How to Cook Brown Rice Like a Boss

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Ok. This information changed my life.

I am not being dramatic.  That is only slightly dramatic.

I have NEVER been able to cook brown rice well. Even when we had a rice maker, I always ruined it. In a fit of rage, I threw out that pointless appliance (that I’ve since learned is actually very useful… woops.) We eat a moderate amount of rice and I always wish I could cook brown rice since it’s healthier than white rice. Not to mention, when we joined Costco, I bought a 20 pound bag of brown rice that has 19.999 pounds left. So….  yeah.

The other day, I googled ‘how to cook brown rice without ruining it,” and I stumbled on this article, which gave instructions to cook brown rice like pasta. No way, I thought. You don’t cook rice like pasta!!!! Every piece of conventional cooking wisdom in me rebelled, but I figured I had nothing to lose, since I usually ruin the batch anyway.

People, it worked.

And it’s so easy.

It’s fool-proof.

The queen of ruining rice (ahem, me) was able to cook brown rice this way.

You have to switch to this method. The rice cooks perfectly. I’ve done it 7 times since I found this out a couple weeks ago, and not had one bad batch. (Now we’re down to 18 pounds of brown rice left…)

The directions on that website are a little fluffy (like your amazing brown rice will be once you do this), so here’s the gist of how to cook brown rice like pasta like a boss.

Cook the rice like pasta.

That’s it. Boil water, boil it for a while, strain it. Put it back in the pot.

To be fair, there are a few slight differences between cooking brown rice and pasta.

So, here are the more detailed steps for how to cook brown rice:

  1. Boil a pot of water (like you would for pasta).
  2. Once it’s boiling, add as much rice as you want (like pasta).
  3. Stir it once, boil uncovered for 30 minutes (longer than pasta).
  4. Drain the rice in a strainer (like pasta).
  5. Put it back in the pan, with a lid covering it, OFF the heat.
  6. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes. (Not like pasta.)
  7. Be AMAZED AT THE RICE-GOODNESS YOU HAVE CREATED.
  8. Pin this so all your friends will know how to cook brown rice like a boss too.

p.s. Many years later, I ended up with this instapot. And it cooks brown rice like a boss too! So you can always just do that!

Next up: check out my super simple meal planning tips & best grocery budget hack too! I guarantee you’ve never heard of that grocery budget hack!!

Wondering how to cook brown rice? This simple, easy method will blow your mind! I never knew you could cook brown rice like pasta and it totally makes for the best brown rice ever. #cookingtips #weeknightdinners #dinnerprep #sidedish
how to cook brown rice like a boss. spoiler alert: cook it like pasta. it is so much easier and you can't possibly ruin it!  #cookingtips #easydinner #recipes #sidedish

27 thoughts on “How to Cook Brown Rice Like a Boss”

  1. The comments on my site are turned off now, but I'd love to hear from you on Instagram! Follow me there & tag me in a comment or DM me. Xo I'm @MrsReneeCook on Instagram!
  2. I’m so trying this! I can never get it to come out right. I made it the other day and it was like mushy, chewy oatmeal.

  3. I use onegoodthingbyjillee Foolproof oven baked brown rice. It comes out perfect every time. I will also give your method a try, but I think Jillee’s is much easier. IMHO

  4. Never had a problem with brown rice. Been cooking as per Laurel’s Kitchen for over 30 years. All rice should be washed first.Like Quinoa or any grain. Rice grows in Paddy fields, as in big pools of mud covered in water. Got to eat a peck of dirt before you die. But washing all the arsenic filled mud & water off first makes a difference. It is not just brown rice & arsenic, but every single root vegetable, pod, or leaf vegetable, thanks to rain & leaf vegetable. too. Every grain & vegetable gets soaked scrubbed with hands for grains & leaves while harder vegetables get a scrubbing brush. 2 cups of AC Vinegar to a dish pan of water , then manually sprayed drained & rinsed clean. Don’t forget the arsenic & host of other chemicals that are legally allowed to be in drinking water. They don’t even have to be legally declared. I have never had mushy or crunchy brown rice, broth is a nice flavoring but not if it’s using 3 qts of broth for 4 servings of brown rice. Plus most of the
    Nutrient value goes down the drain,. Not saying that it’s wrong to cook it like dried pasta. Just that they babies being tossed out with the cooking water. If it works for you go a head. Just know the flip side of using that method to cooking rice.

  5. Brown rice has always been difficult for me. I hate when it comes out sticky. This method worked beautifully! I think that much of the excess starch gets discarded with the water when you drain the rice. That prevents the stickiness. Thanks for sharing this wonderful rice-cooking method.

  6. Amazing! I just tried this and it worked like a charm. In the past I’ve had a really hard time with brown rice. From now on I’ll be using your method.

  7. I’m 38 years old and I finally just made the first pot of amazing brown rice of my life! This worked like a charm! I did salt the water like I do for pasta (the oil in the water thing is such a mystery to me- haha! I lived in Italy for years and it’s definitely not something Italians do! ) Anyway- just a little warning for others like me who maybe don’t (cough, cough) follow the instructions! Apparently there’s a reason why you’re supposed to wash/rinse rice before you cook it! Since I salted the water, it foamed-up as it’s wont to do. Only, since I’m lazy and never pre-wash my rice, it was this disgusting black foam with chunks of dirt in it! Bleeeeehhhh! I skimmed it off and just told myself that all of the grossness showed-up in the foam, but I’ll definitely be washing my rice after this!! (ps: It’s organic rice…at least I know it wasn’t pesticide-laden grossness)

  8. Nope! If I want it to be more ‘perfect,’ I pull it out into a separate dish. Rice like pasta – who knew!

  9. Been making all my rice (white and brown ) by boiling and draining like pasta for years. Saw it on a PBS cooking show. But I will try putting it back in the pot with a cover to fluff. Do you put anything in the dry pan so it doesn’t stick?

  10. I usually don’t add oil or salt to the brown rice recipe. It might not hurt though! If you try it, let me know how that goes… I season the rice after it’s totally done cooking with a little butter and whatever seasonings compliment the meal.

  11. Hi,just wondering do i salt the water and add a little oil to it like you would pasta…. i use salt and a little oil when making white rice but since i have to boil water as if im making pasta for brown rice im not sure how to salt and use oil or not…thank you.

  12. I tried it using chicken stock, as the pasta water, and it worked like a charm . Thank you for letting me finally have brown rice I can actually enjoy at home.

  13. hmm strange!! I would maybe try more water next time… I usually leave the heat on medium-high and boil it for 30 minutes and there is still water to drain… but I fill the pot with water as if I’m making pasta. Maybe try 4-6 cups of water for a cup of rice and see what happens? Sorry it didn’t work for you. Good luck!

  14. Tried this way of making brown rice and it didn’t work. We boiled the rice and at 15 minutes all the liquid was gone, we did 3/4 cup rice and 2 cups of water. I wouldn’t try 30 minutes of boiling, seems too long, especially as the water was all gone before that time. Is the heat supposed to be brought down after it starts boiling? If so, it isn’t stated here. When we do our rice, once it starts boiling we turn it to simmer for 15 minutes and do a few other tricks, generally speaking it comes out fine. Thanks for the method though.

  15. ooo i didn’t know it works with white too – will have to try! thanks for the tip 🙂

  16. My mom taught me to just boil rice from the beginning. I’ve never cooked the liquid off. It works with white or brown. Just boil it until it’s done when you taste it and rinse with hot water. Perfect and fluffy every time without fail.

  17. Kathy – so interesting. I had no idea, but that’s a nice coincidence!! Never bad to get rid of the arsenic in your food 😉

  18. Interestingly, brown rice is high in arsenic (all rice is, but brown rice is higher than white rice, go figure…google it!) the BEST way to cook it to eliminate much of the arsenic is this method! And it’s easier! ????

  19. I discovered this one about a year ago and it is a game changer. No more partially cooked partially crunchy rice. No more waiting 50 minutes. Thanks for sharing on the Creative K Kids Tasty Tuesdays Link Party. I hope you will join us next week.

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