
Hi Ruth, I’m sorry you had issue. Did you use a large enough pot? If not, that can cause it to be mushy.
I had a plenty big enough pot. This just didn’t work for me.
I’m sorry to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!
Followed your brown rice recipe to the letter and it worked for me!! Water to rice ratio, cooking time etc. Perfectly cooked and fluffy! Thank you for sharing!
I did exactly as you stated. 6 cups of water to one cup of rice. Its been almost an hour. Still not cooked all the way. I have to admit I did out the rice before the water was boiling maybe thats why it didn’t work. Will try again another time. Not happy with the results. I have been trying to cook brown rice a few times. Just can’t get it. So sad
Hi Carmen, You want to make sure the water is boiling.
Followed your directions exactly and……the BEST brown rice I have ever made!!
Wow. Best brown rice I have ever made. I’ll never go back. Thanks for sharing.
Hooray! I’m happy you think so, Brain.
I guessed 4 cups was an abundance of water for one cup brown rice. I also guessed medium high for 30 minutes.
I also guessed with lid.
All guesses were incorrect.
The recipe could be more specific. “An abundance” could be 6 cups, “boil for 30 minutes” could be “without pot lid, bring to a boil, then turn down to medium for remainder of 30 minute boil. Finally, draining water off rice discards nutrients in the water.
Hi Anne, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have good results. I spend a lot of time being detailed and clear. I did specific all the areas you seemed to have issues with in the instructions. Did you follow the recipe card towards the bottom of the post?
Oh my goodness thank you so much for changing lives, for sharing such a thing and yes exactly you also mentioned the rights 3 reasons why this is the best answer to all brown rice problems.
You’re welcome, Kala!
Thank you Kate! Today is my fourth time using this method, and I expect another perfectly tender and fluffy pot. I have been struggling with brown rice for over 50 yrs. Sometimes good, lots of times ok, but seldom perfect. Brown rice is a standard in our diet, and you have
Removed all the hassle. This is way better than the rice cooker! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Darleen.
If anyone could mess up a rice recipe, it would be me. I thought I was following the instructions, it turned out terribly mushy. Based on reading other comments and your response, I probably had the temp too high for the 30 minute boil. Also, I could use more explanation on draining off the excess water. I assumed you meant to drain in a colander and mine had holes too big for the rice so at first I used the “tipping the pot with the lid cracked just a bit” method and that wasn’t enough so I used a small fine mesh strainer which given the mushiness, not much got through the strainer. I would like to try again with some suggestions for improvement.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Let me know when you try it again and how it turns out!
By golly I tried to screw the rice up at least three times in that 30 min time period, but I kept coming back to your instructions, and I couldn’t screw it up. Thank you, thank you! (My rice did take more like a 10 to 1 ratio, but I just kept adding water)
Absolutely perfect! I do boil it for longer though. Maybe 40 mins.
I’m a guy and I tried this method and the rice turned out great each time. This is a brain dead method, use it, it works! ! !
Pat
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Pat.
Had high hopes for this method, which I followed per the recipe, but the rice grains were split open like wild rice. My goal is to get chewy, separate whole grains that are not split open. Maybe I boiled too long (30 min) or too hard. I think I will go back to the traditional method.
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. You can do less time if you try it again and see what works.
First let me start by saying I love to cook and I am good at it, the more complicated the better! That being said the only thing I’ve never been able to cook is rice. Until I found your recipe, I can finally cook rice, I used black rice for this recipe and followed your directions exactly as written and it turned out perfect! Thank you once again for another easy and great recipe. I have yet to find a recipe of your’s that I don’t like! Thank you!
I always had difficulty making brown rice. Followed package directions but always hard and chewy. This is my new method…LOVE IT !!! Since it takes awhile to cook, I always make a BIG batch with 3 cups of rice. After it cools completely, I put it in a ziploc bag(s) and throw it in the freezer. I just take out what I need for each mealtime. Thanks for this method. Made my life a little easier.
Hooray! Thank you for sharing. I’m happy you like this method and can batch it for your use.
Thank you for the brown rice recipe. It was perfect!
I LOVE this recipe! I’ve tried cooking brown rice many times before and I hated it because it took forever. Now, every time I cook it, I use this method, and we are eating rice in 30 minutes! Thank you for sharing!
I used your method, including rinsing, and ended up with rice that was just as sticky as other methods I’ve used ….very disappointing
Hi Mary, I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have luck with this one. How large of sauce pan or pot did you use? If it’s smaller that can impact your results.
Perfect is right! And my favorite part is that it reheats so well! Thanks so much! Will be doing this often.
I’m glad it worked so well for you, Brenda! Thank you for your review.
Yay! Another winner! I just finished making mine and it turned out GREAT! I have a gas stove and it took just over 10 minutes for my water to come to a boil before I could add the rinsed rice. I used the 4 Sisters brand long grain organic brown rice. I’m so pleased with the results. Thank you! Now waiting for the broccoli to get done lol
Thank you!
I had never cooked rice without covering it and usually had trouble getting brown rice done. Followed the directions, had never rinsed rice either prior to cooking. Had friends over for jambalaya, fixed the rice and it turned out great!
Tried the recipe tonight and it came out great easiest way I have done thanks
I’ve not cooked a lot of brown rice in my life, maybe because I’ve always prepared it the way I would white rice and it turns out mushy – more like oatmeal? Made it this way last night and it was PERFECT. This is going to change a lot of recipes for me. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Corrine! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
You are right! The brown rice came out perfect! I ended up using 8 cups of water and I’m glad I did. I didn’t have to add any extra water at the end. Thank you so much!
Wonderful! Thank you for your review, Tobi.
It worked!
Years of trying to cook brown rice, this nailed it on the first try. THANK YOU!
I don’t know what I’m doing wrong but I’ve tried this recipe twice now and both times the rice has come out gummy and inedible. I rinsed first and followed to a T, but all the water boils out and then it’s gummy and not at all fluffy
Hi Megan, are you using a big enough pot? Maybe try turning your heat down a little next time. Let me know! I’m sorry to hear you are having a hard time.
I just made rice and couldn’t stop eating. I use a pasta pot with lots of water like I’m cooking pasta. So there is always lots of water when rice is cooking. Test a few grains to see if cooked. When cooked drain water. It works. Large pot, lots of water (no need to measure). Will not go back to the old way of cooking rice.
Thank you very much for this simple method.
That’s great to hear! Thank you for sharing, Marcia.