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
PrintHow to Cook Perfect Brown Rice
- Author:
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 32 minutes (plus 10 minutes for steaming)
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Whole grain
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 Information
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!
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Dave Neilson
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.
Kate
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.
carrie
it needs to boil at least 45 mins. Idk how stovetops are so different that these bloggers can cook food faster
★
Dave Neilson
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
Jennifer
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!
★★★★★
JJG
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.
★★★★★
Christine Kern
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)
★★★★★
Karlyn
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.
★★★★★
Jorge
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!!
★★★★★
Kimberly Masso
Excellent tips on cooking brown rice! Cooked perfectly!! Thanks a million!!
Kimberly
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!!
Jennifer
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.
★★★★★
MICHELLE
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?
Kate
Hey Michelle! As long as your rice is brown rice (any variety, but not quick-cooking) then yes, this method should work well!
Angel Hayes
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?
Kate
Hi Angel, you want to strain off every last bit of water. Hope that helps!
Maneet
And do we need to rinse the cooked rice with cold water before putting it back in the pan to fluff
Angel Hayes
Thank you! I did and turned out perfect!
Bee
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??
Kate
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.
Yusra
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 :)
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad it turned out.
Jen
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!
★★★★★
Melissa
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!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy it worked out so well for you.
Kim
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
Kate
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!
Claire
I use your method for brown rice every single time and it hasn’t failed me yet!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Claire! I appreciate your review.
Paige
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.
★
Lynne Weitzel
I received compliments on the brown rice. Thank you!
Joel
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!!
★★★★★
Rasha
Do you add salt to the boiling water before adding the rice?
Kate
Hi Rasha! You could, but I wait to stir in salt to taste at the end (for full control).
Scott
I cut the recipe in half, came out beautifully. Very excited to try with brown basmati next.
★★★★★
Gladys
So easy & came out perfectly! Thank you so much!
★★★★★
Kate
Love to hear that, Gladys!
Mandy
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!
★★★★★
Tee
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
★★★★★
June
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
★
Kate
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?
Lilac J
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 :)
★★★★
Ian
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
★★★★★
S Fair
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.
★★
Caroline
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 :-)
★★★★★
Kate
Fantastic to hear this method turned out perfectly for you, Caroline! I appreciate you taking the time to comment.
N.
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!
★★★★★
Cassandra
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!
★★★★★
Karla Holmes
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, the Rice Killer).
★★★
Hana
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
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you found it too, Hana! Thanks for taking the time to report back.