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
- 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.
Sherri
I made this recipe and followed it to the T. It came out perfect! Thank you because I had been doing it incorrectly for years!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! I’m happy you enjoyed it, Sherri.
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!
★★★★★
Cindy
I just made this. I followed the recipe exactly. The rice was delicious, each grain separate. No mush. I used a cup of long grain brown rice, six cups water. I left the rice in the pot after 30 minutes of a “hard “ boil, the drained with the lid on over the sink. Let rest off the burner 10 minutes, lid on. Just perfect. Thank you!
★★★★★
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.
Janice
I need to know how much rice to the 6 cups of rice
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).
★★★
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.
Laurie
Best and easiest fool proof rice recipe! My mom, who has been making brown rice for years, was very impressed with how it was the exact perfect texture! She couldn’t believe it when I told her how I did it. Adult daughter win :)
★★★★★
Andie
I struggle with rice … but not with this recipe! I followed it exactly…aside from rinsing it. Thank you!! Any tips for white rice??
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! I don’t cook much with white rice as I like the nutritional boost brown rice provides.
Luke
My rice has the consistency of mash potatoes
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that this didn’t turnout perfect for you. Was there any water left in the pan? Was it at too high of a boil the entire time and overcooked? Let me know.
Julie Sears
Tried your recipe/method – this is the first time brown rice has turned out palatable. Mine was a little sticky, but I like it that way. I was apprehensive about 6 cups of water, but by the time 30 minutes rolled around, there was hardly any water left. Yay- thank you – I’m doing it this way from now on!
★★★★★
Tracy
Just made this exactly as written and it turned out perfect! Finally, brown rice that isn’t crunchy and has a perfect texture! Thank you so much!!
★★★★★
Phil Anderson
Worked for me!
Amazingly, I used much less water than the recipe requires.
Cooking for five, I used a large mug x 2. Which *should* require 12 equivalent cups of water, but after 7 the rice looked so dwarfed by the water I left it at that.
Cooked 35 mins without a diffuser and still the water level was twice that of the rice.
Janequa
Made this tonight to go with some baked chicken thighs & I will probably always make my brown rice this way! The only change I made was I use 7 cups of water instead of 6.
Shar
When you throw the excess water, are you not throwing away the nutrients in the brown rice?
Kate
Hi Shar, you may be loosing something, but I believe most is in the grain itself.
Laila
Perfect recipe!! I always hated brown rice but this recipe actually works and the rice tastes really good.
Jen
Carrie, when you boil it in excess water instead of steaming (the traditional way where all of the water is absorbed), it cooks faster. It’s science, not blogging magic.
Maury McCord
Does this actually give you tender, tasty brown rice? Mine always comes out so chewy, even crunchy but I use far less water and try to cook it in my cheepo rice cooker from Target. I realize the health benefits of brown rice but if it’s inedible….Even my dog wouldn’t eat it, and he eats pretty much anything.
Kate
Hi Maury, I find this one works very well. I hope you try it and let me know what you think!
James
About when does one add the salt and or other seasons? Thanks in advance!
Kate
Hi James! This is about cooking brown rice plain to add to other recipes. It depends on the recipe you want to include the rice into. You could use my cilantro lime rice as a base if you like.
James
Hello Kate! Thank you for the reply. I was asking because on the ingrediant list it has this bulleted: “- Salt, soy sauce or other desired seasonings, to taste”.
Also, I did the recipe 100% how it is explained above. Unfortunately my rice came out with a lot of moisture. If it is due to not rinsing the rice sufficiently, about how long should one rinse for best results? Thank you in advance!
Kate
Hi James, sorry for misunderstanding your question! You would add those at the end for your desired taste. A recipe you may be using it for would also give you guidance, if that makes sense? I’m sorry you didn’t have a perfect result! You want to drain excess water if there is any and then cover per directions. Did you drain the excess water?
Randal Summers
I followed your recipe for cooking brown rice and it turned out
pretty much like muck.
Perhaps it is your cooking pot that turns this porridge into fluffy rice.
★
Nais Raulet
Could you use brown bas ate rice in this recipe? I tried it, but it was overcooked at 25 minutes. Would you modify the recipe some other way besides a shorter cooking time?
I haven’t tried cooking regular brown rice with this recipe but plan to.
Thanks
Kate
Hi! Just want to make sure I’m answering correctly. Do you mean basmati?
Nais Raulet
Yes, brown basmati rice
Nancy K Jacobs
I’ve always had problems getting brown rice to turn out fluffy & not gummy. Wasn’t actually expecting this to work – so happy I was wrong!! Thank you so much for posting this!
★★★★★
Stephen Evans
Used your method exactly. Rice still crunchy. Have never been able to cook soft brown rice. I’m going back to white/jasmine rice which I can cook like a pro. You and all who have positive comments below apparently have a superpower that does not exist for me, a mere mortal. Namaste!
★
Sarah Green
I’m going to make the vegetable fried rice tomorrow I’ll let you know how it came out.
Marlo
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 !
★★★★★
Mary
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
Hannah
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!
Kate
Hi Hannah! I would suggest 1/4 tsp and adjusting from there. You can reference my cilantro brown rice as a guide.
Anneke
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!
★★★★★
Michelle Spencer
Perfect first time. Thank you!
★★★★★
Nancy
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!
★★★★★
Hayley
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!!
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear, Hayley! Thank you for your review.
Andy Brown
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.
Chloe
I can now cook rice … finally! Thank you x
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Chloe!
Angie Gascon
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!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy it turned out perfect for you, Angie.
Caroll
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!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m glad it worked well, Caroll.
Socko
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.
★★★★
Celeste
Thank you so much. Never tought it would or could be this easy, the rice was perfect.
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful, Celeste! Thank you for your review.
Steve M
This recipe is a lifesaver! Thank you! Came out perfect!
★★★★★
Johnnetta Jeffrey
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
★★★★★
Anastasia
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)
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m glad you appreciate it.
Ruth
I made it this evening. Came out great! Thank you!
Sherry
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.
★★★★★
Joyce
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!
Scott
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!!!!!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Scott! I’m happy this one worked for you.
Mike
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!
★★★★★
Marmatei
Worked great! Fluffy not sticky, little chewy – delish!
★★★★★
Dee
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!
Cris McDonald
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.
★★★★★
Allyson
This recipe for brown rice worked perfectly. I followed the directions just as is and used an electric stove top.
★★★★★
Ruth Steiner
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.
★★
Kate
Hi Ruth, I’m sorry you had issue. Did you use a large enough pot? If not, that can cause it to be mushy.
Ruth Steiner
I had a plenty big enough pot. This just didn’t work for me.
Kate
I’m sorry to hear that. Thanks for letting me know!
Nurissa Daniels
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!
★★★★★
Carmen Martinez
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
Kate
Hi Carmen, You want to make sure the water is boiling.
Lorraine
Followed your directions exactly and……the BEST brown rice I have ever made!!
★★★★★
Brian Dulin
Wow. Best brown rice I have ever made. I’ll never go back. Thanks for sharing.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m happy you think so, Brain.
Anne
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.
★★
Kate
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?
Kala
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.
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Kala!
Darleen Vanderbosch
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!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! Thank you for your review, Darleen.
Sandy
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.
Kate
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that. Let me know when you try it again and how it turns out!
Jennifer Reid
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)
★★★★★
Tiffany B
Absolutely perfect! I do boil it for longer though. Maybe 40 mins.
★★★★
Pat
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
Kate
That’s great! Thank you for sharing, Pat.
Kim
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.
Kate
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that. You can do less time if you try it again and see what works.
Katie Marrs
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!
★★★★★
Jill Brown
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.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thank you for sharing. I’m happy you like this method and can batch it for your use.
Margaret
Thank you for the brown rice recipe. It was perfect!
★★★★★
Edna
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!
★★★★★
Mary
I used your method, including rinsing, and ended up with rice that was just as sticky as other methods I’ve used ….very disappointing
★
Kate
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.
Brenda
Perfect is right! And my favorite part is that it reheats so well! Thanks so much! Will be doing this often.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad it worked so well for you, Brenda! Thank you for your review.
Kina
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
Kate
Thank you!
Ramona Farley
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!
★★★★★
Marvin Knecht
Tried the recipe tonight and it came out great easiest way I have done thanks
★★★★★
Corrine
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!
Kate
You’re welcome, Corrine! I’m delighted you enjoyed it.
Tobi Schwartz-Cassell
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!
★★★★★
Kate
Wonderful! Thank you for your review, Tobi.
Zu
It worked!
Years of trying to cook brown rice, this nailed it on the first try. THANK YOU!
★★★★★
Megan
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
★★
Kate
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.