Brown rice has become a popular alternative to white rice. Though it seems simple, cooking brown rice can be hard to get right if you don’t make a couple important moves. That’s why today, we’ve got all the tips you need for how to cook brown rice perfectly, either:
- On the stove
- In a rice cooker (regardless of whether or not your rice cooker has a brown rice setting)
Why is Brown Rice Better for You?
Brown rice is healthier than white rice just like whole grain bread is healthier than white bread. Brown rice, unlike its white rice counterpart, only has the tough outer husk removed with the underlying bran and germ layers intact, which contain more fiber and nutrients. They’re also digested more slowly, spiking your blood sugar less than white rice.
It seems like everyone’s looking for the best way to get healthy, with some pretty aggressive tactics out there. From going gluten-free, paleo, or keto, to intermittent fasting and cutting out all sugar, it’s easy to go crazy! It feel like you’re being bombarded with “easy healthy alternatives” and that your food is living your life instead of you! Brown rice is a simple, everyday choice that is indeed healthier than white rice, but it won’t drive you mad with hunger, confuse the heck out of you, or break the bank!
Plus, Chinese restaurant owners have caught on to what their health-conscious customers want, so these days we’ve found both brown and white rice options to be more common when dining out.
Making Brown Rice at Home
Here are some overall tips and answers to common questions you may have when cooking brown rice at home.
What is the ratio of uncooked rice to cooked rice? How much cooked brown rice does 1 cup of uncooked rice yield?
- Most folks say that 1 cup of uncooked rice yields 3 cups of cooked rice. This may be true for white rice, but brown rice yields slightly less volume than white rice. We’ve found the ratio is closer to 1 to 2½ cups uncooked to cooked rice. Keep in mind that brown rice is much more filling than white rice. However, when cooking rice for meals, I always err on the side of excess. One never wants to run out of rice, especially when guests are involved!
How do I get tender brown rice?
- Pre-soaking is the secret to reliably good brown rice. We recommend 90 minutes soaking time, but you can soak it longer if you like your rice softer. If you’re short on time, 20 minutes will help you along, but you’ll get more al dente results. This is also a great step to do in the morning before you leave for school or work, as a longer soaked brown rice will only be more tender and fluffy.
Should I wash brown rice before cooking?
- We generally rinse our rice before cooking, though it isn’t strictly necessary. While rice looks clean, rinsing it once can get rid of light amounts of dirt and dust, or surface bad rice grains. For white rice, rinsing a couple of times can remove excess starch, but no need to do this for brown rice.
Method 1: How to Cook Brown Rice on the Stove
Rinse 2 cups of brown rice. You can see we have plenty of water in the pot. Add enough water to fill the pot an inch above the level of the rice, and let it soak for at least 20 minutes––ideally 90 minutes or even overnight.
When you are ready to cook the rice, pour off all the soaking water from the pot, leaving only the rice. Add fresh water in the same volume as rice. Since we started with two cups of uncooked rice, we added 2 cups of fresh water.
Cover the pot and put on the stove on high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat to the lowest setting and continue to cook, covered, until all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked through (about 15 to 20 minutes). Turn off the heat, and let your rice sit covered on the stove for another 10 minutes to finish cooking.
Method 2: How to Cook Brown Rice in a Rice Cooker
Some rice cookers have a brown rice setting while others just have one all-purpose “cook” button.
Rice cookers with a brown rice setting should have water level measure lines in the pot for both plain white rice and brown rice As you can see, brown rice requires more water. We’ll give you instructions for either scenario.
Measure out your rice using the cup that came with the rice cooker! These cups are roughly ¾ of a cup, so using 2 cups results 1½ U.S. standard cups and will yield about 3¾ U.S. cups of brown rice.
Give your brown rice a good rinse in the rice cooker pot before cooking. Next, add enough water up to the water level lines for brown rice. If you added 2 of the rice cooker cups (1½ standard cups), fill the pot with fresh water up to the 2 cup water line.
Let the rice sit in the water for at least 20 minutes, but ideally 90 minutes, before pressing the brown rice button. This helps make the cooking process more smooth and results in really tender brown rice.
If you don’t have a brown rice button, the plain rice button should work fine, but the soaking process is even more important, as your rice cooker isn’t calibrating for a longer cooking time.
Add more water so the water line is slightly above the 2 cup water line. It’s also a good idea to let your rice sit in the rice cooker for an additional 10 minutes after it is “done” without opening the rice cooker lid to let it continue cooking inside the pot.
How to Cook Brown Rice for Fried Rice
When making Brown Fried Rice, there are some steps you can take when preparing the brown rice to ensure your fried rice doesn’t turn out soggy.
- Once your rice is done, fluff it with a fork, spreading the brown rice onto a non-stick sheet pan or clean surface to dry out and cool.
- Using leftover brown rice that has been refrigerated is ideal. You can use your hands, splashed with some water, to break up any clumps.
As you can see in the photo below, of the cooked brown rice made on the stovetop in one bowl, and the brown rice made in a rice cooker in another bowl, the results are remarkably similar with both methods, as long as you know the steps to take!
Can you tell the difference? We can’t!
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Recipe
How to Cook Brown Rice
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked brown rice (about 375g)
- water
Instructions
How to Cook Brown Rice on the Stove
- Rinse 2 cups of brown rice. Add enough water to fill the pot an inch above the level of the rice, and let it soak for at least 20 minutes––ideally 90 minutes or even overnight.
- When you are ready to cook the rice, pour off all the soaking water from the pot, leaving only the rice. Add fresh water in the same volume as rice. Since we started with two cups of uncooked rice, we added 2 cups of fresh water.
- Cover the pot and put on the stove on high heat. Once the liquid comes to a boil, turn the heat to the lowest setting and continue to cook, covered, until all the water has evaporated and the rice is cooked through (about 15 to 20 minutes). Turn off the heat, and let your rice sit covered on the stove for another 10 minutes to finish cooking.
How to Cook Brown Rice in a Rice Cooker
- Measure out your rice using the cup that came with the rice cooker! These cups are roughly ¾ of a cup, so using 2 cups results 1½ U.S. standard cups and will yield about 3¾ U.S. cups of brown rice. Give your brown rice a good rinse in the rice cooker pot before cooking and drain.
- If your rice cooker has a brown rice setting, add enough water up to the water level lines for brown rice. If you added 2 of the rice cooker cups (1½ standard cups), fill the pot with fresh water up to the 2 cup water line.
- If your rice cooker does not have a brown rice setting, add water so the water line is slightly above the 2 cup line. It’s also a good idea to let your rice sit in the rice cooker for an additional 10 minutes after it is “done” without opening the rice cooker lid to let it continue cooking inside the pot.
- Let the rice sit in the water for at least 20 minutes, but ideally 90 minutes, before pressing the brown rice button (or regular "cook" button).
