How to Cook Brown Rice

Brown rice is a classic staple for many plant-based dishes. It’s nutritious, filling, and has a distinctive nutty flavor (unlike the white varieties of rice out there). This amazing wholesome grain can help complete a nutritious meal, be a great option for batch cooking, and (best yet!) it is extremely affordable.

This is why I am delighted to bring you this How to Cook Brown Rice Guide. I hope it will help you make the most of this incredibly versatile ingredient.

What Are The Benefits of Eating Brown Rice over White Rice?

Before I dive into how to cook brown rice, let’s start with knowing why it’s worth cooking. Brown rice is a very healthy plant-based diet staple. For multiple reasons, it is a better option than white rice. It has many fantastic health benefits, including:

• It is a great source of fiber, plant protein, and slow-digesting carbohydrates (this means that it keeps you full for longer)
• Brown rice is packed with important vitamins and minerals, including magnesium (which helps with blood pressure regulation, blood sugar control, energy production, and DNA repair!)
• Contains a good amount of phenols and flavonoids, which are antioxidants extremely helpful to prevent oxidative stress (and as a result, prevent diseases!).
• Helps to keep blood sugar levels in check
• Is naturally gluten-free which makes it a great option for those avoiding gluten

With all these amazing health benefits in mind, let’s jump into how to cook brown rice quickly and easily. Keep reading to learn what methods you can use and how long to cook brown rice to achieve the perfect doneness every time!

Best Ways to Cook Brown Rice

How to Cook Brown Rice on Stove Top

Cooking Time: 40 minutes
Ratio: 1 cup of brown rice to 2 cups of water

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of short or long-grain brown rice
• 2 cups of water
• Salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse your rice in a mesh colander for 1 minute under running water. This will remove the excess starch and help cook the rice more evenly. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip this step).
2. Place the water and rice in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil, once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover.
3. Cook for about 30 minutes.
4. Once the water has evaporated, take off the heat (still covered) and let it sit for another 10 minutes.

How to Cook Brown Rice in Instant Pot

Cooking Time: 20 mins
Ratio: 1 cup of brown rice to 1 ½ cups of water

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of brown rice
• 1 ½ cup of water
• Salt (optional)

Directions:

1. Rinse your rice in a mesh colander for 1 minute under running water. This will remove the excess starch and help cook the rice more evenly. (If you’re in a hurry, you can skip this step).
2. Add water and rinsed rice to the Instant Pot. Pressure cook on high for 20 minutes (it will take about 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to pressurize before cooking begins).
3. Once the timer goes off, press the quick release (or if not in a hurry, allow it to naturally release for 10 minutes, then release any remaining pressure). Carefully remove the lid once the steam has fully escaped.

We hope that with this simple guide, you can master these easy ways of cooking brown rice in no time. After you follow the recipe a few times, you’ll likely know it by heart. Then, cooking brown rice will become an easy habit to incorporate into your regular meal plan!

Brown rice is such a versatile grain and can be used for countless healthy and delicious recipes, like stir-fries, buddha bowls, rice salads, curries and so much more! Learning to cook brown rice will open to make all of these nutritious dishes, and more!

Our Favorite Recipes Using Brown Rice

• Brown Rice Stir Fry
• Brown Fried Rice
• Veggie Kung Pao
• Bean & Rice Burrito
• Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers
• Brown Rice Risotto
• Rice Pilaf
• Chickpea Curry Soup
• Butternut Squash Curry or Yellow Curry