Cook tender, fluffy and delicious brown rice without the worry of scorching, undercooking or overcooking. We’re cooking brown rice on the stove pasta style, and it’s ready in about 30 minutes. Whether you’re cooking jasmine, short grain, long grain or Basmati brown rice, this easy method creates perfectly cooked brown rice every time.
Brown Rice Cooked Pasta Style
If you’re looking for an easier method to cook perfect brown rice every time on the stove, coking brown rice like pasta is the way to do it. This method is quicker than the absorption method and scorched, mushy, under or over-cooked brown rice is thing of the past – it’s a win-win!
My brown rice cooking instructions offer an easy hands off approach that cooks up tender, fluffy, no fuss brown rice. You’ll have it memorized the first time you make it!
Enjoy brown rice as a side dish or as a component in other recipes like in this reader favorite Spanish Brown Rice, my popular Roasted Fennel, Mushroom and Brown Rice Gratin and as a side in curry dishes like this cozy 35 Minute Chickpea Spinach Curry.
This Recipe Is
- tender with a perfect tooth
- two ingredients
- easy
Brown rice is a versatile pantry staple that, when cooked properly, is delicious with many dishes and in a variety of recipes.
For this recipe, I tested cooking short grain, long grain, basmati and jasmine brown rice using the pasta method. I found how long to simmer brown rice is the same for all four varieties, 25-30 minutes.
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How to Cook Brown Rice On The Stovetop
step by step
Brown Rice to Water Ratio
For cooking rice on the stovetop, I use a rice to water ratio of 1 to 8 or one cup rice to eight cups water.
I experimented with varying amounts of cooking water, less and more, with and without a lid and found eight cups to be the sweet spot without a lid for one cup of rice. Using too little water prevents the rice from cooking properly due to the loss of water in the form of steam. Using more than eight cups of water just isn’t necessary.
Traci’s Tips
- Taste for Rediness: at the 25 minute mark, taste your rice. If the texture is to your liking, it’s time to drain it. If not quite there, give the rice a few more minutes of simmer time, then test again.
- For Faster Cooking: I also tested cooking brown rice using the same method, but soaking it in water in the refrigerator for six to eight hours prior to cooking. Soaking reduced the cook time, using the pasta method, by 5-10 minutes. If soaking, drain, rinse then cook the brown rice, pasta style for 15-20 minutes.
Fluffy Stovetop Brown Rice (for Basmati, Jasmine & More!)
Ingredients
- 8 cups (1.69Kg) Water
- 1/4 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt optional
- 1 cup Long Grain (175 grams), Short Grain (175 grams), Jasmine (165 grams) or Basmati (165 grams) Brown Rice (not the quick cooking variety)
Instructions
- In a 2.75 quart Dutch oven or sauce pan, add the water and salt if using. Bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer under cold running water for about 20-30 seconds. Drain and set aside.
- Once the water is boiling, drop the rice in, turn the heat down just a touch and and cook on a heavy simmer – to boiling for 25-30 minutes, adjusting the heat so it doesn't boil over. Set a timer for 25 minutes, then, start checking to see if your rice is done starting at 25ish minutes. Too much texture? Cook for another minute or two, then check again. It can go from almost done to done quick, so check often. I find about 27 minutes to be the sweet spot.The rice is done when it's tender, has a slight chew to it, not mushy.
- Drain throughly, through the mesh strainer until there's no water dripping from it. Make sure your pot doesn't have any water left in it, then transfer the rice back to the pot. Lid and set aside off the heat to steam for five minutes. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Your rice is ready to enjoy.
- To Store: allow to cool, transfer to a storage container, lid and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
I usually make more than 1 cup- would you do double or triple the water if I doubled or tripled the rice? 2C rice/16c water, 3C rice/24C water?
Hi Sue! That’s a good question. The most I’ve cooked in 8 cups of water is 1 1/2 cups of rice, and, while it worked, the water reduced so much I’d probably add another cup of water if I do it again. I assume doubling the recipe would work just fine, but I’m not sure if you’d actually need that much water. Without testing, I can’t say for sure.