Foolproof Oven-Baked Brown Rice Recipe (2024)

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 later 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

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. The fiber in brown rice helps you feel full, thereby decreasing your chances of overeating.
4. 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!
5. 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?